Crain's Detroit Business articles from June 2003

Crain's Detroit Business archives from June 2003

Lean Learning Center helps executives cut the waste.(Special Report)
June 2, 2003... Byline: Laura Bailey John Smith, vice president and COO of Troy-based Ross Controls Co., knew his company needed to shed some flab to stay competitive. So he sent key executives to the Lean Learning Center in Novi. Since then, Ross has...

Program Directory; Master's Degree programs.(Special Report)
June 2, 2003... Master's degree programs * Baker Center for Graduate Studies 1500 University Drive, Auburn Hills Phone: (800) 469-3165 Web site: online.baker.edu Contact: Chuck Gurden, director of admissions Tuition: $255 a credit...

Granholm pitches commission for 'cool cities'.(News)
June 2, 2003... Gov. Jennifer Granholm is putting Michigan on a path to make urban centers more vibrant. At the Detroit Regional Chamber's Leadership Policy Conference on Friday, Granholm announced she is creating a "commission on cool cities.'' The...

Doner closes Baltimore operation.(News)(advertising agency closes direct-marketing)(Brief Article)
June 2, 2003... The advertising agency Doner has shuttered its direct-marketing operation in Baltimore to consolidate the unit into its Southfield headquarters. The move, to be completed Aug. 31, is meant to allow the agency to provide better integrated...

Business Diary.(Business)(Remerica United Realty, Novi, has been purchased by Realtor broker Gary Reggish)
June 2, 2003... acquisitions Remerica United Realty, Novi, has been purchased by Realtor broker Gary Reggish. The office moved to the Westmarket Square Mall at Grand River and Beck roads in Novi in May. Reggish also has purchased the Northville and...

A controversial image; As doctors debate their wisdom, body scans grow in popularity.(Special Report)
June 2, 2003... Byline: Marti Benedetti A scan of the scans Heart: Costs $350 to $425. Involves answering a series of questions, being connected to electrodes and holding your breath for 10-30 seconds while lying on a table. No drugs are used. ...

Opinion.
June 2, 2003... Growing questions Detroit often seems like a domestic version of the Balkan wars. It's no wonder that planners of an upcoming business and civic leadership conference June 24 chose the title "Leaders Without Borders.'' Just in time,...

Analyst cutbacks worry smaller public companies.(News)
June 2, 2003... Byline: Michael Strong As stock analysts on Wall Street line up to collect unemployment checks, large publicly traded companies in Detroit appear to be unfazed by the analyst staff cutbacks made by brokerage houses, but smaller companies...

Calendar.
June 2, 2003... wednesday june 4 First Quarterly Meeting of the Automation Alley Trading Co. 8-9:30 a.m. Speaker: Dixie Eklund. Centerpoint Marriott, Opdyke and Square Lake Road, Pontiac. Free. Contact: Diane Lee, (248) 975-9607. Thursday ...

Mexico City trade mission goes to Bright Solutions.(News)
June 2, 2003... Next stop, Mexico City. Terrence Kalley, president of Bright Solutions Inc. in Troy, will represent his company on a trade mission to Mexico in July as the winner of the Crain's Detroit Business Passport to Export contest. The company,...

This Just In.(briefs)
June 2, 2003... Virgil Carr remembered as innovator in tough times Virgil Carr, president and CEO of United Way Community Services, was known as an innovator who galvanized business support for nonprofits during tough economic times. His 10 years as...

Rock Holdings applies to open bank.
June 2, 2003... Byline: Jennette Smith Livonia-based Rock Holdings Inc. has applied with federal regulators to organize a new bank. Rock, the parent company of Quicken Loans Inc. and Rock Financial, applied to the Office of Thrift Supervision and the...

Senator key to funding; Transit plan will have to prove itself to budget stalwart.(Shirley Johnson)
June 2, 2003... Byline: Amy Lane After 22 years in the Legislature, Sen. Shirley Johnson is used to budget politics. But she's not used to the notoriety that she's getting in her final term. In her few months as chairman of the Senate...

Ford On the Web.(www.crainsdetroit.com.)(Brief Article)
June 2, 2003... A free online version of our special issue "The Ford Legacy'' is available at www.crainsdetroit.com. You can share your birthday wishes and Ford memories on our new message boards, as well as view Web-only photo galleries and stories...

