Crain's Detroit Business articles from June 2008

Crain's Detroit Business archives from June 2008

Quality record; Bridgewater Interiors builds on reputation.(Bridgewater Interiors L.L.C)
June 2, 2008... Byline: Ryan Beene When Detroit-based Bridgewater Interiors L.L.C. was formed in 1998, the first job for its inexperienced workforce was to fulfill a $900 million contract with General Motors Corp., building seats for the Cadillac Deville....

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June 2, 2008... Adam Fraser owns the Pines Theatre and says attendance is down, in part because of high gas prices keeping tourists away from Houghton Lake.

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June 2, 2008... Dick and Ruby Reed love the home they bought and renovated in Houghton Lake, but health concerns have forced them to relocate. Health concerns are also among the reasons Mike Opsal (below) put his Venture Inn up for sale, possibly taking him...

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June 2, 2008... Ray Minervini's perseverance helped turn the Traverse City State Hospital into The Village at Grand Traverse Commons.

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June 2, 2008... The Presley family members - (from left) Emily, Greg, Anica and Lois - relax on the dock at their Walloon Lake cottage last summer. The transformation of the cottage is evident in the living room, kitchen and bedroom (left and below).

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June 2, 2008... Cafe Zola: Nutella banana with chocolate-hazelnut spread, ice cream, banana slices, toasted almonds, creme chantilly and raspberry sauce.

All the Mackinac recap you'll need.(Mackinac Policy Conference )
June 2, 2008... Crain's covered the Mackinac Policy Conference last week from all angles. In addition to the special section included in this issue, there are several videos, stories and blog posts at our Web site. In one video, you can watch excerpts from...

Calendar.(Calendar)
June 2, 2008... Wednesday June 4 Detroit Economic Club. With Steve Miller, chairman, Delphi Corp. Royal Park Hotel, Rochester. $40 members, $50 guests of members, $75 others. Contact: (313) 963-8547. Thursday June 5 Incentives for...

Week in Review.
June 2, 2008... Council likely won't vote to override the mayor's veto Detroit City Council attorney Bill Goodman said Wednesday that it is unlikely there would be an attempt to override Mayor Kwame Kilpatrick's veto of the council resolution asking Gov....

Coming to the aid of AIDS Partnership Michigan.(AIDS Partnership)(Interview)
June 2, 2008... Byline: Julie Yolles AIDS Partnership Michigan will celebrate its 25th anniversary on June 14th with a black-tie optional bash at the Roostertail. The organization is the state's oldest AIDS prevention, education and care organization....

2008 Mackinac Policy Conference; Building a better Michigan.(Conference news)
June 2, 2008... Here are highlights from Crain's Detroit Business' Web coverage of the Detroit Regional Chamber's Mackinac Policy Conference last week. To read the complete Web stories and all our online coverage, including video and reports from our...

Admirer of dance.(Harley Ellis Devereaux)(Brief article)
June 2, 2008... Byline: Leah Boyd Dennis King Chairman and CEO Harley Ellis Devereaux Dennis King, 61, corporate chairman and CEO of Detroit-based architecture firm Harley Ellis Devereaux, doesn't think he'd cut it as a contestant on his...

Vote on part-time Legislature, term limits may come in Nov.(Conference news)
June 2, 2008... Byline: Amy Lane This fall, Michigan voters could get a chance to decide whether to enact a part-time Legislature and keep or scrap the state's 1992 term-limits law. And members of the business community are weighing in on both ideas,...

Staffing companies' revenue increases despite rate cuts.(Reliance One)
June 2, 2008... Byline: Sherri Begin Clarkston-based Reliance One said it is on track to boost sales 56 percent this year to $25 million, after doubling them in 2007. Increased market share with tier-one automotive suppliers for temporary and...

Alternative-energy plans moving from 'if' to 'when'.(Conference news)
June 2, 2008... Byline: Amy Lane Forces are converging to advance Michigan's alternative-energy industry. The question is: How far and how fast it will happen? Michigan's two leading energy companies continued to press their cases at the Detroit...

The places for power lunches.(Directory)
June 2, 2008... Byline: Nathan Skid In the seemingly endless list of local restaurants, pubs, cafes, delis and diners, few consistently exceed the demands of the business community. Crain's searched the culinary landscape in pursuit of eateries...

Granholm: Use prison savings to cut surcharge.(Conference news)
June 2, 2008... Interest in altering Michigan's business tax is continuing to swirl. Senate Republicans at the Detroit Regional Chamber's Mackinac Policy Conference on Thursday released early findings of a subcommittee that's been holding hearings on the...

