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.
City of Brighton Breaks Ground for Streetscape Project
Retailers from around the city of Brighton and more than 300 people gathered at 202 W. Main St. April 13 for the “Digging for Gold” Streetscape Project groundbreaking ceremony outside the Brighton Amphitheater next to the Millpond.
The Streetscape Project improvements are anticipated to last through November. In addition to the replacement of 100-year-old water lines and new underground utility lines, downtown Brighton will see many changes, such as improved crosswalks, modernized LED lighting, bicycle parking areas, beautiful landscaping, and wider, ADA-compliant sidewalks. Giffels Webster, a civil engineering and community planning firm in Detroit, is managing the redesign.
“One of our biggest priorities in development of our Streetscape Project was safety of the general public with particular attention paid to ADA compliance,” says Tim Corrigan, chairman of the Downtown District Authority. “We want Brighton to be a safe inviting place to work, shop and dine.”
At least $7,000 worth of gift cards and prizes were given away at the event, during which guests will use a shovel to dig for prizes at the groundbreaking site. The top prize was a custom ring designed by Al Hummer of Ore Creek Jewelers. The custom green garnet ring in white gold with shoulders set in diamonds is valued at $2,100.
“The DDA has had a keen eye on the economic benefit that the Streetscape Project will produce,” Corrigan says/ “It will enhance the attractiveness of our downtown and make it a desirable place for people to congregate, shop, and explore the many options we have to offer. This will also be a catalyst to attracting new businesses that will want to set up shop in downtown Brighton.”
Customers to Benefit from Full Clean-vehicle Purchase Incentive Across GM’s Entire EV Fleet
General Motors Co. in Detroit says it’s well-positioned to help maximize the benefits of the clean vehicle purchase incentive for its customers.
The automaker says it expects that Chevrolet Bolt EV and Bolt EUV will continue to qualify for the full $7,500 credit after Treasury’s proposed guidance on the critical minerals and battery component requirements take effect on April 18. This means that qualifying customers will have access to the full $7,500 credit across GM’s entire EV fleet under the MSRP cap in 2023, including:
- Cadillac LYRIQ
- Chevrolet Bolt EV
- Chevrolet Bolt EUV
- Chevrolet Equinox EV SUV
- Chevrolet Blazer EV SUV
- Chevrolet Silverado EV
Fleet customers including for BrightDrop and the Chevrolet Silverado EV also will benefit from the $7,500 commercial incentive.
Detroit Pistons, Code313 to Host STEAM SLAM 2023 Tech Event for Students
The Detroit Pistons and Code313 will be hosting STEAM SLAM 2023 from 9 a.m.-2 p.m. April 21 at the Henry Ford Detroit Pistons Performance Center (6201 2nd Ave.) in Detroit.
During the event, more than 500 Detroit-area third- through eighth-grade students will imagine, discover, and explore topics in science, technology, engineering, arts, and math. Hands-on activities will include robotics, drones, coding, and science demonstrations.
“Young people today are going to have to have some type of STEAM knowledge,” says Bartel Welch, executive director of CODE313. “Every job, every career, every path has some form of STEAM involved with it. It’s extremely important to reach them at a young age. This is our fourth STEAM SLAM event and it has been amazing to see it grow, evolve and get better every year.”
The event, sponsored by Everstream and General Electric, will include a variety of workshops with instruction from local STEAM experts. The activities will expose students to problem solving and foundational skills needed to help them pursue high-tech jobs of the future.
Registration is required for participation. To learn more, visit here.
Denver-based GrowGeneration Acquires Store in Jackson
GrowGeneration Corp., the Denver-based chain of specialty hydroponic and organic garden centers in the United States, has acquired the inventory and equipment from Mighty Grow, a family owned and operated business in Jackson. Terms of the transaction were not disclosed.
Mighty Grow has served the Jackson-area gardening community for more than 10 years. As a part of the transaction, GrowGen also took over the existing store location at 2418 W. Michigan Ave. in Jackson.
