Corporate Detroit articles from July 1991

Corporate Detroit archives from July 1991

Workin' on the railroad just for fun. (Kalamazoo, Lakeshore and Chicago Railway Co. started as a hobby by its owners) (company profile)
July 1, 1991... When the train from Hartford to Paw Paw stopped rolling in 1984, Richard and Susan Shackson did what any real train buffs might do: they pooled their funds with a few other investors and bought the railroad, engine, tracks and all. Since...

Budco gives suburban firms new roots in Detroit. (Budco acquired firms relocate to Detroit, Michigan)
July 1, 1991... Bud Brian has put his money -- or, rather, his employees -- where his mouth is: in the city of Detroit. Brian, owner of Budco, a Detroit-based marketing and distribution company, said during an interview for a profile in the February issue...

The news at Ford. (Ford World tabloid layoffs)
July 1, 1991... Ford World, a tabloid that Ford Motor Co. puts out for its employees, has lost its staff as a result of financial cutbacks. In recent years, the newspaper was put out by a squadron of contract employees -- euphemistically known as freelancers...

Chrysler has a better idea. (better supplier relations in a move to cut costs on industrial supplies)
July 1, 1991... Sources in supplier circles are praising Chrysler -- and giving the raspberry to GM and Ford -- as they look at how the automakers have moved to cut costs in their supplier business. While Ford and GM have ordered mandatory cuts, Chrysler...

Hot bedrooms in Detroit. (one bedroom apartments are selling better than other apartment models in Detroit, Michigan)
July 1, 1991... One bedroom apartments in Detroit's up-and-coming housing complexes are hot-and-going. River Place Apartments, Riverfront Apartments, Millender Center Apartments and Harbortown all report that one bedroom units are prime property these...

Who malled Sterling Heights? (Sterling Heights City's regulation of shopping mall constructions due to its adverse economic effects)
July 1, 1991... Strip malls in Sterling Heights are like dandelions on a spring lawn -- and some people say they are creating as much blight as their horticultural counterparts. To stem the strip malls' spread, city officials turned to their own "weed...

Developing a presence. (Hillman Properties develops and rents out office buildings in Detroit, Michigan)
July 1, 1991... Given the recession and the savings and loan crisis, you might think Hillman Properties did everything wrong in making its first development foray into southeastern Michigan: a "spec" 114,000-square-foot office building in Livonia's Victor...

Paving the road to success. (road asphalting business of Asphalt Specialists) (company profile)
July 1, 1991... In 1978, Bruce Israel was a 14-year-old kid who tought it would be more fun making money painting yellow stripes in parking lots than it would be doing some other kind of summer job. "It was better than cutting lawns or busing tables," he...

Sweeping computerization. (Facili-Tech Systems International's computer software for janitorial and building maintenance services) (company profile)
July 1, 1991... What's the connection between computers and janitorial services? Not much, you say, except maybe wiping the dust and fingerprints off the computer video screen every six months or so? Wrong. FaciliTech Systems international of Birmingham...

A yen for capital. (venture capital from Japanese investors helped American corporations turn around)(includes related articles) (Cover Story)
July 1, 1991... For Breed Automotive Corp., it seemed the only alternative. In 1987, the company was on the cutting edge of airbag technology -- long before automakers had embraced the device. Allen and Johnnie Breed, the husband-wife team that ran the...

Showdown at the strip. (K Mart Corp. K Mart Stores acquisitions and challenge coming from Wal-Mart Stores Inc.) (company profile)
July 1, 1991... "Everybody's our customer!" says Antonini, the CEO of Kmart, tilting on his swivel chair and cocking his head as he lets loose a broad grin. "Housewives to corporate executives, 180 million people shop us every year, and that's soon to grow...

Buicks on the line. (General Motors Corp. Buick Div.'s management and production capacity) (company profile)
July 1, 1991... From the outside, Buick City doesn't look like one of the auto industry's shining lights. Worn, salmon-colored brick walls and long rows of steel-gray ventilation windows recall an earlier era of industrial production. This sprawling...

Colliver's travels. (N.W. Ayer advertising agency's new president Dannielle Colliver)
July 1, 1991... Hidden behind a set of doors on one wall of Danielle Colliver's new office is a bar, a reminder of the male club that the automakers and their advertising agencies have long represented. Colliver finds it embarrassing. "It's not exactly my...

Thanks for the memory. (memory-building circuit boards financially reward Peter van Heusden, owner of PG Design Electronics) (company profile)
July 1, 1991... Knowing that Peter Van Heusden owns a company that designs and builds circuit boards for computer makers -- a company that did $14 million in sales for the last fiscal year -- you might think of him as a stereotypical computer nerd. Especially...

Getting physical. (Beaumont Hospital's executive health care program)
July 1, 1991... As many executives have found out, annual physicals can be worth the time and trouble. Consider: -- One exec felt fine when he arrived at Beaumont Hospital in Royal Oak for his annual exam. He underwent the usual round of tests and blood...