Education, keeping talent top executives' to-do list.(Detroit Regional Chamber's Mackinac Policy Conference)(Conference news)
June 2, 2008... Byline: Amy Lane Southeast Michigan business executives have spoken. And they put education, attraction and retention of talent at the top of a to-do list. Attendees at the Detroit Regional Chamber's Mackinac Policy Conference...

Reasons to care about West Michigan.
June 2, 2008... Byline: Mary Kramer Are you proud of where you live? How about the region in which you work? To prepare for this conference, Crain's Detroit Business and the Grand Rapids Business Journal asked our respective readers about the...

Utilities shouldn't have a monopoly.(Detroit Edison Co)
June 2, 2008... Lansing lawmakers face a critical decision: Should Michigan restore the monopoly that the state's dominant energy companies - Consumers Energy and Detroit Edison Co. - had before customer-choice reform in 2000? Consumers and Edison argue...

Report targets 3 areas for reform: Workforce, economy, government.
June 2, 2008... In January, The Center for Michigan released a report prepared by Public Sector Consultants Inc. intended to outline ambitious, long-term reforms for the state. Called "Michigan's Defining Moment,'' the reforms fall under three principles:...

Report: Michigan's future depends on becoming more knowledge-based.(Michigan Future Inc)
June 2, 2008... Michigan Future Inc. in February published its first of what is expected to be an annual report on Michigan's transition to a knowledge-based economy. The report was published as a follow-up to its "New Agenda for a New Michigan'' and "A...

Collaborative food pantry cuts costs while offering choice.
June 2, 2008... Byline: Sherri Begin Rows of cereal boxes are stocked on shelves, and milk and eggs are tucked behind the glass doors of refrigerated coolers. There are shopping carts and checkout lines. It isn't your neighborhood grocery store. It's...

Which is best, Southeast or West? Survey shows West Michigan has a lot of civic pride - and we could use a little more.(Survey)
June 2, 2008... Byline: Chad Halcom It's hardly news that Southeast Michigan's neighbors across the state favor West Michigan for business-labor relations, work ethic, raising a family, philanthropy and volunteerism, and even fostering entrepreneurship....

Adjunct Profiles.
June 2, 2008... Kirk Carlson Assistant controller, Wolverine Packing Adjunct, Wayne State University As a professional who has overseen accounting departments for several area businesses, Kirk Carlson practices what he preaches in Wayne State...

Roundtable died, but east-west confabs have appeal.(Michigan Business Roundtable)(Conference news)
June 2, 2008... Byline: Amy Lane It's been several years since a group of high-powered CEOs from the east and west sides of Michigan has met. But the idea of the Michigan Business Roundtable, which built relationships among leaders and grew out of...

West side story; As the Detroit Regional Chamber hosts its 28th policy conference, West Michigan plans its own.(Conference news)
June 2, 2008... Byline: Amy Lane and Bill Shea As some 1,700 executives, politicians, government officials and journalists gathered for Southeast Michigan's influential annual business conference, West Michigan was preparing to launch a public-policy...

Trinity offers health care reform principles.
June 2, 2008... Byline: Jay Greene Ask CEO Joe Swedish of Novi-based Trinity Health about health care reform and prepare yourself for a long conversation about what he considers to be the shortcomings of the nation's delivery and financing system. ...

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June 2, 2008... Kerry Moore says the Design Democracy collection is about making "what people want, making it valuable.''

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June 2, 2008... The drape chair is one of five pieces that were part of Bryce and Kerry Moore's Design Democracy '08 collection.

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June 2, 2008... Phil Power is using the money from the sale of his HomeTown Communications Network to fund his Ann Arbor-based Center For Michigan Inc.

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June 2, 2008... While at Eastern Michigan University, Joseph Venuto joined the school's entrepreneurship club and won a business plan writing contest.

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June 2, 2008... Full-time Michigan State University MBA students work with supply-chain management Professor David Closs in a computer lab in the school's Eppley Center.

Maker of hybrid power trains, Azure moves to attract investors.(Azure Dynamics Corp)
June 2, 2008... Byline: Tom Henderson Azure Dynamics Corp. moved its headquarters to Oak Park from Vancouver, British Columbia, last October because it needed to be closer to suppliers and potential customers and to better attract U.S. investors as it...

Young workers need back-to-basics approach from managers.
June 2, 2008... Byline: Daniel Duggan A new young employee walks in. He has a "spark in his eye,'' and with just four minutes on the job he gives you a list of 17 things to change in your company. "He says, `You know, Thursdays don't really work for...

