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05-06.26

30

42 35 ACG M&A

All-Star Awards FOCUS: The region’s top middle-market dealmakers, as selected by the Association of Corporate Growth Detroit Chapter, advanced the local economy with new investments, jobs, and expansions in 2025.

By R.J. King

12 DBUSINESS || MAY - JUNE 2026

42 30 in Their

Thirties

This year’s 30 in Their Thirties class helps manage major corporations, runs small businesses, oversees nonprofit organizations, and in the case of one honoree, serves as a judge on the Michigan Court of Appeals. By Ronald Ahrens, Dan Calabrese, Tim Keenan, and Michael Strong

66 Home Team

Advantage

Detroit’s concentration of four professional sports teams, major stadiums, and committed owners have driven the collective franchise value to $14 billion, a nearly 2.5-fold increase from five years ago. By R.J. King and Tim Keenan

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05-06.26

Foreword 16

LETTER FROM THE EDITOR

16

READERS' LETTERS

18

CONTRIBUTORS

CONTENTS

Commentary 22 TOLL WAR The expected opening this year of the Canadian-financed Gordie Howe International Bridge comes at a difficult time, given new tariffs and other trade disputes have slowed and further threatened to restrict trade between metro Detroit and greater Windsor.

22 GOVERNOR SPENDTHRIFT Gov. Gretchen Whitmer, never shy about spending taxpayer money, is part of the reason Michigan’s economy continues to lag behind most other states.

22 SUNRISE SIDE The western coastline of Michigan, especially from Grand Rapids to Harbor Springs, has long drawn interest from second-home buyers and vacationers eager to escape busy urban lifestyles. But now the eastern shoreline of the state, even with its smaller homes in comparison to those along and near Lake Michigan, is garnering newfound attention.

The Ticker 28 CORVETTE SUMMER Tim and Jim Roberts have built up a passionate following in Kalamazoo by rebuilding and repairing Chevrolet Corvettes. By Seth Schwartz 29 COMMON GROUND The 2026 Mackinac Policy Conference will ask participants to explore issues where bipartisan solutions are possible.

By Tim Keenan 29 ALTERNATE UNIVERSE A father-and-son team in Farmington Hills is pushing their production and hospitality businesses in new directions. By R.J. King 30 CHIP AWAY Forest Lake Country Club, a historic property in Bloomfield Township, undergoes $12.5 million in improvements.

By R.J. King

30 PDA Q&A Joe Steele, senior vice president, public affairs, LIFT, Detroit. By R.J. King 32 A FISH TALE Motor City Seafood Co. in Highland Park has expanded rapidly since 2017.

By R.J. King

Exec Life 82

NORTHERN MICHIGAN DINING GUIDE Our annual listing of the most popular and iconic restaurants north of the 45th parallel.

85 RETURN ON INVESTMENT The Catalyst: Peter Cummings, a major player in the rebirth of Orchestra Hall, Midtown Detroit, and the New Center Area, is set to receive the Urban Land Institute Michigan’s 2026 Lifetime Achievement Award. By Tim Keenan

14 DBUSINESS || May - June 2026

JOSH SCOTT

32

24 COMPENDIUM How outsiders view Detroit.

87 PATENTS AND INVENTIONS Micro World: For his work advancing electrical engineering and computer science at the University of Michigan in Ann Arbor, L. Jay Guo is being inducted into the National Academy of Inventors.

By Norm Sinclair 89 OPINION My Day with Warren Buffet: Twenty years ago, as a college student, I watched Warren Buffett drive up to lunch in an older Lincoln Town Car with a Nebraska vanity plate that read “THRIFTY.”

By Christopher T.R. Letts 90 THE CIRCUIT Our party pics from exclusive events.

Et Cetera 92 FROM THE TOP Top Hotels Outside Metro Detroit, Largest Contractors in Metro Detroit, Largest Business Insurance Agencies in Metro Detroit, Largest Accident and Health Insurance Companies in Michigan, Largest Law Firms in Metro Detroit, Chambers of Commerce in Metro Detroit.

98 CLOSING BELL Detroit Sound: Joe’s Records used its small studio to record blues and gospel artists, and achieved a profound reach during its 22 years in business.

By Ronald Ahrens ON THE COVER Illustration of Chris Ilitch, Sheila Ford Hamp, and Tom Gores by Jason Seiler.

Letters

Data Mine

YEAR ANNIVERSARY

Foundations

in Michigan 2026 Michigan’s private foundations, many born from the state’s industrial heritage, provide billions of dollars to support education programs, the arts, and public welfare.

VOlUME 21 | iSSUE 2

R.J. King rjking@dbusiness.com

TOp 25 MichiGaN FOUNDaTiONS | DETrOiT 3 TEch cENTErS | cENTUrY clUB

those geared to the information superhighway, it has to step up its game.

Right now, Michigan’s data center footprint trails almost every Midwest state, even though it’s home to 1.2 million jobs in the automotive and mobility industries (and is the top state for business-funded R&D in those sectors). In turn, 95 of the top 100 suppliers to North American markets operate their headquarters, production facilities, and technical centers here.

Expanding the state’s data center portfolio is crucial to growing the economy, given such facilities have a 6x multiplier of indirect or induced jobs across the U.S. for every direct job they provide, based on research from McKinsey & Co., PwC, and datacentermap.com.

Overall, data centers create digital infrastructure hubs, catalyze tangential industry growth, and spur research and innovation.

So how does Michigan grab a greater share of the projected $6.7 trillion in global investment in data centers by 2030?

Now in her eighth, and final term, not much is expected from Whitmer. But voters have an opportunity come election day on Nov. 4 to select a new governor who will lead rather than follow, embrace solidarity over division, and put the needs of citizens over a leader more prone to political cheerleading than driving success.

The next four years won’t be easy. As highlighted by the Growing Michigan Together Council, the state’s relatively stagnant population growth is being compounded by lagging educational attainment rates and falling per capita income.

Without decisive leadership, especially in growth sectors such as data management, the state will continue to fall behind.

“A data center is the most fantastic economic development opportunity in the last 150 years,” John Rakolta Jr., chairman of Walbridge, a large construction firm in downtown Detroit, told attendees at the chamber’s recent Detroit Policy Conference. “If we miss out on this, Michigan will remain a backwater state for a very, very long time.”

EMAIL US AT: editorial@dbusiness.com SEND MAIL TO: Letters, DBusiness magazine, 5750 New King Drive, Ste. 100, Troy, MI 48098 Please include your city of residence and daytime phone number. We reserve the right to edit letters for length and content.

16 DBUSINESS || MAY - JUNE 2026

INSIDE: MAHJONG MANIA | CENTURY CLUB | DETROIT 3 TECH CENTERS

March - april 2026

I

n its most recent State of the Region report, the Detroit Regional Chamber highlighted data data centers as the next wave of critical infrastructure to boost the economy, jobs, security, health care, and transportation.

But as more advanced data centers that require added electricity to meet growing demand for artificial intelligence, cloud computing, and machine learning, along with more water to cool ever-faster servers and processors, come online, local community R.J. KING resistance has emerged.

While there are legitimate concerns about access to affordable energy and water supplies, solutions can be reached through consensus between local residents, private companies, and government bodies.

At least that’s true in states that have a hyper focus on producing a strong pipeline of talent, consistently attract high-growth companies, and operate a public education system that’s second to none.

Unfortunately, Michigan, under Gov. Gretchen Whitmer’s administration, comes up short in every category. According to the chamber’s report, the state lacks a cohesive, consistent development strategy. What’s more, since 2019, when Whitmer took office, no state has fallen harder or faster.

For example, in 2025, metro Detroit ranked last among 20 peer regions in areas such as job growth, educational attainment, population growth, and GDP per capita.

In turn, among the latest state-by-state rankings, Michigan is 33rd in having a population with a college degree, 40th in average income per person, and 44th when it comes to student performance in reading. And the state is 45th in both the unemployment rate and attracting high-tech jobs.

Looking ahead, as Michigan competes to attract economic development projects, especially

20

HARD HATS FOR DETROIT

Thanks so much for the great coverage of Hard Hats for Detroit 2025, featuring beloved Detroit artists Bo Shepherd, April Wagner, and Josh Welton.

Their piece supports Focus: HOPE, EcoWorks Detroit, and the Randolph Career & Technical Center. We really appreciate it.

Jill Brack Detroit

FORD HOUSE SHORELINE

I just wanted to drop you a quick note to personally thank you for running the article on our shoreline work in DBusiness Daily News. It is a hugely important project, one I am particularly proud of, and I just appreciate the attention.

Mark J. Heppner Grosse Pointe Shores

BIG SCREEN

I wanted to update you on “Detroit the City of Chefs III.” As part of this film, we will be featuring the Detroit Abloom Urban Garden, including their upcoming Vegan Fest and a special “Food is Medicine” cooking session. This story shines a light on the importance of urban farming and its impact on community health and sustainability in Detroit. The film began production last fall, and we’re planning a community celebration premiere this coming November.

Keith Famie Bending River Films

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Contributors

CONTRIBUTORS DETROIT’S PREMIER BUSINESS JOURNAL

VOLUME 21 • ISSUE 3 PUBLISHER Jason Hosko EDITORIAL

NORM SINCLAIR

Norm Sinclair has been a contributing writer for DBusiness for more than a decade, during which time he’s produced a variety of cover stories including the demise of Art Van Furniture, the Flint water crisis, the Midland floods, and a profile of Detroit Emergency Manager Kevyn Orr. A Michigan State University graduate, Sinclair spent 34 years at The Detroit News, where he was an investigative reporter covering criminal justice and white-collar crime. A Pulitzer Prize finalist, he was elected to the Michigan Journalism Hall of Fame in 2008. In this issue, he explores the career of the University of Michigan’s L. Jay Guo, who is being inducted into the National Academy of Inventors.

CONTRIBUTION: Writer, Patents and Inventions | SEE IT HERE: Page 87

EDITOR R.J. King MANAGING EDITOR Tim Keenan COPY EDITOR Anne Berry Daugherty DESIGN CREATIVE DIRECTOR Lindsay Richards ART DIRECTOR Justin Stenson JUNIOR ART DIRECTOR Sabrina Seldon SALES MEDIA ADVISERS Samantha Alessandri, Cynthia Barnhart, Hannah Brown, Karli Brown, Sarah Cavanaugh, Danielle Elliott-Smith, Cathleen Francois, Donna Kassab, Lisa LaBelle, Mary Pantely & Associates PRODUCTION PRODUCTION MANAGER Crystal Nelson PRODUCTION ASSISTANT Alessandra Taranta ACCOUNT MANAGER Elizabeth Kowalik

PATRICK GLORIA

Patrick Gloria earned his electrical engineering and MBA degrees at the University of Detroit Mercy in Detroit, then had a 30-year career at DTE Energy as an electrical engineer and account executive. During his spare time over those years, Gloria pursued what would turn out to be a second career as a professional fine arts and freelance photographer and portrait artist. He formed his company — Photographic, Art and Teaching Services — in 1990. He has photographed the region’s notable social events for DBusiness for more than a decade. As an artist, Gloria has completed commissioned portrait paintings and has illustrated a variety of books and publications.

CONTRIBUTION: Photographer, Circuit | SEE IT HERE: Page 90

SPECIAL PROJECTS EDITORS Morgan Brown, Olivia Sedlacek DIGITAL DIRECTOR OF DIGITAL STRATEGY Travis Fletcher DIGITAL DEVELOPMENT MANAGER Matt Cappo SENIOR DIGITAL DEVELOPMENT SPECIALIST Luanne Lim DIGITAL DEVELOPMENT SPECIALIST Brian Paul IT IT DIRECTOR Jeremy Leland CIRCULATION CIRCULATION MANAGER Riley Meyers CIRCULATION COORDINATORS David Benvenuto, Cathy Krajenke, Rachel Moulden, Michele Wold MARKETING AND EVENTS MARKETING AND EVENTS MANAGER Regan Wright MARKETING AND EVENTS COORDINATOR Puja Trivedi MARKETING AND EVENTS ASSISTANT Kayla Yucha EMAIL MARKETING COORDINATOR Mitch Ackerman MARKETING RESEARCH

JASON SEILER

Jason Seiler is a Chicago-based artist who studied fine art and illustration at the American Academy of Art in Chicago. Seiler’s digital illustrations and oil paintings have been featured in magazines, books, posters, movies, stamps, album covers, and more. Notable work includes covers for Time and Hour Detroit, advertisements for PopTV, and illustrated backgrounds for Disney’s Disenchanted. His work has been exhibited in Communication Arts magazine, American Illustration, Taschen’s Illustration Now! 3, Digital Art Masters, and Digital Painting Techniques by 3D Total. Seiler also is an art instructor for Schoolism, the online art school created by Imaginism Studios. For this issue, he illustrated the cover image that includes the three owners of Detroit’s professional sports teams.

CONTRIBUTION: Artist, Cover | SEE IT HERE: Cover

MARKETING RESEARCH DIRECTOR Sofia Shevin MARKETING RESEARCH COORDINATOR Kristin Bestrom MARKETING RESEARCH SALES COORDINATOR Alexandra Thompson MARKETING RESEARCH SALES ASSISTANT Theresa Lowery GRAPHIC DESIGNER Kendra Okamoto MARKETING RESEARCH ASSISTANT Abby Galanty MARKETING RESEARCH INTERNS Ariana Biondo, Lauren Lienhart, Gwen Zych BUSINESS CEO Stefan Wanczyk PRESIDENT John Balardo DIRECTOR OF BUSINESS OPERATIONS Kathie Gorecki MEDIA ASSOCIATE Lachlan O’Neill SENIOR ACCOUNTING ASSOCIATE Andrew Kotzian ACCOUNTING ASSOCIATES Jenna Glod, Austin Schmelzle DISTRIBUTION Target Distribution, Troy

CONTRIBUTING WRITERS Ronald Ahrens, Dan Calabrese, Christopher T.R. Letts, Tom Murray, Seth Schwartz, Norm Sinclair, Michael Strong CONTRIBUTING ARTISTS Nic Antaya, Robert Coelius, Stephanie Daniel, Patrick Gloria, James Grotz, Brian Kelly, Matthew LaVere, Mark J. Rebilas, Lindsay Schweickert, Josh Scott, Jason Seiler, Joseph Xu, James Yang

18 DBUSINESS || May - June 2026

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COMMENTARY

JAMES YANG

05-06.26

THE GORDIE HOWE INTERNATIONAL BRIDGE IS THE MOST CONSEQUENTIAL INFRASTRUCTURE PROJECT IN THE STATE AND REGION OF THIS GENERATION.” — SANDY BARUAH, PRESIDENT AND CEO, DETROIT REGIONAL CHAMBER

p. 22

p. 24

Toll War

Compendium

Governor Spendthrift Sunrise Side MAY - JUNE 2026 || DBUSINESS.COM 21

Commentary

ECONOMY

GOVERNOR SPENDTHRIFT

TRANSPORTATION

Toll War

T

INSIDE THE NUMBERS

4.7

BILLION

$

Cost of the Gordie Howe International Bridge (USD)

323

MILLION

$

Daily amount of goods moved over the Ambassador Bridge

MILLION

7

$

Direct losses per week of delaying the opening of the Gordie Howe International Bridge

Sources: Construction Dive, CBC, Anderson Economic Group

he expected opening this year of the Canadian-financed Gordie Howe International Bridge comes at a difficult time, given new tariffs and other trade disputes have slowed and further threatened to restrict trade between metro Detroit and greater Windsor.

Last year, President Donald Trump instituted 25 percent tariffs on Canadian goods. The measure contributed to a 5.8 percent decline in exports to the United States from our northern neighbor. The drop in trade largely affected finished vehicles, steel, and aluminum.

Although higher tariffs have helped ignite U.S. manufacturing and industrial investment, and conversely slowed related output in Canada, the long-term outlook for trade over the Detroit River could lead to rising tolls and crossing delays.

While Canada has announced it will charge significantly lower tolls at the six-lane Gordie Howe International Bridge, to undercut the Ambassador Bridge, over time such fees may rise dramatically. In turn, delays could mount considerably based on how Canada operates its inspection facilities.

Consider the Ambassador Bridge, built in 1929, is nearing its 100-year lifespan — but recent improvements to the four-lane crossing by the Detroit International Bridge Co., a private, forprofit operation based in Warren that acquired the overpass in 1979, could extend its usage for several decades.

In the short term, commuters and shippers will benefit from lower fees. With the Ambassador Bridge expected to match or exceed the tolls to be charged by the Canadians, the benefits flowing to travelers and shippers are welcome news.

However, the real concern is how Canada decides to manage vehicle inspections at both crossings. One reason for long-term traffic delays experienced at the Ambassador Bridge in recent decades is that the toll booths on the Canadian side were deliberately understaffed. Inspections also were delayed by hours.

The resulting pushback by the general public and trucking companies helped Canada build its case to construct a new bridge (that it would largely control). By continuing to undercut the aging Ambassador Bridge, whether by lower fees or longer delays, the Canadians plan to eventually drive it out of business.

The outcome would be that both sides of the border would be left with one crossing over the Detroit River, controlled by Canada. Under that scenario, the Canadians would be free to hike tolls and enforce inspection delays on a whim. For example, a major dispute between the U.S. and Canada could drive up fees and hinder traffic.

The wild card is the two-lane Detroit-Windsor Tunnel, at least for commuter traffic (large trucks aren’t allowed). Opened in 1930, today it’s the second busiest crossing between the U.S. and Canada, trailing the Ambassador Bridge.

Yet again, if Canada decides to slow traffic on its side of the tunnel, the Gordie Howe International Bridge will benefit. As things stand, Canada is in the driver’s seat in controlling future trade crossings between Detroit and Windsor — a fact that could negatively impact the regional and national economy.

22 DBUSINESS || MAY - JUNE 2026

GOV. GRETCHEN WHITMER, never shy about spending taxpayer money, is part of the reason Michigan’s economy continues to lag most other states. Rather than finding ways to cut what is a bloated government, Whitmer’s most recent budget calls for $88 billion in total spending, up from $58.1 billion in 2019 (her first full year in office).

That’s a 52 percent increase over the eight-year period. During that time frame, population growth has been stagnant, the state’s median household income has dropped to 37th nationally (from 33rd), and the public education system (K-12) is one of the worst in the country, even with increased spending.

By comparison, Florida has a $117 billion budget for its 23 million people, which equates to an expenditure per person of $5,086. Michigan, with a population of around 10.1 million, has an expenditure per person of $8,712. Given Florida is No. 1 in the country for business formations and is a top state for public education, it’s realizing greater overall value.

As Whitmer reaches a mandatory two-term limit this year, the next governor has a golden opportunity to rightsize state government, achieve better outcomes, improve public education via greater accountability, and lower taxes to help attract more residents and businesses.

REAL ESTATE

SUNRISE SIDE

THE WESTERN COASTLINE of Michigan, especially

from Grand Rapids to Harbor Springs, has long drawn interest from second-home buyers and vacationers eager to escape busy urban lifestyles.

But now the eastern shoreline of the state, even with its smaller homes in comparison to those along and near Lake Michigan, is garnering newfound attention.

According to a recent article in The Wall Street Journal, in Sanilac County (in Michigan’s thumb area), “the median listing price of luxury homes jumped 25 percent to $524,200 between January 2023 and January 2026, according to data compiled by real-estate site Realtor.com.” Overall, residences on the sunrise side of the state from Port Huron to Alpena now cost around a third of comparable homes on the sunset coast.

The growth in property values, along with a more rural atmosphere as compared to the western coast, has helped draw new investment.

For example, Detroit-based Roxbury Group recently completed a major restoration of the Cadillac House hotel in downtown Lexington, while the Fabbri family has added a new Events and Sports Center inside Lakeview Hills’ main clubhouse, along with opening Emilo’s Prime Steakhouse in Lexington in 2023.

John Hale, president of Corporate Travel Service in Northville Township, who with his wife, Kristan, recently bought a vacation home in Port Huron, told the Journal the area “is one of the most undervalued and best-kept secrets.”

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Commentary

COMPENDIUM: HOW OUTSIDERS VIEW DETROIT GIANT ROBOTS BATTLE IT OUT IN DETROIT’S ROBOWAR NPR MARCH 13, 2026

BY NEDA ULABY

In the back of a church in an anonymous stretch of 7 Mile in Detroit dotted with industrial lots and fast food stores, performers dressed as giant robots battle it out in front of a live audience behind bulletproof glass.

“We have these nine-foot-tall metal gladiators that shoot exploding projectiles at 20 rounds a second,” says Art Cartwright, the impresario who founded both the church, Global Empowerment Ministries, and the organization behind the robot show, The Interactive Combat League.

The show, running every few months, is called Robowar. Cartwright’s two enterprises have little to do with each other, he says, save for sharing space and introducing members of his community to potential employment in robotics.

“Metropolitan Detroit right now leads the nation in robotics,” Cartwright says. “We have more robots than any other place in America.”

But the gleaming, glowing-eyed stars of the Interactive Combat League are nothing like industrial robots that help assemble automobiles. They are played by humans wearing what might be considered mech suits. Robots fighting

each other as entertainment is a cultural fantasy that goes back at least to 1956, when Richard Matheson’s short story “Steel” was published in The Magazine of Fantasy & Science Fiction. It was adapted into a 1963 episode on the TV show The Twilight Zone, and helped inspire the 2011 movie, Real Steel.

“I’m a Marvel fan,” Cartwright says. “So I’m like, OK, let’s make some robots that look like superheroes.”

Robowar has been selling out shows in its 572-seat auditorium since it launched last summer, and has attracted admiring national coverage. Tickets start at around $50.

Cartwright says he eventually plans to stage online interactive robot fights where remote viewers control the action by buying virtual tokens.

He says he’s created AI personas for (multiple) robots representing 30 different cities, from Boston to Los Angeles.

“They talk cash money trash,” he chuckles. …

DETROIT’S $114 BILLION PROBLEM: THE EV STRATEGY THAT BACKFIRED

inevitable. Electric vehicles would dominate the roads, gasoline engines would fade into history, and the transition would happen faster than most people expected.

Now the bill for that prediction is coming due.

Automakers across the United States and Europe are quietly unwinding some of their most aggressive electric vehicle plans after a wave of slowing demand, expired incentives, and massive financial losses. The cost of that miscalculation is staggering. The Detroit Three alone — Ford Motor Co., General Motors, and Stellantis — are absorbing more than $50 billion in losses and write-downs tied directly to their EV programs.

Across seven major automakers, the total losses connected to electric vehicle investments exceed $114 billion.

For an industry built on careful product cycles and decades-long planning horizons, the scale of these losses represents one of the most dramatic strategic miscalculations in modern automotive history. Let’s face it, the government can’t force consumers to buy something they don’t want.

For the better part of a decade, the automotive industry told consumers that the future was

The EV spending spree Just a few years ago, the message from automakers was remarkably consistent.

Electrification was not simply a new product

CBT NEWS MARCH 23, 2026

BY LAUREN FIX

24 DBUSINESS || May - June 2026

category — it was the entire future of transportation. Gas cars are the horse and buggy of the past.

Executives across the industry set ambitious targets.

Some pledged to phase out internal combustion engines entirely within the next decade. Billions of dollars flowed into battery plants, dedicated EV platforms, new factories, and massive production expansions. …

FACT OR FICTION: DETROIT LIONS HAVE NO URGENCY TO WIN SUPER BOWL

SPORTS ILLUSTRATED • MARCH 23, 2026 • BY JOHN MAAKARON

The Detroit Lions are a team that is seeking to rebound from a season that sent the organization in the wrong direction.

Detroit failed to make the playoffs in 2025, despite having a core group of players that were built through the NFL Draft.

Injuries and too many changes to the roster and coaching staff proved to be too much to overcome.

General Manager Brad Holmes and Head Coach Dan Campbell have worked to put the team in the position to have four straight winning seasons.

But the name of the game is to deliver a Super Bowl.

Anything short of that goal is considered a letdown.

After a regression, there was an expectation the team would evolve their free agency approach. Instead, the team simply just signed more role players to get younger and to add depth.

The majority of pundits and fans have been left scratching their heads, wondering if the team is serious about winning a Super Bowl in 2026.

According to Detroit Football Network, “With a little more than 60 players under contract, more veteran additions are on the way. However, the heavy lifting is probably done. We’re likely to see a continued stream of one-year contracts on the lower end of the pay scale. ...

Presently, the roster is weaker than it was at the end of the 2025 season, at several positions. A strong draft class that fills some of the remaining needs, plus a couple of unexpected hits from the incoming free-agent signings, would quickly shift those perceptions.”

Detroit is operating as if the front office and coaching staff has already won championships.

Fans continue to scoop up tickets and there are enough supporters willing to settle for being a good team, instead of being a championship organization.

Ford Field will be sold out again in 2026, as season-ticket members are sold out and there is a healthy waiting list.

Outside of the primary objective, Detroit is operating like a proficient organization. What would motivate Holmes and Campbell to upset the apple cart?

Even after failing to make the playoffs, fans still want to pay high prices to watch the Lions every week.

With Detroit taking an approach of signing role players and depth pieces in free agency, it now is even more imperative the team is highly effective in the 2026 draft.

It appears there are still holes at tackle, a dynamic pass-rusher and depth along the interior of the defensive line.

With the team having key players on defense dealing with injuries, and the lack of high-impact defenders, this may actually be a secret gap year, with the intention of adding as many talented defenders as possible.

A weaker schedule should see the team again win 10 or more games. The question mark will be can Detroit grind their way to victories against the better teams on the schedule and compete against the top teams in the NFC. If the goal is to win a Super Bowl, Detroit’s free agency strategy could find the team again regrouping next offseason, but with different leaders shopping for the ingredients.

Commentary

THE ESSENTIAL GUIDE TO VISITING MICHIGAN

NATIONAL GEOGRAPHIC • MARCH 30, 2026 • BY AMY S. ECKERT

If there’s a destination that offers something for everyone, Michigan is it. Detroit, the state’s largest city, teems with live music, world-class art, professional sports, and cuisine from around the world. To the north, Michigan’s Upper Peninsula (commonly called the U.P.) promises wilderness hiking and camping, pristine fishing streams, and spectacular snow sports.

In between, you’ll find sparkling Great Lakes beaches, award-winning wineries, arty college towns, and championship golf courses. Here’s our guide to the best of Michigan.

SUMMER: This is high season in Michigan, which offers three national parks, 103 state parks, more than 850 golf courses, and miles of trails. Visit one of the state’s Great Lakes beaches to swim, build sandcastles, or climb a lighthouse. Favorites include Ludington, Muskegon, Grand Haven, and Petoskey.

FALL: The beauty of Michigan’s hardwoods draws travelers on annual leaf-peeping drives. Check out the Leelanau Peninsula’s M-22 or Petoskey’s Tunnel of Trees (M-119) for spectacular foliage. The wineries in Traverse City are especially popular for harvest-season winery visits.

WINTER: The U.P. ranks among the snowiest spots in the U.S. Check out the frozen waterfalls at Pictured Rocks National Lakeshore, watch a dogsled race in Marquette, or ski and snowshoe the Keweenaw Peninsula, where you can warm up afterward at a Finnish sauna.

KEY AREAS TO EXPLORE Michigan’s Upper and Lower peninsulas are joined by the Mackinac Bridge and surrounded by four Great

Lakes: Erie, Huron, Michigan, and Superior.

Michigan’s largest cities, including Detroit, Grand Rapids, and the capital, Lansing, are in the Lower Peninsula. The U.P. offers a more rugged, remote escape.

Detroit and Southeast Michigan: Legendary for its live music (including Motown), automotive innovation, African-American heritage, and art and culture, Detroit is also home to four professional sports teams and global cuisine. Nearby, Dearborn offers Arab-American culture and food as well as the Henry Ford Museum, which began as the automaker’s personal collection.

West Michigan Beaches: The Lake Michigan shoreline is dotted with beach towns, each with its own personality. Besides great water access, you’ll find quaint B&Bs and a maritime museum in South Haven, art galleries and a LGBTQ+-friendly vibe in Saugatuck, and an authentic Dutch windmill in Holland. The gateway to and largest city in west Michigan is Grand Rapids, known for its art and culture, including the Meijer Gardens & Sculpture Park, and for its abundance of breweries.

The Northern Lower Peninsula: Traverse City, the region’s largest city, has Lake Michigan beaches, wineries, cherry orchards, and an extensive trail network.

Petoskey is the place to search for Petoskey stones (Michigan’s state stone), and Gaylord is packed with championship golf courses.

Michigan’s fascinating

shipwreck history comes alive at Thunder Bay National Marine Sanctuary in Alpena.

The Upper Peninsula: Lightly populated and beloved for its natural beauty, the U.P. is home to Isle Royale and Pictured Rocks national parks, and Michigan’s largest state park, the Porcupine Mountains.

Head to the Keweenaw Peninsula for incredible mountain biking and winter trails, then dive into the region’s copper heritage at Keweenaw National Historical Park, where you can tour abandoned mine shafts. …

ORACLE UNVEILS PROJECT DETROIT FOR FASTER JAVA INTEROP WITH JAVASCRIPT AND PYTHON

THE REGISTER MARCH 17, 2026

BY TIM ANDERSON JavaOne Oracle has shipped Java 26, a short-term release, and introduced Project Detroit, which promises faster interop between Java, JavaScript, and Python.

Java 26 will be supported for just six months, until the release of Java 27 later this year.

The next LTS (long-term support) Java release is expected to be Java 29 in September 2027.

Bernard Traversat, VP of software development, said in a briefing that Java developers have long been interested in calling JavaScript from Java and, with the advance of AI, in calling Python code. Although solutions for this exist, the introduction of the FFM (Foreign Function and

Memory) API in Java 22, as a more integrated and easier-to-use means of interop than the old JNI (Java Native Interface), has allowed “very thin layers that will enable you to go and call JavaScript, or from JavaScript call back to Java,” he said.

Project Detroit will be proposed as an OpenJDK project soon, Oracle said, and will be presented at the JavaOne event opening today in Redwood City, Calif. The initial languages will be JavaScript and Python, with other languages to follow. …

PARK A TESLA IN THIS COMPANY’S LOT AND YOU MIGHT GET A TICKET — OR WORSE

ENTREPRENEUR • MARCH 27, 2026 • BY JONATHAN SMALL

The two best-known garment districts in the United States are located in New York City and downtown Los Angeles. But soon, there might be a third: Detroit.

At Stellantis headquarters, driving a company car gets you the best parking spots — but driving anything else can get you the boot. When the Jeep parent company ordered employees back to the office five days a week at its Auburn Hills, Mich., campus, workers discovered that parking a Tesla or Hyundai in a spot reserved for Stellantis vehicles could earn them a ticket from security.

The tickets don’t carry fines, but if they pile up, violators risk getting their cars booted. That means calling a manager to get the wheel clamp released. The policy has reignited debate over a longstanding Detroit practice: automakers encouraging employees to buy what they build by offering preferential parking as a perk.

The stakes are real. Several thousand employees compete for spots in lots and decks that encircle headquarters, and the walk from outer lots can take 20 to 30 minutes, plus another 15 to 20 minutes to reach your desk.

May - June 2026 || DBUSINESS.COM 25

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COURTESY ROBERT’S CORVETTES

05-06.26

THE TICKER

28 ROAR WITH JOY A 1967 Chevrolet Corvette in “Goodwood Green,” which was maintained by Robert’s Corvettes & Classics in Kalamazoo, was that year’s most popular color choice.

Overall, close to 4,300 buyers ordered the color, accounting for 18.7 percent of annual production.

p. 28

p. 30

p. 32

Corvette Summer

Chip Away

A Fish Tale

Common Ground

PDA Q&A

Alternate Universe May - June 2026 || DBUSINESS.COM 27

Corvette Summer

ROCKET RACERS Jim and Tim Roberts have repaired and enhanced dozens of Chevrolet Corvettes, many dating from 1953 through the 1970s. Shown are a 1971 Corvette Stingray Convertible in “War Bonnet Yellow” and a vintage 1961 Corvette.

of Kalamazoo. Crowds of 8,000 typically showed up on the weekends for big meets.

After graduating from high school in 1958, every couple of years Jim bought and rebuilt a new car for racing. They included Chevelles, a Camaro, and a 1962 Corvette — the latter vehicle won Corvette of the Year for the 1953-1962 category at a show last summer in Indianapolis.

“I worked at a couple body shops,” Jim says. “My first service station was in 1965. We had two others, but got out of the business in 1979. We were always busy. We did everything, and also worked on drag-racers.”

With a Denooyer Chevrolet dealer in Kalamazoo and a nearby General Motors plant, there were lots of Corvettes in the area.

To meet demand, in 1982 Jim built the shop where he and his son now work. Today, Jim focuses on Corvettes from 1982, as well as older models, while Tim handles all models and anything computer-related.

“I still like to come to work,” Jim says. “I’ve known many of our customers for 60 years. We’ve always treated people the way they want to be treated, and that’s helped us.”

The customer base is all over 50 years of age. Half the repairs are for owners from the Kalamazoo area, while the remainder come from locations across Michigan, Chicago, northern Indiana, and Indianapolis. At $135 an hour, they’re priced competitively.

“I’ve been a Corvette enthusiast since I was a teenager,” says Kalamazoo resident Tobey Flamm, who owns 15 Corvettes. “Jim and Tim have done everything for me, from full suspension to rebuild to securing parts. They’re the only place I’d ever go. When I lived in Arizona, I’d drive the cars back to Kalamazoo to have them do the work.”

Six years ago, Tim found a new lane of revenue — consignment sales of up to 10 Corvettes annually. “People come in and say, ‘I want to sell the car,’ ” Tim says. “I spread the word and locate a buyer for the sale.”

EMU Generates $1.5B+ in Economic Impact for Michigan Eastern Michigan University in Ypsilanti contributed more than $1.52 billion in net new economic activity to the state of Michigan, according to a report from Anderson Economic Group in East Lansing.

Oakland Hills Opens Rebuilt Clubhouse After 2022 Fire Oakland Hills Country Club opened its rebuilt clubhouse on Easter Sunday (April 5), four years after the original structure was lost to a devastating fire. Construction of the clubhouse was the central component of the club’s “Next 100 Project.”

Tim and Jim Roberts have built up a passionate following in Kalamazoo by rebuilding and repairing Chevrolet Corvettes.

BY SETH SCHWARTZ

R

etirement was never a consideration for Jim Roberts. Now 86, he assists his son, Tim, at Robert’s Corvettes & Classics in Kalamazoo.

Since the late 1950s, the Roberts name has been synonymous with Corvette restorations. The family moved north from Alabama in 1952 because they saw better opportunities in Kalamazoo. Soon after their arrival, Tim’s father, Roy, took a job with Checker Motors as a spot welder; he worked for the company for 25 years.

Entrepreneurial and mechanical as a youth, Jim Roberts began fixing and selling bicycles. When he was in the ninth grade, he bought a 1947 Chevy Coupe for $200.

By age 16, Jim and his late brother, Jerry, were racing at Martin Dragway, 20 miles north

DBUSINESS DIRECT

Michigan Small Business Owners Face Cost Hikes, Ebbing Labor Pool Michigan small business owners are battling rising costs while at the same time navigating a shrinking pool of qualified labor, according to a new survey by the Small Business Association of Michigan in Lansing.

28 DBUSINESS || May - June 2026

LG Energy Solution to Supply Tesla with Batteries from Plant in Lansing LG Energy Solution has agreed to supply Tesla with lithium iron phosphate (LFP) prismatic battery cells from a facility in Delta Township that once was part of the Ultium Cells joint venture between LGES and General Motors Co.

Bosch Commissions Electrolyzer to Boost Hydrogen Production Bosch, based in Germany, has opened an electrolyzer system at its North American headquarters in Farmington Hills, powered by Bosch Hybrion PEM electrolysis stacks that will increase the company’s production of hydrogen.

COURTESY ROBERT’S CORVETTES

The Ticker

The Ticker

COMMON GROUND

ATTENDEES OF THE 2026 Mackinac Policy Conference, to be held May 26-29 on Mackinac Island, will be charged with a specific task: finding common ground to fix Michigan’s problems.

“While the political landscape can be divisive, there are opportunities and issues (where) the left and the right (could) come together and find common ground to move Michigan forward,” says Megan Spanitz, COO of the Detroit Regional Chamber, which organizes the conference, held at the Grand Hotel.

A recent study by the chamber indicated that Michigan is falling behind in public education, per-capita income, and population growth.

The program for the conference, with the theme of “A Quest for Common Ground,” centers on finding subjects people can agree on and having productive dialogue.

The event will start with a conversation with NBC Sports anchor and Ann Arbor resident Mike Tirico, who will discuss how sports are a common denominator in bringing together people who see other issues differently.