Be it ever so ... grumble; Condo governance can give a complex a complex.(Special Report)
June 2, 2003... Byline: Amy Mindell Sometimes, a renegade garden gnome can cause a stir - especially when it lives in a condominium complex. With conservative estimates of 3,000 condo complexes in Michigan and more being built every year, an...

Frank's looks for new name, path back to profitability; With craft's gone, retailer plans to emphasize garden products.(News)(Frank's Nursery & Crafts Inc.)
June 2, 2003... Byline: Brent Snavely Frank's Nursery & Crafts Inc. has at least one obvious problem, and new CEO Bruce Dale is pretty sure he knows how to fix it: Change the name. "We are Frank's Nursery & Crafts, and we don't sell crafts,'' Dale...

Dealership gets into market for accessories with new store.(News)
June 2, 2003... Byline: Ralph Kisiel Automotive News If you can't beat them, open your own store. That was the thinking behind the creation of Flexivity Automotive Super Center in Southgate. Rather than let potential post-sale business slip away,...

Marketing group sticks it to them once again.(News)
June 2, 2003... Nothing and no one was sacred to the Brogan & Partners Convergence Marketing gang as they assembled their third "Polisticks'' booklet for the Detroit Regional Chamber's Leadership Policy Conference on Mackinac Island this year. Targets...

In affairs of heart, sometimes you listen to your gut.(Special Report)
June 2, 2003... Byline: Katie Merx Trust and honesty get bandied about freely as top priorities in matchmaking profiles. So it seems I'm not the only single who's been scathed by at least a few lies and full-blown deceptions. I'm not talking about...

Anti-sprawl push divides suburbs.(News)
June 2, 2003... Byline: Terry Kosdrosky The decades-old development battle between the inner city and the suburbs now pits suburb against suburb. Inner-ring suburbs, those communities that people settled into after moving from the city in the 1950s...

Olson divorce attacts spotlight; Judge orders company valued.(News)
June 2, 2003... Byline: Robert Ankeny and Jennette Smith The Michigan Court of Appeals last week ordered a Wayne County circuit judge to value the stock of one of the area's largest general contractors in order to settle what the appeals court called an...

Economy is getting better, little by little.(Column)
June 2, 2003... Byline: KEITH CRAIN I've heard all the economists talk. I just about get a headache every time I hear one. They all may know what they're talking about, but they certainly don't agree with each other. And it's hard for most of us to...

FCC plan may clear path for local deals.(News)
June 2, 2003... Byline: Jennette Smith If the Federal Communications Commission approves new media ownership rules at its meeting today, it could open the door to several Detroit media deals. The five-member commission is expected to relax broadcast...

The Palm wants hands of time to fly at lunch.(Special Report)
June 2, 2003... The next time you're having a business lunch at The Palm in Troy and look down at your watch and realize you're going to make it out in record time, send a note of thanks to the restaurant's new general manager, Curt Schaber. Schaber took...

Detroit should take lessons from other cities' efforts.(News)(redeveloping waterfronts)
June 2, 2003... As Detroit moves ahead with plans for developing three miles of the east riverfront, other cities across the country have ambitious plans under way or under study, too. The challenges faced elsewhere should give Detroit some pause but also...

Blues push generics with more coupons for free prescriptions.(News)(Blue Cross Blue Shield of Michigan)
June 2, 2003... Byline: Natalie Lombardo Blue Cross Blue Shield of Michigan is giving away another round of coupons for generic drugs in an effort to get customers to switch from name-brand pharmaceuticals. The Blues, the state's dominant health...

Better hospitality is panel's goal.(News)(Detroit's Tourism Economic Development Council)
June 2, 2003... Byline: Jennette Smith When a maintenance worker at the MGM Grand Detroit casino saw Glenda Price looking lost, the worker stopped to escort Price to her destination. Coincidentally, Price, president of Marygrove College, was on her...

Briefly.(Questor Management, Friends of Development Centers Inc., and the Women's Economic Club)
June 2, 2003... Women's Economic Club elects president, other officers Lori Mouton, director of marketing and public relations for Port Huron Hospital, has been elected president of the Women's Economic Club for 2003-2004. Other officers are...