“We are excited to expand our retail footprint in Michigan with this strategic transaction, which represents our eighth location in the state,” says Darren Lampert, co-founder and CEO of GrowGen. “Mighty Grow has successfully served the broader Jackson growing market for over 10 years through focusing on customer service and offering high quality supplies to its customers. We look forward to continuing this location’s strong legacy and providing the same caliber of service and product offerings to the local and surrounding growing markets.”
Flora Cannabis Co. to Launch East Lansing Dispensary with 4/20 Grand Opening
Flora Cannabis Co. will open its 2,000-square-foot East Lansing experiential cannabis shop (7733 E. Saginaw St.) on the day dedicated to cannabis use, April 20 (4/20).
The new dispensary offers a wide selection of local cannabis products through an immersive shopping experience in a showroom complete with a modern drive-thru and curbside pickup service.
Flora’s grand-opening event will run all-day Thursday during regular business hours — 9 a.m.-8 p.m. The event will feature entertainment from Detroit-based DJs REEM and Dae Vinci, complimentary food and beverages from The People’s Kitchen (first come, first served starting at 4:20 p.m.) as well as opening day specials.
“We are stoked to open our doors and introduce our community to the Flora way of life,” says Nikki Salander, experience director at Flora. “At Flora, we go beyond other dispensaries to provide you with a unique and personalized experience, regardless of your background. From our knowledgeable team of florists and amazing selection of local cannabis to the beautiful ambiance of our store, Flora is bringing greater Lansing-area cannabis retail to a whole new level.”
For more information, visit florael.com.
Endo Announces Launch of Argatroban Injection Through Private-Label Program
Ireland-based Endo International plc, which has a manufacturing facility in Rochester, announced that its Par Sterile Products business has begun shipping argatroban injection to health care providers through Premier’s Premier ProRx private-label program, a guaranteed supply for hospitals and health systems.
Argatroban is on FDA’s essential medications list and has experienced intermittent supply issues in the broader market.
“We’re pleased to join Premier in helping to address industry drug supply and serving as a guaranteed supplier of argatroban, manufactured in our Rochester facility,” says Scott Sims, senior vice president and general manager of injectable solutions and generics at Endo. “We’re proud to now provide a third product through the reliable Premier ProRx supply channel.”
Endo also supplies its Adrenalin, Vasostrict, and fluphenazine decanoate injection USP products to Premier’s hospital customers through the Premier ProRx private-label program.
Kroger Now Accepts EBT Payment for SNAP Online Grocery Orders
The Kroger Co. of Michigan in Novi says it now will accept EBT payment for all online grocery orders.
“Thousands of Kroger shoppers place digital orders every week in Michigan,” says Cam Barrett, corporate affairs manager for the Michigan Division. “Now, we are opening our digital grocery shopping experience to more people, with fresh, affordable food conveniently available through Pickup or Delivery. Kroger believes in being Fresh for Everyone, and this is another important way we are connecting our neighbors to the foods that will help them live healthier, thriving lives.”
The Kroger Co. of Michigan has accepted Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) benefits for many years. Now, Kroger customers can use EBT payments to purchase groceries through the Kroger app or at Kroger.com.
This new payment option opens new opportunities for customers to access fresh, healthy, SNAP-eligible foods in a way that is most convenient.
Eastern Michigan University to Break Ground for $7.5M Arts Center
Officials at Eastern Michigan University in Ypsilanti will break ground at 4 p.m. Thursday for the new $7.5 million Windgate Arts Complex in the School of Art and Design. The event will take place at the school’s Sculpture Studio on Lyman St. in Ypsilanti.
The 24,000-square-foot facility is designed to advance opportunities in several arts disciplines by providing a new and expanded space that establishes a collaborative, creative environment for artmaking. It will house the following programs: sculpture, ceramics, furniture design, digital fabrication, 3-D design, and metalsmithing. Currently, these programs are spread across several campus buildings.
The Windgate Foundation invested $3.2 million, including funds from a challenge grant and a matching gift agreement between the foundation and the university, to make this project a reality.