Detroit Regional Chamber CEO Sandy Baruah and Henry Ford Health President and CEO Bob Riney, the event’s chair, also will speak on the event’s first day.

“They’ll talk specifically about the idea that Michigan’s house is on fire, and really charge our attendees with a quest for common ground during the week,” Spanitz says.

Huntington Tower in Downtown Detroit Sells for $156M Huntington Tower in downtown Detroit, which opened in 2022 along Woodward Avenue across from Comerica Park, has been sold for $156 million to Net Lease Capital Advisors.

The 21-story tower previously sold to The Herrick Co. for $150 million in 2023.

Alternate Universe A father-and-son team in Farmington Hills is pushing their production and hospitality businesses into new directions.

BY R.J. KING |

JOSH SCOTT

W

elcome to the netherworld of Tel and Ash Ganesan, the father-and-son team in Farmington Hills who operate multiple enterprises in music, film, hospitality, live entertainment, storytelling, and production.

Tel, a native of India and a former engineer at Chrysler Corp., founded and today is chairman of Kyyba Inc., a software, electronics, and IT staffing firm in Farmington Hills. In 2017, while transitioning from his role as CEO, he launched Kyyba Films and Kyyba Music.

Along the way, Tel’s son, Ash, emerged as a rapper, a producer, a singer, and an actor. The pair, who initially worked separately, have now teamed up to expand what Tel refers to as a cinematic, musical, and hospitality universe.

Ash’s alter ego is Ashwin Gane, who writes, composes, and sings such tracks as “Outside” and “Regret It,” which have earned Billboard chart placements and have been performed at MLB and NBA games, as well as during LA Fashion Week.

He also was part of Phora’s Texas Takeover Tour, where he and other artists performed before live audiences in Houston, El Paso, and San Antonio (Ash also has performed concerts in Los Angeles and San Diego).

“I got started in middle school creating new worlds through film and sound, and right now I’m working on a series called ‘Mythic Universe,’ where a character called The Wanderer is a warrior fighting for good in an evil world. It’s sort of like ‘Lord of the Rings.’” he says.

Set to premiere later this year, Ash’s work blends seamlessly with Tel’s founding of Kyyba Films, which has produced such movies as “Trap City,” which reached No. 1 on STARZ, as well as “18½,” “Devil’s Night: Dawn of the Nain Rouge,” “Christmas Coupon,” and “Brooklyn Knight.” The company also handled the distribution of “The Marksman,” which stars Liam Neeson, in the Indian subcontinent.

In turn, the duo have a Kyyba Music studio in Atlanta to serve local filmmakers and recording artists. The pair, along with a partner, also co-own Preva in Redford Township, a restaurant that, following dinner service, turns into a nightclub.

A podcast series, “Mind Over Matter,” is in the works, as well.

Dawn Foods in Jackson to be Acquired by Chicago’s Puratos Puratos in Chicago and Dawn Foods in Jackson announced the companies have entered into an agreement under which Puratos intends to acquire Dawn Foods. The terms of the transaction were not disclosed.

FANUC America Planning Robot Production Facility in Pontiac FANUC America in Rochester Hills has announced plans to build a $90 million, 840,000-square-foot robot production facility on a 40-acre site in Pontiac, expanding the company’s existing manufacturing capabilities. It’s set to open in 2027.

Farbman Group Launches ClimateGuard Pro System The Farbman Group in Farmington Hills has launched ClimateGuard Pro, a new temperature and environmental monitoring solution. The system was created to protect buildings, prevent emergencies, and ensure smooth operations.

“In 2026 we are crystalizing our brand, with Ash’s musical and acting talents (and) my corporate experience,” Tel says. “We launched dinner service at Preva with a chef-driven menu, and at 10 p.m. the space converts RELATIVE RHYTHM to a nightclub. We’re typTel and Ash Ganesan’s ically sold out on the recording studio has a network of different-shaped weekends, and we’re foam in the ceiling that helps building up the business reduce echoes and noise. during the week.”

Frank Rewold & Sons Expands Property Management Services Frank Rewold & Sons, a construction management firm in Rochester, and Global Facility Advisors in Tampa, which specializes in property management, have formed a new entity, Rewold-Ezzo Property Management, to expand the services of Rewold.

For full stories and more, visit dbusiness.com/daily-news to get daily news sent directly to your email.

May - June 2026 || DBUSINESS.COM 29

The Ticker

Chip Away A historic golf club in Bloomfield Township undergoes major improvements.

BY R.J. KING

WATER’S EDGE A rendering of The Backyard, a new patio space being added at Forest Lake Country Club in Bloomfield Township. The new patio, overlooking Forest Lake, opens this year.

Hills Country Club, in addition to several local and statewide projects.

The original course architect hired by George was William Diddel, listed as one of the top 10 golf course designers of all time by Golf Digest.

Later, Arthur Hills, another notable golf course architect, redesigned several holes to modernize and elevate the course.

More recently, all 18 holes of the par-71 course, the first tee staging area, and practice facilities were enhanced in partnership with golf course architect Chris Wilczynski, founder of CW Golf Architecture in Saline.

Inside the clubhouse, renovation efforts include The Pub, a casual dining space featuring interactive golf simulators, multiple TVs, and a relaxed, social atmosphere. In the lower level, the club converted a dated dining room into the “Sneakeasy,” a versatile space used for winter dining, private events, and summer programming for children.

“We kept assessments low and chipped away at the improvements, which have helped us grow our golf members by nearly 80 percent (since 2020),” Orchard says. “There have been media reports that the club was for sale, but we were never for sale. People had approached us about buying the club, but again, we were never for sale.”

PDA Q&A: THE E-INTERVIEW DB: WHERE ARE YOU?

JS: I’m in Orlando at the Defense Manufacturing Conference.

JOE STEELE

Executive Vice President, Public Affairs LIFT, Detroit

DB: WHAT’S GOING ON?

JS: The conference rotates around the country each year, and it’s a gathering of the defense manufacturing industrial base. We’re interacting with defense manufacturers, the Office of the Secretary of War, related colleges and

30 DBUSINESS || MAY - JUNE 2026

universities, and others about the challenges the defense sector is facing and how we can better collaborate to find solutions.

DB: WHAT HAS STOOD OUT?

JS: We saw a presentation this morning about the Tunnel to Towers Foundation, which was formed after 9-11. It was started by the family of a firefighter who died in the

tragedy. Now, beyond supporting police officers, firefighters, and first responders, they are assisting our military veterans.

DB: IN WHAT WAY?

JS: With veteran housing and other support services, which ties in nicely with our education and workforce development program. In addition to our role in developing advanced

materials and manufacturing innovations for the Department of War and the defense industry, we support local high school students and veterans.

DB: HOW DOES IT WORK?

JS: We’re providing, through the new J. Michael Bernard Memorial Scholarship for Advanced Manufacturing Careers, 25 scholarships at $1,000 each to high school seniors. We also work with

veterans through LIFT’s Operation Next, to train them for such fields as welding, CNC machining, and robotics.

DB: WHAT’S THE GOAL?

JS: To translate the passion for advanced manufacturing among our servicemen and women, move the technology forward into the military field, and help bring everyone home safely.

— R.J. King

RENDERING COURTESY OF STUART PITMAN

F

orest Lake Country Club in Bloomfield Township once offered a large hall for social gatherings and charitable events, but during down times the space felt barren and overwhelming.

To transform the room from a banquet-driven model, an elevated dining space called The 1926 was added, along with a 30-seat, octagonal-shaped bar, while new member wine cellars were incorporated as both functional storage and a decorative architectural feature.

The renovation of the club, which is celebrating its centennial this year, is complemented by The Backyard. The area behind the clubhouse, which overlooks Forest Lake to the south, is receiving new landscaping treatments, a new retaining wall, and added deck space that extends the dining room during warmer months.

In turn, several large black walnut trees were removed to improve sightlines to the lake as well as the outdoor swimming pool (with new added seating), while tennis courts can be used for pickleball matches, and there’s expanded green space.

“It was time to improve the club, and it happened to fall in line with our centennial,” says Jason Orchard, president of Forest Lake Country Club, and president and CEO of DCC Construction Inc. in Davison. “We started the work in 2020, and this year caps the completion. Next up is a continuation of investment that’s not fully defined yet.”

The club was built by Col. Edwin S. George, a veteran of World War I who, in addition to Forest Lake, also was involved in building out the Cranbrook Educational Community, Kirk in the Hills Presbyterian Church, and Bloomfield

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The Ticker

BLUE OCEAN Matthew Wiseman and his wife, Staci Hayman, founded Motor City Seafood Co. in 2017. The company’s 2,400-unit product line includes wild striped bass (left) and American red snapper (below).

A Fish Tale

Motor City Seafood Co. in Highland Park has expanded rapidly since 2017.

BY R.J. KING |

D

JOSH SCOTT

uring startup mode, an entrepreneur will go to great lengths to get their product or service in front of potential customers. Matthew Wiseman knocked on the back delivery doors of area restaurants to show off the fresh fish he kept on ice in a cooler in the back of his vehicle.

“I was one of Matthew’s first customers, and he had a high-quality product,” says Chef Anthony Lombardo, owner of SheWolf Pastificio & Bar and Medusa Cucina Siciliana, both located along Selden Street in Midtown Detroit.

“He thinks like a chef. You see startups with meats and vegetables, but it’s pretty rare to see a seafood startup because the fish are so perishable.”

Wiseman and his wife, Staci Hayman, were both in the hospitality industry when they first met in Vancouver. After getting married and moving to Plymouth, the pair launched Motor City Seafood Co. in August 2017 with a $50,000 investment.

“In the beginning, it was just the two of us,” says Hayman, who oversees operations and 32 DBUSINESS || May - June 2026

administration at Motor City Seafood. “We would take the orders, process the fish, and make the deliveries. We didn’t have credit at first, so all the orders were paid for in cash.”

Within three months, Hayman says, “the phone started ringing off the hook, plus we got credit.”

The couple started with five different offerings — branzino, steelhead, orata, and two different salmon species. Today, there are 2,400 different products, including meats, which account for 15 percent of overall sales.

“When I met Chef Anthony, he asked if we could filet the fish, which I admitted we didn’t know how to do,” says Wiseman, a native of New Zealand who, in addition to doing hospitality work, was a former fish salesman. “But we quickly learned how to filet fish.

“In the beginning, I wasn’t shy about knocking on the back doors of restaurants and introducing myself. Sometimes it would take 12 phone calls to get on a restaurant’s radar, but once we did, we just simply provided the best fish possible. It helped that I had relationships with suppliers that sold quality fish.”

After starting out in a 1,200-square-foot former electrical building in the Old Village area of downtown Plymouth, which the couple selected due to its close proximity to Detroit Metro Airport in Romulus, they moved the business in April 2023 to a 44,000-square-foot former pharmaceutical building along Oakland Avenue in Highland Park.

Today, the company has more than 700 clients including Delta Air Lines, Joe Muer Seafood, the Detroit Pistons, Plum Market, Baker College, Schoolcraft College, Continental Catering, and multiple restaurants, country clubs, and athletic clubs. The company distributes its products across Michigan and northern Ohio.

“As we expanded, we found there wasn’t a lot of talent fileting fish, so we began training people and today we have 63 employees,” Wiseman says.

“We get started very early in the morning, and by 9 a.m. or 10 a.m., we’re wrapping things up except for deliveries.

“We also became known for finding rare fish, like greenbone butterfish, bluenose, and pompano.

Overall, we’ve managed everything better, so there’s no waste.”

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ACG MA ALL-STARS &

The Association for Corporate Growth Detroit Chapter and DBusiness magazine honor the 11th annual winners.

BY R.J. KING |

NIC ANTAYA

DBusiness magazine partnered with the Association for Corporate Growth Detroit Chapter to honor its recipients of the 11th annual M&A All-Star Awards for 2025 activity. Winners will be recognized during a ticketed event at the Townsend Hotel in downtown Birmingham on May 6, from 6-8:30 p.m.

May - June 2026 || DBUSINESS.COM 35

Focus

DEALMAKER OF THE YEAR

DEAL OF THE YEAR OVER $50M

STEVE RICHARDS • CFO • VOLTAVA

JEFF STONE • MANAGING DIRECTOR • TRM EQUITY • SOUTHFIELD

E

BRUCE SMITH • CEO AND CHAIRMAN • VOLTAVA ANTHONY LAVERDE • CHIEF STRATEGY OFFICER • VOLTAVA

WHY JEFF STONE IS THE ACG DEALMAKER OF THE YEAR

ither one of the two major deals Jeff Stone, managing director of TRM Equity in Southfield, consummated last year would have merited recognition from the Association for Corporate Growth Detroit Chapter.

In one deal, the sale of a majority interest in Wellman Dynamics in Creston, Iowa, a highly specialized aerospace and defense foundry, took into account a large defense contractor, Lockheed Martin, along with the U.S. Department of War. Stone and his team weren’t looking to sell Wellman Dynamics — they had acquired a majority interest in the company in August 2022— but the eventual sale to J.F. Lehman & Co. proved too attractive.

“When we acquired Wellman, it was doing negative $15 million in earnings, and we sold it for more than $250 million in value, with (annual) earnings approaching $40 million,” says Stone, who oversaw the acquisition via the TRM Equity II fund. “We were originally approached by Lockheed Martin, which was Wellman’s largest customer, because the old team couldn’t make the parts anymore.”

Wellman, a provider of large-scale, high-complexity magnesium and aluminum sand castings for aerospace and defense applications, supports critical rotary wing, fixed-wing, aeroengine, and other aerospace and defense programs for large OEM customers that require high performance and reliability. Wellman has been operating for more than 100 years.

“We were interviewed and selected as the best option to make the parts,” Stone says (TRM Equity retained a 16-percent ownership stake in Wellman). “We came in and, right away, we made those parts on time and delivered on the contracts. From there, revenue and profits skyrocketed. There had 36 DBUSINESS || MAY - JUNE 2026

been a fraud investigation, and there was a 2018 Chapter 11 bankruptcy. We just addressed making the parts.”

In the other transaction, last November TRM Equity II completed its acquisition of two foundries from Detroit-based Grede Holdings. The deal includes the assets of the Browntown Foundry in Wisconsin and the Iron Mountain Foundry in Iron Mountain.

The two foundries are leading providers of gray and ductile iron castings of up to 1,000 pounds. The combined company serves a broad range of end markets including construction, agriculture, HVAC, heavy truck, and automotive.

“From Grede’s standpoint, they weren’t happy with where the entire organization was going. They wanted to raise cash, and these two foundries didn’t fit into their longterm strategy,” Stone says. “We have a 20-year history of buying foundries. It’s a niche space (that consists of) messy, hot, and kind of scary places. We were approached by their investment banking firm to buy the two assets.”

With close to 350 employees between Browntown and Iron Mountain, Stone says the deal took a little longer than the normal process. The challenge was Grede had corporate contracts with large OEMs that had to be addressed between the seller and the affected customer base.

“There were a lot of meetings to redo the contracts, and we had to be very creative in how we structured the deal,” says Stone, who is responsible for sourcing, executing, managing, and exiting investments for TRM Equity. “Our overall strategy is to be very aggressive with our acquisitions. We have a 90-day turnaround plan we implement with specific outcomes. Both foundries are doing much better now.”

WHY VOLTAVA IN AUBURN HILLS IS THE ACG DEAL OF THE YEAR OVER $50M

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wo years in the making, the acquisition of Android Industries and Avancez by Detroit Manufacturing Systems to create Voltava in Auburn Hills brought on greater diversity in the global manufacturing and assembly space, while adding opportunities and reducing risks.

The acquisition, consummated last December, allowed Voltava to serve an array of customers and industries, including automotive, industrial, e-mobility, micromobility, heavy truck, government, tooling and equipment design, and manufacturing.

With close to 6,000 employees operating across 21 global locations, including 19 in North America, one in South America, and one in Europe, Voltava not only delivered added value to customers; it strengthened the global supply chain.

“We had a handful of items slow down our progress, such as overcoming tax issues and other matters, given we had first expected this deal would take nine months to a year to complete,” says Bruce Smith, CEO, chairman, and sole owner of Voltava. “All three companies were originally founded on core principles of teamwork and respect.

“I would add if you loaded this deal into Match.com, the algorithm would have matched things up, for sure. The integration has exceeded our expectations by combining talent, culture, and capabilities to create added value for customers and employees.”

Together, Android and Avancez reported nearly $570 million in sales in 2024, while Detroit Manufacturing

Systems posted $1.2 billion in annual revenue. Voltava today serves a number of major OEMs including General Motors Co., Ford Motor Co., Stellantis, Toyota, and Volvo Trucks, among others.

Recognizing the three companies operate better together than separately, Anthony LaVerde, chief strategy officer of Voltava, says the deal created a broader global footprint and a more diverse product offering for all three companies, and set the stage for continued evolution and innovation.

“What was very important is that all three companies really cared about their employees and the culture they had built, and they all wanted that to continue under any new deal,” LaVerde says. “Android and Avancez also saw what Bruce had built at Detroit Manufacturing Systems with a people-first business model.”

Advisers to the transaction included Palm Tree Securities and CMD Global Partners, serving as financial advisers to Detroit Manufacturing Systems, and Foster Swift Collins & Smith, serving as legal adviser. J.P. Morgan Securities was the financial adviser to Android Industries, while Kerr, Russell, and Weber served as legal adviser.

Going forward, Smith says Voltava will continue building upon the founding values and principles of the legacy companies. “We’ve created something special — fostering an environment of collaboration, social responsibility, respect, diversity, accountability, and excellence,” he says. “Everyone is rolling up their sleeves and working together.”

DEAL OF THE YEAR UNDER $50M

RISING STAR

Focus

AMY HUANG SMITH • PRACTICE LEAD OF CORPORATE/M&A GROUP • WOLFSON BOLTON KOCHIS • TROY

STEVE FREITAS • MINORITY SHAREHOLDER/BOARD MEMBER • PDS TRI-STATE WHY PDS TRI-STATE’S ACQUISITION OF FORIS SOLUTIONS IS THE ACG DEAL OF THE YEAR UNDER $50M efore acquiring his first franchise of million and $50 million in annual revenue. what is now Precision Garage Door Freitas says the multiple achieved was Service, Steve Freitas was with Gen- “strong,” and the structure included a mix eral Motors Co. in Detroit, where for three of cash and rollover equity. years he served as global process informaThe deal advisers for the seller were tion officer for sales, service, and marketing. Detroit-based Butzel as the M&A attorney, Prior to that, he was a partner at Accenture Boxwood Partners as the investment for 10 years. banker, Forvis Mazars as financial advisers, After his stint at GM, Freitas got involved in and Massumi + Consoli as advisers. PwC investment banking. In 2010, he made the was counsel to the purchaser. Freitas says leap to the entrepreneurial world when he he engaged Boxwood Partners due to their established Foris Solutions in Plymouth Townstrong industry expertise and extensive ship, where he served as president and CEO. experience executing transactions with As the sole owner of the company, he franchise businesses. acquired a total of nine Precision Garage Door Serving residential customers, Precision Service franchises, located in multiple states.

Garage Door Service was built around speed, Last October, following 14 months of seek- convenience, and a “fix it today” business ing a buyer, Freitas sold his business to Mono- model. The company’s focus is on completing gram Capital Partners, a private equity firm in most repair work in a single visit.

Beverly Hills, Calif., with around $1.5 billion in At Foris Solutions, revenue was split assets under management. The transaction of roughly evenly between door sales and repair Foris Solutions deepened Monogram’s 2024 services. Of the doors sold, 25 percent were investment in PDS Tri-State (Precision Door Tri- stocked in-house for rapid installation, with State), creating one of the largest and most the remaining inventory custom-ordered to diversified operators in the entire Precision meet specific customer needs. Key suppliers Garage Door Service system. were Amarr Garage Doors, Raynor Garage “It took longer than I thought because Doors, Liftmaster, and Genie. the final decision was based on finding the In adding new franchises, Freitas says his right buyer,” says Freitas, a minority share- acquisition approach focused more on market holder and board member of Precision presence and revenue potential rather than Garage Door Service. “We had a long list of immediate profitability, with the belief that he (potential) buyers — more than 10 that got could acquire underperforming franchises through the first cut. and improve their margins through opera“I didn’t pick the highest dollar amount; tional discipline. rather, I wanted to find the right strategic “My role on the board of directors and as buyer that would lead to the overall best a minority shareholder of Precision Garage growth of the business. It was more of a stra- Door Service was an interesting transition tegic decision than it was a deal being driven from full-time management to minority shareby a topline number.” holder,” Freitas says. “One of the key drivers While the final acquisition price wasn’t of the deal’s success was how my peers were provided, Foris Solutions had between $40 really good to work with.”

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WHY AMY HUANG SMITH IS THE ACG RISING STAR

ne of Amy Huang Smith’s defining transactions in 2025 was her role as lead deal counsel in the acquisition of Tiseo Paving, a construction company founded in Michigan and headquartered in Mesquite, Texas (east of Dallas), by Covington Capital, a pledge fund in Troy.

With a compressed timeline — the deal needed to close by Dec. 30, 2025 — Smith, practice lead of the Corporate/M&A Group at Wolfson Bolton Kochis in Troy, managed the full life cycle of the transaction. She led the equity raise, including the structuring and coordination of co-investment equity alongside Covington Capital, while also overseeing the debt financing process and negotiating deal terms with the seller.

In essence, she was the “quarterback” of the transaction, and addressed sponsor objectives, lender requirements, and seller priorities. Midway through the process, the buyer changed lending partners. It was a challenge that necessitated the creation of two separate credit agreements.

“It was a very complex transaction with lots of different interests, plus multiple family members on the sell side,” Smith says.

“Negotiating two different lending agreements added more complexity to the deal, and we needed to close everything to meet the deadline. Everyone worked together to complete the transaction on time.”

Operational and regulatory hurdles further complicated the process. Tiseo Paving, which specializes in civil, commercial, and roadway construction paving services, faced bonding-related constraints and change-of-control issues, which necessitated careful coordination to preserve the continuity of operations.

Despite the challenges, Smith guided the transaction to a successful close by taking the lead in managing the complex deal dynamics, navigating shareholder alignment, and structuring solutions that balanced the interests of investors, lenders, and a diverse shareholder group.

To organize what were “thousands of emails” between all parties, along with hundreds of calls, Smith maintained an organizational document that tracked “different open items and competing interests.” In turn, she coordinated with counsel for the co-investors — Center Rock Capital Partners in Bloomfield Hills and Tiseo’s management team.

Internally, she led a team of three other partners, two associates, a paralegal, and an assistant.

A 2017 graduate of Wayne State University Law School in Detroit, Smith joined Wolfson Bolton Kochis in the fall of 2024, following seven years at Honigman in Detroit, where she advanced to junior partner after four years.

When she started at Wolfson Bolton Kochis, she saw her role evolve significantly. She took on primary leadership of more transactions, managed more teams, shaped strategic direction, and became increasingly focused on business development and sourcing new opportunities for the firm.

“I credit my success to a strong work ethic and a desire to outwork anyone,” she says. “I’m also committed to providing excellent client services, which is the biggest driver of success in my career. I plan to continue to lead and grow the practice, add more associates, and add more transactions.”

May - June 2026 || DBUSINESS.COM 37

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LENDER OF THE YEAR

ADVISOR OF THE YEAR

KYLE ANNE JOHNS • SENIOR VICE PRESIDENT • INDEPENDENT BANK • TROY

JACOB DROUILLARD • PARTNER • HONIGMAN • DETROIT

WHY KYLE ANNE JOHNS IS THE ACG LENDER OF THE YEAR

WHY JACOB DROUILLARD IS THE ACG ADVISOR OF THE YEAR

ending for 20-plus years at small, midsized, and large banks, Kyle Anne Johns found she preferred to assist entrepreneurs, startups, and early-stage companies in realizing their goals and dreams.

“You see people’s lives changed with smaller projects because you can see the impact,” says Johns, senior vice president of Independent Bank in Troy. “If a client has the three Cs — character, cash flow, and collateral — we can typically get a deal done.”

Having an existing relationship with a client helps, as well. In one instance, a local golf course owner couldn’t get financing during last October’s shutdown of the U.S. Small Business Administration, so Independent Bank provided a bridge loan to preserve operations and maintain a path to finalizing the SBA loan this year.

In addition, Johns and her team assisted Work and Wonder — an early-stage, women-owned child care and co-working concept in Milford — with financing. The bank also supported the founder’s participation in the national Clover + Shark Tank Summit in Las Vegas, where she earned recognition and won an award.

“In the case of the golf course owner, some of our lending team members knew him and had been out to his place, which made things easier,” Johns says. “For Work and Wonder, we helped the owner take things to the next level. That’s why I love this job, for those types of wins.”

Early in her career, Johns worked at Comerica Bank in commercial and private banking. Soon after joining that institution, she was selected to join a highly

competitive analyst program and went on to graduate No. 1 in her class. Paired with an executive mentor, she was promoted to lender within in six months.

After moving on to Level One Bank (now part of First Merchants Bank), followed by TCF/Chemical Bank, which has since been sold to Huntington Bank, Johns co-founded and built a new banking group for Independent Bank in Macomb County. When an opportunity came up at an Independent Bank location in Troy, she was selected to help reinvigorate the commercial office.

“For Independent Bank, I started working out of the house (due to distancing restrictions during COVID-19), and then I came in full time and found some of the leaders were nearing retirement,” Johns says. “I took part of my Macomb team and went to Troy, and we instilled a new culture and started to build momentum.”

Now with 12 bankers, up from seven, Johns and her team reported 90-plus closings last year, with around $100 million in total commitments. In addition, they had $77 million in new loan outstandings, $13 million in deposit growth, nearly $500,000 of fee income, and 19 new relationships with an initial loan size of more than $1 million.

“We’re looking to exceed our 2025 numbers,” Johns says. “One thing that’s been a key to our success is culture. We want people to be the right cultural fit for us. We want people who are focused and driven, who have a high level of expertise. We want to make sure they’re a good fit both inside the bank and with our clients.”

38 DBUSINESS || May - June 2026

I

t never hurts to put in a plug in, at the right moment, for a company or an individual skill set. Jacob Drouillard, a partner in Detroitbased Honigman’s corporate and private equity practices, executed a perfect business pitch when he suggested to a potential client on the opposite side of a transaction that they give his firm a try.

“It was a private equity firm in Beverly Hills, Calif., and they were using a law firm in New York, and I said they should try us out,” Drouillard recalls. “(I said), ‘Let us show you what the Detroit grit and work ethic is all about.’ Now, 16 years later, we’ve been involved in more than 200 transactions with them.”

The Honigman team has assisted Levine Leichtman Capital Partners with everything from new platform acquisitions to platform sale transactions, add-on acquisitions, and buy-andbuild strategies.

In 2023, for example, Honigman served as co-legal counsel on Levine Leichtman Capital Partners’ acquisition of Kilwins Quality Confections Inc. and Kilwins Chocolates Franchise Inc., a leading franchisor, retailer, manufacturer, and distributor of premium quality chocolate, ice cream, and confectionary products based in Petoskey.

More recently, last November, Drouillard and his team worked with Angeles Equity Partners, a private investment firm in Los Angeles, in its purchase of a majority interest in Technique Inc., a provider of complex, high-mix, low-volume metal fabrication solutions in Jackson.

“The transaction itself involved many of the typical obstacles that deal teams navigate on a large and complex transaction, including how to allocate risk and address uncertainties with respect to the rapidly changing tariff developments during the deal’s life cycle,” Drouillard says.

What truly set the transaction apart was the deal team, and the fact that the founder and CEO of Technique, Ronnie Johncox, established a strong partnership and shared vision for the company in the months leading up to the execution of the LOI in the first half of 2025.

“The partnership and shared vision provided an incredible and unique foundation that allowed the parties to pivot and adapt the transaction parameters to allow both Angeles and Johncox to achieve their objectives in the wake of a seemingly unprecedented shifting economic landscape,” Drouillard adds.

One of the “crown jewel investments” was supporting Levine Leichtman Capital Partners in the acquisition of Nothing Bundt Cakes in Dallas, supporting the growth of the platform via strategic transactions, and then the subsequent sale of Nothing Bundt Cakes to Roark Capital.

Nothing Bundt Cakes is the market-leading franchisor and operator of gourmet bakeries offering specialty bundt cakes and retail gift items.

Over the course of his 20-plus-year career, Drouillard has led more than 400 transactions, ranging in value from less than $1 million to more than $1 billion, and spanning such industries as manufacturing, technology, franchising, professional services, health care, hospitality, and automotive.

In 2025 alone, his deal portfolio included serving as lead attorney on more than 25 transactions with a combined value exceeding $850 million (with four transactions in excess of $100 million).

“Our goal with every client is to demonstrate exceptional leadership, creativity, consistency, and influence across the middle-market deal landscape,” Drouillard says. “One of our strengths is that we can support deal execution by advising clients on how to solve issues on any given transaction.”

Focus

INVESTMENT BANKER OF THE YEAR

LIFETIME ACHIEVEMENT AWARD

STEVEN H. HILFINGER • RETIRED PARTNER • FOLEY & LARDNER • DETROIT

RON REED • MANAGING DIRECTOR • CASCADE PARTNERS • SOUTHFIELD WHY RON REED IS THE ACG INVESTMENT BANKER OF THE YEAR

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on Reed, managing director of Cascade Partners, an investment banking and private investment firm serving middle-market entrepreneurs, businesses, and investors in Southfield, oversaw the creation of a new vertical in the health care industry.

That’s a tall order in the sector, given national health spending was around $5.6 trillion last year.

Establishing a personal injury practice from the ground up, in 2024 Reed led a team that served as the exclusive financial adviser to Utah-based First Care Medical in its merger with Excelsia in Maryland (northeast of Baltimore), now the largest personal injury health care provider in the United States.

The transaction marked a pivotal shift for First Care Medical from a regional player to Excelsia, a national platform backed by Bain Capital in Boston. Prior to the deal, First Care Medical operated as four independent entities focused on coordinated care for personal injury patients, primarily those involved in auto accidents.

“We created a health care system that delivers care to people in car accidents, where the medical bills are paid through auto insurance,” Reed says. “The coverage largely is done through administrative services; just 2 percent to 4 percent are litigated cases. Now we’re expanding the vertical around the country.”

Excelsia is now the nation’s largest provider of comprehensive

health care solely dedicated to personal injury. Subsequently, Reed and his team served as advisers for a personal injury finance company that successfully raised a $100 million line of credit to purchase personal injury liens.

The deal is impactful to the metro Detroit M&A community, given it demonstrates how locally rooted advisory leadership can originate, structure, and execute transactions that attract national and global private equity capital.

It also established a repeatable playbook for platform-building in a niche health care vertical.

Overall, Reed leads equity investments, divestitures, recapitalizations, acquisitions, and other strategic transactions for clients in the B2B technology, health care technology, and business services sectors. In the past, he managed several equity funds and dozens of investments, from early stage to buy-out and industry roll-ups.

Today, nearly half of his work is focused on the sell-side.

“Looking ahead, what stands out is that we’re now at a transformational time where technology in our industry is going to change (from) physical data to consolidation of financial systems in the cloud,” Reed says. “AI and Big Data (are) going to transform this industry, and we’re in the middle of this transition. It’s exciting to see where we go from here.”

WHY STEVEN H. HILFINGER EARNED ACG’S THOMAS A. VAUGHN LIFETIME ACHIEVEMENT AWARD ith a career spanning corporate law Hilfinger says. “It was another example of putting and public service, from advising more together good teams to overcome challenges. No than 100 Tier 1 automotive suppliers to one does a deal by themselves.” being appointed chief regulatory officer for the After Gov. Rick Snyder took office in 2011, HilState of Michigan, Steven H. Hilfinger, a retired finger was appointed chief regulatory officer and partner at Foley & Lardner in Detroit, says one of director of the Department of Licensing and Reguthe most challenging deals over four decades of latory Affairs. In that cabinet-level role, he ran an counsel was the 2000 spinoff of Visteon Corp. office of close to 4,000 employees with a $1.3 bilfrom Ford Motor Co. lion annual budget.

“Visteon wasn’t a subsidiary; it was an Key initiatives included eliminating 1,500enterprise within Ford that required segregat- plus outdated regulations, restructuring the ing out significant operations,” says Hilfinger, state’s unemployment insurance debt in a $3.8 who co-founded the Detroit office of Foley & billion transaction, and modernizing multiple Lardner, founded in 1842 in Milwaukee. “It licensing and regulatory processes. Setting new wasn’t a simple carve-out, it was complex. We benchmarks for regulatory efficiency, his work also helped Visteon with rationalizing their was selected as “Bond Deal of the Year” by Bond product lines and portfolios.”

Buyer magazine.

After graduating first in his class at the Uni“Some of the projects we worked on were the versity of Michigan Ross School of Business in Ann framework for the Gordie Howe International Arbor, followed by obtaining his juris doctor with Bridge, which over time will be a huge benefit for magna cum laude honors from what is now North- the United States and Canada,” he says. “We also western Pritzker University School of Law in Chi- worked on Little Caesars Arena (opened in Septemcago, Hilfinger began his career in the Windy City ber 2017), which proved to be transformational in before moving to Detroit to join Dickinson Wright. connecting downtown Detroit with Midtown.”

As he advanced to partner from associate, he Traveling the world while representing Michisteadily grew his knowledge base in advising cli- gan, Hilfinger also served as executive vice presients on governance, M&A activities, and corporate dent and COO of the Michigan Economic finance. In 2000, serving as office managing part- Development Corp. in Lansing. “There were a lot ner at Foley & Lardner, he grew the practice to of trips to Europe and Asia trying to develop relamore than 40 attorneys from an initial eight law- tionships for Michigan businesses on the import yers, and helped generate more than $50 million and export front, and it was an honor working with in annual revenue. the late Mike Finney (former CEO of MEDC).”

Along the way, he guided several clients In addition to serving as a mentor for several through the General Motors and Chrysler bank- professionals, Hilfinger says receiving ACG ruptcies in 2009, and handled two Chapter 11 Detroit’s Thomas A. Vaughn Lifetime Achievement bankruptcy proceedings — in 2004 and 2008 — Award is a career milestone. “I was on the oppofor Intermet Corp., a major automotive casting site side of the table with Tom while he was a partsupplier. One highlight was receiving approval ner at Dykema. He was sharp, dogged, had a right before Christmas 2004 for a key employee good sense of humor, and was a great advocate retention plan. for his clients. He’s a role model for everyone in “It allowed Intermet to pay people to stay,” the legal profession.”

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May - June 2026 || DBUSINESS.COM 39

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Feature

30

in Their

The 2026 Class of 30 in Their Thirties helps manage major corporations, runs small businesses, oversees nonprofit organizations, and in the case of one honoree, serves as a judge on the Michigan Court of Appeals.

Join DBusiness magazine in honoring this year’s class at a special breakfast at the International Banquet and Conference Center in downtown Detroit on April 30 from 8:30-10:30 a.m. The keynote speaker will be past 30s honoree Gino Roncelli, president of Roncelli in Sterling Heights.

For tickets, email Puja Trivedi at ptrivedi@hour-media.com.

Note: Due to space constraints, for each profile, the college listed is the last school from which the honoree graduated.

42 DBUSINESS || MAY - JUNE 2026

Feature

Profiles by Ronald Ahrens, Dan Calabrese, Tim Keenan, and Michael Strong.

Photography by Matt LaVere on location at Kintsugi Village, a new nonprofit community hub in Detroit’s Corktown neighborhood. It includes an early childhood education center, an artist incubator, a culinary training kitchen, a garden, and retreat space.

Group collage by Stephanie Daniel.

MAY - JUNE 2026 || DBUSINESS.COM 43

Feature

Matthew Ackerman, 34 JUDGE MICHIGAN COURT OF APPEALS, LANSING EMPLOYEES: NA REVENUE: NA COLLEGE: COLUMBIA UNIVERSITY LAW SCHOOL

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ousef Almadrahi, CEO of the 11-clinic Specialty Medical Center Inc. in Sterling Heights, was pushed toward a career in medicine early in life, but discovered he’s more cut out for the business world. He compromised.

“Health care interested me originally because, as an immigrant, your parents put into your head that you have to be a doctor,” says Almadrahi, originally from Yemen. “But I found out I had a passion for business and numbers rather than medicine, so I started to focus more on the business aspect.”

His journey to the business side of health care started while he was participating in a dual enrollment program for high school students at Henry Ford College in Dearborn, sponsored by Henry Ford Health. Part of the program was working as a medical assistant at a local clinic. Upon graduation from the University of Michigan–Dearborn, he was hired full time and eventually was made office manager. He also helped a family member who ran a CPA practice by working on a part-time basis.

