DBusiness | November-December 2023

INSIDE: TOP LAWYERS | REAL ESTATE AWARDS | CEO GIFT GUIDE November - December 2023 2024 mIcHIGAN ecoNomIc ForecAST | ToP LAWYerS | reAL eSTATe AWArDS

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CONTENTS

11-12.23

Commercial Real Estate Awards

40 Resort

Life

FOCUS: Recreational retreats in metro Detroit,

many flush with record revenue generated during the pandemic, are making major investments in their facilities to further their standing as safe havens from hardships and mishaps. By Dan Calabrese

47 Commercial

Real Estate Awards PERSPECTIVES: Introducing the inaugural DBusiness Commercial Real Estate Awards honoring the 21 people, companies, and projects that are transforming metro Detroit.

By R.J. King

57 Top

Lawyers The region’s top attorneys in various practice categories, as voted by their peers through Professional Research Services.

TREVER LONG

47 74 Time

Bomb The national debt, at $33 trillion, is an explosive weight around the neck of the economy as 2024 nears.

By Tim Keenan

18 DBUSINESS || November - December 2023

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Foreword 22

LETTER FROM THE EDITOR

22

READERS' LETTERS

24

CONTRIBUTORS

11-12.23

CONTENTS

Commentary 28 STEEL WORKS The automotive industry could see higher prices for the steel used in gas-powered and electric vehicles, as well as in related industries like transportation and infrastructure, if a proposed takeover of United States Steel Corp. is consummated.

28 READING 101 Gov. Gretchen Whitmer this summer finally turned her attention to reversing Michigan’s falling population levels — but the effort, if successful, will be for naught if public schools aren’t improved.

28 RECRUIT BOOST The U.S. military needs to enlist the help of veterans organizations to boost lagging recruitment.

30 COMPENDIUM How outsiders view Detroit.

The Ticker

35 POWER RESERVES Lexicon Tax Strategies Group in Shelby Township specializes in energy tax savings.

By Tim Keenan 35 DUAL SITES Henry Ford Health is building out two campuses to advance medical care, research, and community stability. By R.J. King 36 DIRECT CARE Plum Health in Detroit is expanding its direct primary care practice across metro Detroit.

By R.J. King 36 PDA Q&A Lydia Michael, owner and president, Blended Collective, Detroit. By R.J. King 38 FLUE RATE Hoodz International in Ann Arbor expands franchising opportunities. By Jim Stickford 38 FLASH EV Following record orders for the EV F-150 Lightning model pickup truck, Ford Motor Co. in Dearborn is introducing the Flash.

By Jim Stickford

34

NICK HAGEN

34 CROWNING ACHIEVEMENT How two brothers built up a local dental practice without turning it into a commodity.

By R.J. King

Exec Life

Et Cetera

86 CEO GIFT GUIDE Surprise chief executives who think they have everything with a Tiffany Race Car Clock, a whirlwind trip to all of the world’s Disney parks, or a trip to space.

By Valentina Tersigni

94 PATENTS AND INVENTIONS Midland Marvel: Herbert Henry Dow, founder of Dow Chemical, developed multiple advances in the chemical industry and received more than 90 patents. By Norm Sinclair

88 RETURN ON INVESTMENT Cross-Country: Grosse Pointe native John Rowady built up a sports marketing agency in Chicago and went on to acquire a luxury automobile promotions group in Sterling Heights. By Tom Murray

96 OPINION Lifestyle Medicine: It’s a new era in health care, marked by an increased focus on preventive care and holistic well-being.

By Dr. Jon Dean

91 PRODUCTION RUN Ornamental Income: A church musician pivots to importing Polish Christmas decorations. By Tim Keenan

98 THE CIRCUIT Our party pics from exclusive events.

103 FROM THE TOP Largest Hospital Systems in Michigan, Largest Multitenant Office Buildings.

106 CLOSING BELL End of the Line: The congested streetcar system used to drive Detroiters crazy, but not enough to make them accept proposals to build a subway.

By Ronald Ahrens ON THE COVER Illustration by Brian Britigan

20 DBUSINESS || November - December 2023

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Letters

Slow Burn

B

efore elected officials for governor and the Legislature take office in Michiggan, an, they swear an oath to support the state’s constitution.

One of the fundamental provisions of the constitution confers: “The public health and general welfare of the people of the state are hereby declared to be matters of primary public concern. The Legislature shall pass suitable laws for the protection and promotion of the public health.”

So what happens when elected officials fail to work on behalf of all of R.J. KING the state’s citizens?

Consider that the very first measures the current Legislature undertook, with the full support of Gov. Gretchen Whitmer, were to take care of themselves and the unions that support them. If they were working on behalf of all citizens, they would have immediately addressed the state’s failing schools, poor infrastructure, and rising crime.

The unions, which represent 10.1 percent of all U.S. workers (the lowest number of union workers on record) detested the state’s Right to Work laws, they wanted taxpayers to pay for union dues, and they wanted greater sway over elected officials. The new Legislature and the governor obliged them.

Because the unions provide enormous amounts of campaign donations and support to Democratic politicians, is it any wonder they’ve become rubber stamps in doing the union’s bidding? Such support stifles new initiatives, promotes grandstanding and ignorance, instills laziness and apathy, and keeps the union’s wants front and center.

But outside the legislative bubble of Lansing, real and alarming problems exist. According to a final report released in early October by the Citizens Research Council of Michigan, the state is slowly burning.

According to the study: “Michigan is suffering from stagnant population growth, brain drain, a shrinking workforce, declining health of its people, and increasingly outdated infrastructure. Our ability to stay competitive in comparison to other parts of the country is in jeopardy. We are now finding ourselves in the bottom third of national rankings, including 34th in household income, 36th in K-12 educational outcomes, 39th in health outcomes, 45th in electric service reliability, and 47th in road conditions.”

That’s quite a turnaround from 2018, the last year of Gov. Rick Snyder’s term, when the state consistently scored in the top 10 on national rankings (when he took office in 2011 following Gov. Jennifer Granholm, now U.S. Energy Secretary, Michigan was one of the worst states in the nation).

Lest one think the report was partisan, it was funded by a wide range of nonprofit entities: the Charles Stewart Mott Foundation, Kresge Foundation, Ralph C. Wilson Jr. Foundation, Hudson-Webber Foundation, Grand Rapids Community Foundation, W.K. Kellogg Foundation, Max M. and Marjorie S. Fisher Foundation, Joyce Foundation, Skillman Foundation, the Michigan Health Endowment Fund, and the Ballmer Group.

