Our roundup of the latest news from metro Detroit and Michigan businesses as well as announcements from government agencies. To share a business or nonprofit story, please send us a message.
Traverse City Planning First International Fireworks Championship
Teams from the U.S., Mexico, France, and Germany will face off at Turtle Creek Stadium in Traverse City on Sept. 9 for the inaugural International Fireworks Championship.
Each of the four teams, which have qualified by winning similar competitions, will produce a fireworks display with musical accompaniment that will be formally judged. The public, however, will have the final say on the winner of the competition.
“This promises a fireworks event like no other,” says Mickey Graham, director of events at Traverse City Tourism. “There are bright colors, bold designs, and fun concepts. I recently watched a competition in Spain and the show was the pride of the entire community.”
Details of the fireworks championship are still in the planning stages, but Graham says it will be a family-friendly event with entertainment leading up to the competition at nightfall.
Only a handful of fireworks competitions are conducted in the U.S., with the closest being staged in Missouri. The competition will be a ticketed event. Details will be announced when they are finalized.
More information, visit here.
World-class Golfers Homa, Kim, Kisner Commit to Rocket Mortgage Classic
Max Homa, Tom Kim, and Kevin Kisner are the latest world-class PGA Tour golfers to commit to playing in the Rocket Mortgage Classic at Detroit Golf Club is June 26-July 2.
Homa currently is the world’s sixth-rated player. He’s a six-time winner on the PGA Tour and has won twice this season. His best finish in the RMC was a tie for 24th last year.
Kim is only 20 years old and is ranked 21st among the world’s best players. He made his RMC debut last year and finished seventh.
Kisner, the 68th-ranked player, has played in every RMC event since it started in 2019. His best finish was third in 2020.
They join last year’s RMC champion and world No. 12 Tony Finau, Collin Morikawa (No. 18), and Rickie Fowler (No. 45) as early player commitments for the 2023 Rocket Mortgage Classic.
The majority of the tournament’s 156-player field will be confirmed June 23, with the likely addition of final player exemptions to complete the field just before the beginning of tournament week. Four players will earn entry through on open qualifier on Monday, June 26.
For more information and tickets, visit rocketmortgageclassic.com.
Ahee Jewelers Prepares for Annual Capuchin Souper Summer Event at Comerica Park
Ahee Jewelers is gearing up for the 42nd Annual Capuchin Souper Summer Celebration at 7:30 p.m. June 17 at Comerica Park.
Free and open to the community, this year’s event will feature a jewelry raffle offering more than $30,000 in fine jewelry donated by Ahee Jewelers, live music from Your Generation in Concert, delicious cuisine, and fireworks display at dusk. This year’s theme is “Celebrating Miracles.”
Tickets for the one-of-a-kind raffle featuring coveted brands including Cartier, Mikimoto, David Yurman, Tag Heuer, Meira T and Shinola are available for purchase by phone or in-person at Ahee Jewelers in Grosse Pointe Woods or the Capuchin Soup Kitchen in Detroit. Tickets are $5 each. All jewelry and expenses are donated by the Ahee family, allowing 100% of proceeds go directly to the Capuchin Soup Kitchen in Detroit.
“We are delighted to continue the amazing tradition of bringing the community together for a night of celebration in the city we love to benefit the Capuchin Soup Kitchen, an incredible organization that serves thousands in need in our city annually,” says Stefan Ahee, vice president of Ahee Jewelers.
To learn more about the Capuchin Souper Summer XLII raffle or to make a tax-deductible donation to the Edmund T. Ahee Endowment Fund for Hunger, visit Ahee.com.
New Book on Detroit-style Pizza Hits the Shelves
Crafted at the corner of Six Mile and Conant in downtown Detroit, much of the origin story of Detroit-style pizza has maintained a mystery for 77 years. In her book “Detroit Style Pizza: A Doughtown History,” author Karen Dybis takes readers into the kitchens that developed, fought over, and sought to perfect the dish.
From the pizza’s origins, starting with Gus Guerra putting the first square pie in the oven at Buddy’s, through the waves of chefs who adopted the innovative recipe in their own unique way, to the International Pizza Expo in Las Vegas, where a pizza evangelist spreads the word about Detroit Style, Dybis leaves no stone unturned.
“There was no question that the first pizza was made at Buddy’s, but there were a lot of different families involved in the beginning and some went off and opened their own restaurants and put their own spin on the pizza, creating this intricate web of stories and origins,” says Dybis. “It was an honor to finally untangle the web and provide Detroiters the history book they deserve on the beloved pizza style.”
On Friday, June 23, National Detroit-Style Pizza Day, Dybis will celebrate the launch of her book at the place where it all began at Six Mile and Conant at the original Buddy’s Pizza.
In honor of the national holiday, Buddy’s is donating $1 from every pizza sold at all 22 locations to The Salvation Army. Customers can also donate to The Salvation Army during the month of June when they order online.
City Institute Launches Sought-After City Program to Help Attract, Retain Residents, Talent
City Institute in Detroit, a civic-engagement organization led by data-storyteller Jeanette Pierce, has launched a new program called the Sought-After City Program to help cities attract and retain talent.
This program comes as municipal organizations seek customized engagement tactics to attract and keep residents and employees in their respective cities.
The Sought-After City Program uses presentations, workshops, and on-the-ground support to help civic leaders develop experiences that can tell their city’s story to its own residents and stakeholders. The program helps communities find and highlight the unique people, places, and projects beyond the traditional tourist attractions. That includes the small businesses, community projects, and civic events that are what truly make people love their community.
