Corporate Detroit articles from May 1992

Corporate Detroit archives from May 1992

Entrepreneur draws from the "neighborhood." (Frank Watson, creator of 'Home Boys')
May 1, 1992... One sunny day in the mid-'80s, Frank Watson went fishing with a friend near his home in Oakland, Calif. While waiting for the fish to strike, the pals chatted and told jokes. Eventually, one of them remarked how it was a shame that there were...

Struggling with employee productivity? Call EAPA. (Employee Assistance Program Association)
May 1, 1992... A Detroit corporation was interested in reducing its skyrocketing health care costs -- but didn't want to mess with employee benefits. Company officials met with union leaders to hash out ideas. Finally, the company contacted Wayne State...

Tenants bypass freebies for lower prices.
May 1, 1992... It was an era of free rent and renovations, gifts, and rebates -- just about anything the landlord could proffer to lock a tenant in for another three to five years. Now, some brokers say, that era is over. Not that the market for commercial...

The business built on Power. (James David Power III) (Cover Story)
May 1, 1992... Numbers made an automotive research king out of James David Power. But how do his numbers hold up? One recent cool day in Detroit, James David Power III hurried across the street from General Motors headquarters to an afternoon meeting at the...

Slasher politics. (Michigan governor John Engler's tax policy)
May 1, 1992... Outside the Capitol in Lansing, a yellow Buick rust bucket swerves in front of the last available parking meter on Ottawa Avenue and squeals to a stop. The driver steps out of the vehicle, then slams the door. Not far from the parking meters are...

The economics of waste.
May 1, 1992... Tight hazardous waste rules and disappearing landfills are changing the way manufacturers are doing business. Arvin North American Automotive had a problem: a fuel filler tube production plant that generated between 30 and 45 tons of hazardous...

The technological sell: auto suppliers aren't just selling components. They're selling innovation.
May 1, 1992... Here's a case from the technology transfer file: At one of its U.S. facilities, Southfield-based Nippondenso Manufacturing U.S.A. developed an advanced air conditioning compressor and went after a long-term contract to supply it to Ford. Its...

Dealing from the bottom. (retail car industry) (Outlook)
May 1, 1992... For the retail car industry's most intrepid souls, now is the time to buy a dealership. Chrysler Plymouth dealer Bruce Lack is happy to be in his small nondescript office just down the hall from the showroom's bustle. Lack struggled for years...

Home work. (telecommuting)(includes related articles) (Trends)
May 1, 1992... Technology has made working at home practical -- even if your business has a regular office. Kathleen Catrinar used to work 40 to 50 hours a week in the tax department at Unisys and did tax returns for friends and co-workers in her spare time....

Developers say viable deals languish during loan drought. (Real Estate Roundtable) (Industry Overview)
May 1, 1992... Ray Peterson was sure he had put together two solid projects. But these days, it takes a lot more than just common sense to get a loan to develop commercial real estate. Peterson is the vice president of the commercial mortgage department of...

Early action can stave off foreclosures, banks say. (includes related article) (Real Estate Roundtable) (Industry Overview)
May 1, 1992... A recession snapshot: Rents decline precipitously, vacancy rates soar over 20 percent and major tenants relocate back to the safety of corporate headquarters. Today's leasing market has become nothing less than a monumental headache for property...

A slice of the pie. (Marketing)
May 1, 1992... Some execs consider it their best-kept secret: Increase marketing during a downturn and aim for market share. Several years ago, Kelsey-Hayes Vice Chairman John Utley walked into an automotive purchasing agent's office to pitch his company's...