The good news is Michigan is a low tax state. The state and local tax burden in 2022 was 46th among all states, and Michigan has a combined effective tax rate of 8.6 percent — lower than all but two neighboring states and significantly below the 11.2 percent national average.

Given that status, why aren’t people flocking to live and set up business here? Even as state officials attempt to shower companies with money to move here, few do so.

So how do we turn things around? It starts with the governor and the Legislature focusing on making Michigan a top state for business, education, infrastructure, and public safety. Everything else is just noise and politics as usual.

R.J. King rjking@dbusiness.com

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.

DETROIT 500

I just looked at the DBusiness 2023 Detroit 500 and it’s brilliant. I have a vague idea how challenging it is to produce an accurate, high-quality 500-entry directory (with photos) — and it looks as though you and your team have risen to the occasion and delivered a most useful resource and a beautiful publication.

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DETROIT INCLUSIVE

Detroit’s downtown has come a long way since I last visited a quarter century ago.

I was energized by seeing dozens of grand buildings, vacant in 1998, given new life and making the core of Detroit one of the most authentic places I’ve been.

I travel the world, speaking about universal design and creating a better built environment for people with disabilities. I recently did a walking workshop, staff briefing, and follow-up visual report on issues and opportunities for the Downtown Detroit Partnership (DDP). ...

When I shared my images and observations with DDP CEO Eric Larson and his team, I was gratified by their holistic commitment to inclusion. It wasn’t lip service. It was dedicated professionals focusing on great spaces ... and making them even better for people with disabilities.

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Contributors

CONTRIBUTORS DETROIT’S PREMIER BUSINESS JOURNAL

VOLUME 18 • ISSUE 6 PUBLISHER Jason Hosko

NORM SINCLAIR

Norm Sinclair has been a contributing writer for DBusiness for nearly a decade, during which time he’s produced a variety of cover stories including the demise of Art Van Furniture, the resurrection of the Westin Book Cadillac Hotel, 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 inventive mind of Herbert Henry Dow. CONTRIBUTION: Writer, Patents and Inventions | SEE IT HERE: Page 94

VALENTINA TERSIGNI

Valentina Tersigni has been working as an intern at DBusiness for the fall 2023 semester. She currently is a senior studying graphic design at Oakland University in Rochester Hills. Throughout her internship this fall, she has been partnering with the design department, assisting with photo shoots, and doing layouts to be used within the magazine — specifically in this issue Commentary, Compendium, Opinion, and Closing Bell. Tersigni says she’s “excited to be a part of the team” and she appreciates “all of the valuable skills and relationships” that she’s gained throughout her internship. When she’s not working or studying, Tersigni enjoys traveling, spending time with her family and friends, trying out new restaurants, and relaxing outdoors.

CONTRIBUTION: Intern, Designer | SEE IT HERE: Pages 27, 30, 96, 106

BRIAN BRITIGAN

Brian Britigan is a Minneapolis-based illustrator, artist, and educator. Born and raised in Iowa City, Iowa, he studied art and animation at the University of Washington in Seattle before earning his MFA in illustration from the School of Visual Arts in New York City. Working as a freelance illustrator since 2015, Britigan creates images for print and online publications, animations for documentary projects, and original artworks for gallery exhibitions. In addition to earning a gold medal from the Society of Illustrators, his work has received recognition from American Illustration, Communication Arts, 3×3, and Spectrum, as well as a News & Documentary Emmy nomination. For this issue, he illustrated the cover and provided art for the cover story.

CONTRIBUTION: Artist, Cover and Cover Story | SEE IT HERE: Cover, Page 74

CONTRIBUTING WRITERS Ronald Ahrens, Dan Calabrese, Dr. Jon Dean, Tom Murray, Norm Sinclair CONTRIBUTING ARTISTS Brian Britigan, Patrick Gloria, Nick Hagen, Trever Long, Jamey Price, Sal Rodriguez, Rebecca Simonov, James Yang

EDITORIAL EDITOR R.J. King MANAGING EDITOR Tim Keenan ASSOCIATE EDITOR Jim Stickford COPY EDITOR Anne Berry Daugherty INTERN Valentina Tersigni DESIGN CREATIVE DIRECTOR Lindsay Richards ART DIRECTOR Justin Stenson SENIOR PRODUCTION ARTIST Stephanie Daniel JUNIOR ART DIRECTOR Steven Prokuda GRAPHIC DESIGNER Kathryn Dave ADVERTISING SALES ACCOUNT EXECUTIVES Cynthia Barnhart, Karli Brown, Cathleen Francois, Donna Kassab, Lisa LaBelle, Mary Pantely and Associates, Jessica VanDerMaas DIGITAL SALES LEAD Scott Drummond PRODUCTION PRODUCTION DIRECTOR Jenine Knox SENIOR PRODUCTION COORDINATOR Jill Berry PRODUCTION ARTIST Jonathan Boedecker ADVERTISING COORDINATOR Amanda Kozlowski GRAPHIC DESIGNER Jim Bibart VIDEO GENERAL MANAGER OF VIDEO PRODUCTION Nick Britsky VIDEO PRODUCER Nicole Toporowski VIDEOGRAPHER Heather Moody DIGITAL DIRECTOR OF DIGITAL STRATEGY Travis Cleveland DIGITAL DEVELOPMENT MANAGER Matt Cappo SR. DIGITAL DEVELOPMENT SPECIALIST Luanne Lim DIGITAL DEVELOPMENT SPECIALIST Jim Bowser DIGITAL MEDIA ASSISTANT Robyn Banks IT IT DIRECTOR Jeremy Leland CIRCULATION DIRECTOR OF AUDIENCE DEVELOPMENT Geralyn Wilson CIRCULATION MANAGER Riley Meyers CIRCULATION COORDINATORS David Benvenuto, Susan Combs, Cathy Krajenke, Rachel Moulden, Michele Wold MARKETING AND EVENTS MARKETING AND EVENTS MANAGER Jodie Svagr MARKETING AND EVENTS COORDINATOR Jaime Presnail COMMUNICATIONS AND PR Regan Blissett MARKET RESEARCH MARKETING RESEARCH DIRECTOR Sofia Shevin MARKETING RESEARCH COORDINATOR Kristin Mingo MARKETING SALES COORDINATOR Alex Thompson MARKETING RESEARCH COORDINATOR Alyssa Fueri MARKETING RESEARCH SALES ASSISTANT Cassandra Morris JUNIOR GRAPHIC DESIGNER Kendra Okamoto BUSINESS CEO Stefan Wanczyk PRESIDENT John Balardo DIRECTOR OF BUSINESS OPERATIONS Kathie Gorecki ASSISTANT OFFICE MANAGER Natasha Bajju SENIOR ACCOUNTING ASSOCIATE Andrew Kotzian ACCOUNTING ASSOCIATES Sammi Dick, Kate Manley, Austin Schmelzle DISTRIBUTION Target Distribution, Troy