Health care leaders make case for regional fix.(News)
June 2, 2003... Byline: Katie Merx Detroit health care executives took their soapbox to Mackinac Island to convince business and political leaders that only a regional approach can keep the state's largest Medicaid provider from flat-lining. Detroit...

Nerves of steel; Managers buy Alkar after parent firm's bankruptcy.(News)
June 2, 2003... Byline: Terry Kosdrosky Whoever said sentiment shouldn't get in the way of business never visited Alkar Steel and Processing Corp. Five former managers, including the former owner, spent their own money and obtained loans to buy the...

Here's a problem we should bury.(Letters)
June 2, 2003... Editor: I just read Lorie Kessler's response (Letters: "Underground lines would be too costly,'' May 19) to Keith Crain's May 5 column about the need to bury DTE Energy Co. lines. Her response as the DTE public-relations spinmaster was...

Bankruptcies.(Brief Article)
June 2, 2003... The following businesses filed for Chapter 7 or Chapter 11 protection in U.S. Bankruptcy Court in Detroit the week of May 19-23. Under Chapter 11, a company files a reorganization plan that the court must approve. Chapter 7 involves total...

Detroit Mercy opens expanded computer center.(Special Report)
June 2, 2003... Byline: Brian Charlton The University of Detroit Mercy has opened its new Ford Motor Co. Center for Computing, which includes two additional computer labs for the College of Engineering and Science. A $750,000 contribution from Ford...

Property sales thaw in northern Michigan.(Special Report)
June 2, 2003... Byline: JoAnn Amicangelo It looks as if things are warming up in northern Michigan - and we're not talking about the weather. Rather, it's the increase in sales of second homes in Michigan's vacation and retirement hot spots. Real...

Vacation home styles are luxurious - yet casual.(Special Report)
June 2, 2003... Byline: JoAnn Amicangelo "Upgrade'' is the word most often used to describe the styles and amenities that buyers are looking for in vacation and retirement homes up north. Custom home-builder Paul Maurer, president of General...

Alternative energy revved up, but long road remains ahead.(News)
June 2, 2003... Byline: Laura Bailey, Amy Lane Projects under way in Michigan already are helping position the state as a front-runner in the alternative-energy industry, but it's just the beginning, experts say. The "Alternative Energy - Fueling...

Health council to examine looming worker shortage.(News)(Brief Article)
June 2, 2003... Byline: Brian Charlton The Greater Detroit Area Health Council plans to use this month's annual conference to amplify the debate on what it describes as a silent crisis facing the heath care work force. "Future Shock: The Collision of...

DMC names board members.(News)(Detroit Medical Center)(Brief Article)
June 2, 2003... Byline: Katie Merx The Detroit Medical Center recently added three board members. They are Keith Crain, Crain Communications Inc. chairman and Crain's Detroit Business publisher; Andrea Clark, General Motors Corp. general director of...

DMC not alone in taking on governments for funding.(News)
June 2, 2003... Byline: Mark Taylor Having taken off the gloves in bargaining with commercial payers in the past two years, hospitals are shifting their hardball negotiating tactics to a more elusive target: government entities. The latest example is...

Into the health care fire; Schlichting takes reins at Henry Ford Health amid regional debate.(News)
June 2, 2003... Byline: Katie Merx At a time when city and suburban hospitals are searching for the best ways to fix a beleaguered and broken health care funding system, Nancy Schlichting's acumen for building consensus is just what Henry Ford Health...

Analysts say rest of 2003 will be rough on suppliers.(News)
June 2, 2003... Byline: Terry Kosdrosky An auto inventory backup, an uncertain labor picture and higher material costs could mean a rough second half for auto suppliers. The inventory backup on dealer lots, at record highs since March, means temporary...

Canada plans to fix border access with $300M project.(News)
June 2, 2003... The Canadian federal and Ontario provincial governments have committed money to improvements to ease traffic flow to the Windsor-Detroit border. They also approved the continued progress of plans by the Detroit River Tunnel Partnership and...

Microsoft gives $220,000 to UM-Dearborn auto lab.(News)(University of Michigan-Dearborn)(Brief Article)
June 2, 2003... Byline: Natalie Lombardo Microsoft gives $220,000 to UM-Dearborn auto lab Microsoft Corp. has donated $220,000 to the Automobile Computing Lab at the University of Michigan-Dearborn. The money will be used to enhance the curriculum...

