December 2008
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Jim Kenner
Jim Kenner took a business he started in his parents’ rec room in the 1970s and built it into one of the dominant companies in the outdoor recreation industry.
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Dave Barton
While great food in a memorable setting makes for a busy eatery, a little magic can draw patrons, as well. For Dave Barton, guest services manager at the new Ocean Prime in Troy, that means performing a host of tableside tricks, including one with a spinning card that appears to be suspended in mid-air.
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How Suite It Is
Looking to carve a niche in the convention industry, the Doubletree Guest Suites Fort Shelby hotel in downtown Detroit will provide meeting planners with flexibility.
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The Westward Expansion
Downtown Detroit was neglected for half a century, but over the last decade, the east side of Woodward Avenue has undergone a major transformation, with two sports stadiums, the Detroit Opera House, the restoration of Music Hall and the Gem Theatre, and more.
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Smoke and Mirrors
Gov. Jennifer Granholm and Michigan lawmakers tiptoed through another state budget this year, putting up numbers and calling them balanced. But they skated past long-range problems — an omission analysts fear will send state finances spinning out of control.
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William L. Michels
William L. Michels, Chief Executive Officer, ADR International, Ann Arbor.
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Net Worth
While most small businesses and equipment are sold through brokers, a new Web site in Bingham Farms, SellMyBusiness.com, aims to do just that.
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Craig A. Andrews
With a handful of revolutionary products, including a translucent spray called Pureti that breaks down organic materials like grime, bio-film, greenhouse gases, and volatile organic compounds on interior and exterior surfaces, Craig A. Andrews is anticipating revenue growth.
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The Slings and Arrows of Outrageous Fortune
After learning what it’s like to sit as a criminal defendant in the most arduous courtroom drama of his career, Geoffrey Fieger is still a free man and savoring his status as a legal Houdini.
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Space: The Final Frontier
When Henry Ford Health Systems physician Dr. Scott Dulchavsky was asked to help refine medical procedures used by Americans in space, he took his marching orders from a former classmate — NASA astronaut Jerry Linenger.
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Flirting With Disaster
How complacency in Southeast Michigan’s business community could open the doors to terrorist attacks on our vital infrastructure.
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The Zingerman’s Way
From a modest start in 1982 in an old red brick grocery store in Ann Arbor’s historic Kerrytown neighborhood, the company founded by Ari Weinzweig and Paul Saginaw now has more than 500 employees in seven separate businesses, dubbed the Zingerman’s Community of Businesses.
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The Perfect Storm
Contrary to the conventional wisdom conveyed in an election year by a hyped media, the U.S. economy over the past seven years has enjoyed good growth and excellent productivity gains.
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Something for the One With Everything
This year, elevate your gift-giving to a new level of perfection with something your lucky someone won’t soon forget.
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Resilient Thoughts
The recent financial crisis and economic uncertainty have affected everyone. We’re consumed with a possible national recession as job losses mount and consumer confidence wanes. Closer to home, the Michigan economy has been in a six-year recession.
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Liquid Revenue
Michigan’s wineries and breweries are enjoying double-digit annual growth as demand rises for locally produced goods. Not far behind: a new local industry distilling brandy, gin, rum, and whiskey.
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Fieger Law Holiday Party
On Dec. 12, Fieger Law held “An English Christmas in the Castle with the Beatles,” at Meadow Brook Hall in Rochester. The event included cocktails, dinner, and dancing.
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Auto Spotlight
On Dec. 11, The Detroit Public Library’s Skillman Branch held a reception for the launch of an automotive exhibition and book, Sirens of Chrome: The Enduring Allure of Auto Show Models, published by Momentum Books in Troy.
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Holiday Mixer
The Detroit Economic Growth Corp. held its annual holiday party in the Venetian Ballroom at the Westin Book-Cadillac Hotel in downtown Detroit on Dec. 12.
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Holiday Affair
Conway MacKenzie & Dunleavy, a turnaround management and capital advisory firm in Birmingham, held its annual holiday party at Bacco Ristorante in Southfield on December 4.
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Flying Solo
For some local execs, piloting their own planes pays big dividends personally and professionally.