Call to action: Focus on youth, education, bipartisanship.(Mackinac Policy Conference)(Conference news)
June 2, 2008... Byline: Daniel Duggan Three analysts during the Mackinac Policy Conference laid out a vision for Michigan's growth, focusing on the public investment, the policy changes and the political organization that must take place. While each...

Chamber heads up new internship program to retain, recruit young talent.(Detroit Regional Chamber)
June 2, 2008... Byline: Daniel Duggan The Detroit Regional Chamber will head up an effort to use internships as a way to retain and recruit young talent, CEO Richard Blouse Jr. announced during the Mackinac Policy Conference. Using some funds from a...

DEI wins HP education grant.
June 2, 2008... Byline: Nancy K Naaffer The Detroit Entrepreneurship Institute Inc. is one of seven recipients of a Hewlett-Packard Co. Technology for Entrepreneurship Education Leadership Grant. Each winner will receive about $100,000 in technology...

Attorneys Eisenberg, Bogas split.(Detroit Zoological Society)(Eisenberg & Bogas P.C)
June 2, 2008... Sue Ellen Eisenberg, a top employment law attorney, separated from business partner Kathleen Bogas as of June 1 to concentrate on high-level employment contract work. In what sounds like crafting "pre-nup'' agreements for executives,...

This Just In.
June 2, 2008... Pontiac to turn over ailing hospital to doctors' group Financially ailing North Oakland Medical Centers could become the state's first for-profit, full-service acute care hospital, under an agreement with Pontiac last week to turn it over...

WSU, DMC dispute goes to Lansing.(Wayne State University)(Detroit Medical Center)(Brief article)
June 2, 2008... Byline: Jay Greene Sen. Tom George, R-Kalamazoo, chairman of the Michigan Senate Health Policy Committee, will hold a hearing Wednesday on the ongoing dispute between the Wayne State University School of Medicine and Detroit Medical...

Bankruptcies.(Brief article)
June 2, 2008... The following businesses filed for Chapter 7 or 11 protection in U.S. Bankruptcy Court in Detroit May 23-29. Under Chapter 11, a company files for reorganization. Chapter 7 involves total liquidation. Brighton L.L.C., 415 W. 11 Mile Road,...

Grad admission standards toughen for competitive programs.
June 2, 2008... Byline: Mike Scott Graduate school admission standards are becoming more sophisticated to better gauge which students are equipped to make the grade. In some programs, the changes may give more weight for work experience or...

Ferndale DDA series aims to build business cooperation.(Downtown Development Authority)(Conference news)
June 2, 2008... Byline: Nancy Kaffer A small but avid group of downtown Ferndale merchants gathered at Anita's Kitchen on Nine Mile Road last week for a quick lesson in how to increase profit by streamlining. The session, led by Ferndale-based...

TRW sales executive says global growth will continue.
June 2, 2008... Byline: Ryan Beene Peter Lake is the executive vice president of sales and business development for Livonia-based supplier TRW Automotive Inc. He oversees the supplier's global strategies for TRW's business units, customers, partners,...

People.
June 2, 2008... ARCHITECTURE Stephen White to principal, Albert Kahn Associates Inc., Detroit, from senior associate/stockholder. CONSULTING Gary Lawera to director, Huron Consulting Group, Detroit, from chief administrative officer, University...

Group aims to improve regional health care.(SEM Regional Health Care Collaboration)(Greater Detroit Area Health Council)
June 2, 2008... Byline: Jay Greene To promote Southeast Michigan as a health care destination and to improve quality, access and address rising costs in the region, Detroit Renaissance, the Detroit Regional Chamber and the Greater Detroit Area Health...

Custom for the masses; Royal Oak company uses computer-aided manufacturing to produce affordable custom furniture.
June 2, 2008... Byline: Nancy Kaffer The drape chair has smooth lines, a cap of steel folded atop a clean frame. The chair - which can be lengthened to bench-width - is one of five pieces that are part of Kerry and Bryce Moore's Design Democracy '08...

Creative Cities' meeting reaches beyond arts, culture.
June 2, 2008... Byline: Robert Ankeny Creative Cities Summit 2.0, set for Oct. 13-15 in the Detroit Marriott at the Renaissance Center, will be about more than arts and culture, says Peter Kageyama, who originated the first Creative Cities Summit in St....

In the works.
June 2, 2008... Byline: Marti Benedetti Architecture in the city of Detroit shows signs of a creative-class influence. Mark Nickita, president and co-founder of Detroit-based Archive DS, is working on re-designing the Globe Trading Building on Atwater...

Find a niche: Health care, supply chains, even business of sports.
June 2, 2008... Byline: Chad Halcom and Lekan Oguntoyinbo Triage or tennis? College graduates can arm themselves with the knowledge to manage patient care or recreation programs thanks to more options for health care education and niche degrees that...