From there, he obtained positions as a senior director of operations at various Michigan surgery centers and as a consultant. In 2022, while working in the consulting role, he was introduced to Specialty Medical Center — which, at the time, had one location in Sterling Heights.

“We’re a physician-led group and I helped the physicians build the back end of the business so they could focus on patients,” Almadrahi says.

His consultation was effective and the nonprofit health care provider now has 11 locations in five metro Detroit cities, in addition to six in its home base of Sterling Heights.

“A lot of medical centers are siloed by practice area,” Almadrahi says. “My focus for the last 10

44 DBUSINESS || May - June 2026

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pend any time at all with Hon. Matthew Ackerman, and one thing becomes very clear: He’s funny.

Ackerman, 34, won a six-year term to the Michigan Court of Appeals in 2024, making him the youngest judge on the appellate bench. And while he’s serious about the job, he’s much less so about himself.

Looking around the room during his investiture last year, he noted all of the family, friends, and mentors in attendance, and quipped that he felt like he was at his bar mitzvah again.

While Ackerman brings the laughs, he’s serious about his career. He graduated cum laude with high honors in economics from Harvard College, and later earned a master’s degree in economics, with merit, from the London School of Economics.

“I wanted to rule other things out first,” Ackerman says with a chuckle. “I didn’t want to be pigeon-holed.”

However, Ackerman comes from a family of lawyers. His grandfather founded Ackerman & Ackerman in Bloomfield Hills, which specializes in property law. Matthew’s father joined the firm and has long provided legal services, too.

The call to attend law school was too loud to ignore, so Ackerman earned his juris doctor degree from Columbia University Law School.

While there, he was a James Kent Scholar all three years, earning him the Ruth Bader Ginsburg Prize, and he was an editor on the Columbia Law Review while in school. Instead of heading straight into the family’s practice after graduation, he

years has been creating a bridge between siloed specialties and trying to provide the most accessible services to our community under one roof.”

Almadrahi says he has a forward-thinking approach to health care management. He focuses on advancing orthopedic and spine care services, along with pain management, while also championing initiatives that foster talent development and organizational excellence. He says his leadership style emphasizes innovation and community impact.

In the orthopedic and spine care services arena, for example, he says he’s “disrupting” traditional models of care by advancing non-invasive, non-opioid approaches to treatment using a multidisciplinary philosophy that prioritizes restoring function, improving quality of life, and helping patients return to their daily routines through conservative, minimally invasive therapies instead of relying on medication, injections, or surgery.

Almadrahi also champions innovative approaches like stem cell therapy.

“There are a lot of alternative solutions that are available in the market,” he says. “The biggest issue is that we lack awareness.”

His solution to that problem will be the Regenerative Medicine Institute of Michigan, which he’s building in Farmington Hills. The facility is designed to present patients with alternative treatments, even if they aren’t performed at Specialty Medical Center.

Expected to be open within two years, the new medical campus will include an interactive learning center to help patients learn about their medical problem and find the best place for treatment.

— Tim Keenan

clerked for U.S. Court of Appeals Judges Jerry E. Smith and Michael H. Park, as a way to show how serious he was about a legal career.

From there, hearing his father’s stories about how much he enjoyed working with his grandfather put things in a brand-new light, and he joined Ackerman & Ackerman.

“I learned a lot about the law from (my father), and those three years were fun,” he says.

In fact, he and his father, Alan, still work together, as they teach a class at Michigan State University’s College of Law on eminent domain and property law.

More than a year into his tenure as an appeals court judge, Ackerman says he’s thrilled with his decision to move into public service.

“I really love appeals. You get the toughest cases,” he says. He notes that he uses the written opinions that explain the rulings to educate and inform. What’s more, given his personality, he can’t resist the chance to inject a bit of humor.

As an example, in a recent case involving a used car dealer accused of fraudulently rolling back vehicle odometers, he couldn’t help himself. He sprinkled references and lines from Roald Dahl’s “Matilda” throughout his written opinion. In the book, the father of the central character also is a used car dealer who rolls back odometers.

“I try to write something that’s easy to read, easy to follow, and funny. There are limits to how you can do that, but I try to do it when I can,” he says.

Yousef Almadrahi, 31 CEO SPECIALTY MEDICAL CENTER INC., STERLING HEIGHTS EMPLOYEES: 100+ REVENUE: NA COLLEGE: UNIVERSITY OF MICHIGAN–DEARBORN

— Michael Strong

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kil Alvin, CEO of Digital Detroit Media, emerged from the Martin Luther King Apartments — located in a Detroit neighborhood known for its violence — because he said he gave himself “permission to dream.” Now, he’s working to give others permission to reach their goals.

Alvin’s life story started at the age of 7, when he initiated a marketing program for a library in his neighborhood. The effort caught the attention of the WWE, and professional wrestlers were brought in to support the program when WrestleMania came to Detroit in 2007.

“I saw friends who dreamed of just making it to (age) 13, 16, 18, or 25,” Alvin says. “I gave myself permission to dream past that. I wasn’t the smartest, the fastest, or most creative, but my work ethic drives me.”

At 10 years old, he started working for the UniverSoul Circus and did so until he was 18. While a 10th grader at the Detroit School of Performing Arts, he learned video production and did work for the Detroit City Council.

A teacher advised him to start Digital Detroit Media (DDM) rather than going to college, so he hired the teacher as his first employee and was off to the races.

Under Alvin’s leadership, Digital Detroit Media has grown into an award-winning global agency trusted by some of the world’s most recognizable brands, institutions, and destinations. DDM’s portfolio includes work for The Walt Disney Co., Ford Motor Co., Coca-Cola, Bank of America, the country of Botswana, De Beers, and many others.

His company has won Emmy Awards, Telly Awards, and additional national recognition for creative excellence and impact.

Jordan Arocha, 34 PRESIDENT MUNRO & ASSOCIATES, AUBURN HILLS EMPLOYEES: 100 REVENUE: NA COLLEGE: BAKER COLLEGE

Akil Alvin, 31 In 2019, DDM was one of 10 millennial-led companies nationwide to be honored by the National Minority Supplier Development Council. Alvin was recognized as an Emerging Young Entrepreneur, and landed a one-year advisory partnership with Warner Media.

DDM embarked on a full-circle and historic moment in 2021 as the first ad agency in the country to sign an exclusive, multimillion-dollar agreement for a municipality — handling high-level messaging and rebranding for the City of Detroit.

In 2022, Alvin was named one of Forbes magazine’s 30 Under 30 honorees as one of North America’s top 30 advertising executives. The Black Marketers Association named him one of the most admired CEOs in the world. In November 2022, he was a keynote speaker during the inaugural Week of Entrepreneurship in Botswana, where he announced the global expansion of DDM and established the first international division in Africa, DDM Botswana.

“I am in awe of the things that have happened,” he says. “I want to give back to the next generation and give other people permission to dream.”

To do so, Alvin founded the Culture Academy, a 501(c)(3) organization that provides transformative experiences and programming for young creatives of color while shifting the culture’s narrative and trajectory by being the spark that ignites “ahha” moments in their lives — allowing them to follow their dreams as they grow up, not when they grow up.

“I wanted to bring all of my corporate clients into the neighborhoods to show the kids that there are viable careers in art and design,” Alvin says.

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CEO DIGITAL DETROIT MEDIA, DETROIT EMPLOYEES: 6 REVENUE: $2.5M

— Tim Keenan

t isn’t every manufacturing consultancy that gets the opportunity to help out a streetsweeper company, but Jordan Arocha offers just such a case as a recent success at Munro & Associates in Auburn Hills.

The call had come from Schwarze Industries in Huntsville, Ala., which makes more than a dozen different sweepers. The goal was to boost profits.

“Our task was to help take cost out of the product,” says Arocha, president of Munro & Associates. However, during a site visit, his team discovered cost-reduction was the wrong pursuit.

“What we actually did is totally flipped the statement-of-work on its head, and we focused on throughput,” Arocha says. “We focused on good lean-design principles.”

The process entailed a review of every stage of manufacturing, from engineering to purchasing.

Arocha and his team made suggestions; after their implementation, throughput increased and Schwarze achieved a return on investment faster than expected.

The story helps Arocha explain his twofold mission as company president. He raises his tall brow even higher while laying out part one, which is messaging. The challenge is how to explain the value of Munro’s services.

For 35 years, the company has been refining its lean-design methodology for industry clients.

Besides optimizing the manufacturing process, the company provides assistance with benchmarking and new-product development.

“The second piece of it is working with our Munro team, such that they feel bought into the mission,” he adds.

Indeed, the two parts together comprise many intangibles. “I liken it to panning for gold. You can

find a lot of gold dust. Rarely do you find those nuggets. When you do, there’s something to be excited about. Success is often defined in millimeters, not miles, in what we do.”

Arocha has gained this wisdom since 2010, when he joined Munro & Associates as a facilities coordinator racking parts in the back of the house. Before long, he was assisting engineers with vehicle teardowns for benchmarking purposes. He was a student at Ferris State University in Big Rapids, but Munro dangled the prospect of tuition assistance if he would change schools and stay with the company. Arocha focused on automotive technology at Baker College in Auburn Hills, and later obtained a Project Management Professional certificate.

In 2025, following a yearlong interlude as vice president of vehicle engineering and CAE at Roush Industries in Livonia, Arocha returned to Munro & Associates as president. He applies his efforts toward commercial and defense clients, overseeing project execution, finances, and sales.

While hard work and single-mindedness have characterized Arocha’s career path, the ability to focus applies in his personal life, as well. When he was dating his wife-to-be, Leticia, who is Brazilian, he learned Portuguese, her native language, and jokes that he’s good enough to know when his in-laws speak ill of him. A highlight of his family time is towing the kids around on sleds and puttering over the family’s rural estate on an ATV. Having achieved all this through hard work and diligent application, Arocha deflects the credit.

“There’s no way I’d be doing what I’m doing right now if it weren’t for a multitude of people. No one gets through this life solo.”

— Ronald Ahrens

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Kali Bagley, 30 GENERAL MANAGER DOWNEY’S POTATO CHIPS INC., WATERFORD TOWNSHIP EMPLOYEES: 7 REVENUE: NA COLLEGE: MICHIGAN STATE UNIVERSITY

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ot long before Kali Bagley became general manager of Downey’s Potato Chips in Waterford Township, the small company faced a tricky challenge that came about as the result of a decree from the U.S. Food and Drug Administration.

The “melt-in-your-mouth” goodness of Downey’s products was in serious peril. The FDA said cooking chips in partially hydrogenated oil (PHO) was out because of health hazards. Sunflower oil, with its neutral taste and greater cost, was in.

Downey’s was launched in 1984 when Rosemary Downey Hogarth sold freshly made chips out of a Waterford Township shop. She guided the company’s growth over the next 27 years until selling the enterprise to Patrick Bagley, an attorney and the father of three daughters. Kali, the oldest, was then a sophomore at Our Lady of the Lakes Catholic School.

“I really had no interest beyond just thinking it was so cool that we had potato chips at home all the time,” Bagley says.

After earning an advertising management degree at Michigan State University in East Lansing, she tried marketing and public relations but disliked the around-the-clock nature of those roles.

“You should just come and join us at Downey’s,” her father said. That was in 2019, the year after the FDA locked in on PHO. She got her feet wet doing social media and assisting the staff in the recipe change. Besides modifications to taste, the sunflower oil resulted in the chips’ different color, crunch, and shapes.

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Michelle Blakeley, 39 VICE PRESIDENT OF AUTOMOTIVE AND INDUSTRIALS PERFICIENT, ST. LOUIS AND LIVONIA EMPLOYEES: 160 IN METRO DETROIT; 7,500 GLOBALLY REVENUE: NA COLLEGE: GEORGE WASHINGTON UNIVERSITY

From there, she started to lead the company forward despite what she calls “a vendetta against seed oils,” as widely expressed on social media.

The increased cost of oil led to the adoption of an 8-ounce bag instead of the former “family-sized” 10.5-ounce bag, a move that was seen throughout the industry. At the time, Downey’s products were sold in 350 stores across southeast Michigan, but as long as changes were underway, Bagley thought a rationalization of the product line was in order.

“My mentality was: Let’s do one thing really, really well,” she says.

The product line was cut from 10 SKUs to four.

Now, Downey’s Potato Chips are seasoned in sea salt, barbecue flavoring, vinegar-and-sea-salt, or a no-salt option.

Meanwhile, as long as there was essentially a different product, she thought it was time to “revamp” the packaging.

A year went into redesigning Downey’s new logo and related graphics.

Establishing herself as a leader at the Highland Road operation, she also has a ground game. In March, Bagley, a member of the Michigan Potato Industry Commission, was in Lansing for Potato Day at the Capitol.

She handed out Downey’s samples to legislative representatives and others, and highlighted the “humble” potato’s annual $2.5-billion economic impact within Michigan, along with its status as the nation’s top producer of chipping potatoes.

“It was one of the best days of being in the potato industry,” she says.

— Ronald Ahrens

Ashlee Breitner, 39

M

ichelle Blakeley’s journey to consulting with the automotive industry wasn’t what one would call meticulously planned out. But that’s part of what made it so perfect.

While working her way through college at various local automotive dealers earlier in her career, Blakeley often found herself engaging with consultants who would come in to help the dealership with various operational challenges.

She says she enjoyed asking challenging questions about everything the consultants were doing, to the point where one consultant decided to challenge her back: “Michelle, you shouldn’t be in the dealership; you should be doing something bigger.”

While resistant at first, Blakeley discovered she had the very acumen the consultant envisioned when she took a job with FordDirect in Dearborn, helping dealers in Canada and Mexico with their tech programs.

“I fell into it and I loved it,” Blakeley says. “One of the reasons I came to Perficient is that I loved the opportunity to help an organization, or anyone, identify a problem and then solve it.”

Perficient, headquartered in St. Louis but with a large local operation and an office in Livonia, serves the auto industry and other related industries, and assists clients with operational issues such as software deployment and AI implementation.

“Everyone wants to do AI, but people are either too scared or they have an unrealistic expectation of it,” Blakeley says. “Because of that, they think I’m just going to flip a switch and make it happen. That’s not how AI works. They need to be shown the steps that are necessary to operationalize AI in their businesses.”

After nearly 10 years at FordDirect, Blakeley moved into an 18-month stint at Affinitiv, where she served as vice president of OEM strategy and development. The move to Perficient coincided with the company transitioning from public to private. She says that gave her an opportunity to focus more on strategy while making an added impact in the auto industry locally.

“They asked me, ‘Can you help run our Detroit business, our automotive practice?’” Blakeley recalls. “I knew that since it was going private, they were probably doing something big, and I wanted to be part of that. I wanted to get back to broader strategy and learn from other verticals, as well.

“Affinitiv was an automotive-only vertical. Perficient touches every industry, and the ecosystems are so complex. You can learn so much from the financial services industry or the health care industry, which you can then make applicable to the automotive industry.”

With her focus on AI consulting, Blakeley has found that being hands-on with industry personnel helps her keep on top of what her clients need to know, given the technology is evolving so quickly.

“Agentic AI may be new, but AI in general is not,” she says. “Chatbots have been around since the ’50s and ’60s. Agentic AI — having the computer do something for you based on lots of data — is certainly newer, and every day it’s evolving based on the data that goes in. But it’s still only as good as the data that’s there.”

Outside of consulting with her clients, Blakeley recently achieved another type of milestone by becoming the first female president of South Lyon-based Walnut Creek Country Club.

“I’m really enjoying the fact that, in my 39th year, I’m breaking glass ceilings in new places,” she says.

— Dan Calabrese

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MANAGING DIRECTOR UNIVERSITY OF MICHIGAN ECONOMIC GROWTH INSTITUTE, ANN ARBOR WORKFORCE DIRECTOR UNIVERSITY OF MICHIGAN ELECTRIC VEHICLE CENTER, ANN ARBOR EMPLOYEES: 25 REVENUE: NA COLLEGE: EASTERN MICHIGAN UNIVERSITY

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shlee Breitner grew up in Ida, in Monroe County, dreaming of being an elementary school teacher. Now, she “teaches” companies how to grow, maintain, and improve their workforces.

After graduating from Eastern Michigan University with a teaching degree, she discovered that jobs in elementary education were impossible to come by. So, she pivoted and landed a job at NSF International in Ann Arbor, a testing and certification company.

She spent a decade there, moving through different certification programs ranging from food safety to beauty products, beverages, and more.

The experience led her to “work with many, many manufacturers around the globe,” Breitner says. To further her studies at NSF, she earned an MBA in organizational leadership and international business from Wayne State University in Detroit.

Also during that time, Breitner got married and had a baby, which gave her second thoughts about being a globe-trotter. So, in 2017, she became a project manager for U.S. Department of Defense manufacturers at the University of Michigan’s Economic Growth Institute.

“I was able to apply the knowledge and experience I gained at NSF as a project manager at the Economic Growth Institute,” says Breitner, who was named a senior project manager and, ultimately, in 2021, became the managing director of the EGI. As managing director, Breitner provides executive-level leadership for EGI, setting strategic direction, aligning investments, and ensuring research and technical assistance translate into measurable economic and workforce impact.

In addition, she oversees department directors and guides teams that support hundreds of companies and communities while tying public

and private investments directly to outcomes.

Her leadership goals are to promote advances in industry transition, supply chain resilience, and economic resilience statewide.

“My team at EGI is an outward-facing, non-academic unit,” she says. “We very much have a bootson-the-ground approach to helping companies and communities throughout Michigan. The team comes from industry or economic development backgrounds; they’re not academics. We hear the workforce challenges every day.”

Because of that, in 2024 Breitner was asked to take on the additional responsibility of workforce director at the U-M EV Center.

At EVC, she leads workforce strategies that advance Michigan’s talent landscape to meet evolving workforce demands. She drives the development and deployment of tools such as the Electric Vehicle Hiring Guide to help employers, educators, and policymakers prepare for industry transformation.

“A lot of my work is interwoven between the two,” she says, noting the two positions are separate.

Although the push toward electric vehicles in the market has slowed, Breitner says workforce development in that area continues. “Nothing has changed on the workforce development side,” she says. “We’re still moving forward.”

Among the projects she works on for her industry partners are apprenticeship programs, training programs, and a portal to help manufacturers access workforce development resources.

“I thought all of my life that I wanted to be an elementary school teacher,” she says, “but now, every day is different. I’m constantly learning. I have a tremendous opportunity to network and be able to be connected with some really great people in this ecosystem who definitely keep me going every day.”

— Tim Keenan

May - June 2026 || DBUSINESS.COM 47

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Dan Bruce, 39

D

an Bruce, a principal at UHY Consulting in Sterling Heights, says he uses the lessons he learned on a high school basketball court as he advises companies on how to better operate their businesses.

“In high school and prior to high school I had some coaches that taught me a lot,” Bruce says.

“They taught you about preparation, and how to work hard and practice, so when it comes time to perform you do well. A lot of those lessons I carry over and use today — maybe even more than some of the schooling I received.”

Bruce attended Rochester Adams High School in Rochester Hills, where he was captain of a district championship-winning football squad during his senior year. His education continued at the University of Michigan in Ann Arbor, where he studied industrial and operations engineering.

“I always liked math and science, so that sort of put me on the engineering path,” Bruce says.

“Through that, I also found out that I really liked problem-solving.”

That interest led to his first job out of college, doing IT consulting for IBM in Chicago for three years.

“I really liked working with different clients and helping to solve their problems,” he says, “but I learned doing consulting that finance and accounting were really the language of business. I figured if I could speak and understand that, it would make me much more powerful as a business leader.”

So, off he went to Indiana University in Bloomington, Ind., where he took two years to earn an MBA in finance and management, graduating in 2015.

He took his freshly minted MBA to the finance department of Ford Motor Co. After two years, he

longed to get back into consulting, so he joined Plante Moran in Southfield. Two years later, in 2020, he went to work at UHY. He became a principal in 2022.

Bruce says he mainly focuses on middle-market manufacturing clients, usually Tier 2 and Tier 3 automotive suppliers, which primarily are family-owned private companies.

“We work on making clients globally competitive and help them grow their businesses,” he says.

“We work with them on their strategies, which sometimes means diversifying into other industries.

We help them figure out how can they use their equipment, relationships, and location to help some other industries.

“We also make sure they’re operationally efficient and that their procurement is more efficient. All of that helps get costs down and revenue up, and makes them more competitive.”

In 2025, Bruce co-founded UHY’s Business Performance Optimization practice, which focuses on strategy, operations, and procurement consulting services that improve client profitability and cash flow. The team has grown to six members (from one), and delivered more than $10 million in total bottom-line benefits for clients, with project returns typically exceeding five times the initial investment.

In addition, he led the creation and implementation of a new engagement model that aligns incentives, safeguards client cash flow, and improves project win rates.

“In the future, I see myself being a partner in UHY and coaching basketball,” Bruce says. “Basketball is still a passion of mine, and I have four young kids who I’d like to coach as they get older.”

Carlo Bugli, 38 PRESIDENT METROPOLITAN CONCRETE CORP., STERLING HEIGHTS EMPLOYEES: 80 REVENUE: NA COLLEGE: CENTRAL MICHIGAN UNIVERSITY

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PRINCIPAL UHY CONSULTING, STERLING HEIGHTS EMPLOYEES: 2,000+ REVENUE: $500M COLLEGE: UNIVERSITY OF MICHIGAN

— Tim Keenan

hile Carlo Bugli was named president and co-owner of Metropolitan Concrete Corp. in Sterling Heights in 2025, he’s been involved with the company since childhood.

The company — a concrete subcontractor to general contractors on construction projects — was founded by his grandfather, Giovanni Bugli, in 1964. Following that, other family members ran the operation.

His father, Leonard, has retired from the company, and now Bugli shares ownership and leadership responsibilities with his two brothers — Marco, who is vice president, and Giovanni, who serves as COO. Bugli joined the company as a full-time employee in 2012, working as a crew foreman, and steadily earned his way into broader leadership roles.

Upon formally taking over as president, he embraced two critical priorities: expanding the company’s presence in commercial construction projects and building a new facility for the main line of business.

“We were mainly a residential company when we started,” Bugli says. “We started doing more and more commercial work over time.”

Bugli has personally taken on much of the task of convincing general contractors that Metropolitan Concrete is the right choice for commercial projects across the region and beyond.

“We’ve always had a good name out there, and had a good reputation for coming in and doing a very nice job by being detailed and thorough,” Bugli says. “It wasn’t easy getting into commercial work and gaining the trust of the general contractors.”

He credits persistence and integrity for breaking through the barriers.

“I’m very detail-oriented, and a man of my word,” he says. “I always tell people, to this day, we’re only as good as our word and our last job, so give me a chance and we’ll show you what we can do. The spark will fly from there.”

Today, Metropolitan’s new 20,000-square-foot facility provides a stand-alone home for the company’s concrete contracting operation, which is distinct from the nearby concrete supply store the company opened in 2008.

“Both companies will have room to grow for years to come,” Bugli says.

Along with the new facility, Bugli cites the advancement of technology as a critical factor he’s had to keep up with in concrete contracting.

“The equipment and technology, as far as the means to be able to accomplish a job a little more economically or efficiently, certainly has seen a lot of evolution and it’s still taking place now,” Bugli says. “That’s going to be a very big thing in the next handful of years, as well, in addition to the way construction is managed between (general contractors) and (subcontractors), and how subs like us bid jobs.”

One project Bugli cites with particular pride is the state-of-the-art battery testing facility opened in 2024 by UL Solutions in Auburn Hills. The $100-million, 90,000-square-foot facility gave Metropolitan Concrete the opportunity to showcase some of its best work.

“There was a lot of detail that went into that job that I would say sets us apart from a lot of our competition,” Bugli says. “It’s a job that required the right people and the right equipment.”

— Dan Calabrese

Jacob Dondzila, 36 GENERAL MANAGER SHINOLA HOTEL, DETROIT EMPLOYEES: 75 REVENUE: NA COLLEGE: MICHIGAN STATE UNIVERSITY

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risten Gasieski, director of value-based contracts and provider performance at Health Alliance Plan in Troy, has made a career out of stepping outside her comfort zone to tackle anything that requires completion.

“My philosophy is when you see something that needs to be done, do it,” Gasieski says. “That’s been critical to my career growth — taking the initiative and stepping outside my comfort zone sometimes.”

Born and raised in rural Stockbridge, northwest of Ann Arbor, Gasieski worked in a family care home during high school, and for a time considered nursing as a career. That goal changed, and she earned a bachelor’s degree in creative writing from DePaul University in Chicago.

After college she returned to her roots in health care as an administrator at a now-closed private-duty direct care agency that worked with older adults. There, she trained and placed caregivers.

She earned a master’s degree in public health from DePaul in 2014, and from there went to Age Options in Oak Park, Ill., an area agency on aging, working on grant-funded programs, home-delivered meal programs, and other activities.

She also served as program manager at the Area Agency on Aging 1-B in Southfield, followed by a stint as manager of network development at Michigan Meridian in Detroit.

“When I was at the Area Agency on Aging, I had an opportunity to work with managed care plans as a sub vendor and developed relationships with the folks working in the market, and became really interested in their work,” Gasieski says. “I thought my work aligned with the higher-level work they were doing. So, I decided to explore network management and found out it works with my personality.”

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acob Dondzila had the same goal as most in the hospitality business — to become a hotel general manager. In Dondzila’s case, he wanted to achieve the goal by the time he was 35, but not just anywhere or under any circumstances. It had to fit with his growth and development in the industry.

As the Walled Lake native and Michigan State University graduate pursued his career from New York to Boston, Utah, Arizona, and eventually Washington, D.C., he kept his eye on Detroit — and, in particular, the Shinola Hotel.

During 12 years of traveling the country, where he gained experience at top hotels like the Waldorf Astoria and the Ritz Carlton, he hoped to become part of the original operating team at Shinola when it opened in 2018. Unfortunately, the opportunity didn’t line up with his career path at the time.

But when the general manager role opened again in 2024 under a new management group, Sage Hospitality, Dondzila pursued it with determination and with a plan to make sure Shinola stood out as a world-class hotel.

“It started with making sure we have leaders and team members who are focused and invested in delivering world-class service, defining what that expectation is, and (providing the best) training, so everyone can know what it is and what to do,” Dondzila says.

Defining world-class came partly from his experience at other top brands and also from his knowledge of the standards set by auditing agencies like the Forbes Travel Guide and AAA. Making that happen is about more than a hotel

She joined Troy-based Health Alliance Plan in the fall of 2022 as director of alternative payment model strategy.

In that role, she led initiatives that strengthened provider relationships, improved contract performance, and advanced community health care outcomes.

Her work helped elevate organizational performance while contributing to a more sustainable, patient-centered ecosystem.

Under her leadership, HAP maintained CMS 4 Star ratings for HMO and PPO membership, accounting for 100 percent of HAP’s members.

Additionally, 70 percent of HAP members are cared for by providers that are in value-based arrangements, aligning care and coverage to deliver a better experience for HAP’s members and providers, maximizing optimal health outcomes, and achieving value for patients.

As a result, in January her responsibilities increased when she was named director of value-based contracts and provider performance.

“I’m working with all of the providers in our network on alternative payment model programs, provider incentive programs, and pay-for-performance programs,” she says. “I’m working with our providers to make sure they’re hitting targets for overall health plan quality.”

Gasieski says she continues to take on projects outside of her comfort zone. “In the long run, it’s good for your personal growth,” she says.

It’s a philosophy that she hopes will one day see her climb the corporate ladder.

“I think at some point I’d love being in executive leadership within health care and contining to do network-focused work.”

with the best amenities, he says. It’s also about teaching employees to think and communicate with guests in a world-class manner.

“General hotel operations are that you’re here, you check in, you go up to your room, and you sleep in your bed,” Dondzila says. “That’s not going to be what we do here. We’re going to tell stories and engage with our guests.

“We create a guest experience where we reach out to you prior to your arrival and find out why you’re coming, and try to tailor an experience for you here. Then we take that all the way to the front desk agent and the housekeeper. It’s not just cleaning the room; we’re teaching (our staff) how to communicate with guests, and what a perfect guest room looks like.”

Dondzila’s efforts have produced revenue increases of roughly 20 percent since his arrival, while earning six nominations and one award in the Rose Awards, as well as receiving Detroit’s McLaughlin Award, along with the distinction of being one of only two hotels in Michigan to earn the Michelin Key. Dondzila also believes in helping future generations by participating in a mentoring program at Cass Technical High School in Detroit.

“Life mentorship is huge for me,” Dondzila says.

“When I started in the hospitality industry, there wasn’t anyone in my family who worked in hospitality. But at Michigan State, I had great connections to alumni and learned from mentors. A lot of my experience and the knowledge that helped me succeed came from mentorship.”

— Dan Calabrese

Kristen Gasieski, 39 DIRECTOR OF VALUE-BASED CONTRACTS AND PROVIDER PERFORMANCE HEALTH ALLIANCE PLAN, TROY EMPLOYEES: 1,004 REVENUE: $2.9B COLLEGE: DEPAUL UNIVERSITY

— Tim Keenan

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Armanda Hadribeaj, 37

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rmanda Hadribeaj was born in Albania and came to the United States with her family when she was 12 years old. Throughout her years of diligent study and hard work, she took a detour of sorts, finding inspiration in the films of Jean-Claude Van Damme.

“I grew up watching these movies, and I always thought they were so cool,” Hadribeaj says, reflecting on being drawn into the martial arts.

A coincidence emerged when she learned that another native Albanian, Peter Malota, was fight coordinator for Van Damme’s action scenes in “Double Impact.” And Malota, as it happens, had first come to Detroit in 1973. He went to Hollywood in 1979.

After eight films with Van Damme, he returned to Michigan in 1992 and opened Birmingham Martial Arts in Birmingham. A long interval passed before Hadribeaj and her husband, Adrian Hadribeaj, a professional fighter, acquired the studio from Malota in 2017. With Adrian, she runs the studio’s daily operations, while he also trains for competition in Karate Kombat.

“I never truly felt as fulfilled or aligned with my purpose as I do today leading Birmingham Martial Arts,” she says. “It’s a 20-year community institution that serves more than 300 students each year.”

Despite her indirect path, Hadribeaj came to her present situation by way of solid fundamental characteristics. “Discipline, education, and hard work were always very important in our home,” she shares.

After enrolling at the University of MichiganDearborn, she wanted to study abroad. When she entered a cooking competition, she won a

scholarship that enabled her to go to Italy and immerse herself in that country’s ways, including the culinary arts. “I think in another life, I probably would end up being a cook,” she admits.

While still in college, she tried broadcasting, as well. She also served in a family restaurant and “even followed my father’s footsteps for a bit, working in accounting — and each of those (fields) taught me many valuable lessons.”

Working more often from home during COVID19 and finding some time available, she co-founded Mission You with her two sisters. The nonprofit organization supports needy families. Its outreach is felt in the Detroit area, but it also extends across the ocean.

“We built a house in Albania for a disabled family,” Hadribeaj says. “It was really amazing to go back to our birth country and be able to give a little bit back there.”

While running the studio full-time and raising her two children, Hadribeaj had the opportunity to enroll in the Harvard Business School’s executive education program. From 2023 to 2025, she studied online modules and made two-week visits to campus. At Harvard, she says arriving even one minute late for class meant having to sing “Happy Birthday” for the entertainment of all present.

She and her sisters also started Strategic Enterprise Solutions, a consulting operation that works with restaurants and hospitality businesses.

How does it all add up? “Whether through BMA, Mission You, or my work advisory, it all comes back to the same purpose: helping people grow, strengthening communities, and creating environments where individuals reach their full potential.”

Gary Horton, 39 CEO ACI TRANSPORT, FERNDALE EMPLOYEES: 34 REVENUE: $15M

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MANAGING DIRECTOR STRATEGIC ENTERPRISE SOLUTIONS, COMMERCE TOWNSHIP EMPLOYEES: 5 REVENUE: NA COLLEGE: UNIVERSITY OF MICHIGAN–DEARBORN

— Ronald Ahrens

he fact that Gary Horton has been playing “Magic: The Gathering” since he was 6 years old suggests a natural connection to his current career in national transportation logistics.

In the popular trading-card game, Horton casts spells and enchantments on rivals. As CEO of ACI Transport in Ferndale, he applies his magic touch to brokering freight-hauling services between shippers and carriers.

A recent example of Horton’s logistical legerdemain illustrates the point. A fleet management company contacted ACI about the unique needs of a client who wanted to acquire and ship a vehicle.

Due to tax concerns, this client required delivery before the clock struck midnight last New Year’s Eve. It was to be a long haul of 1,500 miles, and because of legal limits on road time, a two-person driving team had to be scheduled at the last minute. If the vehicle didn’t arrive before midnight, the deal was off.

“That would cost my customer money, and subsequently prestige and relational capital with their customer,” Horton says, recalling the successful outcome. “So, those are the types of things that are an emergency situation.”

After a decade as COO, Horton became CEO at ACI in 2025, but he still works the occasional shift as a dispatcher just to maintain his form. Conjuring solutions amid drama results not in occasional headaches, but in fist-pumping at ACI’s 17,000-square-foot headquarters.

“We believe strongly that, as the argument for working with us as a middle person, we should be able to flexibly apply our talents to solve your issues,” Horton says.

Communication and accountability also are keys and lead to myriad opportunities.

“We’re willing to mix it up with anything we feel can be a positive add to the customer, which has put us in a lot of interesting situations,” he says.

Horton was a front-office manager at a Novi hotel in 2015 when Aaron Freedman, a friend from Wylie E. Groves High School in Beverly Hills, saw an opportunity in the brokerage business and recruited him. The first venture failed, but Freedman and Horton regathered their forces and formed ACI Transport, taking its name from the core principles of adaptability, communication, and integrity.

Now a married father of one daughter, Horton was unmarried back then and was willing to take a risk based on shared values.

During the early days, he and Freedman studied Gino Wickman’s book, “Traction: Get a Grip on Your Business,” and created a plan based on his Entrepreneurial Operating System. ACI launched early in 2016 with another partner, chief quality officer Jesse Geer.

“Since Day 1, it was the three of us. Now we continue to try and grow and innovate,” Horton shares.

In 2019, chief information officer Nathan Sriro — Freedman’s cousin — joined the company and wrote the code for “CarriedAway,” which is ACI’s proprietary transportation management software. It continues to be updated to meet changing dynamics in the industry.

Through the first decade, ACI’s primary focus was on shipping vehicles. Since 2024, a service expansion has found the company conjuring up solutions for the management of general freight.

“That’s new, and we’re bringing revolutionized expectations to a new commodity across the country,” Horton says.

— Ronald Ahrens

Marc Howland, 37 CO-FOUNDER BREADLESS, DETROIT EMPLOYEES: 25 REVENUE: NA COLLEGE: HARVARD BUSINESS SCHOOL

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ina Hudgins, director of patient care services at Karmanos Cancer Institute in Detroit, says that from a young age she wanted to be a nurse. Now she’s directing a team of nurses who are helping people in the fight of their lives.

“I always wanted to take care of people,” Hudgins says. “It’s always been part of my personality, and I thought nursing was a profession I could thrive in. I didn’t know oncology was going to be my passion. It just kind of fell into place.”

The call to the nursing profession came while growing up in Lansing and attending Sexton High School. She studied nursing at Wayne State University in Detroit and took a student nurse position at Karmanos during her senior year. She never looked back.

“The first six years, I was at the bedside,” Hudgins says. “In 2016 is when my leadership journey began.”

During those first six years, while working in Karmanos’ medical-surgical, intermediate care, and intensive care units, she earned a master’s degree in nursing. In 2016, she was appointed assistant clinical manager, then a clinical manager.

In 2019 she was named director of patient and colleague engagement, where she resolved grievances in a timely manner (leading to high patient satisfaction scores), revamped the process for investigating and resolving issues according to state and joint commission standards, and maintained a 100-percent resolution rate with “remarkable” response times.

In 2023, she earned a Doctor of Nursing Practice with a concentration in health systems leadership from Grand Valley State University. Hudgins was named to her current post, overseeing the inpatient

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Feature

arc Howland had no trouble mustering the energy to letter in football, basketball, and track at Brown University.

And he had no trouble advancing his education there into positions with Goldman Sachs and The Carlisle Group, where he helped put together high-profile deals to finance projects like Levi’s Stadium in San Francisco and the Barclays Center in Brooklyn.

But he did have trouble with one thing: staying awake after lunch.