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JAMES YANG

11-12.23

COMMENTARY

28 A BUSINESS THAT MAKES NOTHING BUT MONEY IS A POOR BUSINESS.” — HENRY FORD, FOUNDER, FORD MOTOR CO.

p. 28

p. 30

Steel Works

Compendium

Reading 101 Recruit Boost November - December 2023 || DBUSINESS.COM 27

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Commentary

AUTOMOTIVE

Steel Works

T

INSIDE THE NUMBERS

44

BILLION

$

Combined revenue of Cleveland-Cliffs and U.S. Steel

MILLION METRIC TONS

132

Annual steel production of global industry leader China Baowu

MILLION METRIC TONS

31

Combined annual steel production of Cleveland-Cliffs and U.S. Steel

Sources: Cleveland-Cliffs Inc., Association for Iron and Steel Technology, World Steel Association

he automotive industry could see higher prices for the steel used in gas-powered and electric vehicles, as well as in related industries like transportation and infrastructure, if a proposed takeover of United States Steel Corp. is consummated. Before that happens, though, antitrust authorities would need to sign off on a prospective acquisition.

Given the high cost of EVs relative to vehicles powered by internal combustion engines, any rise in prices will further complicate consumer acceptance of electric-powered cars and trucks. Right now, the average cost for an EV is $64,000 (before any subsidies), compared to $48,000 for a gas-powered vehicle.

Higher pricing is one reason pure electric vehicles are starting to pile up on dealer lots. Adding more costs to the equation would slow sales even further. As it stands, automotive leaders like Jim Farley, president and CEO of Ford Motor Co. in Dearborn, have revealed that they already charge more for gas-powered vehicles just to make up for sizeable losses in the government-mandated EV sector.

In August, Cleveland-Cliffs Inc. made public an offer to acquire Pittsburgh-based U.S. Steel for $35 a share, which the company rejected. It came on the heels of an offer for U.S. Steel from Esmark Inc., an industrial conglomerate in Pittsburgh. Both prospective buyers state that merging U.S. Steel into their respective operations would lower costs and provide for more innovation.

But given the U.S. steel industry is highly concentrated and sells its output at more expensive prices relative to foreign competitors, additional consolidation would give manufacturers added leverage to boost prices. The cost issue is compounded by quotas set by the U.S. government to use domestic steel for infrastructure, automobiles, and other markets in order to win contracts and realize any subsidies.

The Big Four of the U.S. steel industry is led by Nucor, followed

by Cleveland-Cliffs, U.S. Steel, and Steel Dynamics, according to the World Steel Association. Cleveland-Cliffs, which produces hot- and cold-rolled steel, stainless steel, tubular components, and other metal products for the automotive, infrastructure, and manufacturing industries, would be the most likely to complete a deal for U.S. Steel.

The company’s operations include Dearborn Works ( formerly Rouge Steel), and it owns Ferrous Processing & Trading Co. in Detroit, which has multiple locations in the region as well as in Florida, Ohio, Tennessee, Canada, and Mexico. Cleveland-Cliffs is the largest producer of flat-rolled steel and iron ore pellets in North America, and the end products are used to manufacture car frames, bodies, doors, and fenders, as well as food cans (both steel and tin).

Lourenco Goncalves, president, CEO, and chairman of Cleveland-Cliffs, says a merger with U.S. Steel would “create the only American member of the Top 10 steel companies in the world, joining a select group of just three other companies outside of China — one European, one Japanese, and one Korean.”

In the same vein, Goncalves states that “having Cleveland-Cliffs as a world-class, internationally competitive steel company is critical for our country to retain its economic leadership and to regain its manufacturing independence.”

But at what price to consumers, who eventually pay for any rising costs in the supply chain?

EDUCATION

READING 101 IN HER FIFTH YEAR in office, Gov. Gretchen

Whitmer this summer finally turned her attention to reversing Michigan’s falling population levels — but the effort, if successful, will be for naught if public schools aren’t improved. If reading and math results continue on a downward path under Whitmer’s administration, even more people will need to be enticed to move here.

The next generation of workers is being shortchanged by the state, as evidenced by the 2023 Michigan Student Test of Educational Progress, or M-STEP. The latest figures show 40.9 percent of third-grade students in public schools passed the state’s English language arts test. That’s down from 2002 (41.6 percent) and 2001 (42.8 percent), and demonstrates a severe decline from the 45.1 percent reported in 2019.

One of the best ways to reverse the decline is through individual tutoring, but Whitmer so far has shown little support for one-on-one training for struggling students. When the state recently passed its largest budget in history, some $150 million was allocated to the MI Kids Back on Track program, but Whitmer has provided few details about how the program would be implemented — and there’s no matching grant program to help individual public school districts raise even more money to improve educational outcomes.

If the state is to see progress in education, Whitmer must do the hard work of leading a turnaround rather than blaming the problem on her favorite scapegoat: COVID-19.

DEFENSE

RECRUIT BOOST THE UNITED STATES MILITARY, save for the

Marine Corps, is having a hard time meeting its recruitment goals. Strong demand for jobs in the private sector is one culprit, especially as annual pay has risen sharply in recent years.

Another impediment is the military’s lack of communication with veterans’ organizations.

According to the most recent data, the U.S. Air Force was 3,000 recruits below its annual target of drawing some 27,000 new volunteers last year. At the same time, the U.S. Navy fell around 10,000 recruits short of its 38,000 goal, while the U.S. Army came up 25 percent shy of its desired class of 65,000 enrollees.

U.S. Army Secretary Christine Wormuth admitted the military’s failure to stay in close contact with veterans’ groups has been a problem. “Right now, we are not in a comprehensive, structured way leveraging our relationships with veterans’ organizations,” Wormuth recently told The Wall Street Journal.