The afterlife of Eliel Saarinen. (architectural designer's influence on office furniture design firm Arkitektura In-Situ and its owners Ron Swanson and Andrew Fisher) (company profile)
July 1, 1991... Decades ago, a revolution in office furniture came out of the Cranbrook Academy of Art, and it is still influencing the designs found in companies across the country. Eliel Saarinen -- and his son Eero -- were the creative force behind it....

Pick of the crop. (order-filing system by Rapistan Corp.) (product announcement)
July 1, 1991... Rapistan Corp.'s new Pick Director is designed to provide greater efficienct in order-filling operations. The Pick Director features readout units, placed on each slot or bin, that display the number of items required to fill each order....

Created for the kids. (Standing Dani, wheelstand for the physically disabled, by DavisMade Inc.) (product announcement)
July 1, 1991... DavisMade Inc., based in Burton, is a six-year-old company that was formed to develop, manufacture and market a unique invention to help young people stand tall. The Standing Dani, designed by company founder Dan Davis, is a wheelstand...

In the fluff. (high speed fluff mills to produce agricultural limestone by Gruendler Crusher/Simplicity Engineering) (product announcement)
July 1, 1991... A line of high-speed fluff mills designed to produce agricultural limestone in a single pass has been introduced by Durand-based Gruendler Crusher/Simplicity Engineering. The company says the machines feature low power requirements, close...

A high scorer. (automated scoring system by Fleetwood Inc.) (product announcement)
July 1, 1991... Finally, a device for teachers to eliminate the tedium of test-scoring. Fleetwood Inc. of Holland has introduced Digiscore, a fully automated scoring system. The Digiscore system consists of hand-held student keypads, a Docking Station...

Soaker mats. (toilet mats for soaking oversplash germs and odor by The Personal Needs Co.)
July 1, 1991... This company's products just forced their way right into the Made in Michigan column because they're so, uh, interesting. Oversplash Soaker Mats, "designed to stop germs in their tracks," are produced by the Personal Needs Co. of Westland....

VDT guard. (video display terminal guard or Speed Switch to control dangerous practice of driving and watching computer monitors at the same time) (product announcement)
July 1, 1991... It's like trying to play a video game and drive at the same time -- you can't do both successfully and the end result can spell disaster. Video display terminals (VDTs) are becoming common in trucks that are part of fleets, and this can...

KMH Design. (4-cup coffee-maker; Winning designs) (product announcement)
July 1, 1991... KMH Design of Ceresco has designed a 4-cup coffeemaker for Regal Ware Corp. of Wisconsin. Regal wanted a product that would combine economy and style. So KMH says it decided on a "Euro design" that would work well on any kitchen counter. ...

CD-100 Gold LaserStar jukebox. (Winning designs) (product announcement)
July 1, 1991... The CD-100 Gold LaserStar jukebox, manufactured by Rowe International of Grand Rapids, received the "Most Played Jukebox of 1990 Award" from the Amusement and Music Operators Association of New Orleans. The jukebox features a display rack...

Feel the heat. (bayonet heating elements for electric furnaces and ovens by Custom Electric Manufacturing Co.) (product announcement)
July 1, 1991... Custom Electric Manufacturing Co. of Livonia has expanded its line of radiant-type bayonet heating elements to include replacement elements for most styles of electric furnaces and ovens. Bayonet heating elements are used in heat-processing...

James Waterston. (Banking and Finance)
July 1, 1991... James Waterston was named president of Comerica Bank, the recently consolidated entity of Comerica Bank-Detroit and Comerica Bank N.A.

George Kubicke. (Engineering)
July 1, 1991... At CDI Transportation Group in Warren, George Kubicke was appointed president of TSI Office Services, CDI Computer Services and CDI (Michigan).

Henry DeVries, Jr. (Service)
July 1, 1991... Henry DeVries Jr. was named chief executive officer of Bon Secours of Michigan Healthcare System in Grosse Pointe. Also, Neelam Bhardwaj, director of planning and business development at Bon Secours Hospital, was re-elected to serve another...

Norman Johnston. (Manufacturing)
July 1, 1991... Norman Johnson was appointed president of Solvay Automotive in Troy.

John Tobiczyk. (Manufacturing)
July 1, 1991... John Tobiczyk was appointed chief executive officer and equal partner of Molmec, a Walled Lakebased supplier of plastic components to the auto industry.

Eric Brown, Jr. (Service)
July 1, 1991... Robert Gilbert was elected to serve as chairman of the managing partners of Miller, Canfield, Paddock and Stone. Gilbert oversees the management of the firm's Ann Arbor office. Also at Miller, Canfield, Paul Dimond was named of counsel in the...

Putting technology to use. (on sharing of technological innovations between automobile industry and suppliers and their application and marketing)
July 1, 1991... Ask just about anyone what it will take to restore the U.S. auto industry to worldwide dominance and a likely response is, "better quality." I won't argue with that. The perceived quality gap between U.S. and foreign-made vehicles,...