“I was working 80 to 100 hours a week, struggling to find food that didn’t leave me with my head on my desk at 2 p.m.,” Howland says. “I was tired of sandwiches that made me feel tired and sluggish, and I didn’t always want a salad. I ended up venting to my wife, ‘Why doesn’t someone solve this problem?’ ” His wife, LaTresha “LC” Howland, saw a solution at hand, as the two of them had grown fond of using leafy greens as a substitute for bread in making sandwiches. They tried out the concept early on by selling the sandwiches at gyms in Detroit, and catering events at the University of Michigan, where LC was working on her master’s degree.

“Meanwhile, we were going to Eastern Market and getting to the grocery store before it would even open, so we could go to the produce section and be the first to get the freshest leafy greens so we could go to the gym and sell these sandwiches,” Howland says.

The early venture turned out to be a beta test for the real operation Howland envisioned — a

care of Karmonos’ 80-bed hospital, last year.

“I’m blessed that I get to take care of a lot of people right now,” she says. “It’s challenging work, I will say that. On top of cancer, they often have other co-morbidities.”

Although a cancer diagnosis can be difficult to hear and overcome, Hudgins says medical advancements are improving things dramatically, which has led to greater career satisfaction.

“Outcomes are improving because there has been a lot more research,” she says. “There are so many new protocols and treatment plans because of the growing research.

“The most satisfaction I’ve had in my career is knowing that I made a difference in a patient’s or their family’s lives. I might have made them smile or sat with them and helped them through a difficult conversation with a physician.”

Outside of her work at Karmanos, Hudgins lends her talents to the Doctors of Tomorrow, a summer internship offered at Karmanos for Cass Technical High School students. She also serves on the board of directors of the Blood Cancer Foundation of Michigan.

As for the future, Hudgins has lofty goals for her personal career.

“I want to continue to be a transformational leader in health care. I want to continue working on the nursing practice and what it does for our community. I want to lead a critically resilient nursing team that can deal with the complexities of health care but still be committed to providing safe, compassionate, dignified, high-quality care for our patients.”

brick-and-mortar, casual fast-food concept that would feature breadless sandwiches as its menu staple. Naturally, the new business came to be known as Breadless.

“This is something that has changed my life,” Howland says. “I eat the product every single day and we’ve always had a vision to scale this to a nationwide brand. The vision was always to grow and become a household name across the country.”

But first Howland wanted to make sure he knew what he was doing, which is why he applied for a $10-an-hour job at Jimmy John’s in Ann Arbor during the summer while LC was finishing her master’s degree at U-M. That gave him the knowledge he needed about restaurant operations — knowledge that would be critical in opening up Breadless’s two metro Detroit locations, in Detroit’s Rivertown and in Rochester Hills.

The Howlands teamed up with Chef Ryan Eli Salter to make the partnership complete, and opened for business in 2022.

Since then, they’ve earned a permanent spot on the concourse along the left field line at Comerica Park, as well as the opportunity to operate at Ford Field during events there.

Howland expects the move into national franchising to be Breadless’s next phase.

“We’re a people-first business,” he says.

“We want to attract and find the best people (to be) operators who will partner with us to grow. We’ve had inbound interest from more than 100 parties.”

— Dan Calabrese

Nina Hudgins, 39 DIRECTOR OF PATIENT CARE SERVICES KARMANOS CANCER INSTITUTE, DETROIT EMPLOYEES: 1,000+ REVENUE: NA COLLEGE: WAYNE STATE UNIVERSITY

— Tim Keenan

May - June 2026 || DBUSINESS.COM 51

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Philip Kafka, 39 PRESIDENT AND CEO PRINCE CONCEPTS, DETROIT EMPLOYEES: 6 REVENUE: NA COLLEGE: NORTHWESTERN UNIVERSITY

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he years David Lazarus Jr. spent as a student at Macomb Dakota High School in Macomb Township spurred determination on multiple fronts.

First, his mother, Mary Jagello, was a secretary at the school, and it took everything she had as a single mother to support her son on her salary. He noticed her efforts, and the resulting desire to provide assistance to single parents is something that stuck with him.

He also wanted to learn about business finance, which spurred him to attend Boston’s Northeastern University. While there, he worked in the office of one of the area’s wealthiest families while studying what was going on around him.

“It was a little bit of learning everything,” Lazarus recalls. “The family business had apartments they owned, hotels, casinos, and land development. I came in and learned a little bit of everything.”

He also acquired knowledge on how to obtain financial backing from people with money who were looking for places to invest it. Following graduation, Lazarus established a brokerage company — Hampton Realty Group (HRG) — which focused on real estate investments.

In the early going he kept his ventures reasonably safe, so the people in his network would consider backing him a low risk.

“I could justify buying a 40-unit apartment complex and having a few guys take a risk on me,” Lazarus says.

HRG did well with its real estate investments, but over time Lazarus came to see real estate as merely a “cash preservation play,” promising safe bets but modest returns. He realized the much larger potential was in buying operating businesses.

“I could put $1 million into a real estate deal and

52 DBUSINESS || May - June 2026

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hat led Philip Kafka to pursue real estate development in Detroit was an experience he found curiously similar: Leasing and selling billboards in New York City.

“Billboards kind of operate like real estate,” Kafka says. “I would get a zoning map and I would go around the city looking for places that worked for advertising signs. And I had to see value where other people weren’t seeing it.

“I had to create the value there. And that kind of thinking led me to Detroit, because I have to go somewhere people don’t see the value in.”

That somewhere for Dallas native Kafka turned out to be the Core City area of Detroit, which is located south of I-94 and between I-96 on the west and the Lodge Freeway on the east.

Kafka arrived in Detroit in 2012 — before the city went into municipal bankruptcy — and found himself intrigued by the discovery that the city had more viable infrastructure than it had population.

“I’d never seen a condition like it,” Kafka says.

“Typically cities are outgrowing their infrastructure. I looked at the underlying culture — the history, the music, the innovation — and I was convinced this was an area that needed development.”

Enter Prince Concepts, an investment and development firm that acquires land and uses it as a place to create a product people would want. His first acquisition in Detroit was a structure at 2520 Michigan Ave. that consisted of little more than three walls and a roof. Kafka renovated the building and partnered with Chef Brad Greenhill to open a Thai-inspired restaurant known today as Takoi.

know that in a couple years I’ll get $1.5 million,” Lazarus says, “but I could put $1 million in an operating business and get $30 million out of it.”

While Lazarus doesn’t limit his investments to any particular industry, he has had strong success in the past four years in the event services sector. It started with the acquisition of three companies in 2022 — Wahl Tents, Bos Structures, and Tecumseh Tents — which rented large, structured tents for corporate activities and sporting events. In 2025, he sold the three businesses to WillScot Storage Solutions.

“The focus right now is buying family founder businesses that are blue-collar and have been around a long time, but are maybe lacking the infrastructure and processes,” Lazarus says. “What I would do is try to institutionalize the business — institute some ERP and AI — and open the doors for personal relationships I may have to move the business beyond where it’s been stuck.”

The desire to learn about business finance paid off — which brings him back to the passion he felt about helping single parents.

To pay homage to his mother and other single parents, Lazarus established a 501(c)(3) nonprofit called the Single Parent Foundation. Located in Bloomfield Hills, it provides financial support, job opportunities, scholarships, and other forms of assistance to single parents who are doing their best to raise children under challenging circumstances.

In addition to contributing his own money, Lazarus has secured a donation from Amazon to get the nonprofit started, and he will be raising funds in the coming months.

“We really want to get the word out to the single parents in the Detroit metro area that we want to help them,” Lazarus says.

— Dan Calabrese

The success of that project led to the acquisition of 25,000 square feet of contiguous land and a residential development called True North (completed in 2017 with architect Edwin Chan), as well as The Caterpillar, an apartment building.

The common theme throughout the projects has been Kafka’s insistence on seeing the properties differently than other professionals in the real estate market.

“This was an area that wasn’t attracting anyone at the time,” he says. “No one had thought to go there for decades. And that’s how my work started — thinking about architectural ideas and thinking about real estate as a product, not an asset.”

To date, Kafka has renovated more than 60,000 square feet of previously derelict buildings, completed four new-construction housing projects with a total of 45 units, created 25,000 square feet of public space, and planted 800 trees. He remains committed to operating exclusively in the Core City area.

He also became heavily involved with New York architect Ishtiaq Rafiuddian, who has since relocated to Detroit.

Moving forward, Kafka has completed a master plan for the area, and intends to eventually bring in some partners to move forward with it. But he foresees taking a breather as a possible next step.

“Since I sold my billboard business in 2015, I’ve never taken a break, and I’ve just been developing like a madman,” Kafka says, “because Detroit needs you to show up and work and do things. I might step back and take a moment and observe it all.”

David Lazarus Jr., 30 MANAGING PARTNER HRG CAPITAL, BLOOMFIELD HILLS EMPLOYEES: 100 REVENUE: $50M COLLEGE: NORTHEASTERN UNIVERSITY (BOSTON)

— Dan Calabrese

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s the child of a career General Motors executive, Tim Lee bounced around a lot during his childhood — but since 2021, he’s been a staple in the Honigman stable of attorneys.

Born in Hamilton, Ohio, outside of Cincinnati, Lee and his family moved to Michigan when he was a baby. He spent the third and fourth grades in Tokyo while his father was on assignment with GM’s onetime joint venture with Isuzu Motors.

Upon returning to the U.S., the Lees settled in Bloomfield Hills and Tim attended the University of Detroit Jesuit High School in Detroit, where he played soccer and lacrosse. He graduated from the College of Wooster back in his birth state, where he continued his lacrosse career.

Law school still wasn’t on his radar when he and his new wife moved to East Lansing, where she attended medical school while he worked in state government doing legislative policy work for a pair of state representatives and a state senator. It was under the capitol dome in Lansing that the idea of a legal career took root. Lee graduated from the Michigan State University Law School in 2016.

“You have these ideas of what you’re interested in and eventually you realize the amount you didn’t know surprises you,” Lee says of his transition from government policy to transactional law. “Once you get to law school you find there’s so much more to law than getting bills passed through the Legislature,” he says.

According to Lee, law school pushes students toward litigation, and that’s what he thought he wanted to do. But after a summer working at Clark Hill in Detroit, he discovered business law.

Lee worked as a judicial extern for Judge David McKeague of the U.S. Court of Appeals Sixth Circuit

Noah Lessaris, 32 DIRECTOR OF DATA CENTER DEVELOPMENT 123.NET, SOUTHFIELD EMPLOYEES: 300 REVENUE: NA COLLEGE: ILLINOIS STATE UNIVERSITY

Timothy Lee, 39 while in law school. Upon graduation, he joined Clark Hill as an associate attorney and spent three years there.

In 2019, he moved to Howard & Howard Attorneys in Royal Oak as a corporate attorney and partner. He stayed there for two years, then joined Honigman as a corporate, mobility, and supply chain partner.

Lee describes what he likes about transactional corporate law compared to what he might have faced as a litigator.

“When I talk to my clients, they’re generally in good moods,” he says. “We’re talking about great business opportunities that they’re going to pursue and they’re excited about it. In litigation, generally speaking, you’re talking to your client because they’re being sued or are involved in a lawsuit. It’s very adversarial.”

Today, Lee concentrates his practice on domestic and cross-border corporate transactions, mergers and acquisitions, corporate finance, and general corporate governance and compliance. He regularly represents businesses and financial institutions in complex commercial transactions. In addition, he assists foreign and domestic corporations and limited liability companies in all phases of formation, dissolution, operations, compliance, and management, and on all forms and stages of contractual matters.

Looking toward the future, Lee is bullish on what AI can bring to the legal profession.

“It’s amazing how AI has developed even in the last 12 months,” he says. “I think the future of how attorneys practice law is going to change greatly. It’s important that law firms really embrace AI and the opportunities and benefits it can provide, while also understanding the pitfalls it may bring.”

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Feature

PARTNER HONIGMAN, BLOOMFIELD HILLS EMPLOYEES: 800 REVENUE: NA COLLEGE: COLLEGE OF WOOSTER (OHIO)

— Tim Keenan

etroit may not be Silicon Valley, but that doesn’t mean it doesn’t need state-of-the-art data centers to support its critical industries — not to mention the day-to-day activities of many of its residents and businesses.

Noah Lessaris knows this well. He joined Southfield-based fiber network 123.Net shortly after graduating from college in 2018. Following eight years as part of the company’s strategic account teams, he recently took on a new role as director of data center development.

“Folks who are sitting at home watching Netflix or Disney should know that’s not possible in Michigan without data centers,” Lessaris says. “Detroit is unique in that we have lots of automotive mobility and autonomous vehicle development in our region.

“A lot of these companies have gone from simply manufacturers to really engineering software startups. Their business models have changed. Rather than trying to design the best vehicle, they’re crunching the data to design the best software.”

Data centers are critical for ensuring connectivity, internet bandwidth, and the availability of power to run all the necessary equipment.

Lessaris’ job is to work with end users to make sure 123.Net is ready to meet their needs as they grow, and to prepare the operations teams for what that might require.

“Companies are telling us they need higher density, power usage, and cooling,” Lessaris says. “Without the improvements and the engineering resources, you’re not going to be able to support some of these customer projects in the next 12 months. So, if you’re not constantly improving, these customers won’t be able to do business with you.”

Lessaris recognizes there’s a great deal of concern in today’s world about data centers in

terms of where they’re built, how much power and water they use, and how their presence will impact those around them. He wants local residents to know that 123.Net, which was founded in 1995, poses no such concerns.

“As a facility that’s been doing business in the Southfield area, we’re integrated into the community and we employ hundreds of Michigan residents and community members,” Lessaris says.

“That’s very different from the headlines people are seeing. All the work we do is connectivityfocused, and we’re not trying to hog resources like power and water.”

That connectivity focus often makes Lessaris the coordinator between his own team and the businesses that need to make sure they have access to the latest digital resources.

“I work with the Michigan-based enterprises, so we can help them with their needs,” he says.

“I’m kind of in the middle of all those worlds, and I’m trying to keep everyone on the same path.

That’s what I would say is the most enjoyable aspect of my role.”

Acknowledging that he lacked experience when he came to the company, Lessaris credits the leadership team at 123.Net for investing in his development so he could grow into his current role.

“I came into the industry green, and I didn’t know much about it at all,” he says. “123.Net trained me and provided me with a platform to be successful.”

In addition to his role leading the company’s data center development, Lessaris also serves as director of strategic peering for the Detroit Internet Exchange, a nonprofit that works to improve connectivity by growing peer participation and traffic, and by routing between aligned networks.

— Dan Calabrese

May - June 2026 || DBUSINESS.COM 53

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Jessie Metzler, 36 CO-FOUNDER AND CEO ALL SOCIAL JESSIE/DEAD DRIFT SOCIAL, WATERFORD TOWNSHIP EMPLOYEES: 8 REVENUE: NA COLLEGE: MICHIGAN STATE UNIVERSITY

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ometimes success comes to those who experience having an opportunity just fall into their lap. That’s sort of what happened to Jessie Metzler, co-founder and CEO of All Social Jessie and Dead Drift Social in Waterford Township.

“I never thought this would turn into a business,” Metzler says of the social media operations that officially began in 2014 but really started in 2012. “I thought I wanted to be in PR because I wanted to help businesses grow.”

The Troy native had graduated from Michigan State University in East Lansing with an eye toward a career in public relations and had landed an entrylevel marketing job with the Detroit Red Wings in 2012 — but then the NHL went through a labor lockout. Metzler soon found herself out of a job.

An entrepreneur friend asked if she’d be interested in doing social media for him. She was desperate for work, so she agreed.

“He said, You learn social media and I’ll teach you how to run a business,” Metzler recalls. “Over the span of two years, I decided this matched up with my goal. I wanted to help people. I never wanted to be bored. I wanted to challenge myself and I wanted to make a difference.

“I thought it was going to be in public relations, but I figured out that all of my dreams were really in the social media sphere.”

She registered her company in 2014 and got right to work. “I did one presentation with the former Oakland County Holistic Chamber of Commerce and walked away with eight clients,” she says.

Her current roster of clients includes Rudy’s 54 DBUSINESS || MAY - JUNE 2026

Prime Steakhouse in Clarkston, the Arthur Murray Dance Studios in Royal Oak and Shelby Township, August Law in Troy, and Albert Kahn Associates, the Detroit People Mover, La Casa Cigar, and Music Hall in Detroit.

Other customers include Spikes Canine Fund, which procures bullet-proof vests for working dogs, a company that sells bait worms to fishermen, and a funeral home.

Metzler has had success maintaining her client roster. On average, her clients have been with her for about five years. Arthur Murray has been a customer since almost the beginning.

Client retention is a concern among companies that do this kind of work since, according to Metzler, 90 percent of social media users aren’t engaging — meaning they’re not “liking” or commenting on posts. Likes and comments are easy to quantify and show as results to clients.

“The reason why I have longevity is I can prove that even if you’re not counting every like and comment, you can bring in new business if you’re consistent. It’s about the consistency with which you put yourself out there, representing yourself well and accurately, and in alignment with who you are and who you serve, rather than one viral post.”

She also says showing a company’s human side is critical to social media success.

“Businesses that can really show the human element of who they are, having staff members come forward to be part of the brand, do really well.”

That and consistency “form the basic foundation for winning the game of social media,” she says.

— Tim Keenan

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adeline Walker Miller’s passion for the world around her and her dedication to a practical education led her to where she is today, as CEO of Detroit-based NexTiles.

The company is a full-scale recycler, which is to say it takes one person’s trash and turns it into another’s treasure — or at least a useful, environmentally friendly product like fill material for punching bags or pet beds. Miller says the waste can also be converted into fake snow or fake cotton.

The daughter of an engineer and a retired policeman-turned-entrepreneur, Miller’s interest in ecologically friendly practices began early.

“I always had an interest in the natural environment,” Miller says. She explains that during her childhood, she recalls examining leaves and grass under a microscope.

That interest in how the world was constructed aligned with her parents’ demand that she study something in the STEM field. During much of her time at Spelman College in Atlanta, Miller followed in her mother’s footsteps, studying engineering. However, her curiosity about all things green led her to switch to environmental science following a chat with her mom.

“After explaining to my mom why (I wanted to make the switch), she was open to the move from engineering,” Miller says.

However, changing majors late in her undergraduate career made finding a well-paying job “nearly impossible,” so her college adviser suggested she obtain a master’s degree.

In pursuit of that goal, she attended the University of Miami’s Rosenstiel School of Marine and Atmospheric Science, where she earned her Master of Professional Science degree in coastal zone management.

That led her to an exploratory journey to discover what types of microplastics are in clothing and textiles, and the impact they have on the environment. Perhaps more importantly, she wanted to know who quantifies the impact on air quality. After a search, she found one company that fit the bill, and she secured an internship with New York-based Fabscrap.

Her time there revealed just how big the problem of environmental waste is, and she decided to do something about it.

Returning to Detroit, she acquired a warehouse on the east side and formed NexTiles. The new company began collecting recyclable materials, largely from automotive companies. The materials were hauled to the warehouse, where they were sorted and converted into useable, green materials. Initially, the company dealt with building materials and thermal insulation, before expanding into other fill materials.

“We’re a full-scale recycler instead of a cool startup, but it works for us,” Miller says.

While operating a company might be enough for most entrepreneurs, Miller made a decision to continue her education, and just recently earned her Ph.D. from the University of Michigan’s School for Environment and Sustainability.

The drive for continuous improvement feeds into Miller’s passion to empower young Black people and people of color to embrace environmentally sustainable behaviors and leadership.

NexTiles plays a critical role in those efforts, and allows her to pursue her goal of developing sustainable housing materials, such as insulation, that will be sold at large retailers like Home Depot or Lowes, and becoming one of Detroit’s leaders in sustainable housing.

— Michael Strong

Andrew Moss, 30

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VICE PRESIDENT OF OPERATIONS ADVANCE PLUMBING & HEATING SUPPLY CO., DETROIT EMPLOYEES: 60 REVENUE: NA COLLEGE: WAYNE STATE UNIVERSITY

Madeline Walker Miller, 30 CEO NEXTILES, DETROIT EMPLOYEES: 10 REVENUE: NA COLLEGE: UNIVERSITY OF MICHIGAN

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ndrew Moss has found success where many would struggle. Being the youngest of three brothers involved in the family’s 106-year-old business could be daunting.

However, in the nearly six years he’s been with the company, he’s displayed the type of leadership and flexibility qualities that have moved the company forward. It also helps that he oversees different areas within the operation.

“It has its moments, but, for the most part, (my family and I) work really well together,” Moss says.

Today, Moss is vice president of operations at Advance Plumbing & Heating Supply Co. in Midtown Detroit, but he spent the early part of his career as an urban planner — not realizing just how much that would help when he transitioned into the business.

Urban planning focuses on redesigning the “built environment” for the people who use it.

Detroit-based Advance Plumbing, which also operates a showroom in Walled Lake, does much the same thing, but on a smaller scale, he says.

“We’ve been partners with the people we work with,” Moss says. “Our tagline is ‘Rebuilding Detroit,’ and we really are.” He notes the company has been working with four generations of plumbers across the city, so they’ve helped move the city into the future — several times.

Moss began working at Advanced Plumbing in high school, helping the company with the adoption of technology to grow the business.

He also led the effort to upgrade and modernize numerous departments, including accounting, IT, and human resources functions, and helped move the company’s e-commerce infrastructure — including three websites — forward to make it

more efficient and improve the bottom line.

In addition to tackling “the stuff behind the walls,” in HVAC parlance, he’s continued to make an impact within the industry. In 2025, he was named Showroom Professional of the Year at the Decorative Plumbing & Hardware Association (DPHA) Conference and was appointed vice president of communications on the DPHA Executive Committee, where he shapes the organization’s national voice and strategy.

He serves as vice chair of the NCWA Leadership Development Committee, contributes to multiple DPHA committees, and is active in emerging leader groups within ASA and IMARK, regularly representing the industry at national events such as KBIS. Supply House Times, a trade publication, named him NEXT Gen All Star Top 20, reflecting his growing influence as both an industry and civic leader.

Moss holds a bachelor’s degree from the University of Michigan in Ann Arbor and an MBA from Wayne State University in Detroit, and that commitment to his education translates to his dedicated efforts to improve the training and education efforts within the industry.

He’s passionate about modernizing industry training through updated professional manuals, national webinars, and local CEU programs. He also supports initiatives including the Detroit Home Tours and the Detroit Design Awards, to be held this year on June 22 at Elevate at One Campus Martius in the central business district.

In addition, he serves on the Decorative Plumbing & Hardware Association board and is involved in a number of organizations within the Detroit Jewish community.

— Michael Strong

May - June 2026 || DBUSINESS.COM 55

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Eric Nahat, 36 CO-CHIEF INVESTMENT OFFICER SYNERGY CAPITAL SOLUTIONS, BLOOMFIELD HILLS EMPLOYEES: 16 ADVISERS IN 33 STATES ASSETS UNDER MANAGEMENT: $1B COLLEGE: UNIVERSITY OF MICHIGAN

Stephen Ocaña, 38 PROJECT EXECUTIVE BARTON MALLOW BUILDERS, SOUTHFIELD EMPLOYEES: 2,500 REVENUE: $6.4B COLLEGE: SAN JOSE STATE UNIVERSITY

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aking a difference is critical to Eric Nahat. As co-chief investment officer at Synergy Capital Solutions in Bloomfield Hills, the impact he creates comes from working with clients to secure their long-term financial success.

However, that’s not just a matter of laying out a financial plan — it involves ensuring that the individuals and families he serves understand his investment recommendations. The goal is to help clients make informed decisions for their long-term growth and security.

Nahat also works with University of Michigan students and high school students in several DECA programs in the area.

Through DECA — formerly the Distributive Education Clubs of America — he helps students bridge the gap between their educational environment and the real-world application of those lessons.

The drive to make an impact is personal for Nahat, who also serves on the board of New Day NEXT. Part of the New Day Foundation in Detroit, the group is made up of “accomplished and motivated young professionals” who want to give back to the community.

New Day focuses on providing financial and emotional resources to Michigan families facing cancer. The nearly 20-year-old organization has raised more than $15.5 56 DBUSINESS || May - June 2026

million to help families manage everyday expenses like gas and groceries, as well larger expenses that often crop up in families with a cancer patient who’s receiving treatment.

Through his work with New Day NEXT, Nahat collaborates with others to raise funds, volunteer, and advocate for families who may not be capable of adequately helping themselves in a difficult time. Nahat well understands many of these issues, as his grandparents passed from different forms of cancer; it’s one of the reasons he works with New Day. “It’s an awesome group,” Nahat says. “For me, it’s a really good mix because I have financial planning aspects in my background, and I’m familiar with how hospitals and health care work. It’s a good combination of everything I’ve got going in my life.”

Nahat’s success in the community is possible, in part, because of the support he receives from not just his colleagues, but also his family. Time is a precious commodity for Nahat and his wife, the parents of 2-year-old twins. “They keep us busy, but it’s a ton of fun,” he says.

On the professional front, Nahat leads Synergy Capital’s investment analysis and trading strategies efforts, which have approximately $1 billion in client assets under management.

He’s captured several awards, and was recently included on Forbes’ 2025 list of America’s Best-in-State Wealth Advisors with relationships between $2 million and $50 million.

He joined the firm in 2016 and has played a central role in shaping Synergy’s investment process and long-term portfolio strategy. Nahat works directly with clients from across the country, building trusted relationships and designing customized financial plans.

A University of Michigan alumnus with a bachelor’s degree in economics, Nahat went on to add an MBA from the Ross School of Business at U-M while working full time at Synergy.

He also holds the Series 7, 63, and 65 securities licenses, along with Life, Health, and Variable Annuities Insurance licenses.

— Michael Strong

Umelo Onyejiaka, 39

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tephen Ocaña, a project executive at Barton Mallow Builders in Southfield, has been interested in the construction industry since his childhood, when he lived in the suburbs of Oakland, Calif., in the San Francisco Bay Area.

“They were building home communities out there for as long as I can remember,” Ocaña says of his hometown. “My dad would take me out to the pasture area where they were building, and (we would) watch them build.”

During high school summers and while in college at San Jose State University in San Jose, he worked as a laborer for a friend’s father’s contracting company, where he dug ditches and pushed brooms.

Following graduation, Ocaña put his civil engineering degree to work at a pair of general contractors in his native California. He worked on a California flagship hospital and then on seismic renovation projects, mastering complex delivery methods, including integrated project delivery, in health care environments.

He also got married and, after having their first child, his wife suggested they move to Canton Township, where she grew up. Ocaña landed at Barton Malow in 2016, and his first project was a $100 million expansion of the emergency center at Corewell Health’s William Beaumont University Hospital in Royal Oak. Moving on, between 2021 and 2023, he was named a senior project manager working on various significant projects.

Currently, he’s a project executive overseeing the Henry Ford Health: Destination Grand, after completing the Wayne County Criminal Justice Center, both in Detroit. In his new position, Ocaña combines deep technical expertise with a talent for leading high-performing teams. He also builds trust with owners, architects, and stakeholders to ensure efficient progress and successful results on complex programs.

Even with all of that background and know-how, Ocaña admits the Henry Ford Health assignment gave him pause.

“This is massive and it’s going to reshape the city skyline, for sure,” he says. “I was super excited and a bit scared at the size of a $1 billion job that’s a million square feet. You ask yourself, How are we going to put this puzzle together?”

But Ocaña says learning something new keeps his interest in his dayto-day occupation.

“Every day, you’re watching the puzzle pieces go together, without a manual,” he says. “This is a one-of-one custom structure for Henry Ford.

It’s going to be pretty rewarding (when it’s completed).”

In addition, Ocaña is focused on the future of his profession, mentoring local high school students and trying to get more people into the construction trades.

“That craft is in desperate need of people,” says Ocaña, who plays soccer competitively in an over-30s league in his free time and enjoys watching his daughters participate in school and community activities.

Ultimately, though, results drive Ocaña.

“I thoroughly enjoy seeing a tangible impact every day,” he says. “At the end of the day, you can see the work that’s been done.”

U

melo Onyejiaka’s career path was inspired by the film “Limitless.”

The cloud solutions engineer says he drew great inspiration from Hollywood’s 2011 sci-fi thriller. In the movie, Eddie Mora, a struggling writer portrayed by Bradley Cooper, takes a smart drug that opens up access to underutilized parts of his brain.

“How many of us know what it is to become the perfect version of ourselves?” Mora asks.

Onyejiaka took it upon himself to seek an answer to that very question.

“I took it as, wow, if you have the ability to focus and lock in, you can do anything,” he explains.

Another movie that inspired him is “Hidden Figures,” the 2016 drama about three Black women who served key roles for NASA as mathematicians during the Space Race.

“It showed me that, hey, you can upscale and transition in your career, and you can have people, a group, supporting you and learning together. And that’s how DevOps Detroit started happening,” he relays.

His career transition occurred after earning an

Feature

FOUNDER AND PRESIDENT DEVOPS DETROIT, DETROIT EMPLOYEES: 8 REVENUE: NA COLLEGE: UNIVERSITY OF MICHIGAN-DEARBORN

— Tim Keenan

accounting degree at the University of Michigan-Dearborn. Beyond the ledger sheets, he also took information systems courses, including those focused on databases and web development.

“After college, a lot of my technical growth came through self-learning, trial and error, and making mistakes along the way. As I progressed in my career, I began following a more structured learning path and started earning industry certifications.”

By day, in Auburn Hills, Onyejiaka is a cloud solutions engineer on the DevOps team at Aumovio, formerly Continental’s auto group that spun off as an independent company in 2025.

Concurrently, he launched DevOps Detroit, a nonprofit dedicated to refining tech talent. The team includes board members with expertise in networking and business strategy.

In a 17-day stretch this spring, DevOps was lined up to present a Claude Code Workshop at Rivet Work headquarters in Detroit, a Tech Talk Tuesday at Ferndale High School, and a pair of Linux workshops at Hunt Street Station near Eastern Market.

Funding for DevOps comes from community sources, and the organization capitalizes on collaborations for access to physical facilities.

Taking a broad approach to technology, Onyejiaka hosts the DevOps Detroit Podcast, where he covers AI, future workforce trends, and other tech-related topics. In one episode, two guests traced their early career paths and shared how they’re “learning on the fly.”

Onyejiaka’s energies are reaching new audiences.

In 2025, he was chosen to speak at Michigan DevFest, the state’s largest developer conference. Additionally, he’s received a number of special citations and was a Black Tech Saturday Future 100 awardee.

As part of a new generation of leaders who combine technical expertise with community initiatives, Onyejiaka has a singular attitude on supporting individual growth and helping to meet the needs of Detroit’s expanding tech ecosystem.

“Detroit’s tech scene is growing and there’s going to be demand, and we just want to be a part of that, and we want to support that.”

— Ronald Ahrens

May - June 2026 || DBUSINESS.COM 57

Feature

Dr. Anthony Oraha, 37 CEO SYNERGY LONGEVITY CENTERS, NOVI EMPLOYEES: 2 REVENUE: NA COLLEGE: MICHIGAN STATE COLLEGE OF HUMAN MEDICINE

I

f performance is the best method of learning, it’s reasonable to speculate there should be few professionals on the scene who have learned more than Chanel Schoeneberger.

Shortly after completing her studies at Michigan State University in East Lansing, Schoeneberger accepted an opportunity to join Wixom-based Bluewater Technologies.

Now in the role of executive officer, she says she learned, position by position, the full operations of the entire company.

“I’ve worked in every division of the company with the exception of our warehouse,” Schoeneberger says. “I’ve worked inside sales, I’ve been an account manager, I’ve been an account executive, I’ve been on the production side, I’ve worked operations. I was, at one point, the culture spokeswoman, and all I did was focus on culture and charitable events.”

That expansive experience gave her a perspective on the company’s complete picture, and even made it possible for her to have worked closely with just about every one of its 165 employees.

One of her favorite roles involves driving the company culture, which she does in concert with a team comprised of members of every division.

In turn, family plays a role at Bluewater.

Schoeneberger’s husband, Scott, serves as managing director of the company, and the pair are part of an executive team that also includes CEO Jim Tracy, along with a COO and CFO. Bluewater’s focus is experiential technology, which Schoeneberger explains as producing any event or experience that a client might want, which can be a combination of technology and physical

58 DBUSINESS || May - June 2026

D

r. Anthony Oraha was working as an emergency room physician at Corewell Health when he noticed a pattern that bothered him.

“The ER is a reactive health care space,” Oraha says. “Something happens, and then you treat them in the ER. I was seeing so many of these chronic conditions that could have been prevented.”

That was especially true when it came to cancer, which Oraha says is diagnosed an astonishing 50 percent of the time in the ER. That number hit home with him because his uncle was diagnosed with an aggressive brain tumor in 2021 — prompting him to wonder, “How did I miss this?”

Recognizing that normal screenings only detect 14 percent of cancer types, Oraha decided in 2021 to change the game by establishing Synergy Longevity Centers in Novi.

Equipped with a proprietary whole-body MRI protocol, Synergy can do an in-depth deep dive into a person’s health and detect a variety of issues that might be missed by normal exams and screenings.

The practice does a lot more than just screen for conditions. It’s a full-scale primary care practice that works with patients on improving their lifestyle and diet, even as it utilizes anything that can help patients remain healthier.

“We look at a variety of things to create a lifestyle-first approach,” Oraha says, “but I don’t want to ignore what else is in the toolbox we have to get people as healthy as possible, whether that’s pharmaceuticals or other things.

The focus is health span, not just lifespan. We

space. Schoeneberger emphasizes that the technology side is definitely Bluewater’s primary focus.

The company’s clients include Wells Fargo, Michigan State University, Adidas, Little Caesars, Ford Motor Co., and Carhartt.

Another division of the company is Glenlore Trails, an immersive night walk in which a forest comes to life “in a dazzling display of sound, light, and wonder.” Operating in Commerce Township each year from September through December, Glenlore Trails was born of necessity in 2020 when COVID-19 dealt a blow to Bluewater’s revenue.

“Half our business was immediately shut down, and I really had to figure out a way to navigate and pivot, and find another source of revenue,” Schoeneberger says. “I just thought, Well, we have all this equipment, what can we do with it? My husband and I found space and created a new side business, which has continued to grow year over year.”

Glenlore Trails became a passion project, but it’s also a very serious endeavor that has attracted musicians, entertainers, and local artists.

Schoeneberger, an active member of the Wixom Chamber of Commerce, runs all aspects of Glenlore Trails, including sales and operations.

While Glenlore is currently located on the property of the Multi Lakes Conservation Association in Commerce Township, Schoeneberger says it’s seeking a new permanent location.

“We have a lot more competition now, and being a temporary installation, we’re essentially building a house and tearing it down every year,” she says.

— Dan Calabrese

want to not just add years to your life; we want to add health years to people’s lives.”

Many of the patients who come to Oraha are executives sent by their companies, but he also has had a large influx of entrepreneurs who have exited their companies and have decided to prioritize their health, often after years of making it a low priority.

“They haven’t seen a physician,” Oraha says.

“They feel OK, their labs are great, but they want to lift the hood up, look inside, and get as detailed an analysis as is currently available.”

A third major group, he said, is called the “optimizers,” because they’re looking for guidance on diet, nutrition, and any factor that will help them be as healthy as possible.

“One of the things I value is the relationship, so I can create a plan that’s specialized to someone,” Oraha says. “If I have a patient and I know he travels four days a week, the plan I create is wrapped around his lifestyle.

“I know he goes out to eat, so what can we focus on when he goes out to eat? How can he work out? Does his hotel have a gym? If not, what can he do in his room?”

Soon, Synergy is getting ready to add another physician and will be expanding into the realm of regenerative medicine, including stem cell injections and “dipping our toes into” the peptide realm.

“There’s a lot of foo-foo medicine with peptides right now, especially in the longevity space,” Oraha says. “I want to be very diligent about it, because it’s a fast-moving space.”

— Dan Calabrese

Chanel Schoeneberger, 37 EXECUTIVE OFFICER BLUEWATER TECHNOLOGIES, WIXOM EMPLOYEES: 165 REVENUE: NA COLLEGE: MICHIGAN STATE UNIVERSITY

Feature

I

t’s rare that one gets an opportunity in their career to impact the renaissance of a major city, but Alex Vasileff, 36, returned home from Chicago at first to be vice president of Alidade Capital, a fund manager and registered investment adviser in Bloomfield Hills.

But a year and a half later, in August 2022, he became part of the force for progress in Detroit.

Vasileff spent more than a decade in the Windy City working in institutional investment management. He started at LaSalle Investment Management before moving over to Heitman, a global real estate investment management firm. While there, he managed real estate investment portfolios for pension funds.

However, during his time there, Detroit and its rich history were never far from his thoughts.

“I aways kept an eye on what they were doing in Detroit,” says Vasileff, vice president of transactions at Bedrock, which was founded in 2011 by Dan Gilbert, who serves as chairman of the real estate development firm located along Woodward Avenue.