To help turn the tide, the Army, Navy, and Air Force have started offering remedial programs to underqualified recruits and have enhanced some benefits. But the biggest bang for the buck will likely come from improving ties with veterans, given some 80 percent of Army recruits, for example, have a family member who once served in the military.

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PROFESSIONAL

Leaf And Bud Mark Savaya has created a Michigan cannabis company unlike any other - how many people have their own brand-label cannabis? Yes, there is the Mark Savaya Collection, a hybrid-strain that he bred himself and is only available at Leaf & Bud, a growing number of Michigan-area centers offering both medical and recreational cannabis.

As co-founder and CEO of Future Grow Solutions, Savaya directs a Henry Ford-like integrated system for medical and recreational marijuana products.

“Future Grow Solutions is a Michigan-based company and was created to help the cannabis industry maximize their profits and produce exceptional products,” Savaya said. “With the constant changing of the laws and technology, our team at Future Grow Solutions help our clients with consulting in all aspects of the cannabis industry.”

Savaya and his team recently introduced Leaf & Bud Provisioning Center as a way to sell what they produce in their Detroit and Center Line facilities. “It was an outgrowth of Future Grow Solutions,” he says. “Our Leaf & Bud brand uses only premium nutrients and we handcraft all our own batches of edibles, concentrates, topicals, oils, and additional products.”

“It has been an incredible journey to bring Leaf & Bud to the Detroit community,” Savaya said. “I like to think I have put a lot of thought into the buying experience. Our locations are sleek, inviting, state-of-the-art, and futuristic in design.

Our cannabis consultants are knowledgeable about our products and take time to understand customer needs and requests — whether medical or recreational.”

Savaya, who oversees multiple cannabis complexes across the state in various stages of development, has spent 16 years cultivating an ambitious and enterprising cannabis growth and retail business. He brings his many years of experience as a successful start-up business investor and daily operations manager to Michigan’s medicinal and recreational marijuana market.

Under his leadership, Future Grow Solutions has revolutionized the way cannabis is grown and harvested.

“Our indoor grow facilities allow us to produce more than 50 different strains indoors using soil organic growth,” he says. “This method produces high-yield crops to meet consumer demand.

“We specialize in exotic, quality products. The technology that we are employing is truly state-ofthe-art, economical, and environmentally friendly.

Our computer management systems monitor and manage every key aspect of our grow rooms to ensure optimum outcomes.”

Savaya expects - and is excited - to see Leaf

& Bud continue to grow along with the high demand and medical need for cannabis products in Michigan. He has truly found his passion in helping others and making a positive impact in his community and beyond.

“It’s not work if you love what you do,” he says.

“I get very excited when I can help growers and investors in all that is involved with the cannabis business, including securing real estate, finding finances, establishing a reliable security system, ensuring compliance, and helping to recruit the right talent.

“In addition to overseeing the daily operation of training and support of the grow operations, I am able to grow my business close to home by

opening more Leaf & Bud locations and selling our quality products.”

Including the Mark Savaya Collection.

Leaf & Bud

500 S. Old Woodward, 2nd Floor Birmingham, MI 48009 1-833-LEAF-BUD leafandbud.com

PROMOTIONAL CONTENT

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Commentary

COMPENDIUM: HOW OUTSIDERS VIEW DETROIT AT DETROIT’S HAMTRAMCK STADIUM, VOLUNTEER CREW REVIVES NEGRO LEAGUE’S HISTORY THE ATHLETIC SEPT. 1, 2023

BY CODY STAVENHAGEN

The scene at Hamtramck Stadium was a mess. Only a few short years ago, the old playing surface was covered with tall grass and tangling weeds. There were worn-down patches in the outfield, where local children played soccer.

There was a concrete strip where they played cricket.

The front of the dilapidated grandstand was covered with trees and twisting roots. There were no dugouts, no dirted infield, no fence, no baselines.

There was almost no reminder of what this place once was, and of why it matters today, as one of a handful of Negro League ballparks still in existence.

It’s hard to believe how far it has come since that time. Hamtramck Stadium has now been revived. A couple of summers ago, they had the infield laser-graded, laid Kentucky Bluegrass sod and poured DuraEdge sand mix on the ground. They dedicated the field and named it after Negro League legend Turkey Stearnes. The people who did much of this, who helped transform a forgotten ballpark into a gem restored, are all volunteers.

On a recent Monday morning, a mower hums in the outfield, shoes scrape across the gravel by the dugouts, and the Hamtramck Stadium Grounds Crew is at work once again.

“Without them, there is no Hamtramck Stadium,” said Mike Wilson, president of the stadium’s board.

The Grounds Crew has four main members — Tom Derry, brothers Roy and Kirk Jeffery, and Dan Theriault. The men mow the field, tend to the dirt and do a wide range of other projects. They devote their springs and summers to this ballpark, a place that hosted 13 tournaments and a jumble of other events this past year.

“Just look at this,” Wilson said.

At home plate, there is a dark blue tarp with a logo representing Hamtramck Stadium printed in the middle. It is sleek and professional, but since the Friends of Historic Hamtramck Stadium purchased the tarp in 2020, cleats have torn a few small holes in the tarp. Members of the Hamtramck Stadium Grounds Crew went on their own to buy and install patches.

“So many little things these guys do over and above the call of duty, out of their own coffers or pockets,” Wilson said.

“These guys are phenomenal, man.”

The work at Hamtramck

Stadium has helped patch a hole in Detroit’s baseball history. Hamtramck is an enclave of Detroit, located about five miles north of the city’s downtown. …

IN DETROIT, A FRENCH BRASSERIE THAT FEELS LIKE A PORTAL TO PARIS T MAGAZINE AUG. 31, 2023

BY CHRISTOPHER KUO

Detroit has sometimes been called the Paris of the Midwest and, as of August, the city has a new brasserie that might easily suit the French capital: Le Suprême, located in Book Tower, a recently restored mixed-use building downtown.

Method Co., the company behind the Pinch hotel in Charleston, S.C., and the Quoin in Wilmington, Del., among others, oversaw the concept and design, which includes a green-tiled cafe and barroom, a main dining room accented with oxblood leather booths and antique sconces and a 24-seat private dining room.