To Russia, for growth; Mission gives suppliers line on new work.
June 2, 2008... Byline: Ryan Beene Troy-based automotive supplier ArvinMeritor Inc. is looking to have a presence in Russia as that nation's auto market becomes one of the world's largest. The supplier of chassis, suspension and aperture systems is...

Public-private ventures may save state cash on roads, bridges, airports.
June 2, 2008... Byline: Daniel Duggan The private sector has more than $400 billion in the pipeline to be invested in planned and existing roads, bridges, airports and other infrastructure. Michigan, officials say, needs to start planning for ways to take...

A Conversation With.
June 2, 2008... Byline: Daniel Duggan Matt Rossetti is president of Southfield-based architecture firm Rossetti Associates. His firm has offices in Newport Beach, Va., Los Angeles and Denver. In addition to large-scale worldwide projects, his firm is...

The Pines stays put.
June 2, 2008... Byline: Hawke Fracassa One staple of Houghton Lake that isn't going anywhere, no matter how bad the economy gets, is the Pines Theatre. Twentysomething owner Adam Fraser says he wants the one-screen, 450-seat theater to make a profit, but...

Climate change; Weak economy dashes dreams in Houghton Lake.
June 2, 2008... Byline: Hawke Fracassa Houghton Lake was supposed to be the next Traverse City. This is because for the past several years, downstaters with money to burn knocked down hovels and modest cabins and in their place put up lakefront housing to...

Fine wine finds abound for northern summer fun.
June 2, 2008... Byline: Constance Crump The wait is over. It's finally warm enough to enjoy northern Michigan vineyards without the extra sweater. Before you book your trip, check out our list of summer wine and food events on the Leelanau and Old...

UM prof predicts death of some suburbs by 2025.
June 2, 2008... Byline: Chad Halcom It's an old story in real estate. A stable neighborhood has middling property values until a few residents move away or some homes deteriorate as the aging residents can no longer afford upkeep. Soon a few For Sale...

Conference's Fusion track targets young professionals.(Conference news)
June 2, 2008... Byline: Nathan Skid The demographics at the Mackinac Policy Conference are a bit younger this year, and for good reason. Fusion track 2008 marks the first time the Detroit Regional Chamber has offered an event targeted at young...

More programs offered to attract entrepreneurial students.
June 2, 2008... Byline: Chuck Green He didn't play much catch with his dad while growing up, but Joseph Venuto figures he was on the receiving end of something far more valuable: the business bug. "When I was a kid, I did anything I could to make a...

Group drops drive for part-time Legislature.
June 2, 2008... The Reform Michigan Government/Turn Michigan Around coalition, one of the campaigns seeking to create a part-time Legislature in Michigan, has abandoned its efforts to get the issue on the November ballot. The timing of the group's...

Beal Building gets two new tenants; now 80% filled.
June 2, 2008... Byline: Robert Ankeny The newly named Beal Building at 277 Gratiot Ave. has signed two new tenants. Inland Pipe Rehabilitation L.L.C. took a three-year lease for the third floor of the downtown Detroit building, and Rickman Enterprise...

Plan aims for smaller schools, fewer dropouts.
June 2, 2008... Byline: Chad Halcom The "factories'' appear to be a study in nonproduction. That was to be the central theme in "Dropping Out of the Factory School Model,'' a Friday morning session on alternative school models to curb staggering...

Corrections.
June 2, 2008... * An item in Week in Review on Page 30 of the May 26 issue incorrectly said that Gov. Jennifer Granholm said May 21 she would hold hearings on the possible removal of Detroit Mayor Kwame Kilpatrick. The item should have said that on May 20 she...

In the spotlight.
June 2, 2008... Preston Gee has been named senior vice president of strategic planning and marketing at Novi-based Trinity Health. Gee, 53, had filled the position on an interim basis since September and succeeded Morley Robbins, who has become a...

Statewide investment in innovation hits new low.
June 2, 2008... Byline: Chad Halcom A drop to a record low in statewide investment in innovation marked the end of 2007, according to data released today by the University of Michigan-Dearborn School of Management. The UM-Dearborn Innovation Index,...

Phil Power aims for centrist public policy; Ex-publisher's think tank sets sights on 2010 state election.
June 2, 2008... Byline: Bill Shea When local newspaper publisher Phil Power sold his chain of weeklies to Gannett Co. Inc. four years ago, he had no intention of a quiet retirement. "I'll be damned if I was going to go to Florida and let the sand run...