Vasileff grew up in Birmingham and attended enough University of Michigan football games with his parents — both alums — that his choice of college following high school was basically predetermined.

“I spent so much time at the Big House,” he chuckles, adding that the day after he and his twin brother, Chris, were born, his father went to the 1989 season-opening game between Michigan, which was ranked No. 2 at the time, and Notre Dame, the No. 1 team in the country.

Not only did he attend the school, graduating with a bachelor’s degree in economics and history, he was also an occasional starter on the Wolverines’ lacrosse team, while his brother played for U-M’s rugby team. Team success in college sports appears to have transferred over to the professional world.

For example, Vasileff, in addition to his day job, heads up the Detroit chapter of the National Association of Industrial and Office Properties.

He was one of four professionals to receive its prestigious 2025 Developing Leaders Award, an annual accolade honoring exceptional professionals under the age of 35 for their accomplishments, strong leadership, and significant community involvement.

Vasileff, who recently transitioned to his new role — he previously served as Bedrock’s vice president of acquisitions — says it’s a time of progression, as the real estate company is shifting to acquiring and selling properties from solely purchasing and renovating buildings, many of them historic gems that date to the 1920s.

Overall, Bedrock has invested or committed $7.5 billion between Detroit and Cleveland, which includes 140 properties that collectively span more than 21 million square feet of owned and operated space.

“We had a huge phase of buying since our inception, since (Gilbert) brought Quicken Loans downtown (now Rocket Cos.),” Vasileff says. “Now we’re in a different phase. We’re in an era of execution.”

The path to completion meant not just revitalizing downtown Detroit — and Cleveland, where Gilbert owns multiple properties along with the Cleveland Cavaliers — but helping others participate in the transformation of the Motor City, which at its peak in the early 1950s, had a record 1.8 million residents.

“We’ve done so much, but we have so much left to do to bring the city fully back,” Vasileff says.

Alex Vasileff, 36 VICE PRESIDENT OF TRANSACTIONS BEDROCK, DETROIT EMPLOYEES: 400+ (EST.) REVENUE: NA COLLEGE: UNIVERSITY OF MICHIGAN

— Michael Strong

May - June 2026 || DBUSINESS.COM 59

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Steve Wierzbicki, 39 VICE PRESIDENT OF ASSET MANAGEMENT AMERICAN HOUSE AT REDICO, SOUTHFIELD EMPLOYEES: 3,500+ REVENUE: $200M COLLEGE: MIAMI UNIVERSITY (OHIO)

A

decade ago, a thought struck Kelly Withers during a yoga class: Everyone had the same outfits and the same mats.

She sensed an opportunity at a time when “athleisure” wear was turning workout accessories into part of a person’s style.

Over time, the Grosse Pointe Farms resident started developing ideas, to the point of ordering products she could bring to market.

As fate would have it, she took delivery of those products on the same day in 2024 that she was laid off from her job as a user experience designer.

The result was Carmu in Grosse Pointe Farms, which is turning the yoga mat into a fashion accessory and gaining attention internationally.

Withers spent $5,000 to get the initial shipment of products manufactured. The next step was generating market interest. At the time, she had no industry connections — but she did have plenty of determination to produce them.

To make her company stand out, she researched potential clients via social media. “I find them on Instagram and send a DM,” Withers says. “I’ll send them a sample. One in six people do yoga, and I have a cool product.”

She began sending the mats to retailers and studios, as well as to members of the press and anyone else she thought could help generate demand. Following weeks of outreach, she eventually got a big break.

“The day I launched my company, on May 30, 2024, I looked at Vogue magazine and my mat was on the cover with Hailey Bieber,” she recalls.

60 DBUSINESS || May - June 2026

T

here’s an old adage in business that says more deals get done on the golf course than in a conference room. Steve Wierzbicki, vice president of asset management for American House at REDICO in Southfield, is living proof that it’s true.

While attending St. John Jesuit High School in Toledo, Ohio, he caddied at Toledo Country Club for the CEO of Welltower, a $40 billion health care REIT. That CEO offered him an internship when he graduated from Miami University.

The internship led to a job offer, and Wierzbicki pivoted from his original career path as a high school math teacher to managing senior living facilities.

At Welltower, he started doing financial planning and analysis, even though he was hired to be part of the investment team. Between 2010 and 2019, he actually did do investment work and ended up as a senior vice president overseeing senior living assets. His responsibilities included overseeing portfolio values exceeding $7 billion and developing investment strategies for senior housing, acute care, and medical office facilities.

From Welltower, he joined Navion Senior Solutions, but COVID-19 hit four months later.

“I was tasked with figuring out all the PPP loans and all the provider relief stuff that was going on at the time,” Wierzbicki says. “As the company grew, I evolved as the CFO.” From 2019 to when he left the company in 2022, Navion expanded to include 36 properties under management; when Wierzbicki started with the company, there were just 10 properties.

“When I left Welltower, I wanted to grow something — which we started to do at Navion,” he says.

The Vogue issue was followed by coverage in Glamour and GQ (which named Carmu the best new hot yoga mat), as well as an award from Pop Sugar.

“The next step was getting the yoga mats to retailers — fashion-forward ones, wellness ones — and putting it on Goop,” she says. “I think it helped to have the most reputable fashion magazine cover my product. I always describe the yoga mats as a fashion line. They’re meant to accessorize with your clothes.”

To give her launch a boost, Withers went all in by cashing in her 401(k) and taking out a loan against her home. “I put in $100,000,” Withers says. “I doubled down on everything.”

The Carmu mat is made of microsuede, which is designed to not only feel comfortable, but actually becomes more “grippy” as a person sweats more. The name Carmu was created to honor the entrepreneur’s late mother, Carolyn Mulligan Withers.

Withers did face design challenges along the way, particularly because she was determined to give her mats a distinctive shape that would make them recognizable when someone walked into a yoga class with one.

“The other thing that was a hiccup was packaging design,” Withers says. “I had a hard time with it. I had really big ideas for how I wanted the packaging to be, and then I sat on it too long and ended up going with what I have now, which is perfect.”

With her first year coming to a close and 2026 sales projected at close to $1 million, Withers is looking into potential partnerships that will allow her to scale the operation globally.

— Dan Calabrese

Wierzbicki’s desire to grow businesses continued to blossom when he joined REDICO in 2022 as director of asset management. In that role, he manages the real estate firm’s American House holdings. He was promoted to vice president of asset management this year.

Currently, he’s responsible for the financial performance and long-term value creation of American House, a $1 billion senior housing portfolio spanning 65 communities across the Midwest, Florida, and the East Coast.

Wierzbicki leads community and portfolio-level strategy focused on growth, margin expansion, and enhanced investor returns.

At the same time, he works closely with capital partners to execute refinancing strategies, asset repositioning initiatives, and long-term investment planning.

Since joining American House, Wierzbicki has helped drive 12 percent year-over-year growth, increased occupancy by 5 percent, and supported sustained margin expansion across the portfolio. He also focuses on building alignment across operations, finance, and investment partners.

He says he’s passionate about mentoring emerging leaders and building scalable processes that support long-term growth across the organization and the industry. “I’m someone that does more than punch the clock,” he says. “I want to contribute and grow an organization.

I’ve become a finance guy over the years, but mission is also important to me.

“The senior living business allows me to work with numbers and margins, but also the people within our organization who execute the mission — which is providing care and services for the senior population. It’s important that I stay involved with a company that values that.”

Kelly Withers, 37 FOUNDER AND CEO CARMU, GROSSE POINTE FARMS EMPLOYEES: 1 REVENUE: $1M (2026 EST.)

— Tim Keenan

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Giarmarco Mullins & Horton PC

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Giarmarco Mullins & Horton PC

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Green & Green PLLC

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Harvey Kruse PC

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Hauer & Snover

Bloomfield Hills

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Honigman LLP

Ann Arbor

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Howard & Howard PLLC

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JJ Conway Law

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Lakritz Law

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Law Offices of Joseph A Simon PLLC

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Law Offices of Todd J Stearn PC

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Littler Mendelson PC

Detroit

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Mall Malisow & Cooney PC

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Mall Malisow & Cooney PC

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Mall Malisow & Cooney PC

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McKeen & Associates PC

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Mellin Robinson PC

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Mellin Robinson PC

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Miller Canfield

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Miller Canfield

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Nemeth Bonnette Brouwer PC

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Paletz Law

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Papista & Papista PLC

Detroit

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Plunkett Cooney PC

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Riley Safer Holmes & Cancila LLP

Ann Arbor

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Rockind Law

Bloomfield Hills

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Rotter & Stone PC

Franklin

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Rubin Frampton PLLC

Birmingham

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Schlaff Law Group PLLC

West Bloomfield 248.320.5978 Family

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Segal McCambridge Singer & Mahoney Ltd

Southfield

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Segal McCambridge Singer & Mahoney Ltd

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Sinas Dramis Law Firm

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Stinar Lannen PLLC

Birmingham

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Stinar Lannen PLLC

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Sullivan Ward Patton Gleeson & Felty PC

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Sullivan Ward Patton Gleeson & Felty PC

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Sullivan Ward Patton Gleeson & Felty PC

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Sullivan Ward Patton Gleeson & Felty PC

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Sullivan Ward Patton Gleeson & Felty PC

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Sullivan Ward Patton Gleeson & Felty PC

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Sullivan Ward Patton Gleeson & Felty PC

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Sullivan Ward Patton Gleeson & Felty PC

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Sullivan Ward Patton Gleeson & Felty PC

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Sullivan Ward Patton Gleeson & Felty PC

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Sullivan Ward Patton Gleeson & Felty PC

Southfield

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Sullivan Ward Patton Gleeson & Felty PC

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Sullivan Ward Patton Gleeson & Felty PC

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Sullivan Ward Patton Gleeson & Felty PC

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Sullivan Ward Patton Gleeson & Felty PC

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Sullivan Ward Patton Gleeson & Felty PC

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Taft Stettinius & Hollister LLP

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Taft Stettinius & Hollister LLP

Southfield

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The Health Partners PC

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The Law Firm of John F Schaefer

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The Miller Law Firm PC

Rochester

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Vandeveer Garzia PC

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Warner Norcross + Judd LLP

Detroit

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Warner Norcross + Judd LLP

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Warner Norcross + Judd LLP

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William Stern PC

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Williams Williams Rattner & Plunkett PC

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Wolfson Bolton Kochis PLLC

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These EMERGING LAWYERS have been identified by their peers to be among the TOP LAWYERS in Michigan who are age 40 or younger OR who have been admitted to the practice of law for 10 or fewer years.

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Eisenberg & Spilman PLLC

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Howard & Howard PLLC

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Howard & Howard PLLC

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Riley Safer Holmes & Cancila LLP

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Cover Story

Home Team Advantage

DETROIT’S CONCENTRATION OF FOUR PROFESSIONAL SPORTS TEAMS, MAJOR STADIUMS, AND COMMITTED OWNERS HAVE DRIVEN THE COLLECTIVE FRANCHISE VALUE TO $14 BILLION, A NEARLY 2.5-FOLD INCREASE FROM FIVE YEARS AGO.

BY R.J. KING AND TIM KEENAN ILLUSTRATION BY JASON SEILER

TRIPLE PLAY Chris Ilitch, controlling owner, CEO, and chairman of the Detroit Tigers and president and CEO of the Detroit Red Wings, Sheila Ford Hamp, principal owner and chairwoman of the Detroit Lions, and Tom Gores, principal owner of the Detroit Pistons, are deeply committed to their teams and the revitalization of the Motor City.

66 DBUSINESS || MAY - JUNE 2026

Cover Story

313 PRESENTS

W W W

hen the Detroit Red Wings won the 2008 Stanley Cup, it marked an unprecedent run of four championship seasons within a decade. During that same period, the Detroit Pistons won the 2004 NBA Finals.

While there’s been a dearth of world titles since then, it’s clear the business models of the Detroit Lions, Detroit Tigers, Detroit Pistons, and Detroit Red Wings don’t ride on winning it all each year.

It’s also a fact that average — or even losing — teams typically don’t generate enough revenue to sign marquee players, add more creature comforts, and provide entertainment like Friday evening fireworks at Comerica Park or halftime shows at Little Caesars Arena.

So what’s happening in Detroit?

One reason for the collective staying power of the city’s four professional teams is enhanced brand loyalty, or at least the opportunity to drive repeat business, due to the fact the owners either live here or grew up in the region.

And, to a person, they’re passionate about winning.

What’s more, Sheila Ford Hamp, principal owner and chairwoman of the Detroit Lions, Tom Gores, principal owner of the Detroit Pistons, and Christopher Ilitch, controlling owner, CEO, and chairman of the Detroit Tigers and president and CEO of the Detroit Red Wings, are less likely to threaten a team’s relocation than outside investors.

“Michigan was the last state to have four sports teams playing in four different venues,” says Andrew Sellers, assistant professor of the movement science department at Grand Valley State University in Allendale, near Grand Rapids, who teaches sports business and sports law.

“It helps that the local owners understand the region. There’s a general Midwest feel here. You definitely need a tie to the city to understand what the people are like in the region day in and day out. We’re not talking about conglomerates from across the country that are just doing this as an investment.”

TAKING THE WALK Detoit is the only city in the United States where all four of its professional sports teams play in venues that are located within a downtown core.

The trio of local owners provide a sense of stability to their respective franchises, fans, and local government, while embracing a deeper, more personal connection to the city; they view the franchises as community assets rather than just another financial vehicle.

Hamp, Gores, and Ilitch also support local charities more so than distant owners, invest in more community projects, and foster initiatives that improve the quality of life in their home city, as noted in studies conducted by Deloitte and the Federal Reserve Bank of St. Louis.

According to the research, local sports team owners are more likely to spend their time and money in their respective city and region. In addition, they’re proactive in developing the surrounding area into a year-round entertainment district rather than just a destination predicated on game days.

Local owners also are more focused on ensuring better customer service, making fan-oriented decisions, and providing better transparency.

Taking the analysis a step further, the Motor City holds the unique distinction of being the only U.S. city with four major professional sports teams playing within its downtown core; Comerica Park and Ford Field are located across Brush Street from one another, while Little Caesars Arena is just three blocks away.

“There’s quite a bit of advantage to having that close-knit setup,” Sellers adds. “You share a lot of resources across various organizations, whether it’s the police or parking lots. You get some nice benefits from (the venues being together).”

That’s coupled with a high-density, centralized entertainment zone — The District Detroit, which spans 50 blocks and includes the three stadiums, along with residential, commercial, and retail spaces. There’s a diverse array of historic theaters and urban squares, as well, which all generate yearround attractions.

In fact, the concentration of sports venues has been a key driver in bringing people back into downtown Detroit from the region and beyond.

“First and foremost, having all four teams playing right in the heart of downtown helps tremendously in drawing events, out-of-town fans, and filling hotel rooms, bars, and restaurants,” says Claude Molinari, president and CEO of Visit Detroit, the nonprofit destination marketing organization for the region, which includes Wayne, Oakland, and Macomb counties. He’s also president of the Detroit Sports Commission.

“Not every city has four major teams, and for us sports is all year long.

Baseball leads into football, and that leads into hockey and basketball. People across the world like to know that there are local owners who invest in the region.”

He notes that the three stadiums, along with Huntington Place in downtown Detroit, are a big reason major events are on the rise; several large banquet hotels, with more on the way, are another draw.

Next year, for example, Ford Field will be host to the NCAA Men’s Final Four (April 3-5, 2027), while the following year Little Caesars Arena will be the MAY - JUNE 2026 || DBUSINESS.COM 67

venue for the NCAA Men’s Sweet 16 and Elite 8 games, to be held in late March 2028.

That same year, the world’s largest inbound travel show (IPW, part of the U.S. Travel Association) will be held at Huntington Place.

“It will draw 10,000 group tour operators, travel professionals, suppliers, and related media from June 10-14, 2028,” Molinari says. “It’s the first time ever the show has come to Detroit.”

As for out-of-town sports fans, they’re “staying here in our hotels, and they visit the DIA, The Henry Ford, or the Riverwalk,” Molinari says. “It provides a tremendous boost to our economy.”

The local ownership group — Gores lives in Los Angeles, where he’s CEO and chairman of Platinum Equity, but visits Detroit often — helps contribute to the overall value of the teams, says David L. Littmann, senior economist with the Mackinac Center for Public Policy in Midland and former senior vice president and chief economist at Comerica Bank in Detroit.

“Over the past five years, the total value of Detroit’s professional sport teams has risen from $5.7 billion (in 2020) to $14 billion (in 2025),” Littmann says. “This is a gain of 146.7 percent in just a half-decade for the total of these four franchises, or nearly a 2.5-fold increase.

“To put that in perspective, Michigan’s gross state product (GSP) in 2024 was approximately $702.5 billion. The value of these teams alone represents more than 2 percent of Michigan’s GSP.” The rising valuations of the local franchises helps drive economic expansion. It provides for the signing of more talented players, enhances the front offices with new staff and tools, and boosts attendance and advertising revenues.

In addition, the year-round nature of the four sports, combined with other events, generates consistent foot traffic and supports thousands of permanent jobs in the area.

“Economically, the many firms and individuals providing goods and services in conjunction with these businesses also gain options for investing in new and existing employees and 68 DBUSINESS || MAY - JUNE 2026

FIELDS OF PLAY Depending on the schedules, local sports fans have the luxury of seeing back-to-back games at different stadiums, whether it’s watching Detroit Lions tight end Shane Zylstra enter Ford Field or Detroit Tigers pitcher Tarik Skubal throw another shutout.

greater efficiencies, be they found in artificial intelligence or other forms of capital improvements,” Littmann says.

The concentration of teams in the city center helps bind the community and has played a role in rebuilding Detroit’s reputation as a vibrant, safe, and entertaining attraction.

One attribute of the growth is that it transcends what studies warn against — sports do act as a catalyst for growth, but they cannot solely sustain a city’s economy.

Consider in the mid-1990s, the concentration of Detroit’s professional sports teams was a vital, intentional strategy to rebuild the urban core, resulting in a unique sports-centric culture that acts as a significant economic engine for the city and region.

That advantage helps Detroit stand out among the herd.

This year,1,559 sports franchises operate in the U.S., an increase of 6.3 percent from 2025. Overall, the number has grown 7 percent per year on average since 2021, according to a February 2026 report by IBISWorld, a provider of comprehensive industry research reports.

To better stand out, upward movement in the standings and long playoff runs are welcome.

But the biggest single factor in achieving success in major league sports is the media deals that are being cut, says Clay Miller, a professor at the University of Michigan Ross School of Business in Ann Arbor.

“The league that’s done it best is the NFL, followed by the NBA, and to a lesser extent hockey and baseball,” Miller says. “Baseball has serious disfunction right now, with a potential lockout looming where the owners want a salary cap and the players want a salary floor.

“Baseball and hockey are all chopped up. The New York Yankees and Los Angeles Dodgers have their deals. The Chicago Cubs have their deal.”

Locally, the teams “need to have something out there that they can sell as a package and use that leverage to get the marketing deals that they need,” Miller says. “Following media deals is all the advertising that goes with that, in the ballparks and arenas. That’s true at the professional and collegiate levels.”

To help raise the values of the respective teams, the front offices tap everything from artificial intelligence to new promotions; hiking prices for seats, suites, food, and beverages; and adding special sections like the Home Plate Club at Comerica Park and private lounges behind both baskets at Detroit Pistons games.

“There are different kinds of seating and fan access and experiences,” Miller says. “The gate obviously matters, but the gate is driven by performance on the field. Football has an advantage because there are only eight or nine home games a year. Compare that to 81 home games for baseball, and 41 home games for basketball and hockey.

“I think Detroit’s a great market. It’s not New York, Los Angeles, or Dallas, but for a city its size, Detroit has a great sports fan base across all four sports.

ADOBE STOCK / NFL / MBA / NHL / NBA

Cover Story

Cover Story

Scoreboard

The table below by David L. Littmann, a senior economist with the Mackinac Center for Public Policy in Midland and a former senior vice president and chief economist at Comerica Bank in Detroit, reflects a total value increase of $14 billion in the Tigers, Lions, Pistons, and Red Wings over the past five years.

Total Value Gains: 2020-2025 (in billions) Detroit Tigers Detroit Lions Detroit Pistons Detroit Red Wings Totals (4 Teams)

2020 $1.3 $2.1 $1.5 $0.7 $5.6

2025 $1.6 $6.3 $3.6 $2.5 $14.0

Sources: Forbes, CNBC, Sportico, Statista, and Sportsteams

It’s remarkable to me to see how dedicated people are to the Tigers, regardless of performance. Hockey sells in Michigan. Half the U.S. Winter Olympic team seemed to be from somewhere in Michigan. It’s a committed community.”

Michigan also has local owners who own or are partners in other professional teams, giving the region and state a wider body of knowledge and expertise in the respective sports franchises, added insight into front office and player talent, and profits that invariably wind their way to the region and state.

Mat Ishbia, president and CEO of United Wholesale Mortgage in Pontiac, is the majority owner and governor of the NBA’s Phoenix Suns, the WNBA’s Phoenix Mercury, and the G League’s Valley Suns.

His brother, Justin, founder of Shore Capital Partners in Chicago, is a minority investor in the Chicago White Sox, and is set to become the next controlling owner between 2029 and 2034. The team may build a new stadium in the city’s South Loop area, as well.

In turn, Dan Gilbert, founder and chairman of Rocket Cos. in Detroit, has been the majority owner of the Cleveland Cavaliers since 2005, while the Orlando Magic are owned by the DeVos family from west Michigan, with Dan DeVos serving as the team’s chairman and governor.

There may be one more Michigan tie, as Gores of the Pistons is bidding to become the owner of the San Diego Padres. According to The Athletic, he’s one of four finalists competing for the rights to own the team.

While success on and off the field takes many forms, there may be a ceiling on what teams can charge their fans for tickets, food and beverages, memorabilia, and other goods.

“Pricing definitely impacts attendance because it tightens up your audience,” says Jeff Caponigro, a longtime public relations and marketing professional who is principal of Caponigro Branding & Communications in Bloomfield Hills.

“It used to be we could afford to take our families to games. Parking prices alone are now high.

It’s making it more corporate-oriented to make ends meet, which can take away from some of the individual fans.”

Watching the NFL from the sofa, for example, might feel like a cheaper option, but new research suggests it comes with a surprising long-term price tag for fans in Michigan and elsewhere.

According to analysis by iSelect, Michigan residents could spend as much as $46,487 over a lifetime just to follow the NFL from home — the 15th-highest total in the U.S. While watching at home avoids having to pay high ticket prices, the cumulative cost of subscriptions and electricity across decades adds up, turning game day into a long-term financial commitment, says George Cannon, senior public relations executive at Connective3, a digital marTWO FOR ONE keting agency in Leeds, England.

Little Caesars Arena, one of the Keeping prices down for teams is a nevbusiest entertainment venues in the country, is home to some er-ending challenge between team performance of the most popular players in and attendance. sports, like Detroit Red Wings Matt Shepard, chief outreach officer for Gameright winger Patrick Kane Above and a former Detroit Tigers television play(scoring a goal) or Detroit by-play voice, says the balance between prices and Pistons point guard Cade Cunningham (blocking a shot). attendance doesn’t favor the fans.

MAY - JUNE 2026 || DBUSINESS.COM 69

“It’s hard to be successful if you don’t have a good media partner,” Shepard says. “Television rights have a big part of it. Success has the biggest part of it.

Brand recognition/marketing is a big thing, too.”

In a world of ever-growing entertainment and new competitors like casinos and digital betting options, there are plenty of opportunities for local fans.

“We’re unique in Detroit and Michigan in that we have so much to choose from,” Shepard says. “We’re passionate about our professional hockey, basketball, football, and baseball teams.

“We’re also very passionate about two very high-end collegiate football, basketball, and hockey programs, with the University of Michigan and Michigan State University. You can extend that to Western Michigan University, which won the national championship in college hockey last year. It’s made all of us fans of the state.”

According to Bookies.com, an online sports betting site, the defending World Series champion Los Angeles Dodgers ranked atop its list of how much it costs to attend an MLB game in 2026. The Dodgers are leading the list for the second consecutive year.

This baseball season, a trip to Dodger Stadium costs the average family of four $413.16. That price includes four tickets (the cheapest), lot parking, two 16-ounce beers, two 20-ounce sodas, and four hot dogs. Next up on the list are the Boston Red Sox ($372.90) and the Athletics ($324.08), who are currently playing their home games at a minor league park in Sacramento, Calif., while a new stadium is under construction in Las Vegas.

The Tigers rank No. 18 on the list, at $197.52. They trail such teams as the Chicago Cubs, New York Yankees, Cleveland Guardians, and Pittsburgh Pirates. Last on the list is the Miami Marlins, with an average cost of $159.14 to attend a game.

In addition, more and more sports teams are tapping into artificial intelligence as they look to advance athletic and coaching performances, while adding fan amenities and new promotions.

“AI is just a continuation of all the things, like analytics, that have been building up,” Shepard says. “More and more teams are looking at ways to incorporate AI to give them an advantage. While for fans it might help them get the tickets, find the parking spot, or find the right place to eat before the game, for the game itself, all that truly matters to the fans are the people performing.”

Sellers, from Grand Valley State University, says AI makes everything faster.

It can analyze players’ patterns rapidly and go beyond traditional analytics to make lightning-quick decisions about what a player is doing on the field.

“On the fan side, it personalizes everything at a much faster rate,” Sellers adds. “AI can monitor and track what people are saying on social media in real time. It can monitor what’s going on in the point-of-sale system and alert security that alcohol sales are extra high in a certain area of the stadium. AI can just see more than we can.”

Still, the basics of a successful team and its overall value comes down to performance.

“At the end of the day, product on the field sells,” Miller says. “You have to have quality, and quality over a period of time, so that people expect to see a winner and want to go see it.

70 DBUSINESS || MAY - JUNE 2026

MAJOR LEAGUE Apart from Hamp, Ilitch, and Gores, Michigan is home to other owners of professional sports teams, including Justin Ishbia, minority investor in the Chicago White Sox; his brother Mat Ishbia, majority owner and governor of the Phoenix Suns; Dan Gilbert, majority owner of the Cleveland Cavaliers; and Dan DeVos, chairman and governor of the Orlando Magic.

“If you’re trying to figure out how to get more people, it’s a more coherent media and marketing strategy, and it’s a commitment to quality on the ice, the court, and the field. That’s what’s going to drive continued interest and continued value.”

Another way to view success is the emotional buy-in to the teams, Sellers says.

“In Detroit, we’re fortunate that we have a couple of well-known, well-respected, well-identified symbols,” he says. “Apart from the teams themselves, the Tigers’ Old English D and the Red Wings’ winged wheel are iconic and have a strong value that goes beyond numbers.”

In Detroit, the four teams also have iconic names not found elsewhere — Lions, Tigers, Pistons, and Red Wings. “Other teams don’t have that value and that level of emotional connection,” Sellers says. “Our teams span generations in meaningful ways.”

According to Deloitte’s 2026 Global Sports Outlook, capital continues to flow in and sports franchise valuations are reaching new highs.

“The big question is no longer what is the ceiling for the sports industry, (but) how much bigger will the room get?” the study notes.

The industry appears to be expanding in every direction — reshaping how organizations operate, how ownership scales, and how venues integrate into the fabric of communities.

On that last point, Sellers notes Detroit’s historical standing gives it an added boost “It’s significant that our big owners are Little Caesars, the Ford family, and Gores,” he says.

“Think about what Ford did to build the middle class and the Arsenal of Democracy in World War II. People identify with that, but they also appreciate the contributions those owner families have made to the city, region, and state. ”

MARK J. REBILAS / NBAE / ORLANDO MAGIC

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PROMOTIONAL CONTENT

Company Milestones

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ILESTONES

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ACHIEVING MILESTONES IS GOOD BUSINESS Companies can measure milestones in various ways — revenue, awards, product development, brand recognition, deliverables, and customer satisfaction — yet the anniversary of a company’s inception is one of the most significant.

Whether it’s a small local business or one with an international sales force, its milestones are turning points that mark progress. An accomplishment for one company may be that first year of profitability. Another business might measure growth through launching new products. Still another may consider a loyal customer base to be the ultimate achievement. The companies in the following pages of DBusiness have all found a reason to celebrate a milestone.

Companies gain strength and stability when there is support, recognition, and celebration of their success, and there’s no better time than an anniversary to reflect on past accomplishments with an eye toward the future. Congratulations to the following companies on their achievements.

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Comprehensive Payroll Company

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omprehensive Payroll Company (CPC), a trusted name in payroll and workforce solutions, is celebrating 20 years of serving notable national franchises and industries in 37 states.

What began as a small, clientfocused operation has grown into a reliable partner for companies seeking streamlined payroll, compliance support, and human resources guidance.

Owner Chris Ingoglia says his company was born out of his experience with a national company that trained him to sell payroll. “At the time, we still had to convince business owners to outsource the payroll,” he says. “I was a national leader in ancillary products like time system add-ons and 401k integration. I always wanted to provide a full solution to the business owner, not just sell a product so I could make a commission. That is still my philosophy — assessing business needs and providing services to streamline the process.”

Ingoglia, a husband and father of three, is also a big proponent of building a business that builds lives. He is quick to recognize key players such as operations manager Lena Milson, tax manager Amira Pierik, and payroll manager Shannon Eickhoff — all leaders in personalized service with clients across the country.

With expertise in web-based software, CPC has allowed small companies to operate like large corporations at affordable prices with services such as built-in time systems, onboarding, benefit enrollment, training videos, and employee messages.

“We are able to provide a single platform to accomplish what it takes four vendors to provide,” Ingoglia says. “Our ability to customize solutions is the reason our clients place their trust in us.”

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Established 2006 322 W. Lincoln Ave., Suite 100 Royal Oak, MI 48067 800-728-0887 | 248-556-9929 info@cpayrollco.com | cpayrollco.com

LEADERSHIP Chris Ingoglia Owner

Company Milestones

Flood Law

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ince its founding in 2002, Flood Law has grown and evolved, but one thing has always remained constant — its dedication to clients and the Detroit community.

Advocating for clients’ rights lies at the heart of the firm’s mission. With 150 combined years of trial experience, its litigators bring confidence and professionalism to every civil, criminal, and employment case they represent. They approach each client with empathy and respect while drawing on their extensive knowledge of Michigan law and finely honed skills to deliver results.

Today, Flood Law celebrates its accomplishments while marking 24 years in business. Looking toward the future, the firm is expanding, both by adding new attorneys and by preparing to move into a new space.

Currently, Flood Law is located in the Murphy-Telegraph Building at 155 W. Congress St. However, Todd Flood, defense attorney and managing partner, recently purchased the historic Detroit Trust Co. building — designed by Albert Kahn and built in 1945 — from commercial real estate giant Bedrock. Its purchase keeps the firm’s roots solidly planted in downtown Detroit.

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“The acquisition of 201 West Fort St. by Todd Flood from Bedrock represents the alignment of two companies dedicated to a thriving central business district,” a joint statement from

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Redevelopment plans for the five-story, nearly 83,000-square-foot property include a mixed-use, multilevel space with modern amenities.

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the companies reads. “The commitment from Todd Flood, a local business and community leader, to expand Flood Law’s headquarters in downtown Detroit and bring new life to 201 West Fort is a best-case outcome.”

For Flood Law, the milestone is both professional and civic: a celebration of 24 years and a step into what comes next.

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Established 2002 155 W. Congress, Suite 350 Detroit, MI 48226 248-547-1032 floodlaw.com

LEADERSHIP Todd Flood Managing Partner

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Dauch Corporation

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auch Corporation (formerly American Axle & Manufacturing Holdings Inc.) marked a defining moment in January with a corporate rebranding honoring its founder Richard “Dick” Dauch. Weeks later, Dauch Corporation made another bold move with its acquisition of Dowlais Group and its subsidiaries, GKN Automotive and GKN Powder Metallurgy.

The combined company, now trading on both the New York Stock Exchange and the London Stock Exchange under “DCH,” continues to be headquartered in Detroit. Dauch has approximately 48,000 associates across 24 countries in more than 175 locations, with estimated net sales ranging from $11 billion to $12 billion.

Dauch is a global Tier 1 automotive supplier engineering driveline and metal-forming technologies used in electric, hybrid, and internal combustion vehicles. Dauch plays a critical role in supplying major automakers worldwide and is now stronger, broader in reach, and better positioned to drive innovation, operational excellence, and quality across all its businesses.

David C. Dauch, chairman and CEO, says that the rebrand and acquisition signals a transformational moment for the company.

“The name stands for clarity, confidence, and a commitment to performance with a legacy of leadership that has helped shape engineering and manufacturing,” he says. “It represents a responsibility to our stakeholders, a dedication to operational excellence, and a willingness to take bold steps as we strive to exceed today’s standards and capitalize on tomorrow’s potential.”

The name change represents more than heritage — it underscores a long-term strategy. Dauch has positioned itself as a modern, entrepreneurial, performance-driven supplier built for the next era of mobility. Truly, it is “Built to Perform.”

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Established 1994 One Dauch Drive, Detroit, MI 48211 • dauch.com

LEADERSHIP

David C. Dauch Chairman of the Board and CEO

Michael J. Lynch President, Driveline

Christopher J. May Executive Vice President and CFO

Markus Bannert President, Metal Forming

Terri M. Kemp Senior Vice President and Chief of Staff, HR and Sustainability

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Health Alliance Plan

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n 1986, Henry Ford Health and Health Alliance Plan (HAP) came together around a simple idea: Health care works better when coverage and delivery are connected.

As the two organizations mark 40 years of this alliance, the mission remains the same. What has changed is closer coordination, more-integrated products, and a stronger focus on affordability for Michiganders.

“When care and coverage work together, health care becomes simpler, more affordable, and more effective,” says Margaret Anderson, president of HAP. Founded in 1960 by the United Auto Workers, HAP began as a nonprofit health plan focused on serving local working families.

As a subsidiary of Henry Ford Health, HAP serves members seeking care both inside and outside of the Henry Ford Health system, just as Henry Ford Health also cares for patients who are not covered by HAP. For people who use both, it can enhance their overall care journey.

“Using HAP and Henry Ford Health together provides a truly connected care experience — one that’s simple to navigate,” says Bob Riney, CEO of Henry Ford Health. “It takes a lot of the guesswork out and lets people focus on their health.”

Established 1960 Health Alliance Plan 3031 W. Grand Blvd., Suite 110

That alignment extends directly into their joint Medicare Advantage and employer group plan offerings. Their plan options are designed to support a more seamless care process and lower health care costs.

United by a shared focus on patients and public health, HAP and Henry Ford Health also support local initiatives that strengthen communities across Michigan. Looking ahead, both organizations remain focused on improving care for people across the state.

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Detroit, MI 48202 hap.org

LEADERSHIP Bob Riney President and CEO, Henry Ford Health

Margaret Anderson President, Health Alliance Plan

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NBS Commercial Interiors

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rusted partnerships are sometimes hard to build.

Trusted partnerships with longevity are even rarer.

NBS Commercial Interiors and Steelcase, a designer and manufacturer of contract furniture, know they have something special as they celebrate 50 years of partnership.

“It takes commitment, trust. As that evolves over time, there needs to be resilience but also a reliance that both entities have a shared commitment and shared values,” says Heather Lanier, NBS president.

Quality, trust, and innovation form the bedrock of the partnership. Because change in the workplace is as inevitable as a change in seasons, Steelcase prioritizes research and innovation. Always poised to learn about new products and solutions, NBS ensures its processes for designing, delivering, and installing remain seamless while maintaining the same high level of quality. Trust between the two companies binds innovation and quality.

A shared dedication to supporting their clients and making a positive impact on the communities they serve further strengthens their partnership.

“Over the years, this strong relationship has enabled us to grow, navigate many industry changes, and consistently deliver outstanding results for customers — together!” says Pamela Woodward, Steelcase vice president of channel development.

Founded in 1948 in Mount Clemens, NBS Commercial Interiors began as an office supply company. As the workplace evolved, NBS adapted to offer a full spectrum of commercial interior services in corporate, healthcare, and educational settings across southeast Michigan and northwest Ohio. NBS became an authorized Steelcase dealer in 1976.

Looking forward, the partners expect workplaces to continue evolving as technology advances. With Steelcase’s emphasis on research and innovation and NBS’s collaborative, holistic approach to outfitting workspaces, the two companies are well positioned for future challenges.

“Steelcase and NBS both passionately believe that place is so important to bring people together and generate ideas,” Lanier says. “This won’t ever go away.”