The breakfast menu includes house-made pastries and bread, which guests can eat while sitting on wooden benches designed to mimic the seating at Paris Metro stations. The eclectic artwork displayed on the walnut-paneled walls includes old jazz concert posters from Detroit and

photographs inspired by France’s Le Mans car race.

The restaurant’s menu features seafood towers as well as a range of Parisian specialties, such as moules frites, soupe à l’oignon gratinée, and steak au poivre.

THE 5 NEW VEHICLES THAT DEBUTED AT DETROIT’S AUTO SHOW 2023

NEWSWEEK• SEPT. 14, 2023 • BY JAKE LINGEMAN The Detroit auto show may not hold the weight it used to, falling behind Los Angeles and New York in importance, but it still features big debuts every year from its newly named home at Huntington Place in the downtown area. This year was mainly about the Detroit three automakers, Ford, General Motors, and Stellantis, who each premiered vehicles that are important to their bottom line.

Other brands are represented at the show, the public days of which ran from Sept. 16-24, including Ferrari, Lamborghini, and the German luxury marques, who were represented by local dealers. There were also electric vehicles to see from all brands.

About a third of Huntington Place was reserved for drives of those electric vehicles including the Chevrolet Bolt, GMC Hummer EV, and Ford F-150 Lightning, among others. Jeep also had an off-road course for attendees to enjoy.

Here are the biggest reveals from the 2023 Detroit Auto Show: The 2025 Cadillac CT5 arrives with a new front fascia and more equipment standard. Buyers can choose between a 237-horsepower (hp) four-cylinder engine or a 335-hp twin-turbo six-cylinder engine. All power is routed through a ten-speed automatic transmission to the rear or all four wheels.

In addition to the Google Built-in infotainment architecture, the CT5 is now available with a 5G Wi-Fi hotspot, Blind Zone Steering Assist, and Intersection Automatic Emergency Braking. The latter watches for cars going through an intersection as the sedan approaches. …

The 2024 Ford F-150 debuted as well, continuing the 14th generation of America’s best-selling pickup. The F-150 gets a gentle redesign as well as new bumper and wheel options. The coolest feature is the new Pro Access tailgate

that can open traditionally or like a horizontal swinging door.

Ford dropped its 3.3-liter six-cylinder engine from the lineup, but still has six to choose from including the massively powerful 5.2-liter supercharged V8 in the Ford Raptor R. The PowerBoost hybrid and EcoBoost six-cylinder are still available. …

The 2024 GMC Acadia also took the stand in Detroit, bigger and bolder than the vehicle it replaced. It’s 10.6 inches longer and 3.2 inches taller than the previous generation, contributing to 80 percent more cargo behind the third row and 36 percent more behind the second row.

The 2024 Acadia can seat seven or eight passengers, depending on the trims, which now include Elevation, Premium, the off-road focused AT4 and the luxurious Denali and Denali Ultimate. All trims are motivated by a 328-hp, 2.5-liter turbocharged four-cylinder engine. …

The new 2024 Jeep Gladiator Mojave and Gladiator Rubicon rolled onto the stage and onto a makeshift off-road course at Huntington Place. The pickup-style Jeeps come with a new seven-slot grille, up to 7,700 pounds of towing, three roof choices and either half doors or removable doors. …

The 2023 Detroit Auto Show was a little light on new product but there was still plenty to see from all the automakers along with the opportunity to get up close, personal and inside new vehicles. And for those who haven’t driven an electric vehicle yet, it was an easy opportunity to do so.

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Commentary

THIS FLYING CAR JUST WOWED THE DETROIT AUTO SHOW. IT COULD BE IN THE SKIES BY 2025.

ROBB REPORT • SEPT. 26, 2023 • BY JACLYN TROP

A flying car sketched on a Silicon Valley coffee shop napkin in 2015 made its public debut eight years later at the 2023 Detroit Auto Show.

Alef Aeronautics, a California-based start-up, unveiled its Model A prototype to unusually large crowds that circled the curvy, UFO-like contraption, punctuated with a bubble-like compartment for two passengers. Alef is one of a half-dozen manufacturers in the U.S., Europe, and Asia planning to introduce flying cars in the next few years that are street legal. The list also includes the Pal V Liberty, Samson Switchblade, Aska A5, Klein Vision AirCar, and Doroni H1.

Though the concept in Detroit showcased the Model A’s exterior design, it did not drive, fly, or open to show the passenger cabin. “It’s still not the final consumer version,” Alef founder and CEO Jim Dukhovny told Robb Report during an interview after the press event. “But at this point, it’s pretty close.”

The Model A’s blue underbody encases its four tires, each with an individual motor for the flying car’s drive mode. A silver, lightweight carbon-fiber mesh overlays its eight propellers, each with an independent, software-controlled electric propulsion system to spin at different speeds for redundancy and control.

“You need airflow so obviously we cannot have a solid top, but we can’t have it completely open for safety reasons,” says Dukhovny, whose father was famous musician and poet Leonid Dukhovny.

The conveyance measures about 17 feet long, seven feet wide and six feet high — similar to the dimensions of an SUV — designed to fit in any parking space or garage.

Dukhovny says the tri-modal machine — which can drive, take off vertically, and fly forward — can travel 200 miles on the road and 110 miles in flight.

Aimed at the general public, Dukhovny says it’s easy to learn. “I can teach you how to fly and drive this in about 15 minutes or less,” he says. “If you can tell the difference between the right, left, up, down, front and back, you can

do this. It’s pretty much the only controls it has.”

Legally, the rules for operating the flying car are less clear. “There’s many things we’re going to work with the legal authorities on,” he says.

NASA is currently at work on a long-term solution for a “highway in the sky” that can accommodate flying cars, eVTOL taxis, and drone delivery services.

The $300,000 price tag means it’s for early adopters, especially ones who live in Silicon Valley, where the Model A can legally fly in certain areas, and who may have country homes in places like Jackson Hole, Wyo., which have fewer restrictions on flight mode. The Model A is hand-built at Alef’s California warehouse, but Dukhovny’s goal is mass production that could put the price on par with a compact car.

“It’s handmade because it’s custom and low volume, but fundamentally there is nothing in here which would make it more expensive than a Toyota Corolla,” he says. Still, Dukhovny is wary of naming a launch date. “If everything goes right, we plan to start the first production of the first car by the end of 2025.”…

ON AN EV ROAD TRIP TO PROMOTE GREEN TECH, THE U.S. ENERGY SECRETARY AND HER ENTOURAGE COULDN’T FIND ENOUGH ELECTRIC VEHICLE CHARGERS BUSINESS INSIDER SEPT. 10, 2023

BY KATIE BALEVIC

When the U.S. Secretary of Energy and her team embarked on a road trip

to promote electric vehicles, they ran into a predictable yet frustrating obstacle: a lack of electric vehicle chargers.