Former Tiger Rozema now pitches for waste company.(News)
June 2, 2003... Byline: Jim Johnson Many athletes talk trash as a way to gain an edge. Dave Rozema talks trash as a way to make a living. The 10-year major-league pitcher, who spent most of his career with the Detroit Tigers, now spends his working...

Rapid growth, big potential make Delphi bullish on China.(News)
June 2, 2003... Byline: Julie Cantwell Armstrong China was Delphi Corp.'s most profitable market in 2002 and remains one of its most profitable. Troy-based Delphi does not disclose profit figures by region, but it confirms China's top performance. The...

Acro wins deal to coordinate temps for CMS Energy.(News)
June 2, 2003... Byline: Brent Snavely Acro Service Corp. is overseeing all of CMS Energy Corp.'s temporary employees in Michigan now, thanks in part to Web-based software that the Livonia staffing company recently developed. The arrangement, called a...

Attendees remember a leader.(News)(Virgil Carr United Way Community Services obituary)(Obituary)
June 2, 2003... Many business and community leaders who worked closely with Virgil Carr during his tenure at United Way Community Services were at the Detroit Regional Chamber's Leadership Policy Conference on Mackinac Island. Carr died Thursday night...

Leadership programs to expand.(News)
June 2, 2003... Byline: Amy Lane The Detroit Regional Chamber announced Friday its intention to expand its leadership program offerings. The chamber is partnering with The Henry Ford and the University of Michigan-Dearborn to develop programs...

A peek inside makes nice birthday present.(Special Report)(body scan)
June 2, 2003... Byline: Mary Kramer This spring, I joined thousands of other aging baby boomers in tapping the latest health craze: I scheduled myself for a high-tech body scan. Call it a 50th birthday present to myself. Cheaper than my true heart's...

Choices fade as media get consolidated.(Column)(fewer newspapers)
June 2, 2003... Byline: Mary Kramer By the time I could read newspapers, there were fewer to read than when my parents were in grade school. Today, there are even fewer. And soon, if a proposal being considered by the Federal Communications Commission...

General Sports Turf raises $3M, appoints advisory board.(News)
June 2, 2003... Byline: Andrew Dietderich Rochester Hills-based General Sports Turf Systems has raised $3 million in private equity, assembled a professional advisory board and landed its first contract in its first month of operation. The...

People.
June 2, 2003... education Michael James to director of planned giving, Eastern Michigan University Foundation, Ypsilanti, from director of planned giving, St. Joseph Mercy Oakland-Pontiac. Finance Brian Ludtke to COO, Wetzel Trott, Bingham Farms,...

Stroh offshoot brews up medical proteins using yeast; ApoLife has big plans for small organisms.(News)
June 2, 2003... Byline: Laura Bailey Detroit-based ApoLife Inc., a biotechnology spinoff of the Stroh Brewery Co., is sort of a microbrewery for making proteins and antibodies using yeast. But "micro,'' while a good description of the six-person...

No line for online; Many schools cautious about Internet-based degree programs as students remain skeptical.(Special Report)
June 2, 2003... Byline: Brian Charlton Associate Professor Belinda Lazarus teaches her special-education class 24 hours a day in 32 states and seven countries. Lazarus teaches and directs an online degree program, creating more accessible classes and...

Like a rock; Popularity grows as price of natural stone drops.(Special Report)
June 2, 2003... Byline: Jennette Smith A kitchen stone gathers no moss. Or burns. Or water. Or bits of pastry. As television shows and magazines tout the benefits of natural stone surfaces, granite and marble are reaching a larger audience and...

Ford 100th to pump $74M into area.
June 2, 2003... Byline: Jennette Smith Party-goers usually bring gifts. But it'll be Ford Motor Co. supplying the bonanza to Detroit area businesses when it holds its 100th birthday celebration June 12-16. The celebration is expected to generate an...

Republic banks on employee training.(Special Report)
June 2, 2003... Byline: Laura Bailey Republic Bancorp Inc. bank officer C. Scott Cressy knows what it's like to have an employer hold him accountable for a new skill, yet not provide adequate training. That's one of the reasons Cressy moved to...