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Established 1948 A certified Women Business Enterprise 2595 Bellingham, Troy, MI 48083 yournbs.com | 248-823-5400

LEADERSHIP Heather Lanier President

Kris Gula Chief Financial Officer

Lori Powe Chief Client Officer

Scott Telder Vice President of GLBR/Lansing Markets

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In 1994, Arnold’s son, Joe Brewer, returned to the family business after gaining experience with other contractors. By 1997, he had assumed leadership and rebranded the company as Metro Electric Engineering Technologies, expanding its capabilities while staying true to the values on which the business was built: integrity, professionalism, and exceptional customer care.

Today, Metro Electric is headquartered in Romeo and proudly serves homeowners and businesses throughout Macomb and Oakland counties and the Greater Detroit area. Its services include residential electrical work, generator installation and maintenance, and customized commercial solutions for businesses and schools. Whether handling a simple repair or a large-scale project, the company is known for technical expertise, reliable service, and high-quality workmanship.

Metro Electric’s success is driven by its highly trained team of licensed and background-checked master electricians, journeymen, and apprentices, ensuring every project is completed safely and efficiently.

The company is also deeply committed to the community and has earned notable recognition, including the Macomb Daily’s Best of the Best in 2025 and the Generac PowerPro Premier designation for five consecutive years. From its humble beginnings to its continued growth today, Metro Electric remains committed to powering homes, businesses, and communities with reliability, expertise, and care.

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Established 1967 110 E. Pond Drive Romeo, MI 48065 586-336-9121 metroelectricmichigan.com

LEADERSHIP Arnold Brewer Founder

Joe Brewer President

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or nearly six decades, Metro Electric has built a strong reputation as a trusted provider of electrical and backup power solutions across metro Detroit. Founded in 1967 by Arnold Brewer as Radiant Electric Co. in Troy, the company quickly became known for dependable residential electrical work, quality craftsmanship, and a commitment to its customers.

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30 in their Thirties

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EXEC LIFE

COURTESY BOATHOUSE RESTAURANT

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Northern Michigan Restaurant Guide

Return on Investment

Patents and Inventions

Opinion

The Circuit

From the Top

May - June 2026 || DBUSINESS.COM 81

Exec Life

Northern Michigan Dining and ICONIC RESTAURANT GUIDE

BOATHOUSE RESTAURANT, TRAVERSE CITY

(CHECK AVAILABILITY; SOME RESTAURANTS ARE SEASONAL. THE LISTINGS WERE SELECTED FROM ESTABLISHMENTS LOCATED APPROXIMATELY NORTH OF THE 45TH PARALLEL AND SOUTH OF THE UPPER PENINSULA.)

NOMAD Located on the waterfront in Bay Harbor, NOMAD offers a vibrant atmosphere that pairs well with its shareable plates, evolving wine list, and house cocktails.

795 Front St., Bay Harbor 231-881-9090 nomadbayharbor.com D Mon.-Sun. 25-56 VINTAGE CHOPHOUSE & WINE BAR Welcoming, stately, and rich in history, Vintage Chophouse & Wine Bar embodies the charm of the classic all-American steakhouse, complemented by elements of an upscale lounge.

3600 Village Harbor Dr., Bay Harbor 844-717-2072 innatbayharbor.com L & D Mon.-Sun. 27-80

BELLAIRE

CORNER BISTRO Enjoy lounging in the intimate bar area, the up-front Bistro seating, or relaxing on the front porch.

102 N. Bridge St., Bellaire 231-409-7088 cornerbistrobellaire.com D; Open every day but Tue. 16-38 TOONIE’S FISH & STEAKHOUSE A casual dining atmosphere where no one leaves hungry.

216 N. Bridge St., Bellaire 231-533-8513 tooniesfishandsteakhouse.com B, L & D Mon.-Sat. 10-27

BOYNE CITY

BELLA VITA The goal at Bella Vita is to provide guests with a true dining experience, from exceptional service and delicious food to a friendly and relaxed atmosphere.

2911 Boyne City Rd., Boyne City 231-582-3341 bellavitaboyne.com D, Seasonal 25-45 CAFE SANTÉ A casual, European-style bistro serving “The Classics” simply and with a bit of flair.

1 Water St., Ste. 100, Boyne City 231-582-8800 magnumhospitality.com L & D Mon.-Sun. 20-27 PROVISION LOUNGE The Lounge is an adult-centric bar offering curated wine by certified wine specialists.

82 DBUSINESS || MAY - JUNE 2026

123 Water St., Boyne City 231-582-2151 provisionsbc.com D Tue.-Sat. 26-36

BOYNE FALLS

EVERETT’S Everett’s is named after Everett Kircher, founder of Boyne Resorts. Choose from a menu of steaks, seafood, pasta, sandwiches, burgers, salads, and more.

1 Boyne Mountain Rd., Boyne Falls 231-549-7959 boynemountain.comdiningeveretts D Mon.-Sun. 22-52 FORTY ACRES TAVERN Guests are invited to stop in, quench their thirst, and stick around until they’ve had their fill of food, spirits, and 40-acres-worth of fun.

1 Boyne Mountain Rd., Boyne Falls 231-549-7270 boynemountain.comdiningforty-acres-tavern L & D Mon.-Sun. 36-46

CHARLEVOIX

ARGONNE HOUSE The Argonne House is a full-service restaurant where one can walk in a stranger and leave as a friend.

11929 Boyne City Rd., Charlevoix 231-547-9331 argonnehouse.com D Wed.-Sat. 24-44 GREY GABLES Staff is dedicated to making every experience guests have a memorable one, whether they’re dining in or enjoying a catered event.

308 Belvedere Ave., Charlevoix 231-547-9261 greygablesinn.com D Tue.-Sat. 26-62 TERRY’S Terry’s offers excellent full-course dinners in a warm, casual dining atmosphere.

101 Antrim St., Charlevoix 231-547-2799 terrysofcharlevoix.com D, Closed Tue. 36-68 WEATHERVANE RESTAURANT The Weathervane Restaurant offers signature and regional cuisine in a relaxed atmosphere. It’s true waterfront dining, nestled along the busy Pine River Channel in downtown Charlevoix.

106 Pine River Lane, Charlevoix 231-547-4311 staffordsweathervane.com D Tue.-Sat. 21-50

AVERAGE PRICE OF DINNER ENTRÉES

CHEBOYGAN

HACK-MA-TACK INN The Hack-Ma-Tack Inn is a fine dining restaurant located on the Cheboygan River right at the mouth of beautiful Mullett Lake.

8131 Beebe Rd., Cheboygan 231-625-2919 hackmatackinn.com D Tue.-Sun. 29-60

LA BECASSE La Becasse offers French classics, an encyclopedic wine list, craft cocktails, locally sourced produce and provisions, and friendly and knowledgeable staff.

9001 S. Dunns Farm Rd., Maple City 231-334-3944 restaurantlabecasse.com D Tue.-Sat. 32-55

CROSS VILLAGE

GRAYLING

ELK RAPIDS

HARBOR SPRINGS

LEGS INN Housemade Polish cuisine is the specialty, but a variety of American dishes including fresh, locally caught Great Lakes whitefish also can be found on the menu.

6425 North Lake Shore Dr., Cross Village 231-526-2281 legsinn.com L & D Mon.-Sun., Seasonal 20-40 PEARL’S NEW ORLEANS KITCHEN Pearl’s offers authentic and enduring Southern specialties like etouffée, jambalaya, and fried green tomatoes, alongside crawfish, shrimp, and other fresh seafood.

617 Ames St., Elk Rapids 231-264-0530 magnumhospitality.compearls L & D Mon.-Sun. 15-30

GAYLORD

BENNETHUM’S NORTHERN INN Rustic refined dining, featuring consistent quality and variety. From unique daily features to signature entrées and an upscale pub fare menu, there’s something for everyone.

3917 Old U.S. 27 South, Gaylord 989-732-9288 bennethums.com D Tue.-Sat. 30-70 LEGENDS ON THE HILL This cozy hilltop lodge with incredible views serves American classics in a relaxed atmosphere. The service is impeccable.

625 Resort Blvd., Ste. A, Gaylord 855-337-3110 treetops.comlegends-on-the-hill B, L & D, Seasonal 15-26

GLEN ARBOR AREA

BLU European techniques fused with local ingredients and the finest from afar influence menus that change daily and emphasize the products, simplicity, and flavor.

5705 South Lake, Glen Arbor 231-334-2530 glenarborblu.com D Tue.-Sat., Seasonal 44-63

TIMES OPEN

WEBSITE

GATES AU SABLE LODGE The restaurant at Gates Lodge serves breakfast, lunch, and dinner in a casual setting beside the Au Sable River.

471 Stephan Bridge Rd., Grayling 989-348–8462 gateslodge.com B, L & D Mon.-Sun. 24-32 CROW’S NEST Locally sourced produce and the freshest ingredients means food that’s exceptional in taste.

4601 N. State Rd., Harbor Springs 231-526-6011 crowsnest-harborsprings.com D Thu.-Sat. 24-48 JOLIE BY THE BAY At Jolie, every plate is a composition, every space is curated, and every bite invites the guest deeper into an atmosphere designed to enchant. Seating by reservation only and jackets are required of gentlemen.

129 E. Bay, Harbor Springs 231-242-4166 joliebythebay.com D Wed.-Sat. 18-78 NEW YORK RESTAURANT The New York Restaurant in downtown Harbor Springs offers eclectic cuisine in a comfortable setting, overlooking Little Traverse Bay’s waterfront.

101 State St., Harbor Springs 231-526-1904 thenewyork.com D Wed.-Sun. 22-48 OTIS HARBOR SPRINGS Guests and locals gather at the hotel’s Fireplace Lounge to enjoy specialty stirred cocktails and a seasonally evolving menu of house-made pastas, composed entrées, and ingredient-driven dishes led by chefs Shannon Welsh and Shane Abe. 7291 S. Lake Shore Dr., Harbor Springs 231-270-6090 otisharborsprings.com D, Thu.-Sun.

COURTESY BOATHOUSE RESTAURANT

BAY HARBOR

Exec Life

SEABISCUIT CAFÉ Delicious food and creative cocktails. The Seabiscuit Café is one of the most popular downtown restaurants on Mackinac Island. Breakfast, lunch, and dinner.

7337 Main St., Mackinac Island 906-847-3611 seabiscuitcafe.com B, L & D, Seasonal 26-37

LETO’S OSTERIA, PETOSKEY

PAPER STATION BISTRO Bistro dining in Harbor Springs, serving lunch and dinner.

145 E. Main St., Harbor Springs 231-242-4680 paperstationbistro.com L & D Mon.-Sun. 25-41 PIER RESTAURANT A tribute to the maritime heritage of Harbor Springs, the Pier Restaurant overlooks Little Traverse Bay. 102 E. Bay St., Harbor Springs 231-526-6201 staffordspier.com D, Closed Wed. & Sun. 26-56

INDIAN RIVER

MICHAEL’S TAVERN & STEAKHOUSE Michael’s Tavern & Steakhouse is a go-to destination for delicious food and a warm, welcoming atmosphere in Indian River.

4653 S Straits Hwy., Indian River 231-238-2137 michaelstavernandsteakhouse D Tue.-Sat. 24-38

ICE HOUSE BBQ Indulge in Ice House BBQ’s selection of classic homestyle smoked barbecue favorites and stone-fired pizza, all while basking in the ambience of the beautiful hideaway garden.

Behind Island House Hotel, 6966 Main St., Mackinac Island 906-847-7223 icehousemackinac.com L & D Mon.-Sun., Seasonal 18-34

VIVIO’S NORTHWOODS INN Vivio’s Northwoods Inn Restaurant is famous across northern Michigan for its pizza, pasta, and salads.

4531 S. Straits Hwy., Indian River 231-238-9471 viviosfood.com D Thu.-Sun. 23-46

JOCKEY CLUB AT GRAND STAND With welcoming and inclusive hospitality, the Jockey Club is a gathering place for all; families with kids can feel just as comfortable as a couple on a date or a group of colleagues gathering by the bar.

1 Grand Ave., Mackinac Island 906-847-9212 grandhotel.com L & D, Seasonal 28-39

COURTESY LETO’S OSTERIA, MARTHA’S LEELANAU

LELAND

THE RIVERSIDE INN Delicious seasonal fare, an eclectic wine list, and excellent service all overlooking the picturesque Leland River.

302 River St., Leland 231-256-9971 theriversideinn.com D Thu.-Sun. 30-50 1852 GRILL ROOM Enjoy fine dining on Mackinac Island at the 1852 Grill Room, a casually sophisticated restaurant with first-class selections and a romantic ambience.

Inside Island House Hotel, 6966 Main St., Mackinac Island 906-847-7222 1852grillroom.com B, L & D, Seasonal 28-125 CARRIAGE HOUSE Discover Mackinac Island’s most exceptional waterfront dining experience.

AVERAGE PRICE OF DINNER ENTRÉES

CHIANTI A destination for foodies and wine lovers. One won’t find another culinary adventure like Chianti on Mackinac Island or in northern Michigan.

One Lakeshore Dr., Mackinac Island 906-847-3007 missionpoint.com D, Seasonal 15-62 GRAND HOTEL (MAIN DINING ROOM) The main dining room offers one of the most picturesque dining experiences in an elegant setting for breakfasts, lunches, and formal dinners.

286 Grand Ave., Mackinac Island 906-847-3331 grandhotel.com B, L & D, Seasonal 25-50

PIERSON’S GRILLE & SPIRITS An après ski-themed, casual, family-friendly establishment with a dog-friendly patio.

130 State St., Harbor Springs 231-526-2967 piersonsgrill.com L & D Sun.-Thu., Fri.-Sat. 11-29

MACKINAC ISLAND

7485 Main St., Mackinac Island 906-847-3321 carriagehousemackinac.com L & D, Seasonal 40-80

WOODS RESTAURANT The Woods Restaurant offers a unique Mackinac Island dining experience and is just a short, scenic horse-drawn carriage ride into the island’s wooded interior.

8655 Cudahy Circle, Mackinac Island 906-847-3699 grandhotel.com L & D Mon.-Sun., Seasonal 42-75

NORTHPORT

FISCHER’S HAPPY HOUR TAVERN Fischer’s Happy Hour Tavern has been family-owned and operated since 1971 and is a third-generation restaurant.

7100 N. Manitou Trail, Northport 231-386-9923 fischershappyhour.com L&D Mon.-Thu. 24-MKP

PELLSTON

DOUGLAS LAKE BAR & STEAKHOUSE The Douglas Lake Bar & Steakhouse, known to locals as “DLB,” has a rich history of providing great food and service in a rustic log building overlooking Douglas Lake.

11001 Douglas Lake Rd., Pellston 231-539-8588 douglaslakebarandsteakhouse.com Seasonal 25-48

PETOSKEY

1911 RESTAURANT From a quiet location atop a bluff overlooking Little Traverse Bay in Petoskey, the 1911 Restaurant offers casual fine dining to the public year-round.

1549 Glendale Ave., Petoskey 231-347-2410 1911restaurant.com Wed.-Sat. 30-49 BEACON BISTRO Dinner consists of high-quality steaks, pasta, salads, proteins, and creative burgers.

319 Bay St., Petoskey 231-489-7999 beacon-petoskey.com L & D Mon.-Sun. 31-50

CHANDLER’S Chandler’s has three dining areas for guests to enjoy: the main dining room, which includes the bar; the patio, available in warmer months; and Symons wine cellar.

215 1/2 Howard St., Petoskey 231- 347-2981 chandlersarestaurant.com L & D Mon.-Sun. 43-59 LETO’S OSTERIA An eclectic menu with worldly flavors, made from scratch daily.

422 East Mitchell St., Petoskey 231-881-9800 letososteria.com D Mon.-Sat. 29-61 PALETTE BISTRO A warm, double-decker cafe with bay views, serving gourmet-style Mediterranean fare and wine.

321 Bay St., Petoskey 231-348-3321 palettebistropetoskey.com L & D Mon.-Sun. 24-49 SPRING & PORTER Indulge in an unforgettable dining experience at Spring & Porter, where staff blends the artistry of new American cuisine with the warmth of its charming locale.

887 Spring St., Petoskey 231-347-1440 springandporter.com B, L & D Mon.-Sun. 39-55

SUTTONS BAY

MARTHA’S LEELANAU TABLE A charming spot serving scratch-made regional specialties with European accents, plus beer and wine.

413 N. St. Joseph, Suttons Bay 231-271-2344 marthasleelanautable.com D Thu.-Mon. 32-45 WREN Located in the heart of Suttons Bay, Wren offers a small seasonal menu with a farm-to-table approach, served in a casual atmosphere.

303 N. St. Joseph St., Suttons Bay 231-271-1175 wrensuttonsbay.com D Tue.-Sat. 30-50

MARTHA’S LEELANAU TABLE, SUTTONS BAY

MARY’S BISTRO Mary’s is a downtown favorite, featuring home-style cuisine and draft craft beer and cocktails. It’s one of the best places to eat on Mackinac Island.

7463 Main St., Mackinac Island 906-847-9911 mackinacmarys.com L & D, Seasonal 28-41 PINK PONY The Pink Pony is said to be the best bar and restaurant on Mackinac Island. Thrillist has voted it Michigan’s most iconic bar and grill.

7221 Main St., Ste. 103, Mackinac Island 800-241-3341 pinkponymackinac.com B, L & D Mon.-Sun., Seasonal 28-47

TIMES OPEN

WEBSITE

MAY - JUNE 2026 || DBUSINESS.COM 83

Exec Life

MICHAEL’S TAVERN & STEAKHOUSE, INDIAN RIVER

JOLIE BY THE BAY, HARBOR SPRINGS

TRAVERSE CITY

AMICAL Located in the heart of downtown Traverse City, Amical has been offering eclectic European cuisine to patrons since 1994.

229 E. Front St., Traverse City 231-941-8888 amical.com Mon.-Sun. 32-59 ARTISAN RESTAURANT Daily menus feature fresh and in-season ingredients sourced from local and regional vendors.

615 E. Front St., Traverse City 231-421-2150 artisantc.com D Mon.-Sun. 25-95 BOATHOUSE RESTAURANT Nestled on the shores of Bowers Harbor, the Boathouse takes full advantage of its view of the docks and bay with wide-open windows and a summer deck.

14039 Peninsula Dr., Traverse City 231-223-4030 boathouseonwestbay.com D Tue.-Sun. 32-85 COOKS’ HOUSE A Traverse City food destination! Cooks’ House is built on the bounty of locally grown and foraged foods, and offers a quality experience.

115 Wellington St., Traverse City 231-946-8700 cookshousetc.com L & D Tue.-Sun. 23-37

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FARM CLUB Farm Club is a farm, restaurant, brewery, and marketplace nestled in Leelanau County.

10051 Lake Leelanau Dr., Traverse City 231-252-3079 farmclubtc.com L & D Wed.-Sun. 18-32 FRENCHIES FAMOUS Frenchies provides Traverse City with fresh, flavorful food made from scratch with a whole lotta love.

619 Randolph St., Traverse City 231-944-1228 frenchiesfamous.weebly.com B & L Mon.-Sun. 12-16 MODERN BIRD Modern Bird is a seasonal American restaurant by Chefs Andy Elliott and Emily Stewart.

541 W. Front St., Traverse City 231-421-5046 modernbirdtc.com D Tue.-Sat. 21-63 PEPE NERO An upscale restaurant and lounge with swanky decor serving southern Italian cuisine in a former chapel.

700 Cottageview Dr., Traverse City 231-929-1960 pepenerotc.com D Tue.-Sat. 28-58 RED GINGER This upscale, chef-owned spot offers small plates of light Pan-Asian cuisine and signature cocktails.

237 E. Front St., Traverse City 231-944-1733 eatatginger.com D Tue.-Sat. 32-55

SLATE A relaxed choice spotlighting artful plates of traditional Italian fare, plus house-infused vodkas. A great spot to relax after a day of shopping or sightseeing.

250 E. Front St., Traverse City 231-421-5912 slatetc.com D Wed.-Sat. 24-52 TRATTORIA STELLA Established in 2004 in The Village at Grand Traverse Commons, Trattoria Stella is a multi-award-winning Italian restaurant with an emphasis on authenticity.

830 Cottageview Dr., Ste. G01, Traverse City 231-929-8989 stellatc.com D Wed.-Mon. 26-46

WALLOON WATERSHED Walloon Watershed offers a fine dining and upscale bar experience. The menu features artisanal food, including slow roasted wagyu beef meatballs and curated cheese boards sourced from Europe’s finest regions.

4128 M-75, Walloon Lake 231-535-6048 walloonwatershed.com L & D. Mon.-Thu., Fri.-Sun. Compliled by DBusiness

WALLOON LAKE

BARREL BACK An airy, contemporary restaurant and bar featuring a new American menu and views of Walloon Lake.

The seasonally creafted menu is influenced by housesmoked flavors.

4069 M-75, Walloon Lake 231-535-6000 barrel-back.com B, L & D Mon.-Sun. 21-49 WALLOON LAKE INN The Inn’s innovative menu borrows influence from local ingredients and the finest cuisines, then adds creative twists and distinct seasonal offerings.

4178 West St., Walloon Lake 231-535-2999 walloonlakeinn.com D Mon.-Sun. 33-60

To suggest a restaurant in northern Michigan for our annual list, email rjking@dbusiness.com.

COURTESY MODERN BIRD, MICAHEL’S TAVERN, JOLIE BY THE BAY

MODERN BIRD, TRAVERSE CITY

Exec Life

RETURN ON INVESTMENT

The Catalyst

BY TIM KEENAN

W

hen real estate developer and philanthropist Peter D. Cummings accepts the Urban Land Institute Michigan’s 2026 Lifetime Achievement Award on May 11 at Orchestra Hall, a venue he helped restore and expand, it won’t be the first honor he’s received in those hallowed halls.

“A number of years ago, the (Detroit) Symphony decided to sell one of its buildings to Sachse Construction,” says Mark Davidoff, president and CEO of The Fisher Group in Southfield and a longtime associate of Cummings. “We had a closing dinner and I gave Peter an award, anointing him the ‘Midtown Provocateur.’ In all he does, he’s a catalyst.

And he inspires others.”

In addition to his work restoring and expanding historic Orchestra Hall — designed by noted architect C. Howard Crane in 1919 — Cummings is being honored for 40 years of reshaping Detroit.

While he was instrumental in helping to establish Campus Martius Park in downtown Detroit and draw Compuware Corp. to the city, he cites his two most important projects as Orchestra Hall and the Fisher Building.

As chair of the Detroit Symphony Orchestra from 1997 to 2003, Cummings led the $225 million redevelopment of what today is the Max M. and Marjorie S. Fisher Music Center. The landmark mixed-use project restored Orchestra Hall; added new performance, education, office, and retail spaces; and helped catalyze the transformation of Midtown.

Midway through his tenure, in 2016, following a gift, the “Music Box” was renovated and rebranded the Peter D. & Julie F. Cummings CUBE, for Curated Urban Boundless Experiences.

“The Cummings CUBE has become a great common denominator for the community,” Davidoff says. “Every art form can be enjoyed there.

It’s not just a square room.”

REVIVAL REPERTOIRE Peter D. Cummings, chair of the Detroit Symphony Orchestra from 1997 to 2003, helped lead a $225-million restoration and expansion of what is now the Max M. and Marjorie S. Fisher Music Center in Detroit.

When asked about the achievements he’s most proud of, Cummings says, “The Max M. and Marjorie S. Fisher Music Center definitely has to be at the top of the list because that’s a project that unfolded over a seven- or eight-year period and had a lot of components to it.

“It played a great role in the regeneration of the southern part of Midtown. There were a lot of positive impacts to that project.”

Purchasing the historic Fisher Building in 2015, rehabilitating it, and selling it to Michigan State University in 2025 is another key project in Cummings’ real estate portfolio.

“The Fisher Building was the biggest challenge,” Cummings says. “We acquired the Fisher Building in 2015, and for a number of years prior to our involvement the building had been starved for investment and was really going downhill.”

During the decade that Cummings owned it, he and his crew installed new elevators and added climate control for the arcade, fire protection systems, and central air conditioning.

“We did a number of things that stopped that downward slide (and) improved the infrastructure,” he says. “When we sold the Fisher Building to MSU … our team had a sense of comfort and fulfillment knowing that it was going to a deep-pocketed institution with both strategic and financial resources to take a long-term view of that building and make sure it was fully developed into the asset that I think it’s becoming.

That was a great outcome.”

Other Cummings projects in Detroit include the adaptive reuse of the former Hutzel Warehouse into the Museum of Contemporary Art Detroit, the Woodward Millennium Parking

Structure, the Detroit Pistons practice facility, the Ellington condos and retail center, and redeveloping the historic Albert Kahn-designed Studebaker plant into the Piquette Flats, a 161-unit modern housing complex.

Arguably Cummings’ most impactful project was his drive to open a Whole Foods store at Woodward and Mack avenues in Detroit in 2013.

“Think of how prophetic, how forward-thinking, that was at the time,” Davidoff says. “It was Peter’s vision and his ability to go to Austin, Texas, to convince Whole Foods to open a store in a city where there were ( few) grocery stores. It takes a very unique leader to get that done.”

Cummings recalls that the public, and even Whole Foods itself, was skeptical about his idea to put an upscale grocery store in the city.

“It was a complicated deal to get done because it had six or seven layers of financing, but it was a political development that had a lot of wind at its back,” he says. “We knew if we got it done and it was a success, it would mark an inflection point for that neighborhood — and that turned out to be the case.

“The message that really came out of that experience, for me, was the degree to which the citizens of Detroit are grossly underserved in terms of almost every product and service you can think of.”

In 2016, Cummings founded The Platform, a Detroit-based real estate development firm focused on urban revitalization through innovative housing, retail, and mixed-use projects.

Under his leadership, The Platform added more than 620 apartments to Detroit’s housing stock, with significant investments in workforce development and affordable housing.

May - June 2026 || DBUSINESS.COM 85

BRIAN KELLY PHOTOGRAPHY

Peter D. Cummings, a major player in the rebirth of Orchestra Hall, Midtown Detroit, and the New Center Area, is set to receive the Urban Land Institute Michigan’s 2026 Lifetime Achievement Award.

Exec Life

COURTESY OF PETER D. CUMMINGS

Born and raised in Montreal in a family involved in real estate and the arts, Cummings earned his undergraduate degree in English from Yale University and obtained a master’s in English literature from the University of Toronto.

He spent the first five years out of college as a journalist with the now-defunct Montreal Star before entering the real estate business.

“I came from a community-conscious and philanthropically-minded family,” Cummings says. “A lot of the influences from my early life reflect decisions I made in my later life. My family was in the real estate business and very much dedicated to the arts. My grandfather was a collector of art, and I grew up in that kind of environment.”

In 1978, he founded RAM Realty Advisors in Palm Beach County, Fla., which began as a local south Florida enterprise that, over time, spread north to Orlando and Tampa, then into North Carolina.

Under Cummings’ leadership, RAM grew into one of the region’s most respected firms, and was responsible for numerous successful multifamily, retail, and mixed-use projects.

An early RAM project was a 2,400-acre master planned community in south Florida called Martin Downs that was developed over the span of 30 years, from 1980-2010.

“That was, in many ways, the most challenging project I’ve been involved with, to the extent that there was a lot of environmental opposition to what we were doing,” Cummings says. “It required a lot of patience and perseverance.”

His connection to Detroit began when he married Julie Fisher, daughter of the late Max M. and Marjorie S. Fisher. He and Julie moved to the

TAKING THE LEAD Cummings, who took piano lessons as a youngster, visits with Gabriel Currie, master guitar maker and owner of Echopark Guitars in Detroit’s Milwaukee Junction.

86 DBUSINESS || May - June 2026

MAXIMUS VIRTUOSO Cummings listens as his father-in-law, Max M. Fisher, shares remarks at the dedication of the Max. M. and Marjorie S. Fisher Music Center, “The Max,” in 2003.

Detroit area in 1989 when his wife insisted their children attend Cranbrook Schools in Bloomfield Hills.

“I had no intention of becoming active in Detroit real estate,” Cummings says. “It was only through the role I played with Orchestra Hall that I found myself deeply (involved in) the world of Detroit.”

Cummings credits his father-inlaw for focusing his talents on improving the city of Detroit.

“You have to have a mission of some sort and a lot of passion for doing work in Detroit,” Cummings says. “And I would say, in this area, Max Fisher, my late father-in-law, was the most impactful. When he saw me getting involved in the city of Detroit, he encouraged that. Max had a real impact on how I looked at things in the city.”

In 2015, Cummings stepped aside as RAM’s CEO, passing leadership to his son, Casey Cummings, and turning his full attention to Detroit.

Cummings was well-established in Detroit when Dale Watchowski joined the REDICO commercial real estate firm in Southfield, where today he is president and CEO. Noted attorney Ira Jaffe said the first person he needed to meet was Peter Cummings. Their initial meeting was for breakfast at the Detroit Athletic Club.

“He came with the reputation as the guy you really wanted to know if you were doing business in Detroit,” Watchowski says. “I quickly came to realize that what he had in Detroit paled in comparison to what he had built in other parts of the country through RAM, but his passion for the city stood out.”

After more than two decades of working on various projects with Cummings, including the Fisher Building and managing the properties of The Platform, Watchowski has had a close-up view of Cummings in action.

“The Platform and the idea around it came from the Fisher Building, and some of his thoughts on what he could possibly do to create value for the neighborhoods and the city,” Watchowski says. “He took that one on alone and built a nice business.

“He’s always been a gentleman and a visionary in so many different ways. I don’t think he’s ever sought the limelight. He’s never promoted himself.

Maybe that’s why he stands alone as a tremendously prominent figure in the city of Detroit.”

Davidoff also has had a ringside seat to Cummings’ business and philanthropic activities.

“Peter Cummings is a genuine, thoughtful, passionate leader,” Davidoff says. “People seek him out for his advice and counsel, and he’s the

kind of leader that connects dots and people and strategy in a way that other people don’t. Peter has the ability to see around the corner, where other people don’t.

“He didn’t have to do any of the things in Detroit that he did, but there was a mission to it that furthered the city.”

All that skill and passion led to Cummings’ ULI Michigan Lifetime Achievement Award, which is presented to leaders in the Michigan real estate community who have made a lasting impact through their professional achievements, civic leadership, and in the case of Cummings, “muliple” charitable and philanthropic endeavors.

“It would be difficult to overstate Peter’s contributions to Detroit’s urban renewal,” says Eric Larson, CEO of the Downtown Detroit Partnership, founder of Larson Realty Group, and a member of the ULI Detroit Governance Committee.

“His career reflects his genuine passion for Detroit and his clear understanding of how real estate can support and strengthen cultural institutions, neighborhoods, and communities. Peter brings a unique combination of development expertise, civic responsibility, and philanthropic leadership to his work — qualities that exemplify the spirit and mission of ULI.” Speaking of the spirit and overall mission of ULI, Cummings says he hopes his projects reflect those attributes.

“I hope my legacy will be values-driven development,” Cummings says. “If you look at ULI and the kind of work that it champions, it’s more interested in communities and neighborhoods than it is with individual buildings.

“It wants land use that’s responsible and that helps communities thrive. On that values level, my work and the work of the Urban Land Institute are very closely aligned. That’s how I hope my work is viewed over time.”

Exec Life

PATENTS AND INVENTIONS

Micro World For his work advancing electrical engineering and computer science at the University of Michigan in Ann Arbor, L. Jay Guo is being inducted into the National Academy of Inventors.

BY NORM SINCLAIR

A

s a young boy growing up in Tianjin, a coastal city in northern China 60 miles from Beijing, young L. Jay Guo’s path to the heights of University of Michigan academia and an acclaimed career in technological engineering was influenced by his physics-teaching parents who were college professors.

He says early on, whether through parental exposure or heritage, he developed a fascination for cerebral challenges like the theories behind Newton’s law and gravitational pull, Maxwell’s electromagnetic findings, and Einstein’s relativity pronouncements.

He remembers his father working with him to build his own transistor radio, and then a telescope, when he was about 10 years old.

Guo’s introduction to engineering came in high school, when a teacher asked his class for a show of hands of those who wanted to go to college to study engineering, or those who preferred science or liberal arts.

“To my surprise, at least half of them raised their hands to study engineering,” Guo recalls. “I didn’t even know what engineering was all about.

I knew they were into building things, but at that time I was not interested in building things.”

Despite his lack of interest in engineering, the schoolboy from China took a circuitous route through the University of Minnesota, and then Princeton University, before landing at U-M in Ann Arbor in 1999. There, he has gone on to earn prestigious professorships for his innovative work in electrical engineering and computer science.

In June, Guo will be inducted into the National Academy of Inventors in Los Angeles.

He’ll be honored for the advances he has achieved in nanoscale lithography, transparent conductors, and structural colors.

In 27 years at U-M, he has become a global authority in the micro world of the nearly invisible, where a nanometer is 100,000 times smaller than a single human hair.

Guo and his team are leaders in nanoimprinting, nanostructure engineering, structural colors, applications, and manufacturing. Their breakthroughs are disparate, and range from producing a safe, toxin-free imitation of chrome for the auto industry to using structural colors to create lines of vibrant cosmetics including lipstick, nail polish, and eye shadow.

Other innovations in optical thin films have benefited the manufacturing of solar cells, optical equipment such as telescopes, and OLED electrodes that extend the battery life of cell phones and laptops.

He and his team also used nanopatterning to create flexible displays, touchscreens, lighting, and structural color using optical phenomena rather than pigments.

Samsung, the television and electronics giant, and Toyota, among others, have consulted with Guo. Before there were cell phones, he and his group invented a nano-structured flexible mesh that’s the basis of the touchscreen technology that controls communications on those phones. The timing of this innovation is a source of personal regret for Guo, as it preceded the global phenomena that cell phones would become.

“This was back in 2007, 2008. We didn’t have the smart phones yet. We didn’t have the touchscreen,” he says. “Had I seen those things, I would have definitely put up my own money and would have filed a patent on it.”

Looking ahead, Guo is enthusiastic about an innovation his team is preparing to work on — one that has the potential to be a

medical game-changer for patients suffering from cancer in the eye.

During a workshop involving engineers and medical scientists at the university, while standing in a lunch line, he struck up a conversation with a surgeon from the Kellogg Eye Institute who specializes in treating cancer in the eye.

“This was the first time I had heard about eye cancer, and I asked him, Where does the cancer grow? And the surgeon said it’s in the back of the eye,” Guo recalls. “I asked him, How do you treat that cancer?”

He says the surgeon shrugged his shoulders and responded, “You take the eye out; that’s how you save a person’s life.”

Guo was stunned. “I said, Wow, that’s so aggressive,” he recalls.

His first thought was of a technology he had developed nearly a decade prior — a photoacoustic lens that generates ultrasound waves when light passes through it.

“This is something I had hoped to commercialize someday,” Guo says. “Basically, we use light to generate ultrasound waves. My student and I invented a photoacoustic lens that if you shine light, or pulse a laser on it, it can generate ultrasound that can be naturally focused.

“And when it gets focused, the ultrasound is so strong it can create cavitation and shock waves that can blast away and kill cells and so on.”

Guo says he explained to the surgeon how they could place his lens in front of the eye and shoot laser pulses through it. The lens would then convert the laser’s light energy to sound energy that propagates through the eyeball without doing damage. Guo says the high-pressure sound waves can focus down to a size less than a speck.

“We could focus that energy to the back of the eye and destroy the cancer cell and infected tissues,” he says.

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JOSEPH XU, MICHIGAN ENGINEERING

PLATFORM ARRAY L. Jay Guo, a professor of applied physics and mechanical engineering at the University of Michigan in Ann Arbor, is being inducted into the National Academy of Inventors in June.

Exec Life

JAMES GROTZ, ROBERT COELIUS, MICHIGAN ENGINEERING

GLOBAL INTERFACE At U-M, Guo serves as the director of macromolecular science and engineering. He also co-founded two companies, Zenithnano Technology and Inlight Technology, both based in China.

Guo says his surgeon colleague was very excited to further investigate this approach, and he’s now writing grant applications to fund and support the research needed to develop the process.

His invention of the photoacoustic lens a decade earlier also was hailed as a precursor to developing an “invisible scalpel” that could precisely and painlessly be used in noninvasive surgery.

Commercial interest in his research from around the world prompted Guo to co-found two companies, Zenithnano Technology and Inlight Technology, both located in China.

Zenithnano offers a range of products including flexible, transparent conductors for touchscreens, electrochromic flexible solar cells, and more, while Inlight Technology, led by one of his former Ph.D. students, offers structural color for automobile coatings, cosmetics, and colored solar panels.

“My former student told me the biggest seller, where they make the most money out of structural color, is for cosmetics, because you can make very brilliant colors. The margins are higher and people are willing to pay,” Guo chuckles.