Indeed, there are only about three electric vehicle charging ports for every 10,000 people in the United States, Insider reported in April.

The scarcity of chargers was such an issue for Energy Secretary Jennifer Granholm and her team that the police got involved at one point, NPR reported.

The caravan of electric vehicles heading from Charlotte to Memphis over the course of four days hit a snag in Grovestown, Ga. The group was planning a quick charge when they realized there wouldn’t be enough electric vehicle chargers to go around since one was broken and the others were in use, NPR reported.

So an employee from the Department of Energy tried to save one of the spots using a gas-powered car.

It was a sweltering day and the move didn’t go over well with a family that was also waiting for a charging spot. The situation escalated to the point that the family, driving with a baby in their car, called the police, who didn’t have the authority to act because blocking an EV charging spot with a gas-power car isn’t illegal in Georgia, NPR reported.

While Granholm and her team worked to smooth things over, ultimately ceding a spot to the family and relegating some of their own vehicles to slower charging ports, the incident drew attention to the desperate need for improved EV infrastructure.

“It’s just par for the course,” a bystander driving an electric BMW told NPR. “They’ll get it together at some point.”

DETROIT’S FIRST 3D-PRINTED HOME WAS MADE BY A ROBOT THAT USED TO BUILD CARS DWELL•SEPTEMBER 2023•BY ELIZABETH FAZZARE

Detroit has roughly 72,000 vacant lots according to the city’s Land Bank Authority, and some neighborhoods only have a few houses per block. Between them are wide open spaces, many of which have become meadows after a swath of landowners sold their property to the land bank and headed for the suburbs when times got tough during the deindustrialization of the automotive industry and when Detroit declared bankruptcy in 2013.

Now, local architect Bryan Cook, principal of Develop Architecture, and nonprofit Citizen Robotics have teamed up on a concept that could help fill those empty parcels with affordable housing.

At this year’s Detroit Month of Design, they unveiled the Motor City’s first 3D-printed home, a 1,000-square-foot, two-bedroom cottage in the Islandview area. It features stucco panels for siding, a pitched roof framed with wood, and a front porch in typical Detroit residential vernacular.

“The concept for the design was that it should be of the neighborhood,” explains Cook.

Citizen Robotics, founded by father-daughter duo Evelyn and Tom Woodman, used a robot they purchased from an automotive factory in Chicago to print the home’s walls, which are reinforced with a mass-timber frame that ensures the building’s structural integrity. Once the walls are tested for their load-bearing capacity, the frame can be removed in a future design iteration, says Cook. The lightweight roof is made of foam panels and engineered wood, chosen for its sustainability and thermal performance.

“Citizen Robotics’ mission is to try to disrupt [the homebuilding] industry,” says Cook. “They want to become a potential replacement for traditional stick-built construction,” he continues, adding that something aesthetically out-of-the-box didn’t feel like the right way to introduce this new technology. Other 3D-printed houses feature domed roofs and no right angles, like Mario Cucinella Architects and WASP’s clay habitats or Icon’s curved-wall dwellings in Austin. …

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SAL RODRIGUEZ

11-12.23

THE TICKER

36 PREMIUM COVERAGE Plum Health DPC is a direct primary care practice along Michigan Avenue in Detroit’s Corktown neighborhood.

The team includes Wenisha Altman, a medical assistant, and Drs. Paul Thomas, Raquel Orlich, and Sharon Im.

p. 34

p. 36

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Crowning Achievement

Direct Care

Flue Rate

Two of a Kind

PDA Q&A

Flash EV

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The Ticker

Crowning Achievement How two brothers built up a local dental practice without turning it into a commodity.

BY R.J. KING |

NICK HAGEN

L

ike most dental students, Drs. Ali and Mohamed Saad received limited training in the fundamentals of operating and growing a business.

Rather, the entrepreneurial skills they developed to acquire and manage eight dentistry practices in metro Detroit came from working at a young age in their family’s businesses — Saad Bros. Supermarket and 5 Star Distributors, both in Dearborn.

“My father worked on the assembly line for more than 20 years at Ford Motor Co. when he and his brothers opened the supermarket,” says Ali Saad, who began working at a dental practice when he was 16 years old.

“From there, they started a food distribution company for things like olive oil, rice, hummus, and other products. As kids, we worked alongside them and watched how they grew the business.”

The distribution company eventually expanded throughout the Midwest.

“We saw how important customer service is, we learned how to grow a team, and we saw how important it is to communicate with your team,” Mohamed adds. “And while we had ideas as teenagers about starting a business, our parents wanted us to get a formal education first.”

Following graduation from undergraduate and dental schools, the pair teamed up in 2011 and acquired Saad Oral Health and Beauty in Birmingham.

Over time, they put everything under one business — Prime Dentistry in Birmingham — where they serve as co-CEOs. “I learned early on that if we were going to own a dental practice, it was easier to acquire an existing one rather than try to build up a business from scratch,” Ali says.

Taking it eight steps further, the brothers say they plan to keep expanding. Adding travel and logistical challenges to operating a business with 85 employees isn’t practical at the moment, but they eventually plan to grow across Michigan.

DBUSINESS DIRECT

Lineage Logistics Acquires Delaware’s Burris Logistics Lineage Logistics in Novi has acquired eight facilities in six states from Delaware-based Burris Logistics, a temperature-controlled food distribution company. It adds 1.3 million square feet of capacity to Lineage’s footprint.

“Our families are here and we have young children,” Mohamed says. “We plan to have a larger footprint without compromising our passion for the business.

We don’t set quotas. We don’t want it to be like a factory. We take our time with each patient so we have a fuller understanding of their goals.”

Still, for all of the entrepreneurial skills they developed early on, one business principle they didn’t follow was conventional branding.

“We kept the names of the existing dental practices rather than put them all under Prime Dentistry,” Ali says. “We didn’t want to become a commodity. Right now, 30 percent of the dental industry is owned by private equity firms, and it’s rare to be an independent.”