Bankrupties.(Bankruptcies)(Jewelers Craft Mfg. Inc., )(Brief Article)
June 9, 2003... The following business filed for Chapter 11 protection in U.S. Bankruptcy Court in Detroit the week of May 26-30. Under Chapter 11, a company files a reorganization plan that the court must approve. Jewelers Craft Mfg. Inc., 21700...

image one Corp. Oak Park, Rob Dube, president.(Special Report)(Company Profile)
June 9, 2003... Byline: Natalie Lombardo Image One Corp., a computer-printer repair business in Oak Park, has a novel approach to winning and keeping clients: It guarantees that its service workers will show up when they say they will. And that's not...

Who wants to hire a hacker? Lots of people, but experts say it pays to be cautious.(Technology)(Advanced Computing Technologies Inc.'s Tim Bates)
June 9, 2003... Byline: Andrew Dietderich Tim Bates loves a good challenge. Unfortunately, the challenges he liked best landed him in front of a U.S. district judge who sentenced him to more than 500 hours of community service for a criminal charge....

Corrections.(Correction)(Correction Notice)
June 9, 2003... * A story about body scans on Page 11 of the June 2 issue should have said the name of the clinic that offers computed tomography, or CT, scans is Advanced Imaging of Michigan. The Troy clinic does not perform electron-beam tomography, or EBT,...

team inc. Troy, Kent Sharkey, president and CEO.(Special Report)(Total Employee Assistance & Management Inc.,)(Company Profile)
June 9, 2003... Byline: Natalie Lombardo Ten years of double-digit growth tell Kent Sharkey, president and CEO of Total Employee Assistance & Management Inc., that he was right to think a small company could compete with the giant companies that typically...

Seeking health care heroes.(News)
June 9, 2003... The June 16 deadline is nearing for nominations for Health Care Heroes, a special section honoring individuals and companies in the health care industry that will be published Aug. 25. Winners will be named in the following categories: *...

Harbor Cos. plans to start Bloomfield Park by end of year.
June 9, 2003... Byline: Andrew Dietderich Unfazed by the weak economy, developer Craig Schubiner plans to file site plans soon and break ground on Bloomfield Park by year-end. But his legal triumph over Bloomfield Township in December may have been...

MEDC looks to land Boeing in Michigan; Willow Run among sites seeking new plant.(News)(Michigan Economic Development Corp.)
June 9, 2003... Byline: Michael Strong Officials at Willow Run Airport in Ypsilanti and the Michigan Economic Development Corp. are trying to land one of the largest aircraft-manufacturing projects in a decade. Willow Run wants to be the site to build...

Oakland Mall asks to add Lord & Taylor.(News)
June 9, 2003... Byline: Brent Snavely Oakland Mall has asked Troy for permission to let Lord & Taylor build a 140,000-square-foot anchor store on the south side of the mall along 14 Mile Road. Troy granted Oakland Mall permission to reduce its parking...

$15M Hilton proposed at site of B'ham landmark; Plan would raze gas station, reconstruct Hunter House.(News)(Birmingham, Michigan)
June 9, 2003... Byline: Andrew Dietderich A vacant gas station could be cleared and a Birmingham landmark dismantled and rebuilt to make way for a $15 million Hilton Hotel at the heavily traveled intersection of Woodward Avenue and Maple Road. The...

Seasonal layoffs blamed for high first-quarter jobless rate.(News)(Michigan employment statistics)
June 9, 2003... Byline: Amy Lane Seasonal retail and construction layoffs contributed to a Southeast Michigan unemployment rate that rose sharply in 2003's first quarter. But manufacturing job losses also took a toll. In Wayne County, the...

Ford Foundation needs to remember its roots.(Opinion)
June 9, 2003... To: Paul Allaire, chairman, The Ford Foundation, and former chairman and CEO of Xerox Corp. Susan Berresford, president, The Ford Foundation From: Crain's Detroit Business RE: A history lesson Greetings from Detroit! You may...

Diversified Property Services l.l.C. Southfield, Jennifer Tallman McLean, principal and COO.(Special Report)
June 9, 2003... Byline: Ian McClure Moving your corporate offices can be a daunting task, but one local company is using Web-based technology to make the process as painless as possible. Founded in 1998, Diversified Property Services L.L.C. is a...