Looking back, Guo says his most memorable experience, which occurred while attending college for his undergraduate degree in China, was his conversion to vegetarianism.

After attending a class on human anatomy where students examined a body preserved with formaldehyde, the group broke up for their lunch hour.

“I can still remember, until this day, seeing a real body and the smell of formaldehyde, and I can still smell it, even until now,” Guo says. “We sat down to lunch, and I swear I couldn’t touch any meat.”

Since then, Guo says he has convinced his wife, Julie, and his parents, who are now 85 years old, to become vegetarian. He says his two high school and middle school children will make their own decisions on that lifestyle.

Upon completing his undergraduate program, Guo says his only affordable path to postgraduate study was attending the University of Minnesota.

Despite his parents’ prestigious jobs as college professors, in those earlier times, in a non-industrialized China, his parents’ monthly salary was $5 each. Guo says even the application fee, ranging from $20 to $35 at various universities, was out of reach for his family.

Fortunately, he was familiar with the University of Minnesota’s sister school to the Chinese college where he had earned his undergraduate degree, as one of his professors in China had earned his Ph.D. from Minnesota.

When the university made Guo an offer, including waiving the application fee, he jumped at the opportunity.

88 DBUSINESS || May - June 2026

WE COULD FOCUS THAT ENERGY TO THE BACK OF THE EYE AND DESTROY THE CANCER CELL AND INFECTED TISSUES.” — L. JAY GUO

In 1989, while at the University of Minnesota, Guo enrolled in the physics department. Two years later, he responded to a flyer from an electrical engineering professor seeking to hire a graduate student to work on a newly emerging field of quantum effect devices.

Guo was hired on the condition that he switch his area of studies to electrical engineering from physics. Guo shares that, over the next five years, he completed his Ph.D. requirements in electrical engineering; his thesis focused on very small electronic devices.

At the time Guo graduated, his professor was recruited to join Princeton University and invited Guo to join him as a postgraduate researcher. So Guo moved to New Jersey.

His experience in academia at Princeton made him abandon his long-held ambition to work in R&D, and instead pursue a career in teaching. A close friend sent him a copy of a journal called Physics Today that posted listings of job openings at universities, and Guo’s postgraduate work studying tiny electronic devices and quantum effects attracted the attention of the University of Michigan.

“It was a very cold winter day in January when I flew into Detroit for an interview and was hired

by Michigan,” he recalls.

Guo says the biggest challenge he had to overcome while adjusting to life on the faculty at U-M was communicating fluently in English. “I wasn’t fond of teaching at that time, partly because English is not (my) native language. That was a big hurdle,” he says. “(I) can speak technically, but apart from the technical terms, everything in English is still hard. Before every single class I spent a lot of time preparing, and after each lecture I could feel such a big burden fall off my shoulders.”

Today, as a professor of applied physics and mechanical engineering, Guo maintains a packed

schedule, teaching at the graduate and undergraduate levels. He also serves as the director of macromolecular science and engineering. In the past three years, he has co-developed two new courses in the quantum area for undergraduate students. He also maintains his active research group and lab, and has graduated 45 doctoral students to date. In addition, Guo serves as co-editor in chief of a publication dealing with micro and nano manufacturing, and sits on the board of another journal that covers advanced optical and opto-electronic science.

Overall, Guo holds 29 U.S. patents for inventions on nanoimprint technology, photonics, and his breakthroughs advancing light-based science.

In his letter nominating Guo to the National Academy of Inventors, Professor Zhenqiang Ma, of the University of Wisconsin, summed up his colleague’s career: “Dr. Guo is an outstanding scholar and inventor in the field of nanotechnology and manufacturing. He made extraordinary technical contributions through innovations and invention which have made significant economic and societal impacts in the last 25 years.”

Exec Life

OPINION

My Day with Warren Buffet

Twenty years ago, as a college student, I watched Warren Buffett drive up to lunch in an older Lincoln Town Car with a Nebraska vanity plate that read “THRIFTY.” Every day when I lead The Pine Harbor Group in Bloomfield Hills, I think about Buffet’s words: Values; Trust; Real relationship capital; Culture shows up in how we serve the families of our clients, how I hire, how I hold myself accountable, and how, as a team, we take care of each other.

It’s the fertile soil that produces all the fruit we harvest.

Culture isn’t what we say. It’s what we do when no one’s watching. It’s what we tolerate and define ourselves by. It’s the trust and reputation built over decades of hard work.

The second piece of advice came when Buffet asked what I planned to do following graduation.

I told him, “wealth management.”

Without hesitation, he immediately leaned forward. He was (and remains) famously skeptical of wealth managers.

“Never, ever, have clients. You may call them that, but in your mind, they must be partners. Set it up so if they win, you win, in that order. If you do that, you’ll be successful forever.”

That moment laid the foundation of how I built my career.

I’ve never seen Pine Harbor as simply managing assets. We partner with families navigating the most important financial moments of their lives — selling a business, transitioning wealth, and building something for the next generation.

My job is to create real value: tax efficiencies that preserve wealth, risk strategies that protect what they’ve built, and investment access they wouldn’t have on their own.

When our work helps a client capture meaningful tax savings on a business sale or structure a wealth strategy that benefits multiple generations, that’s when we’ve lived up to our “Buffett Principle.”

When they win, we win.

That’s it. And it has always been that way because of the advice I received from Buffet.

But here’s the best part — the lasting lesson to a question I didn’t ask.

ORACLE OF OMAHA In 2006, while pursuing a finance degree at Michigan State University in East Lansing, Christopher Letts was invited to spend the day with Warren Buffett, the now-retired CEO of Berkshire Hathaway.

As our day ended and Buffet drove away in that beige Lincoln, I stood there thinking about my own car. I had just bought a Pontiac GTP — on debt, of course. But I was proud of it. To a 21-year-old awash in student loans, that car represented everything I thought winning looked like. It was shiny, fast, and attention-grabbing. Although silly in hindsight, it was my first true “flex.”

And I had just watched a man worth $80 billion pull away in a car that I’d be ashamed to drive.

Buffet could buy anything on Earth. But he found joy in the simple things. He wasn’t defined by his money; he was defined by his principles.

That moment completely rewired my brain.

True success isn’t what you own; it’s what you value and how you live by it. That’s what I took away from Omaha 20 years ago. Not investment strategy. Not portfolio construction.

This is what I learned: Build a culture worth protecting. Treat people like partners. And never mistake what you own for who you are.

That’s what greatness looks like to me now.

Mr. Buffett, on your retirement, I celebrate your remarkable achievement and the countless lives you’ve changed as the greatest investor of all time.

But more than anything, I thank you for your time, your generosity, and your willingness to spend a day with a group of scrappy Michigan State students who found inspiration in your wisdom and humility.

The lessons you gave me that day shaped the last 20 years of my career, and they will continue to shape the rest of my life.

CHRISTOPHER T.R. LETTS

is co-founder and managing partner of The Pine Harbor Group in Bloomfield Hills, a boutique-like practice within Morgan Stanley.

May - June 2026 || DBUSINESS.COM 89

COURTESY CHRISTOPHER LETTS

E

arlier this year, at the age of 95, the greatest investor in history officially retired as Berkshire Hathaway’s CEO. In 2006, I was a broke college kid at Michigan State University in East Lansing. Drowning in student debt. Studying finance. Dreaming about what it would take to be great.

One day my friend, Simon, had a crazy idea: “Let’s meet Warren Buffett.”

We laughed. Then, he actually picked up the phone and dialed the number in Berkshire Hathaway’s annual report.

And somehow, Buffet actually said yes.

Buffett didn’t just agree to meet us. He invited our group of students to spend an entire day with him in Omaha. We began at Berkshire Hathaway’s headquarters before he walked us through the Nebraska Furniture Mart and showed us Borsheims, his local jewelry store.

Following our morning meetings, Buffet offered to drive a few of us to Gorat’s Steakhouse for lunch.

When his older Lincoln sedan pulled up, we were stunned. This unassuming car couldn’t possibly belong to one of the wealthiest people on Earth.

But there he was. Moving us along, he said to hurry up, as he was hungry for his usual T-bone steak and Cherry Coke.

Some of us piled in. Others followed behind.

And that’s when I saw it: the license plate on Buffett’s car. “THRIFTY.” Throughout the day, I had the opportunity to ask Buffet many questions. During our exchange, he gave me two pieces of advice I’ve carried every single day since.

The first came when I asked, “Mr. Buffett, you’re celebrated across the world for your investing acumen; what would you say is your greatest non-financial achievement?”

He lit up.

“Christopher, everyone talks about my financial success. But the thing I’m most proud of? The culture I’ve created at Berkshire Hathaway. That culture has created all of my wealth. It’s the single biggest reason for Berkshire’s success.”

He added: “When I go to acquire a business, all I have to do is talk to the owner. They know how we operate. They know our values. We shake hands.

The deal is done. No attorneys. No investment bankers fighting over terms. Just trust. Our culture is everything.”

I was 21 years old. I didn’t fully understand what he meant.

Today, as a founder of a wealth management team advising on more than $2 billion of client assets, I get it.

BY CHRISTOPHER T.R. LETTS

Exec Life

IRISH LUCK PATRICK GLORIA

Radio station 760 WJR-AM hosted its annual Paul W. Smith St. Patrick’s Day Celebration on March 17 at Doyles Irish Pub at Saint John’s Resort in Plymouth Township. The tradition that started with legendary broadcaster J.P. McCarthy attracted metro Detroit’s business, civic, and political leaders, including Oakland County Executive David Coulter, Macomb County Executive Mark Hackel, Parade Co. CEO Tony Michaels, and other notables.

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1. Bryan Amann, Michael Duggan, Steve Grigorian 2. Waldek Raczkowski, Karen Smith, Rocky Raczkowski, Brent Yax 3. Emily Hribar, Bob Krause, Theresa Vicari-Ahee 4. Terry Radigan, Luanne Ewald Thomas, Tony Michaels 5. Jim Hughes, Michael Murray

RETAIL GALA LINDSAY SCHWEICKERT

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The Midwest Independent Retailers Association hosted its 108th Annual Gala on March 7 at Shenandoah Country Club in West Bloomfield Township. Guests enjoyed fine dining, a deejay, dancing, interactive photo booths, games, spirits, cigars, and an afterglow party. Highlights included specialty coffee, Mini Melts ice cream, wine and champagne, shawarma bowls, and pizza. Proceeds from the silent and live auctions will benefit the MIRA Foundation. The event was sponsored by the Michigan Lottery and Blue Cross Blue Shield of Michigan.

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6. Sandra Kanno, Ban Yaldo, Rana Yaldoo, Noora Jarbo 7. Tyrone and Karen Rashid, Nicolena and Levi Stubbs, Katie and Mark Nicholas 8. Joseph and Amber Shina 9. Orlando Woods, Liz and Dave Beiser 10. Adajah Irving, Lethorn Irving

OPENING DAY PATRICK GLORIA

Detroit-based accounting firm UHY hosted its 17th annual Tigers Opening Day party at Music Hall Center for the Performing Arts in downtown Detroit. The company hosted its clients, colleagues, and friends, and served a buffet lunch on the main stage. UHY was one of many organizations with pre- and post-game parties in the Comerica Park area that celebrated the Tigers’ 4-0 win over the St. Louis Cardinals.

11. Kim Easterle Mattes, Lauren Mattes, Jennifer Easterle, Lisa DeMaria Cleary 12. Hank Cooney, Greg Gromek, Brad Host 13. Jason Shotwell, Matt Wehrly 14. Chris Sheeren, Norm Bird, Tom Alongi 15. Christian Williams, Dr. Erika Robinson

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The Westin Book Cadillac Detroit History and Comfort Within Reach

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n the historic corner of Michigan Avenue and Washington Boulevard in the heart of downtown Detroit, The Westin Book Cadillac Detroit is more than a place to stay — it is a rejuvenating refuge where timeless elegance meets modern well-being.

Originally built in 1924 and thoughtfully restored to honor its storied past, this iconic landmark seamlessly blends historic architectural grandeur with a fresh, wellness-inspired perspective. From the moment you arrive, the experience encourages you to slow your pace, breathe more deeply, and reconnect — with the city, and with yourself.

As you step inside The Westin Book Cadillac hotel, the energy of Detroit gives way to a sense of calm and renewal. The hotel’s recently transformed guest rooms serve as quietly refined sanctuaries, meticulously designed with comfort and balance in mind. Signature Westin Heavenly® beds, crisp linens, soothing color palettes, and thoughtfully curated modern

amenities create an environment that invites relaxation from the first moment you settle in. Natural light, understated elegance, and intuitive design elements work together to help guests unwind after a full day or prepare mindfully for what lies ahead. Wellness is woven into all aspects of the hotel.

Culinary pleasures are always within easy reach. Sullivan’s Steakhouse offers prime cuts, fresh seafood, handcrafted cocktails, and live music in an atmosphere perfect for lively meetings or intimate dinners. Haus of Brunch, the hotel’s newest concept, turns mornings into joyful celebrations to start your day full of flavor and a great connection to the city. The Motor Bar in the lobby is a welcoming space to linger over a drink or light bites, while Starbucks Reserve® Detroit on the first floor of the hotel provides specialty coffee and pastries to gently and quickly start your day. Every element of The Westin Book Cadillac bridges Detroit’s vibrant past with its modern spirit.

Whether you’re visiting for business, exploring the city during a weekend escape, or simply seeking a reset from everyday demands, your room becomes a personal haven — one that supports rest, focus, and renewal. At The Westin Book Cadillac Detroit, luxury is defined not by excess but by intention: an experience where history, comfort, and wellness align to restore balance and leave you feeling refreshed long after your stay. ■

1114 Washington Blvd.

Detroit, MI 48226 888-627-7150 westinbookcadillac.com

From the Top

TOP HOTELS OUTSIDE METRO DETROIT 2026

(SELECTED BY AAA AND DBUSINESS FOR HOSPITALITY EXCELLENCE)

EAST LANSING

GRADUATE HOTEL EAST LANSING 133 Evergreen Ave. East Lansing 517-348-0900 graduatehotels.com/east-lansing/ Rooms: 194 Meeting rooms: 4 Dining: Graduate Rock Bar, Poindexter Coffee Meeting capacity: 5,640 sq. ft.

MARRIOTT EAST LANSING AT UNIVERSITY PLACE 300 M.A.C. Ave. East Lansing 517-337-4440 marriott.com/lanea Rooms: 181 Meeting rooms: 9 Dining: Bistro 43, Great Room Restaurant and Lounge Meeting capacity: 17,327 sq. ft.

GRAND RAPIDS AMWAY GRAND PLAZA HOTEL, CURIO COLLECTION BY HILTON 187 Monroe Ave. NW Grand Rapids 616-774-2000 amwaygrand.com Rooms: 656 Meeting rooms: 34 Dining: Ruth’s Chris Steak House, MDRD, Lumber Baron Bar, Rendezvous, The Kitchen by Wolfgang Puck, Woodrows Duckpin, Starbucks Meeting capacity: 47,120 sq. ft.

CITYFLATSHOTEL 83 Monroe Center St. NW Grand Rapids 616-608-1720 cityflatshotel.com Rooms: 48 Meeting rooms: 4 Dining: CitySen Lounge Meeting capacity: 5,332 sq. ft.

EMBASSY SUITES BY HILTON GRAND RAPIDS DOWNTOWN 710 Monroe Ave. NW Grand Rapids 616-512-5700 hilton.com/en/embassy Rooms: 250 Meeting rooms: 5 Dining: Free breakfast and evening reception, Whitewater Café & Lounge, Big E’s Sports Grill Meeting capacity: 6,176 sq. ft.

JW MARRIOTT GRAND RAPIDS 235 Louis St. NW Grand Rapids 616-242-1500

ilovethejw.com Rooms: 340 Meeting rooms: 9 Dining: Margaux, Jdek at Margaux, Lounge at Margaux, Six.One.Six, Starbucks Meeting capacity: 15,756 sq. ft.

RADISSON HOTEL GRAND RAPIDS RIVERFRONT 270 Ann St. NW Grand Rapids 616-317-6874 radissonhotel.com Rooms: 162 Meeting rooms: 3 Dining: River Rock Restaurant and Lounge Meeting capacity: 2,380 sq. ft.

HOLLAND TULYP HOLLAND, TAPESTRY COLLECTION BY HILTON 61 E. 7th St. Holland 616-796-2100 hilton.com Rooms: 56 Meeting rooms: 4 Dining: 1847 Lounge, Koffie Coffee Meeting capacity: 4,674 sq. ft.

KALAMAZOO RADISSON PLAZA HOTEL & SUITES AT KALAMAZOO CENTER 100 W. Michigan Ave. Kalamazoo 269-343-3333 radissonkzoo.com Rooms: 340 Meeting rooms: 26 Dining: Old Burdick’s Bar & Grill, The Morning Dish, Brick and Brine, Starbucks, room service Meeting capacity: 50,000 sq. ft.

LEXINGTON THE CADILLAC HOUSE, TAPESTRY COLLECTION BY HILTON 5502 Main St. Lexington 810-359-7201 hilton.com/en/hotels/ dtwlxup-the-cadillac-house-lexington/ Rooms: 23 Meeting rooms: 2 Dining: Cadillac House Tavern & Bar Meeting capacity: 1,629 sq. ft.

MACKINAC ISLAND GRAND HOTEL 286 Grand Ave. P.O. Box 286 Mackinac Island 800-334-7263

92 DBUSINESS || MAY - JUNE 2026

grandhotel.com Rooms: 388 Meeting rooms: 17 Dining: Grand Hotel Main Dining Room, Grand Luncheon Experience, Grand Coffee & Provisions, Esther Williams Pool Bar, The Jockey Club, Mackinac Island Pizza Company, Woods Restaurant, The Gate House, Fort Mackinac Tea Room, Sadie’s Ice Cream Parlor. Cocktails available at Audubon Wine Bar, Cupola Bar, Geranium Bar, and Bobby’s Bar at Woods Restaurant. In-room dining is also available.

Meeting capacity: 24,878 sq. ft.

MISSION POINT RESORT One Lakeshore Dr. Mackinac Island 800-833-7711 missionpoint.com Rooms: 243 Meeting rooms: 13 Dining: Chianti, Round Island Kitchen, Bistro on the Greens, Boxwood Coffeeshop & Café, Lily’s Lemonade, Strait UP Coffee Meeting capacity: 38,000 sq. ft.

MIDLAND THE H HOTEL 111 W. Main St. Midland 989-839-0500 thehhotel.com Rooms: 130 Meeting rooms: 11 Dining: ONe eighteen, Café Zinc, Oxygen Lounge, 24-hour room service Meeting capacity: 20,000 sq. ft.

(16,000 sq. ft indoors/4,000 sq. ft. outdoors)

MOUNT PLEASANT SOARING EAGLE CASINO & RESORT 6800 Soaring Eagle Blvd.

Mount Pleasant GPS address: 2395 S. Leaton Rd. 989-775-5777 soaringeaglecasino.com Rooms: 514 Meeting rooms: 18 Casino tables: 70 Dining: Ascend Sportsbook Bar and Lounge, Food District, Johnny Rockets, Siniikaung Bistro, Legend’s Diner, Ruth’s Chris Steak House, Central Deli and Slice, Native Grind Coffee Shop, Little Eagle Café Meeting capacity: 70,000 sq. ft.

ST. JOSEPH THE INN AT HARBOR SHORES 800 Whitwam Dr.

St. Joseph 269-983-1111 harborshoresresort.com Rooms: 92 Meeting rooms: 4 Dining: Plank’s Tavern on the Water, Plank’s Dockside Bar, Rise and Vine, Torch and Tapas Meeting capacity: 13,000 sq. ft.

TRAVERSE CITY GRAND TRAVERSE RESORT AND SPA 100 Grand Traverse Village Blvd.

P.O. Box 404 Acme 231-534-6000 grandtraverseresort.com Rooms: 525 Meeting rooms: More than 20 indoor and outdoor venues Dining: Aerie Restaurant & Lounge, NIIJII Restaurant, Fin’s Sandbar,

The Grille, Jack’s Taproom, The Den Bar, Grand Lobby Bar, Marketplace, in-room dining Meeting capacity: 86,500 sq. ft.

INN AT BAY HARBOR 3600 Village Harbor Dr. Bay Harbor 855-811-4402 innatbayharbor.com Rooms: 105 Lakeside cottages: 23 Cottages at Crooked Tree: 15 Meeting rooms: 6 Dining: The Sagamore Room, Inn Café, Vintage, Cabana Bar (summer only), Inn Café, The Links Grille Meeting capacity: 11,425 sq. ft.

WALLOON LAKE HOTEL WALLOON 4127 N. M-75 Walloon Lake 231-535-5000

hotelwalloon.com Rooms: 32 Meeting rooms: 4 Dining: Barrel Back, Walloon Lake Inn, Hearth Room and Bar Meeting capacity: 3,700 sq. ft.

WINDSOR CAESARS WINDSOR CASINO AND HOTEL 377 Riverside Dr. E. Windsor, Ontario 800-991-7777 caesarswindsor.com Rooms: 758 Meeting rooms: 10 Casino tables: 85 Dining: Neros Steakhouse, Legends Sports Bar, Spago Trattoria, Café 377, Johnny Rockets, Tim Horton’s, room service Meeting capacity: 110,000 sq. ft.

Sources: DBusiness research, AAA

LARGEST CONTRACTORS IN METRO DETROIT (RANKED BY 2025 REVENUE) 1. WALBRIDGE 777 Woodward Ave., Ste. 300 Detroit 313-963-8000 walbridge.com 2025 revenue: $6.2B 2024 revenue: $5.9B Regional employees: 1,500 Top local executive: Michael Haller, CEO 2. BARTON MALOW HOLDINGS 26500 American Dr. Southfield 248-436-5000 bartonmalow.com 2025 revenue: $4.4B 2024 revenue: $4.5B Regional employees: 3,000 Top local executive: Ryan Maibach, President & CEO 3. BELFOR HOLDINGS INC. 185 Oakland Ave. Birmingham 248-594-1144 belfor.com 2025 revenue: $2.5B 2024 revenue: $2.7B Regional employees: 1,515 Top local executive: Sheldon Yellen, CEO 4. ARISTEO CONSTRUCTION 12822 Stark Rd. Livonia 734-427-9111 aristeo.com 2025 revenue: NA

2024 revenue: $1.7B Regional employees: 750 Top local executive: Michelle Aristeo Barton, President 5. COMMERCIAL CONTRACTING GROUP INC. 4260 N. Atlantic Blvd.

Auburn Hills 248-209-0500 cccnetwork.com 2025 revenue: $1B 2024 revenue: $1.2B Regional employees: 352 Top local executive: Stephen Fragnoli, President & CEO 6. IDEAL CONTRACTING 2525 Clark St. Detroit 313-843-8000 idealcontracting.com 2025 revenue: $500M 2024 revenue: $489.7M Employees: 600 Top local executive: Loren Venegas, CEO 7. ALBERICI CONSTRUCTORS INC. 26711 Northwestern Hwy., Ste. 255 Southfield 734-367-2500 alberici.com 2025 revenue: $347M 2024 revenue: $455.4M Local employees: 28 Top local executive: Aaron Walsh, Vice President & Market Leader

8. TURNER CONSTRUCTION CO. 535 Griswold, Ste. 1525 Detroit 313-596-0500 turnerconstruction.com/ office-network/Detroit 2025 revenue: NA 2024 revenue: $276.7M Regional employees: 113 Top local executives: Brett Klinger, General Manager; Robert Bowen, Vice President & Operations Manager 9. SACHSE CONSTRUCTION 3663 Woodward Ave., Ste. 500 Detroit 313-481-8200 sachseconstruction.com 2025 revenue: $302.9M 2024 revenue: $284.1M Regional employees: 189 Top local executive: Todd Sachse, CEO 10. AUCH CONSTRUCTION 65 University Dr. Pontiac 248-334-2000 auchconstruction.com 2025 revenue: $256M 2024 revenue: $271M Regional employees: 93 Top local executive: Shawn Verlinden, President & CEO Source: DBusiness research

From the Top

LARGEST ACCIDENT AND HEALTH INSURANCE COMPANIES IN MICHIGAN (RANKED BY MICHIGAN MARKET SHARE, FIGURES IN THOUSANDS)

1. BLUE CROSS BLUE SHIELD OF MICHIGAN MUTAL INSURANCE CO. 600 E. Lafayette Blvd.

Detroit 313-225-9000 bcbsm.com Assets: $11,370,041 Surplus: $5,788,546 Michigan direct premiums written: 12,503,433 Market share: 25.33 percent Type: LH-MUT 2. PRIORITY HEALTH American Center 27777 Franklin Rd., Ste. 1300 Southfield 800-528-8762 priorityhealth.com Assets: $2,309,528 Surplus: $1,450,414 Michigan direct premiums written: 5,856,653 Market share: 11.87 percent Type: HMO-NP 3. BLUE CROSS BLUE SHIELD NETWORK OF MICHIGAN 20500 Civic Center Dr. Southfield 800-662-6667 bcbsm.com Assets: $2,461,871 Surplus: $1,574,668 Michigan direct premiums written: 4,643,636 Market share: 9.41 percent Type: HMO-NP 4. MERIDIAN HEALTH PLAN OF MICHIGAN 1 Campus Martius, Ste. 700 Detroit 313-324-3700 mimerdian.com Assets: $883,151 Surplus: $285,279 Michigan direct premiums written: 2,985,355 Market share: 6.05 percent Type: HMO-P 5. HUMANA INSURANCE CO. 2660 Telegraph Rd., Ste. 220 Southfield 248-234-1352 humana.com Assets: $12,164,592 Surplus: $6,382,658 Michigan direct premiums written: 2,597,146 Market share: 5.26 percent Type: LH-STK 6. MOLINA HEALTH CARE OF MICHIGAN 880 W. Long Lake Rd. Troy 888-898-7969 molinahealthcare.com Assets: $521,216

Surplus: $211,985 Michigan direct premiums written: 2,238,943 Market share: 4.54 percent Type: HMO-P 7. UNITED HEALTHCARE COMMUNITY PLAN 26957 Northwestern Hwy., Ste. 400 Southfield 800-903-5253 uhccommunityplan.com Assets: $455,416 Surplus: $216,483 Michigan direct premiums written: 1,981,488 Market share: 4.01 percent Type: HMO-P 8. HEALTH ALLIANCE PLAN OF MICHIGAN 2850 W. Grand Blvd.

Detroit 800-422-4641 hap.org Assets: $584,098 Surplus: $324.755 Michigan direct premiums written: 1,617,780 Market share: 3.28 percent Type: HMO-NP 9. BLUE CROSS COMPLETE OF MICHIGAN 100 Galleria Officentre, Ste. 210 Southfield 800-228-8554 mibluecrosscomplete.com Assets: $688,283 Surplus: $202,447 Michigan direct premiums written: 1,436,530 Market share: 2.91 percent Type: HMO-NP 10. UNITED HEALTHCARE INSURANCE CO. 26957 Northwestern Hwy., Ste. 400 Southfield 800-832-7734 uhc.com Assets: $21,621,021 Surplus: $7,178,658 Michigan direct premiums written: 1,235,339 Market share: 2.5 percent Type: LH-STK 11. MCLAREN HEALTH PLAN INC. G-3245 Beecher Rd. Flint 888-327-0671 mclarenhealthplan.org Assets: $461,190 Surplus: $341,095 Michigan direct premiums written: 1,195,981 Market share: 2.42 percent Type: HMO-NP 12. PRIORITY HEALTH CHOICE INC. 1231 Beltline Ave. NE

Grand Rapids 833-489-5443 priorityhealth.com Assets: $403,954 Surplus: $231,076 Michigan direct premiums written: 1,140,329 Market share: 2.31 percent Type: HMO-NP 13. AETNA LIFE INSURANCE CO. 28588 Northwestern Hwy. Southfield 248-357-7766 aetna.com Assets: $31,168,373 Surplus: $8,728,945 Michigan direct premiums written: 951,082 Market share: 1.93 percent Type: LH-STK

14. DELTA DENTAL PLAN OF MICHIGAN 4100 Okemos Rd. Okemos 800-524-0149 deltadentalmi.com Assets: $826,064

Surplus: $614,556 Michigan direct premiums written: 794,749 Market share: 1.61 percent Type: HMDI 15. HUMANA MEDICAL PLAN OF MICHIGAN 16600 Telegraph Rd., Ste. 220 Southfield 800-486-2620 humana.com Assets: $180,174 Surplus: $81,276 Michigan direct premiums written: 707,599 Market share: 1.43 percent Type: HMO-P 16. AETNA HEALTH OF MICHIGAN INC. 28588 Northwestern Hwy., Ste. 3808 Southfield 313-465-1500 aetnabetterhealth.com/Michigan Assets: $220,678 Surplus: $106,330

Michigan direct premiums written: 669,659 Market share: 1.36 percent Type: HMO-P 17. AETNA BETTER HEALTH OF MICHIGAN INC. 28588 Northwestern Hwy., Ste. 3808 Southfield 313-465-1500 aetnabetterhealth.com/Michigan Assets: $268,457 Surplus: $96,648 Michigan direct premiums written: 458,436 Market share: 0.93 percent Type: HMO-P 18. ALLIANCE HEALTH AND LIFE INSURANCE CO. (Part of Health Alliance Plan of Michigan) 2850 W. Grand Blvd.

Detroit 313-872-8100 hap.org Assets: $146,596 Surplus: $57,184 Michigan direct premiums written: 444,278 Michigan market share: 0.90 percent Type: LH-STK 19. PRIORITY HEALTH INSURANCE CO. 1231 E. Beltline Ave. NE Grand Rapids 833-489-5443 priorityhealth.com/about-us Assets: $173,935 Surplus: $82,615 Michigan direct premiums written: 392,804 Michigan market share: 0.80 percent Type: LH-STK

20. UPPER PENINSULA HEALTH PLAN 853 W. Washington St. Marquette 906-225-7500 uphp.com Assets: $134,960 Surplus: $56,508 Michigan direct premiums written: 340,267 Michigan market share: 0.84 percent Type: HMO-P SUBTOTALS Assets: $87,043,597 Surplus: $34,012,128 Michigan direct premiums written: 44,191,487 Michigan market share: 89.54 percent KEY/DEFINITIONS HMDI (Health, Medical, Dental Indemnity): Nonprofit insurance carriers governed by specific Michigan laws.

HMO-P, NP (Health Maintenance Organization – For Profit/Not for Profit): Delivers health care through contracted providers.

LH-STK (Life and Health Stock Companies): Stockholder-owned companies authorized to sell life insurance or health insurance.

Assets: Investments, cash on hand, items of value.

Surplus: Assets minus obligations.

Michigan direct premiums written: Premiums written directly to Michigan consumers from insurance companies.

Source: Michigan Department of Insurance and Financial Services 2026 Annual Report for 2025 activity

LARGEST BUSINESS INSURANCE AGENCIES IN METRO DETROIT (RANKED BY 2025 REVENUE) 1. AMERISURE 26777 Halsted Rd. Farmington Hills 800-257-1900 amerisure.com 2025 revenue: $985.2M 2024 revenue: $976.8M 2025 premium volume: $977M Local employees: 300 2. MARSH MCLENNAN AGENCY 755 W. Big Beaver Rd., Ste. 2300 Troy 248-822-8000 marshmma.com 2025 revenue: $66.2M 2024 revenue: $58.9M 2025 premium volume: $2.7B Employees: 215 3. KAPNICK INSURANCE GROUP 880 West Long Lake Rd., Fifth Floor Troy 248-352-4455 kapnick.com

2025 revenue: $59.5M 2024 revenue: $53.8M 2025 premium volume: $737.5M Employees: 224 4. MICHIGAN FINANCIAL COS. INC. 28411 Northwestern Hwy., Ste. 1300 Southfield 248-663-4700 michiganfinancial.com 2025 revenue: $41.8M 2024 revenue: $37.2M 2025 premium volume: $1.47M Employees: 187 5. HYLANT GROUP * 24 Frank Lloyd Wright Dr., Ste. J4100 Ann Arbor 734-741-0044 2401 W. Big Beaver Rd., Ste. 400 Troy 48084 248-643-8750 hylant.com 2025 revenue: NA 2024 revenue: NA

2025 premium volume: NA Employees: 160 6. BROWN & BROWN OF MICHIGAN INC. 5250 Corporate Dr., Ste. 200 Troy 586-977-6300 bbrown.com 2025 revenue: $18.5M 2024 revenue: $13.6M 2025 premium volume: $250M Employees: 70 7. KOROTKIN * 26877 Northwestern Hwy., Ste. 400 Southfield 248-350-5801 getkig.com 2025 revenue: NA 2024 revenue: $13M 2025 premium volume: NA Employees: 75

8. RALPH C. WILSON AGENCY | RISK STRATEGIES 26026 Telegraph Rd., Ste. 100 Southfield 248-355-1414 rcwa.net 2025 revenue: $10.7M 2024 revenue: $10.5M 2025 premium volume: $180M Employees: 52 9. GOODMAN VENEGAS 2800 Livernois Rd., Ste. 170 Troy 248-740-9090 goodmanvenegas.com 2025 revenue: $4.5M 2024 revenue: $4.5M 2025 premium volume: $45M Employees: 14 *Did not respond to request for information.