Mohamed is quick to add patients prefer to honor neighborhood businesses. “People like working with someone local,” he says. “They know their money is staying in the community, and they know small businesses like ours support their communities.”

DENTAL DYNASTY Brothers Dr. Mohamed and Dr. Ali Saad are building their dental business by keeping the original brand identities of the practices they acquire. Their goal is to expand across Michigan.

WK Kellogg Co. Launches Independent Company WK Kellogg Co. in Battle Creek has become an independent, publicly traded company with the completion of its planned separation from Kellanova, formerly Kellogg Co. It will focus on cereal brands.

Australian Firm to Make Sharrow Marine Props Sharrow Marine in St. Clair Shores has signed an agreement to allow VEEM Ltd. of Australia to manufacture and commercialize the innovative Sharrow Propeller globally for inboard propellers up to 5 meters in diameter.

GOGO Charters Makes Debut in Metro Detroit GOGO Charters, a national brand for charter bus and shuttle services, has arrived in Detroit. The company provides customized group transportation solutions for excursions, gatherings, and special occasions.

PRIME DENTISTRY • Allen Park Dentistry, Allen Park • Dixon Family Dental, Southfield • Premier Birmingham Dentistry, Birmingham • Premier Novi Dentistry, Novi • Saad Oral Health and Beauty, Birmingham • Sterling Heights Dentistry, Sterling Heights • Village Dental, Wayne • Warren Family Dentistry, Warren

Custer, Century Flooring in Grand Rapids Merge Commercial interiors provider Custer and Century Flooring, both prominent Grand Rapids companies, announced they are merging to create a “dynamic force” in the west Michigan commercial interiors market.

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The Ticker

DUAL SITES HENRY FORD HEALTH in

Detroit is building out two campuses to advance medical care, research, and community needs.

One campus is located north and south of West Grand Boulevard, just west of the Lodge Freeway. The health care group plans more than $2 billion in new projects in the area, including light assembly and the distribution of medical supplies.

At the same time, Henry Ford Health and three partners are undertaking a $3 billion plan to transform a portion of Detroit’s New Center neighborhood, offering new health care, residential, commercial, retail, and recreational components.

As part of the development, Henry Ford Health, Michigan State University, Tom Gores, owner of the Detroit Pistons, and the City of Detroit have announced plans to begin an extensive Community Benefits Ordinance process that includes a mission-driven community development and additional investments over the next decade.

The project will be anchored by a major expansion of Henry Ford Hospital that will feature a brand-new, 1-million-plussquare-foot facility and a patient tower. There will also be a new medical research facility for Henry Ford Health + Michigan State University Health Sciences.

— By R.J. King

Cicero Hospitality Buys Three Chicago Starbucks Cicero Hospitality Group in Bloomfield Hills has acquired three full-service Starbucks restaurants in downtown Chicago — at Navy Pier, Block 37, and Palmer House. Terms of the deal were not disclosed.

Power Reserves

Lexicon Tax Strategies Group in Shelby Township specializes in energy tax savings.

BY R.J. KING |

A

BRIAN BRITIGAN

serial entrepreneur since he was in junior high school, Joseph C. Dobosz today operates a corporate specialty tax and advisory firm that counsels companies on a broad range of available federal and state tax incentives in the energy sector.

Among the offerings are a comprehensive review of energy-based accelerated federal tax incentives such as Section 179D for commercial buildings and Section 45L for multifamily properties. To assist with determining and calculating the potential savings, Dobosz developed what he calls the Integrated Fixed Asset Review.

The exclusive product reviews a taxpayer’s entire depreciation schedule to identify what may have been overlooked. Dobosz and his team of 40 specialists — tax attorneys, CPAs, and certified engineers — have a presence in all 50 states.

“At the outset, we use our software program to put together a comprehensive feasibility study that’s free for a client to determine what savings they may be eligible for,” says Dobosz, founder and president of Lexicon Tax Strategies Group in Shelby Township. “From there, we do a deep dive into a client’s operations, including site inspections, to review what can be underutilized and largely unknown federal and state tax incentives.”

Founded in 2009, Lexicon Tax Strategies has advised hundreds of companies, from small firms to Fortune 500 corporations, and collectively saved clients more than $1 billion in engineering, technology, and advanced tax planning, Dobosz says. The company gets paid a small percentage of the total savings identified.

“When you can save someone $10 million to $15 million, it’s a lot of fun,” he says. “Right now you can go back to 2006 to capture potential tax credits, and some of these final reviews can be as long as 600 pages. In many instances, you can take a 30-year depreciation in a single year.”

Lexicon is part of a string of businesses Dobosz has started and operated, including three different distribution companies in the plastics industry.

“In 1995 I was working for my father at his plastics company, and I set up a distribution company and started supplying my employer,” he says. “I also had a mobile auto detailing business in high school, and we quickly added boat detailing.

“After a few years, I left my father’s company and set up another plastics distribution business that worked with suppliers to stockpile materials and manufacture under my private label.”

In 2005, Dobosz launched Lexicon Lighting Technologies, a reseller of primarily American-made LED products (lighting) for commercial

Second Nature Brands Acquires Sahale Snacks Madison Heights-based Second Nature Brands has agreed to acquire Sahale Snacks in Seattle from J.M. Smucker Co. for $34 million. The transaction will include all trademarks, as well as the Sahale Snacks leased manufacturing facility in Seattle.

Nel ASA Plans to Build Plymouth Twp. Gigafactory Norway’s Nel ASA has selected Plymouth Township as the site for a gigafactory, which will be among the world’s largest electrode plants. The new facility will build on Nel’s fully automated electrolyser concept.

JR Technologies Launches Airline Retailing Platform Southfield’s JR Technologies has launched Aerostream, a new multi-product airline retailing platform designed to enable airlines to modernize their distribution and retailing strategies and better manage the entire travel experience.

applications. He moved on from the lighting business in 2009 to focus almost entirely on Lexicon Tax Strategies.

During middle and high school, Dobosz came up with the idea of selling trips to Cedar Point, a theme park in Sandusky, Ohio, to his fellow students.

“I ran it for three years, and I typically had between two to five buses per trip, and I averaged 50 students per bus, plus two free-of-charge chaperones per bus,” Dobosz recalls. “I needed my father’s attorney to draw up the contractual agreement for the conditions of the trip, being the students were minors, and my mother was collecting the money and giving receipts.

“By the time I graduated from high school, I had a very good understanding of how businesses work.”