For more information on the EMU School of Art and Design, visit here.
In Related News: The Eastern Michigan University Forensics team placed second in the nation in the National Championship Tournament of the National Forensics Association. EMU student Gavin Millard, a sophomore majoring in public relations, was named national champion in dramatic interpretation, becoming Eastern’s first national champion in this category.
EMU Forensics entered 94 performances in the national competition, which occurred at Bradley University in Peoria, Ill., April 13-17. The team beat universities such as Rice University, the University of Texas, University of Chicago, Northwestern University.
In addition to Millard, the following students achieved national awards in their respective categories:
- Cedrick Charles, fourth in oral interpretation and individual pentathlon.
- Louise Engohang, second in rhetorical criticism.
- Sarah Dubinsky, fifth in poetry, and eighth overall.
- Geoff Gauthier, fifth in extemporaneous speaking.
- Diontae Threats, third in duo interpretation with Charles.
- AbdurRahman Elder, fifth in novice extemporaneous speaking.
Meijer Expands Commitment to the Great Lakes with $1.5M+ Donations
Meijer in Grand Rapids strengthened its commitment to Great Lakes stewardship Monday by expanding its partnership with the Council of the Great Lakes Region (CGLR) to clean up Midwest beaches and waterways.
Since 2022, the retailer donated more than $1.5 million to the charitable arm of Council in the United States, the CGLR Foundation, to expand deployment of two types of innovative litter capture and clean-up technologies, the BeBot and Pixie Drone, to 18 new locations along Michigan, Ohio, and Wisconsin lakeshores as part of the council’s Great Lakes Plastic Cleanup Program.
“It’s a privilege to live near the Great Lakes, and it’s one we don’t take for granted, which is why we’re continuing to take steps to protect them,” says Erik Petrovskis, director of environmental compliance and sustainability at Meijer. “Meijer was the first retailer to support the innovative technology in the Great Lakes last year, and thanks to our ongoing relationship with the Council of the Great Lakes Region and local NGO partners, we’re able to expand our hands-on efforts to ensure their viability for generations to come.”
The retailer kickstarted its participation in the council’s cleanup program last year with a $1 million donation and to support the pilot testing of the BeBot and Pixie Drone at Pere Marquette Beach and a nearby marina in Muskegon, Mich. by the Annis Water Resources Institute at Grand Valley State University. Their efforts resulted in the collection of 6,130 items, including thousands of plastic fragments, cigarette butts, foam pieces and plastic fibers.
The BeBot is an eco-friendly and remote-controlled electric (solar and battery powered) beach cleaning robot that mechanically sifts sand, rakes seaweed and levels sandy areas to remove plastic waste and other debris without harming the local environment. It cleans 32,000 square-feet per hour and collects plastic litter and other waste – bottles, cans, food wrappers and cigarette butts – in a basket for disposal and recycling.
The Pixie Drone is a floating eco-friendly and remote-controlled water drone that navigates through marinas and other waterways to collect waste – organic, plastic, glass, metal, paper and rubber – and other water data, such as temperature, pH, salinity, turbidity and dissolved oxygen. It can collect up to 200 pounds of material per use and can be operated in salt, fresh and brackish waters.
For more information, visit here.
Gesher Human Services Offers Dementia Caregivers Day Off May 7
Gesher Human Services in Southfield and Jewish Senior Life in Oak Park is offering people who care for persons with dementia a Caregivers Day Off on May 7.
Metro Detroit caregivers can enjoy a day of massage, yoga, art, delicious food, professional advice, and more while the person they normally tend to will receive expert care at the Dorothy and Peter Brown Jewish Community Adult Day Program in West Bloomfield.
The event for caregivers is taking place from 10:30 a.m.-3 p.m. at Soul Café (5586 Drake Road) in West Bloomfield). The Brown Program (6720 W. Maple Road) is one mile away, allowing for loved ones to be dropped off at 10 a.m. before the program starts. There is no cost to participate but space is limited to around 30 people and registration is required. To register call Wendy Bolton at 248.592.5032 by April 27.