Source: DBusiness research

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CHAMBERS OF LARGEST LAW FIRMS IN METRO COMMERCE IN METRO DETROIT DETROIT (BASED ON THE NUMBER OF LAWYERS IN WAYNE, OAKLAND, MACOMB, (IN ALPHABETICAL ORDER) LIVINGSTON, AND WASHTENAW COUNTIES AS OF MARCH 27, 2026) AMERICAN ARAB CHAMBER OF 248-853-7862 1. HONIGMAN 2290 First National Building 660 Woodward Ave., Ste. 2290 Detroit 313-465-7000 honigman.com Total attorneys: 244 (metro Detroit), 400 (firmwide) Specialty: 60+ practice areas

2. DICKINSON WRIGHT 500 Woodward Ave., Ste. 4000 Detroit 313-223-3500 dickinson-wright.com Total attorneys: 204 (Michigan), 540 (firmwide) Specialty: 40+ practice areas 3. MILLER CANFIELD 150 W. Jefferson Ave., Ste. 2500 Detroit 313-963-6420 millercanfield.com Total attorneys: 163 (metro Detroit), 209 (firmwide) Specialty: 100+ practice areas 4. BODMAN 1901 St. Antoine St. 6th Floor at Ford Field Detroit 313-259-7777 bodmanlaw.com Total attorneys: 157 (metro Detroit), 174 (firmwide) Specialty: 50+ practice areas 5. TAFT DETROIT 27777 Franklin Rd., Ste. 2500 Southfield 248-351-3000 taftlaw.com Total attorneys: 143 (metro Detroit), 1,250 (firmwide) Specialty: 20 practice areas 6. CLARK HILL 500 Woodward Ave., Ste. 3500 Detroit 313-965-8300 clarkhill.com Total attorneys: 125 (metro Detroit), 800 (firmwide) Specialty: 23 practice areas (metro Detroit), 27 practice areas (firmwide) 7. BUTZEL 150 W. Jefferson Ave., Ste. 100 Detroit 313-225-7000 butzel.com Total attorneys: 124 (metro Detroit), 163 (firmwide)

Specialty: 70 practice areas

Specialty: 38 practice areas

8. DYKEMA 400 Renaissance Center Detroit 313-568-6800 dykema.com Total attorneys: 115 (metro Detroit), 395 (firmwide) Specialty: 100+ practice areas

15. MIKE MORSE INJURY LAW FIRM 24901 Northwestern Hwy., Ste. 700 Southfield 855-434-2143 855mikewins.com Total attorneys: 60 Specialty: 41 practice areas

9. KITCH ATTORNEYS & COUNSELORS 1 Woodward Ave., Ste. 2400 Detroit 313-965-7900 kitch.com Total attorneys: 79 (metro Detroit), 91 (firmwide) Specialty: 17 practice areas 10. SECREST, WARDLE, LYNCH, HAMPTON, TRUEX AND MORLEY 2600 Troy Center Dr. Troy 248-851-9500 secrestwardle.com Total attorneys: 79 (metro Detroit), 83 (firmwide) Specialty: 21 practice areas 10. PLUNKETT COONEY 38505 Woodward Ave., Ste. 100 Bloomfield Hills 248-901-4000 plunkettcooney.com Total attorneys: 77 (metro Detroit), 113 (firmwide) Specialty: 28 practice areas in business, 32 practice areas in litigation 12. HOWARD & HOWARD ATTORNEYS 450 W. Fourth St. Royal Oak 248-645-1483 howardandhoward.com Total attorneys: 68 (metro Detroit), 147 (firmwide) Specialty: 16 practice areas 13. BROOKS KUSHMAN 150 W. Second St., Ste. 400N Royal Oak 248-358-4400 brookskushman.com Total attorneys: 62 (metro Detroit), 71 (firmwide) Specialty: 10 practice areas 14. KERR, RUSSELL, AND WEBER 500 Woodward Ave., Ste. 2500 Detroit 313-961-0200 kerr-russell.com Total attorneys: 60

94 DBUSINESS || MAY - JUNE 2026

16. GIARMARCO, MULLINS & HORTON 101 W. Big Beaver Rd. 10th Floor Columbia Center Troy 248-457-7000 gmhlaw.com Total attorneys: 51 (metro Detroit), 56 (firmwide) Specialty: 36 practice areas 17. COLLINS EINHORN FARRELL 4000 Town Center, Ninth Floor Southfield 248-355-4141 ceflawyers.com Total attorneys: 50 Specialty: 14 practice areas 18. MADDIN HAUSER One Towne Square, Floor 5 Southfield 248-354-4030 maddinhauser.com Total attorneys: 50 Specialty: 19 practice areas 19. GARAN 1155 Brewery Park Blvd., Ste. 200 Detroit 313-446-1530 garanlucow.com Total attorneys: 49 (metro Detroit), 58 (firmwide) Specialty: 25 practice areas 20. HARNESS IP 5445 Corporate Dr., Ste. 200 Troy 248-641-1600 hdp.com Total attorneys: 48 (metro Detroit), 97 (firmwide) Specialty: Intellectual property law 21. SULLIVAN, WARD, PATTON, GLEESON & FELTY 400 Galleria Officentre, Ste. 500 Southfield 248-746-0700 sullivanwardlaw.com Total attorneys: 26 Specialty: Business and litigation law Source: DBusiness research

COMMERCE* 12740 W. Warren Ave., Ste. 300 Dearborn 313-945-1700 americanarab.com Members: 1,500-2,500 Focus: Local, national, and international Meetings: Networking events, monthly seminars, annual Celebrating Success dinner, Arab-American Golf Open, Building Economic Bridges banquet, quarterly Business Builder series, international delegations and trips Dues: $50-$5,000 Employees: 21 Founded: 1992 Contact: Bilal Hammoud, Executive Director

ANN ARBOR/YPSILANTI REGIONAL CHAMBER 2010 Hogback Rd., Ste. 4 Ann Arbor 734-665-4433 a2ychamber.org Members: 1,300 Focus: Ann Arbor and Ypsilanti region Meetings: Signature events, networking, professional development, and business advocacy efforts that drive growth and strengthen the regional business community Dues: $475-$5,500 Employees: 6 Founded: 1919 Contact: Diane Keller, President & CEO ASIAN PACIFIC AMERICAN CHAMBER OF COMMERCE P.O. Box 54 Clawson 248-430-5855 apacc.net Members: 3,000+ in Michigan and U.S. Focus: Asian/Pacific Islander American and U.S. businesses Meetings: Networking, personal, and professional development Dues: $200-$1,200 Employees: 3 Founded: 2000 Contact: Duc Nguyen Abrahamson, Executive Director AUBURN HILLS CHAMBER OF COMMERCE 3395A Auburn Rd. Auburn Hills

auburnhillschamber.com Members: 500 Focus: Uniting organizational leaders in driving a world-class business community Meetings: 100+ educational and networking events per year; several scheduled each month Dues: $295-$2,200 Employees: 6 Founded: 1991 Contact: Jean Jernigan, President BERKLEY AREA CHAMBER OF COMMERCE P.O. Box 72-1253 Berkley 248-414-9157 berkleychamber.com Members: 155 Focus: Berkley, Huntington Woods, Oak Park, Royal Oak, Southfield Meetings: Monthly networking events, State of the City, Berkley Art Bash, Berkley Pub Crawl, Berkley Street Art Fest Dues: $120-$500 Employees: 2 Founded: 1984 Contact: Darlene Rothman, Executive Director BIRMINGHAM BLOOMFIELD CHAMBER 725 S. Adams Rd., Ste. 130 Birmingham 248-644-1700 bbcc.com Members: 650+ Focus: Beverly Hills, Bingham Farms, Birmingham, Bloomfield Hills, Bloomfield Township, Franklin Meetings: Vine and Dine, Village Fair, Forecast Breakfast Series, Professional Edge Workshop, Business After-Hours, member coffees, Community Leadership Luncheon, Legislative Reception Dues: $410-$1,160 (Nonprofit and sole proprietor rates available) Employees: 4 Founded: 1947 Contact: Joe Bauman, President BRITISH-AMERICAN BUSINESS COUNCIL OF MICHIGAN 150 W. Jefferson Ave., Ste. 100 Detroit 248-825-7075 babcmichigan.org Members: 40 Platinum, Gold, and Silver members Focus: Providing Midwest businesses and organizations with opportunities

to extend their reach into the U.K., and for U.K. companies to deliver their products, services, and messages to the entire Michigan region Meetings: Local events and seminars, annual transatlantic business conferences Dues: $30-$750 Founded: 2006 Contact: Miriam Rhein and Anne Parkin, Executive Directors CHALDEAN AMERICAN CHAMBER OF COMMERCE 2075 Walnut Lake Rd. West Bloomfield Township 248-851-1200 chaldeanchamber.com Members: 1,000+ Focus: Advocacy, networking, economic development, community development, cultural preservation Meetings: Quarterly networking meetings, educational forums, annual awards dinner, annual meeting and board election, annual business luncheon, annual golf outing, Meet the CEO Series Dues: $200-$1,500 Employees: 10 Founded: 2003 Contact: Martin Manna, President CLARKSTON AREA CHAMBER OF COMMERCE 5856 S. Main St. Clarkston 248-625-8055 clarkston.org Members: 475 Focus: Clarkston, Davisburg, Independence Township, Ortonville, Springfield Township Meetings: Lunch mixers, breakfasts, after-hours, young professionals, women’s group, and large community events Dues: $265-$565 Employees: 3 Founded: 1987 Contact: Emily Osmialowski, Executive Director CLAWSON CHAMBER OF COMMERCE 425 North Main St. Clawson 248-435-6500 clawsonchamber.org Members: 200 Focus: Clawson Meetings: Morning and after-hours networking events, quarterly Oakland County network mixers, seminars

From the Top

Dues: $90-$200 Employees: 1 Founded: 1939 Contact: Alec Speshock, President CONNECT MACOMB 12900 Hall Rd., Ste. 100 Sterling Heights 586-731-5400 connectmacomb.com Members: 1,200 Focus: Clinton Township, Fraser, Macomb Township, Shelby Township, Sterling Heights, Utica, Warren Meetings: Weekly Business Resource Alliance Group (leads all groups) networking, ambassadors, Public Policy Committee, Tourism and Hospitality group, Health and Wellness group, Nonprofit Network Dues: $340 (different rates for nonprofits, certain industries) Employees: 5 Founded: 1961 Contact: Stacy Ziarko, President & CEO DEARBORN AREA CHAMBER OF COMMERCE 22100 Michigan Ave. Dearborn 313-584-6100 dearbornareachamber.org Members: 590 Focus: Dearborn, Dearborn Heights, Detroit, Garden City Meetings: Thirty-nine annual events including 15 complimentary monthly morning and after-hours networking events, Meet the Candidates, small business luncheons, two golf outings, Taste of Dearborn, 20+ Teacher of the Year celebrations, holiday gala Dues: $295 and up Employees: 4 Founded: 1944 Contact: Jacqueline Lovejoy, President DETROIT BLACK CHAMBER OF COMMERCE 1001 Woodward Ave., Ste. 910 Detroit 313-818-3017 detroitblackchamber.com Members: 3,500 Focus: The Detroit Black Chamber of Commerce is a local chapter of the National Business League, dedicated to empowering and supporting Black-owned businesses. Its mission is to advocate for economic development through avenues including entrepreneurship, procurement, community reinvestment, programmatic and professional development, and fostering economic activity in the United States and the Pan-African Diaspora.

Meetings: Monthly Dues: $19 and up Employees: 3 Founded: 1999 Contact: Crystal Gunn, Chair; Bartel Welch, President DETROIT CHINESE BUSINESS ASSOCIATION* 3250 W. Big Beaver Rd., Ste. 430

Troy 248-918-0391 dcba.com Members: 3,100 Focus: Michigan Meetings: Quarterly networking events, annual China Forum, U.S.-China business forum, Chinese New Year Gala, DCBA International Golf Open Dues: $300-$10,000 Employees: 3 Founded: 1995 Contact: Brian Gao, President DETROIT REGIONAL CHAMBER 777 Woodward Ave., Ste. 800 Detroit 313-964-4000 detroitchamber.com Members: 1,800 Focus: Serving the business community across 11 counties in southeast Michigan Meetings: More than 80 programs and events including the Mackinac Policy Conference; meetings with local, state, and national government officials; regional business events; leadership and talent development programs Dues: Vary Employees: 90 Founded: 1903 Contact: Lori Ostrow, Senior Director, Membership Engagement and Development DOWNRIVER BUSINESS ASSOCIATION 8225 Allen Rd., Ste. 134 Dearborn 313-595-2624 downriverbusinessassociation. com Members: 300+ Focus: Downriver communities, from Allen Park to Wyandotte Meetings: Monthly breakfast, lunch, and evening networking events; monthly women’s group; monthly book club; spring and fall business expos Dues: $225-$800 Employees: 3 Founded: 2005 Contact: Laura Fennell, Director EASTSIDE COMMUNITY CHAMBER 24840 Gratiot Ave., Ste. C Eastpointe 586-776-5520 eastsidecommunitychamber.org Members: 240 Focus: Eastpointe, Fraser, Roseville, and surrounding communities Meetings: Monthly networking events and After-5 events, Women in Business group, community events and awards dinners, Eastpointe State of the City, annual membership meeting, Christmas charity auction, educational webinars, multi-chamber events Dues: $85 to $300 Employees: 3 Founded: 1922; recognized

organization, 1944 Contact: Linda Weishaupt, Executive Director FERNDALE AREA CHAMBER OF COMMERCE 1938 Burdette St. Ferndale 248-542-2160 ferndaleareachamber.com Members: 300 Focus: Ferndale, Oak Park, Pleasant Ridge Meetings: Networking events (two morning, one lunch, and one after-hours), annual awards gala, annual Rainbow Run, annual Artist in You event Dues: $250-$450 Employees: 1 Founded: 1936 Contact: Joy R. Wells, Director of Operations FRENCH AMERICAN CHAMBER OF COMMERCE – MICHIGAN CHAPTER 2000 Town Center, Ste. 1800 Southfield 248-365-0535 faccmi.org Members: 5,000+ Focus: To contribute to the improvement of economic, commercial, and financial relations between France and the U.S. Meetings: Business seminars and round-table events with high-level speakers, networking receptions, annual meeting, annual gala and awards ceremony, and summer wine-tasting Dues: Several membership levels are available Employees: 1 Founded: 1992 Contact: Alice Weulersse, Executive Director GERMAN-AMERICAN BUSINESS COUNCIL OF MICHIGAN 2000 Town Center, Ste. 1800 Southfield 248-826-8806 gabcmi.org Members: 80 Focus: Foster investment and trade relations while cultivating business between Germany and the State of Michigan Meetings: Networking events, lunchtime speaker series, German Haus at NAIAS, annual fall dinner, monthly roundtable, August Welcome to Michigan event for all expats Dues: $25 (student), $150 (individual), $300 (small business), $500 (corporation) Employees: No full-time employees Founded: 1994 Contact: Henry Julicher, Vice President, Membership GREATER BRIGHTON AREA CHAMBER OF COMMERCE 218 E. Grand River Ave. Brighton 810-277-5086 brightoncoc.corg Members: 250

Focus: Charter Township of Lyon, Green Oak Township, New Hudson, Salem Township, South Lyon Meetings: Bimonthly breakfast, one after-hours monthly mixer, networking group, ribbon-cuttings, special events Dues: $195-$480 (based on size of business) Founded: 1965 Contact: Gavin Johnson, President & CEO GREATER FARMINGTON AREA CHAMBER OF COMMERCE 33227 Grand River Ave. Farmington 248-919-6917 gfachamber.com Members: 300 Focus: Farmington, Farmington Hills Meetings: Annual State of the Cities, multiple monthly networking/ professional development events, annual Health & Wellness Expo, new member welcome luncheons, Bunkers and Bogies golf outing, annual dinner and awards program Dues: $290-$5,000 Employees: 2 Founded: 2009 Contact: Susan Arlin, Executive Director GREATER WEST BLOOMFIELD CHAMBER OF COMMERCE 5745 W. Maple Rd., Ste. 206 West Bloomfield 248-626-3636 westbloomfieldchamber.com Members: 350 Focus: Keego Harbor, Orchard Lake, Sylvan Lake, West Bloomfield Meetings: Weekly networking events, business matchmaking, Connect with an Expert, V.I.B.E. (Virtual Innovative Business Event), leadership luncheon, holiday party, officer installation, health and wellness fair, annual awards dinner, W.I.N. (Women’s Inspiration Network), Cup of Connections, B.I.G. (Business Innovation Generator), R/X Health Connections, Senior Resource group, Y.E.N. (Young Entrepreneur group) Dues: $195-$5,000 Employees: 1 Founded: 1976 Contact: Suzanne Levine, Executive Director GROSSE POINTE CHAMBER OF COMMERCE 106 Kercheval Ave. Grosse Pointe Farms 313-881-4722 grossepointechamber.com Members: 500 Focus: The Grosse Pointe Chamber of Commerce fosters a thriving business environment and celebrates its community Meetings: Monthly socials before- and after-hours, Building Your Business Learn at Lunch programs, annual Membership Breakfast, Mayor’s Prayer Breakfast, Art Festival, Holiday Parade, Grosse Pointe Gift Card Program, social

media marketing, new business ribbon-cuttings, and Chamber Foundation Dues: $265-$3,500 Employees: 3 Founded: 2006 Contact: Lisa Frasier, Director of Finance HURON VALLEY CHAMBER OF COMMERCE 317 Union St. Milford 248-685-7129 huronvcc.com Members: 450 Focus: Commerce Township, Highland and Highland Township, Milford and Milford Township, White Lake Township Meetings: Monthly and bimonthly networking events, Milford Memories summer festival, coffee clubs, networking events Dues: $100 to $600 Employees: 4 Founded: 1962 Contact: Joell Beether, Executive Director IRISH NETWORK DETROIT Beverly Hills 231-590-0003 irishnetworkdetroit.com Members: 70 Focus: Individuals, businesspeople, and other community members working together to advance the business, culture, education, and civic welfare of the residents of Michigan who are of Irish descent Meetings: Vary Dues: $100 (full-time students under 25), $200 (business and professional level), $500 (Business Bronze), $800 (Business Platinum), $1,200 (Chairman’s Circle) Founded: 2012 Contact: Meghan Kennedy Riordan, President ITALIAN AMERICAN CHAMBER OF COMMERCE OF MICHIGAN 51194 Romeo Plank Rd., Ste. 354 Macomb 586-925-2020 iaccm.net Members: 190 Focus: Business and professional growth, inclusive of the organization’s Italian history and culture; commercial, educational, and charitable forums to inspire pride throughout the Italian community; establishing a relationship of trust and service Meetings: 10 meetings per year Dues: $400 Employees: 1 Founded: 1919 Contact: Mark Garagiola, President LAKES AREA CHAMBER OF COMMERCE 305 N. Pontiac Trail, Ste. A Walled Lake 248-624-2826 lakesareachamber.com Members: 420 Focus: Commerce Township, Union

Lake, Walled Lake, Waterford Township, White Lake, Wixom, and Wolverine Lake Meetings: Monthly business “spotlight” lunches, annual State of the Lakes luncheon, annual Black & White Awards Ball, First Friday and Third Thursday Coffee Connect, annual spring golf outing, Rockin’ summer concert, Women of Wisdom Luncheon, Jingle Mingle Mixer, and more Dues: $250-$600 Employees: 3 Founded: 1950 Contact: Sydney Lawson, Executive Director LIVONIA WESTLAND CHAMBER OF COMMERCE 33300 Five Mile Rd., Ste. 212 Livonia 734-427-2122 livonia.org Members: 940 Focus: Livonia and surrounding communities Meetings: Two to three monthly networking events, annual golf outing, annual home improvement show, diversity and inclusion training, Livonia State of the City Luncheon, Western Wayne Business Leadership Banquet Dues: $289-$1,000 Employees: 4 Founded: 1950 Contact: Dan West, President MACOMB COUNTY CHAMBER OF COMMERCE 28 First St., Ste. B Mount Clemens 586-493-7600 macombcountychamber.com Members: 1,000 Focus: Macomb County Meetings: Monthly networking and economic development and public policy meetings, Lake St. Clair Appreciation Day, Macomb County Hall of Fame, Athena Awards, aerospace and defense meetings, Blue Economy Initiative Dues: $335-$1,680 Employees: 6 Founded: 1892 Contact: Kelley Lovati, CEO MADISON HEIGHTS/HAZEL PARK CHAMBER OF COMMERCE 300 E. 13 Mile Rd. Madison Heights 248-542-5010 mhhpchamber.com Members: 300 Focus: Hazel Park, Madison Heights Meetings: Three monthly networking events, auction, State of the Cities annual address, golf outing, BRAND referral group Dues: $10-$1,000 Employees: 1 Founded: 1969 Contact: Linda Williams, Executive Director MICHIGAN HISPANIC CHAMBER OF COMMERCE* 1700 Harmon Rd., Ste. 1

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Auburn Hills 248-792-2763 mhcc.org Members: 240+ Focus: Promote the economic growth and sustainability of member businesses and the Hispanic business community across Michigan, enable access to business opportunities and developmental resources through programs and strategic initiatives in English and Spanish Meetings: Monthly third Thursdays Business Networking, Q1 Economic Forum Breakfast, Q2 Supplier Diversity Matchmaker, Q3 golf outing, Q4 Gala Hispana Fiesta Dues: $25-$3,300 Employees: 4 Founded: 1989 Contact: Mark A. Moreno, Executive Director MICHIGAN VETERANS CHAMBER OF COMMERCE 49575 Bog Rd., Ste. 3 Belleville 734-740-0807 veteranownedbusiness.com Members: 302 Focus: Supporting veterans, veteran-owned businesses, and veteran-supporting businesses Meetings: Monthly, at member locations Dues: $255 Founded: 2021 Contact: Tracy Congdon, Executive Director NATIONAL ASSOCIATION OF WOMEN BUSINESS OWNERS – GREATER DETROIT CHAPTER 26677 W. 12 Mile Rd. Southfield 313-961-4748 nawbogdc.org Members: 175 Focus: Southeast Michigan and NAWBO National Meetings: Networking events, professional development sessions, President’s Reception & Annual Meeting. Signature events include Top 10 Michigan Women Business Awards, PARtners Golf Outing, and Holiday Affair.

Dues: $120-$795 Employees: 1 Founded: 1980 Contacts: Mariyah Saifuddin, Chapter President NATIONAL BUSINESS LEAGUE – MIDWEST OFFICE 1001 Woodward Ave., Ste. 910 Detroit 313-818-3017 nationalbusinessleague.org Members: 15,760 Focus: The National Business League aims to empower and support Black-owned businesses through advocacy for economic development strategies such as entrepreneurship, procurement, community reinvestment, programmatic and professional development, and fostering economic activity in the

United States and the Pan-African Diaspora Meetings: Monthly Dues: $19 and up Employees: 3 Founded: 1900 Contact: Chad Rhodes, Regional Director NORTH OAKLAND REGIONAL CHAMBERS ASSOCIATION Divisions: Holly Area Chamber and Ortonville Area Chamber 3043 Grange Hall Rd., Ste. 10 Holly 248-215-7099 northoaklandchambers.com Members: 170 Focus: Brandon Township, Groveland Township, Holly Township, Rose Township, Springfield Township, Village of Holly, Village of Ortonville Meetings: Monthly board meeting, monthly networking breakfast, periodic after-hours networking events Dues: Tiered by business sector Employees: Volunteer board of directors, one paid president and CEO Founded: 1918 Contact: Richard Kinnamon, President & CEO NORTHVILLE CHAMBER OF COMMERCE 195 S. Main St. Northville 248-349-7640 northville.org Members: 400 Focus: Northville and surrounding communities Meetings: Coffee Connections, after-hours gatherings, new member receptions, Northville Community Awards dinner, State of the Community luncheon, farmers market, veteran banner program, flower sale, Memorial Day parade, Fourth of July parade, Victorian Festival, Streets of Treats, holiday lighted parade, greens market, holiday party, golf outing Dues: $275-$1,200 Employees: 2 Founded: 1964 Contact: Douglas Wallace, Executive Director NOVI CHAMBER OF COMMERCE 43155 Main St., Ste. 205 Novi 248-349-3743 novichamber.com Members: 350 Focus: Greater Novi area Meetings: Various networking events/month, educational seminars, Business Builders referral group, rising professionals, ambassadors, golf outing, No.VI Dinner Tour, holiday luncheon, Annual Awards Gala, EPIC lunch and learns, after-hours mixers, multi-chamber mixers Dues: $165-$792 Employees: 2 Founded: 1967 Contact: Katie Chuba, President

96 DBUSINESS || MAY - JUNE 2026

ORION AREA CHAMBER OF COMMERCE 1335 Joslyn Rd., Ste. 100 Lake Orion 248-693-6300 orionareachamber.com Members: 300+ Focus: Auburn Hills, Clarkston, Lake Orion, Orion Township, Oxford Meetings: Monthly morning and evening networking meetings, monthly luncheons, two annual community expos, Women in Business Conference, annual golf outing Dues: $35-$1,800 Employees: 3 Founded: 1950 Contact: Joyce Donaldson, President & CEO OXFORD CHAMBER OF COMMERCE P.O. Box 142 22 W. Burdick St. Oxford 248-628-0410 oxfordchamber.net Members: 250 Focus: Addison Oaks, Clarkston, Lake Orion, Lapeer, Metamora, Oxford Meetings: Monthly Coffee Connects and Mix & Mingles, annual State of the Community Breakfast, annual golf outing, annual small business expo, Christmas Parade, quarterly Lunch & Learns, Ambassadors Committee, Oxford Power Networking groups, ribbon-cuttings Dues: $250 Employees: 1 Founded: 1950 Contact: Jenine Sparks, Executive Director PHILIPPINE CHAMBER OF COMMERCE – MICHIGAN* 17356 Northland Park Ct., Ste. 200 Southfield 586-774-1800 pccmichigan.org Members: 90 Focus: Michigan Meetings: Monthly board meetings; networking and educational events; leadership, management, and organizational events Dues: $200-$1,200 Employees: Volunteer officers and board Founded: 2008 Contact: Betsy Henry-Vincenzetti, President PLYMOUTH COMMUNITY CHAMBER OF COMMERCE 850 W. Ann Arbor Trail Plymouth 734-453-1540 plymouthmich.org Members: 670 Focus: To stimulate growth and prosperity for a healthy business community Meetings: January and November Dues: $300-$1,600 Employees: 6 Founded: 1954 Contact: Wes Graff, President

PONTIAC REGIONAL CHAMBER 402 N. Telegraph Rd. Pontiac 248-335-9600 pontiacrc.com Members: 250 Focus: Pontiac and surrounding communities Meetings: Weekly, monthly, and quarterly networking; professional development events; and speakers Dues: Varies by company size (minimum $99/year, maximum $5,000/year) Employees: 2 Founded: 1904 Contact: Damany Head, President & Board Chair ROCHESTER REGIONAL CHAMBER OF COMMERCE 71 Walnut St., Ste. 110 Rochester 248-651-6700 rrc-mi.com Members: 700 Focus: Oakland Township, Rochester, Rochester Hills Meetings: Community Outlook Breakfast, Public Affairs Group, Sunrise Pinnacle Awards Ceremony, Coffee Talk networking, Ambassador Network, Preferred Client networking groups, Peer Solution groups, Women in Business Luncheon, annual golf outing, Rochester Area Hometown Christmas Parade and Memorial Day Parade of Heroes, Leadership Greater Rochester, Youth Leadership of Greater Rochester Dues: $325-$1,625 Employees: 5 Founded: 1955 Contact: Maggie Bobitz, President ROYAL OAK CHAMBER OF COMMERCE 200 S. Washington Ave. Royal Oak 248-547-4000 royaloakchamber.com Members: 500 Focus: Royal Oak and surrounding communities Meetings: Three monthly networking events; three community events each year: Royal Oak in Bloom, Summer Concert Series, Spooktacular; three networking groups: Business Women’s Network (quarterly), Network First (twice per month), and ROYAL — Royal Oak Young Ambitious Leaders (once per month) Dues: $345-$560 Employees: 4 Founded: 1936 Contact: Shelly Kemp, President SOUTHEAST MICHIGAN CHAMBER OF COMMERCE 59 Walnut Ave., Ste. 206 Mount Clemens 586-214-9116 semchamber.org Members: N/A Focus: Chesterfield, Clinton Township, Eastpointe, Lennox, Macomb Township, Mount Clemens, Richmond, Roseville,and the Village

of New Haven Meetings: Monthly luncheon meetings, Run Warren Center Line 5K, Cruisin’ 53, boat outing, Chesterfield 5K, North Gratiot Cruise, MCREST Good Samaritan Awards, MCREST homeless children’s Christmas party Dues: $250-$10,000 Employees: 5 Founded: 2013 Contact: John Johnson, CEO SOUTHERN WAYNE COUNTY REGIONAL CHAMBER 20904 Northline Rd. Taylor 734-284-6000 swcrc.com Members: 500+ Focus: Twenty-one southern Wayne County communities Meetings: Monthly morning and evening networking events, legislative and business forums, Young Professional group, Chamber Connection groups, Black Tie Gala and Expo, golf outing, Taste of Downriver, Women of Achievement Awards, Celebration of Downriver and Southern Wayne County, and more Dues: $255 Employees: 4 Founded: 1967 Contact: Ron Hinrichs, President SOUTHFIELD AREA CHAMBER OF COMMERCE 20300 Civic Center Dr., Ste. 1102 Southfield 248-557-6661 southfieldchamber.com Members: 300 Focus: Lathrup Village, Oak Park, Southfield Meetings: Monthly networking events, golf outing, State of the City, education series, Taste of Southfield Dues: $300-$15,000 Employees: 1 Founded: 1953 Contact: Jasmine Patton, Executive Director SWEDISH AMERICAN CHAMBER OF COMMERCE DETROIT 2000 Town Center, Ste. 1800 Southfield saccdetroit.org Members: Around 100 Focus: Enhance trade, commerce, and investment between the Detroit region and Sweden Meetings: Three major events per year, pub nights, and company tours/ visits Dues: $50-$1,000 Employees: 0 Founded: 1988 Contact: Andreas Waller, President TAIWANESE CHAMBER OF COMMERCE OF GREATER DETROIT* 6636 Maple Creek Blvd.

West Bloomfield 248-681-4068 Members: 75 Focus: Southeast Michigan

Meetings: Chinese New Year banquet, annual professional development seminars, picnic, golf outing, banquet Dues: $200 Employees: Volunteer board Founded: 1996 Contact: Roger Huang, President TROY CHAMBER OF COMMERCE 3838 Livernois, Ste. 123 Troy 248-641-8151 troychamber.com Members: 700+ Focus: Troy Meetings: Monthly morning, afternoon, and evening networking events; Tee Off Fore Troy golf outing; Top of Troy Women in Leadership event; Your City Your State Government Relations event, Made in Michigan holiday luncheon; quarterly CEO Series; TC Business Excellence Awards; economic development forums; diversity summit; Nonprofit Management Conference; outdoor summer series; young professional mixers, Troy Restaurant Week Dues: $375-$3,150 Employees: 5 Founded: 1959 Contact: Tara Tomcsik-Husak, President & CEO WATERFORD AREA CHAMBER OF COMMERCE 2309 Airport Rd. Waterford 248-666-8600 waterfordchamber.org Members: 550 Focus: Clarkston, Waterford, White Lake Meetings: Monthly and bimonthly networking events, periodic luncheons, annual State of the Township breakfast, annual Business and Home Expo, Networking Referral Groups, annual dinner and awards, annual golf classic, annual women’s event Dues: $225 Employees: 3 Founded: 1998 Contact: Nikki Tippett, Executive Director * Member of the Council of Ethnic Chambers of Commerce Source: DBusiness research

HAVEN SEEDS OF HOPE GALA

EAT DETROIT 2026

June 8 eatdetroit.info/#surveychat

May 1, 6 to 10 p.m. haven-oakland.org/haven-events/seeds-of-hope-gala

HAVEN will host its Seeds of Hope Gala at the Auburn Hills Marriott Pontiac, bringing together community leaders, advocates, and survivors. The evening supports services for survivors of intimate partner violence and sexual assault, with proceeds helping to provide safety, healing, and essential care throughout the community.

EAT Detroit is a one-night-only food and drink experience and fundraiser. Guests will explore participating restaurants and food trucks with tastings included.

Proceeds benefit SAY Detroit, supporting programs that provide pathways to success for Detroiters in need.

DERBY PARTY FUNDRAISER AT ABRAHAM RANCH

June 9 and 10 powerconnectionsco.com/commercial-real-estateconference-2026

May 2, 5 to 9 p.m. abrahamranch.com/derby

The Power Connections Commercial Real Estate Conference returns to Detroit in 2026, convening industry leaders for a day of networking, insights, and deal-making. The event features dynamic speakers and expanded programming, highlighting Michigan’s role as a hub for innovation, investment, and growth in commercial real estate.

The Abraham Ranch Derby Party invites guests to dress in derby or Western attire for an evening of food, drinks, and a live auction. Held on a scenic Clarkston estate, the event supports animal rescue and rehabilitation efforts for more than 50 rescued animals.

ACG DETROIT’S 11TH ANNUAL M&A ALL STAR AWARDS

May 6, 6 to 8:30 p.m. acg.org/detroit/events/acg-detroit-11th-annual-ma-all-starawards

The M&A All Star Awards celebrates top dealmakers in Detroit’s mergers and acquisitions community. Held at The Townsend Hotel, the evening features an awards program, open bar, and dining, offering a premier opportunity for professionals to connect, network, and celebrate industry achievements.

May 7, 5 p.m. stjohnguild.org

The St. John Guild will host its annual strolling dinner featuring bar stations, live music, and an awards program.

Proceeds benefit the purchase of a state-of-the-art radiation protection system for the Cardiac Catheterization Lab at Ascension St. John Hospital, enhancing patient care and safety.

LIGHTHOUSE’S 10TH ANNUAL RENT PARTY The Rent Party, hosted by Lighthouse, revives a Harlem Renaissance tradition with an evening of jazz, cocktails, dining, and a silent auction. Held at The Treasury in downtown Pontiac, the event supports housing and shelter programs, helping to provide stability for individuals and families in need.

SUNSET AT THE ZOO June 18, 7 p.m. start for general admission, 5 p.m. start for VIP, through 11 p.m. detroitzoo.org/events/sunset-at-the-zoo Sunset at the Zoo, presented by KeyBank, is the Detroit Zoological Society’s annual fundraising celebration. Guests will stroll the zoo with cocktails, enjoy local bites, bid on auction items, and dance to live music. Proceeds support conservation and the connection between people, animals, and the natural world.

AUBURN HILLS CHAMBER OF COMMERCE: WOMEN EMPOWERED June 8, 11 a.m. to 1:30 p.m. business.auburnhillschamber.com/events/details/womenempowered-2026-17270

THE GUILD’S 64TH ANNUAL STROLLING DINNER

May 7, 5:30 to 9 p.m. lighthousemi.org/rentparty

POWER CONNECTIONS COMMERCIAL REAL ESTATE

Women Empowered brings together high-achieving female executives for candid conversations on leadership, career growth, and overcoming challenges. Designed to inspire and connect, the program offers practical insights and networking opportunities for women looking to grow, lead, and advance in their professional journeys.

THE PARADE COMPANY’S FORD FIREWORKS ROOFTOP PARTY June 22, 5:30 to 11 p.m. theparade.org/ford-fi reworks/rooftop-party

The Parade Company’s Rooftop Party, presented by Ford, returns as Detroit’s summer kickoff alongside the Ford Fireworks. Held atop the Center Garage, the evening features food, drinks, and entertainment, with proceeds supporting The Parade Company’s year-round events and programming.

ADV E RTI SE ME NT

Closing Bell

Detroit Sound

Joe’s Records used its small studio to record blues and gospel artists, and achieved a profound reach during its 22 years in business.

98 DBUSINESS || May - June 2026

CHART TOPPER A customer shops at Joe’s Records in Detroit, where works by gospel, blues, and early R&B artists were displayed for sale. First opened in 1945 in Detroit’s Black Bottom neighborhood, the store included a recording studio that was used by John Lee Hooker, Jackie Wilson, Little Sonny, and other artists.

To market the tunes, Von Battle established J.V.B. Records and other labels. Artists he produced ranged from jazz guitarist Kenny Burrell, who ultimately became a professor at UCLA, to bluesman John Lee Hooker, who Philpot remembers “sometimes slept on the couch in the back of the shop.”

Besides the studio, Von Battle undertook live recordings in clubs and churches. A signature effort was the long collaboration with the pastor of New Bethel Baptist Church in Detroit. Signs at Joe’s proclaimed, “We have records by Rev. C.L. Franklin.”

Known as “The Man with the Million-Dollar Voice,” Rev. Franklin preached and sang his way through more than 75 albums. When his 14-year-old daughter, Aretha, cut her first gospel album, Von Battle helmed the controls.

Business was booming, but Von Battle’s entrepreneurial spirit remained unquenched. Late in 1956, the Tribune reported he would invest $50,000 in a film to be shot in the 5,000-seat auditorium of King Solomon Baptist Church. “Detroit’s sensational gospel preacher” announced the project at a press luncheon in the Gotham Hotel near Orchestra Hall. The filming would take place on Easter Sunday, 1957.

Filling the bill would be the Soul Stirrers, the Dixie Hummingbirds, Sister Rosetta Tharpe, and Sammie Bryant — with New Bethel’s choir of 300 supplying extra bounce. As the highlight, Rev. Franklin would deliver “one of his greatest sermons.”

There’s no trace of a finished film, but Rev. Franklin was portrayed by actor Forest Whitaker in “Respect,” a 2021 docudrama. Von Battle himself awaits cinematic interpretation.

In the intended jump from records to film, he prefigured one of his customers, Barry Gordy, who shopped for records and yearned to follow in Von Battle’s footsteps.

Gordy, along with his team, went on to write and produce smash hits at Motown Records, of course, and then went full Hollywood with “Lady Sings the Blues.”

Any depiction of Von Battle would necessarily present him with a drink in hand. The bibulous father of eight died in 1973 at age 57. By then, urban renewal had replaced Hastings Street with the Chrysler Freeway.

Joe’s Records moved to 12th Street in 1960, but was ravaged in the 1967 Rebellion. Unfortunately, monuments are scarce; the largest trace of Von Battle’s empire is found in his enduring contributions to what became known as the Detroit Sound.

COURTESY MARSHA MUSIC

E

veryone knew the house would rock and the Streamline Moderne marquee would shake when Paul Williams brought his sizzling combo to the Duke Theatre in Oak Park for another hot showing.

It was one of the last tour dates of 1949 after Williams’ record — “The Hucklebuck” — spent 14 weeks at No. 1 on the R&B chart.

“Paul has never forgotten the friends who helped him get started,” the Detroit Tribune reported at the time.

After honing his saxophone skills in orchestras at Northeastern and Cass Technical high schools in Detroit, Williams embarked on a professional career. His big break came from an obscure point of origin.

“He met the owner of a record shop named Joe Battle, who delighted in the saxophonist’s original instrumentations,” the Detroit Tribune article explained.

With ears afire, Von Battle — the Georgia transplant added “Von” for distinctiveness — introduced Williams to Savoy Records, and the label sponsored his studio sessions in New York City. In tribute to Von Battle, Williams released a follow-up, “Thirty-Five Thirty.”

The song name-checked the address of Joe’s Records at 3530 Hastings St., a location on the western border of Black Bottom on the city’s east side that Von Battle had established.

“Family history says that in 1945, a Jewish widow who was selling out her business (a general store), offered him a deal on her Hastings Street storefront and Joe soon opened up shop,” daughter Marsha Philpot wrote. Starting with discs from home, he built an inventory of 35,000 records. At the back of the shop, a simple studio served the mission of recording dozens of blues and gospel artists.

BY RONALD AHRENS

REAL ESTATE

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