Innovision Technologies Inc. Novi, Nikki Olyai, CEO.(Special Report)(Brief Article)
June 9, 2003... Byline: Ian McClure It's not easy being a small, woman-owned business in the information-technology industry. Making the cut takes determination - and the good sense to use the help of a mentor. Nikki Olyai, CEO of Novi-based...

Zenacomp; Livonia, Mark Lichtman, president.(Special Report)
June 9, 2003... Byline: Ian McClure Sometimes you have to get knocked down to get back up, and one local small business is taking that motto to heart. Livonia-based ZenaComp, founded in 1989, initially was focused on custom software development using...

Zoup! signs franchisee in expansion.(News)
June 9, 2003... Byline: Michael Strong Eric Ersher and his partner Dave Elias will never be heard saying: "No soup for you!'' Ersher and Elias are the managing partners of Ferndale-based Zoup! Fresh Soup Co., which owns five restaurants. The partners...

Eagle Manufacturing Corp. Sterling Heights, Brent Short, CEO, president and CEO.(Special Report)
June 9, 2003... Byline: Brian Charlton Some of Brent Short's customers have worked with him for so long, they don't even know he now owns Sterling Heights-based Eagle Manufacturing Corp. Moving up the ranks of the company, Short has gained knowledge...

Graham eager for trial, lawyer says; Says ex-ThyssenKrupp exec didn't need kickbacks to support 'high-level lifestyle'.
June 9, 2003... Byline: Terry Kosdrosky To the outside observer, Kenneth Graham led the high life. He entertained customers at his home with catering by noted chef Douglas Grech, best known as Duglass Duglass. He also took customers on trips to...

GM's vehicle-engineering center opens in Warren.(News)(Brief Article)
June 9, 2003... Byline: Brent Snavely Construction for General Motors Corp.'s 2.2 million-square-foot vehicle-engineering center in Warren is complete and several hundred employees are working there now. The building, part of GM's Tech Center,...

Letters.(Letter to the Editor)
June 9, 2003... Shifting beds won't cure hospitals Editor: In your May 26 editorial "Tempest obscures real problems of hospitals,'' you address the crises facing hospitals in Detroit that are on the brink of collapse or suffering financial loss. ...

It's a great time for a celebration in Detroit.(100 years of Ford Motor Co.)(Column)
June 9, 2003... Byline: KEITH CRAIN This week starts what should be an exciting couple of weeks for the Ford Motor Co. and its 100th anniversary. I have said before that Ford is a car, it's a giant, global company, and for Detroiters, it's a family....

Money in short supply to support new lottery games.(News)
June 9, 2003... Byline: Amy Lane Businesses that could help state government make an estimated $50 million off new lottery games are getting a pitch this week to sign up. But even as the Bureau of State Lottery sends out informational packets to most...

Fidelity, Oakland team on paperless mortgage.(News)
June 9, 2003... Byline: Jennette Smith As the mortgage business continues to go electronic, Bingham Farms-based Fidelity Title Co. considers itself the metro area's title agency guinea pig. Fidelity is working with Oakland County, lenders and software...

This just in.(Briefs)
June 9, 2003... 160 laid off, 82 open jobs eliminated at airport Lackluster air travel and the troubled economy have resulted in nearly 160 layoffs at Detroit Metropolitan Airport and the elimination of 82 open jobs, said Michael Conway, director of...

Investor buys stake in home builder, brings with it access to capital.(News)(Tadian Homes)
June 9, 2003... Byline: Jennette Smith Troy-based Tadian Homes expects an infusion of capital from a national investor to quickly boost its rank among local home builders. Irvine, Calif.-based Institutional Housing Partners acquired a large interest,...

Briefly.(Briefs)
June 9, 2003... Entech Personnel Services wins $48,500 for involuntary Ch. 7 Holland-based Feliciano Transport Inc. and its owners may have to pay $48,500 to cover legal costs for filing an involuntary Chapter 7 bankruptcy petition against Entech Personnel...

DMC doctors question Porter's ability to obtain aid.(News)(Detroit Medical Center)
June 9, 2003... Byline: Katie Merx The Detroit Medical Center's CEO has become a lightning rod in the debate over how to save the city's only level-one trauma center. Several of the hospital system's top doctors and at least one politician said...