“I’ve had the privilege of working with legislators and community leaders on attraction and retention for more than 18 years now,” says Pierce, president of City Institute. “During this time, I’ve learned that while jobs are a part of attraction/retention, studies and experience show that quality of life matters more. That’s why telling a place’s story and lifting up the value proposition of a place is so important.”
Pierce’s organization has taken 150,000 people on attraction and retention tours and surveys show that 80 percent of people who take the tours are more likely to take a job in the city, and 93 percent of participants feel more connected to the city.
The Sought-After City Program works with chambers of commerce and economic development teams to share lessons learned from years of experience. The program offers many resources, such as a Storytelling for Economic Impact Workshop, toolkit with templates, and a storytelling
audit. This data-driven approach helps cities better engage their residents, fostering a deeper understanding and appreciation for where they live and work.
City Shield Security Services in Detroit Receives Small Business Award
City Shield Security Services in Detroit was awarded the 2023 Michigan SBDC Best Small Business Award by Michigan Celebrates Small Business (MCSB) at the 19th Annual Michigan Celebrates Small Business Gala May 2 at the Breslin Center in East Lansing.
City Shield Security Services is one of 11 small businesses to receive Michigan’s Small Business Development Center (SBDC) award.
City Shield Security Services is a security strategies and services provider. It was recognized for its deep experience and connection to law enforcement agencies of all levels, and for its customer service excellence.
“To be recognized for our commitment to be the best in the region at what we do is an honor,” said Al Shenouda, co-founder and managing partner of City Shield. “This award is a reminder that when we lead with integrity and persevere with grit, we will always be on the right path.”
Tri-county Residents, Businesses Asked to Participate in Broadband Internet Survey
Ann Arbor-based nonprofit Merit Network is conducting a survey of residents and businesses in Macomb, Oakland, and Wayne counties to gain a clearer picture of connectivity in the tri-county area and support planning and possible broadband expansion efforts.
The 15-question survey asks whether high-speed (broadband) internet service is available at a given address, and at what speed. It is part of Merit’s Michigan Moonshot initiative.
The Michigan Moonshot is a collective call to action that aims to bridge the digital divide in Michigan. Stakeholders include Merit Network, the nation’s longest-running research and education network, the Quello Center at Michigan State University, and M-Lab, the largest open internet measurement platform in the world. Learn more about the Michigan Moonshot here.
Visit MichiganMoonshot.org/Tri-County-Broadband to complete the survey. Paper surveys are available upon request by calling 313-625-0029.
U-M Credit Union, Ann Arbor Symphony ‘Play it Forward’
The University of Michigan Credit Union in Ann Arbor is partnering with the Ann Arbor Symphony Orchestra (A2SO) to launch Play It Forward, a month-long initiative aimed at collecting gently used instruments and monetary donations to support public school music programs in Ann Arbor and Ypsilanti.
The campaign will run throughout June, and UMCU’s Carpenter Road Branch (2621 Carpenter Road) and S. State Street Branch (2725 S. State St.) will serve as collection centers. The goal is to collect instruments and raise $25,000 to fund much-needed repairs for currently unusable instruments.
The drive begins today with an event at UMCU’s South State Street location in Ann Arbor. Attendees will enjoy live music and various donation opportunities, creating an engaging atmosphere for community involvement.
For more information, visit umcu.org.
Five Detroit Parks to Offer Free Public WiFi
The Detroit Parks Coalition (DPC), the city of Detroit, and Connect 313, announced a pilot project to install free public WiFi networks across five Detroit parks — Bradby, Chandler, Clark, McDuffy, and Palmer.
The pilot is funded through $265,000 in grants from the Detroit Pistons, Rocket Community Fund, and the Knight Foundation. Funding includes infrastructure installation and five years of service, provided by Cronus Internet.
“Detroit’s parks are our common grounds,” says Sigal Hemy, executive director of DPC. “We are thrilled that our neighborhood parks will help bridge the digital divide and elevate quality of life for all Detroiters.”
The Park WiFi initiative is a project of Connect 313, a collaborative established to coordinate and support city-wide digital inclusion efforts with a data-driven, community-based philosophy.
WiFi construction will begin immediately and continue through fall 2023. Grant funding also will support charging stations in each of the selected parks.
PulteGroup Breaks Ground on New Mortgage-free Home for Air Force Veteran
U.S. Air Force Master Sergeant Paulus Obey and his family are one step closer to having a home they can call their own through PulteGroup’s Built to Honor program.
The Obey family recently took part in a groundbreaking ceremony for their new, mortgage-free home at Pulte Homes’ Thornton Farms West community in Dexter.
Obey and his wife, Janel, were escorted to the site of their future home by the Rolling Thunder motorcyclists and Patriot Guard Riders. They were met by a crowd of 150 well-wishers, including PulteGroup employees and trade partners, the Washtenaw County Sherriff’s office, organizers of Warriors and Caregivers United, and community members.
The new, more than 1,600-square-foot single-family home, will be ready to move in before the end of the year.
Orchards Children’s Services Presents New Exhibition on June 6
Orchards Children’s Services in Southfield and The Epicenter are presenting the “Art. You. Powerful. Exhibition” from 6-8 p.m. on June 6 at the Orchards Children’s Services facility (24901 Northwestern Highway, Ste. 500).
The exhibition, which is free to the public, explores the intersection of creativity, mindful reflection, and community. It features more than 100 pieces from up-and-coming Detroit artists.