Gas prices may help WSU plan.
June 2, 2008... Byline: Chad Halcom Skyrocketing gas prices weren't the reason Ahmad Ezzeddine set out to make Wayne State University more accessible to would-be campus commuters in the suburbs - but he agrees the timing is fortuitous. Ezzeddine,...

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June 2, 2008... Wayne County Executive Robert Ficano, Oakland County Executive L. Brooks Patterson, moderator Paul W. Smith, Macomb County Board Chairman William Crouchman and Detroit Mayor Kwame Kilpatrick discuss obstacles to the expansion of Cobo Center.

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June 2, 2008... Bridgewater CEO Ron Hall said the company patterned itself after Johnson Controls' seat-making business.

Business Diary.
June 2, 2008... CONTRACTS Rand Construction Engineering Inc., a Brighton-based design and build construction company, was selected by Mercedes-Benz to renovate and expand its Research Park Drive facility in Ann Arbor. The expansion and renovation of the...

Survey to ask companies what skills they want in their workers.
June 2, 2008... Byline: Chad Halcom Surveys could begin circulating within a matter of weeks to collect data from hundreds of Oakland County employers on the education and skills they anticipate needing in their future workforce. The Skills Needs...

'TranslinkeD' initiative seeks to make Detroit a logistics hub.
June 2, 2008... Byline: Bill Shea The World Bank numbers floated by the Detroit Regional Chamber are eye-popping: By 2020, U.S. spending on logistics will grow to $14 trillion from $4 trillion now. The chamber thinks Southeast Michigan, along with...

A great idea, which means it won't work.
June 2, 2008... Byline: Keith Crain We've always been lucky and blessed with elected officials who have done a particularly good job as Michigan's secretary of state. After serving her stint in office, Candice Miller has gone on to the U.S. Congress...

LaFontaine builds state's first 'green' GM dealership.
June 2, 2008... Byline: Nancy Kaffer LaFontaine Automotive Group's $15 million Buick Pontiac GMC Cadillac dealership, opening today, will be the first "green'' GM dealership to open in Michigan. And according to principal owner Ryan LaFontaine, it may be...

Client-choice pantry may be part of Macomb shelter.
June 2, 2008... Byline: Sherri Begin A new client-choice pantry under consideration for Macomb County could be housed at the new one-stop shop for the homeless under development by the Macomb County Rotating Emergency Shelter Team. The question is...

Greektown buys some time; Bankruptcy restructuring stops a forced sale.
June 2, 2008... Byline: Robert Ankeny Greektown Casino L.L.C. may have bought the time it needs for financial restructuring by filing for federal court protection under Chapter 11 of the U.S. Bankruptcy Code, a Detroit-area turnaround expert says. ...

Graduate tuition rising; employer subsidies dropping.
June 2, 2008... Byline: Mike Scott Graduate school tuition and fees continue to rise at well above the level of inflation at Michigan institutions. The average increase in tuition and fees for 2007-2008 was 9 percent. The increase comes as graduate...

Initiatives to boost Detroit's creative economy.
June 2, 2008... Byline: Marti Benedetti Can Detroit become a design mecca? It has the bones for it, according to creative experts. And it's working on the rest. Two initiatives are expected to have major roles in boosting the area's design profile:...

Landmark lives again; Ex-Detroit builder key to turning Traverse City State Hospital into urban oasis.
June 2, 2008... Byline: Constance Crump Just west of downtown Traverse City, an urban oasis of trees, hiking trails and bike paths surrounds beautifully restored Victorian brick buildings, some of which are still works in progress. Derelict for a...

Fishing cabin is luxurious retreat.
June 2, 2008... Byline: Marti Benedetti An old adage says you can't make a silk purse from a sow's ear, but Greg Presley was able to create a deluxe Up North vacation home out of a smelly fishing cabin. "When we first looked at the house, it stunk so...

Schools offer expanding list of online programs.
June 2, 2008... Crain's has compiled this list of online degrees based on interviews with school administrators and research of school Web sites. We'd like to continue to expand this list and update it on our Web site. Visit www.crainsdetroit.com/...

Michigan Tech, ITC both benefit from partnership program.
June 2, 2008... Byline: Leah Boyd Novi-based electricity-transmission company ITC Holdings Corp. is reaping the benefits of a partnership program with Michigan Technological University. The Senior Design Program allows Michigan Tech seniors to advance...

Specialized education; Michigan colleges roll out more tech-oriented, online advanced degree programs.
June 2, 2008... Byline: Chad Halcom Check the traditional syllabus at the door. Michigan colleges and universities have crafted increasingly specialized advanced degrees focused on computer skills, e-commerce and marketing to an online audience. ...