ENERGY BOOST In addition to running his tax advisory firm, Joseph C. Dobosz has started and operated multiple businesses.

Ann Arbor’s Coherix Develops Tech to Improve EV Batteries Ann Arbor-based Coherix is developing quality-control technology that uses 3-D machine vision, artificial intelligence, and proprietary process-control software to improve processes that seal EV-battery cases.

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

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The Ticker

Direct Care

Plum Health in Detroit is expanding its direct primary care practice across metro Detroit

BY R.J. KING |

B

SAL RODRIGUEZ

eing charged more for less didn’t sit well with Dr. Paul Thomas, a partner at Plum Health DPC, a direct primary care practice that is the first of its kind in Detroit and Wayne County.

“Overall, the health care industry is raising costs with no associated increase in services or benefits,” says Thomas, who is board-certified in family medicine and a graduate of the Wayne State University School of Medicine, where he is a clinical assistant professor. “You’re often being charged more for less.”

After graduating in 2013, and completing his residency in 2016, Thomas decided to strike out on his own. Along the way, he researched direct primary care practices after hearing about what are commonly referred to as non-affiliated health care membership organizations at a medical conference.

From there, Thomas visited DPC practices in Denver and Kansas before writing a business plan for what today is Plum Health DPC. He launched the business in late 2016 in Detroit’s Hubbard Richard neighborhood before moving to a brand-new space along Michigan Avenue in Corktown at a mixed-use development called The Corner, which replaced Tiger Stadium.

A second practice is scheduled to open shortly along Woodward Avenue, near Fourth Street, in Royal Oak. Overall, Thomas, along with fellow physicians Dr. Raquel Orlich and Dr. Leslie Rabaut,

CLEAR MARGINS Dr. Paul Thomas is part of Plum Health DPC in Detroit, a direct primary care practice that’s expanding across the region. The practice plans to have six offices in the next five years.

plans to have six offices in metro Detroit within the next five years.

“We charge $75 a month in exchange for providing primary care services, including an annual wellness exam and basic office procedures,” Thomas says. “We also provide at-cost imaging services, medications at wholesale prices, and at-cost laboratory testing. We typically see our patients within a day or two of a call.”

In addition, there are no copays, and DPC physicians — there are 2,060 such practices in the United States, according to Elation Health — provide better communication with their patients. Thomas says an affiliated family doctor sees between 25 and 35 patients a day. At Plum Health, his daily schedule includes appointments with five to seven patients.

“We serve individuals, and small- and medium-sized businesses,” Thomas says. “We take a holistic approach with our patients. We sit down and discuss long-term health goals, provide nutritional advice, and offer transparency on costs. There are no hidden fees.”

While Thomas doesn’t recommend canceling individual health care insurance or cost-sharing plans, he says Plum Health physicians can take care of 80 percent to 90 percent of patient needs.

“We offer the best of both worlds,” he says. “We take care of most patients at our office, but if you need a knee or a shoulder replacement, there are specialists in our region who can undertake the procedure.”

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

LYDIA MICHAEL Owner and President Blended Collective, Detroit

LM: In New York City. I’m here as part of release week for my new book.

DB: HOW’S IT GOING?

LM: I’m meeting with the publishing team and some of the brands and companies I featured in the book, which is called “Brand Love: Building Strong Consumer-Brand Connections.” Kogan Page

Ltd., in the U.K., is the publisher, and they have offices in New York City and Delhi, India. It’s my first book. It’s 208 pages, and it’s available anywhere books are sold.

DB: WHAT’S IT ABOUT?

LM: The topic of brand love started in 2016 when I was working at L’Oréal in Germany. It’s where I learned what brand love

was and how to introduce a brand, launch a campaign, and build brand awareness over time. That naturally led me to speak about the topic, and then I wanted to tell the story about brand love and how it works.

DB: WHO’S THE AUDIENCE?

LM: I feature multiple global brands with case studies about how they

did something in the marketplace and how it turned out. It’s truly multicultural. The book is for marketing and branding professionals, entrepreneurs, and anyone who oversees one or multiple brands that are consumer-facing.

DB: WHAT’S YOUR MARKETING STRATEGY?

LM: I’m doing media

interviews and podcasts.

I featured over 100 brands (in the book), and I’m setting up workshops with those companies and others. I show people how to introduce and grow a successful brand.

Plus, you can always come back to the book to apply new brand strategies.

— R.J. King

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We’ve Been a Powerful Detroit Presence for Almost a Century.

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The Ticker

FLASH EV

Flue Rate Hoodz International in Ann Arbor expands its franchising opportunities.

BY JIM STICKFORD

N

athan Willard, president of Hoodz International in Ann Arbor, admits providing commercial cleaning services to restaurants is a hidden market — but that might just be exactly why it’s proven to be a profitable one.

Kitchen grease in restaurants travels into the hood above the stove, goes through the vent hood filters and into ductwork, and finally moves to the exhaust fan on the roof. These ventilation systems need to be cleaned on a regular basis for health and fire safety reasons. The busier the restaurant, the more often the ventilation system has to be cleaned.

“We actually did very well during COVID-19,” Willard says of Hoodz, a franchisor that’s part of Belfor Franchise Group in Birmingham. “We saw double-digit growth. Pizza and takeout restaurants saw a lot more business, as people ordered a lot more food to be delivered to their homes. We sell a service. Our primary function is to make sure the grease is treated and pressure-washed.”

The franchisees across the United States, Canada, and Europe receive training in Ann Arbor to make sure the work meets the specifications of the National Fire Protection Association or local fire codes.

“This is good for us because it creates a steady revenue stream,” Willard says. “We’ve been franchising for 18 years. This is a golden opportunity for people looking to buy a franchise, because the service (we provide) gives them the opportunity to have repeat business. Our business has remained strong postCOVID-19. We always say if you treat your customers right, you’ll have a customer for life.”

The company has 135 territories in the United States as well as operations in Canada, the United Kingdom, and Ireland, and Willard says there’s still room for franchisees to expand their reach. In New York state alone, the company is looking to tap markets in cities like Buffalo and Syracuse. In Michigan, franchise opportunities are available in Grand Rapids and Kalamazoo.

“We’re also looking to expand the services we offer,” Willard says. “Many restaurants are experiencing labor shortages. It’s becoming easier for them to outsource the cleaning and replacing of grease filters. Some of our franchises will replace old filters, clean them, and reuse them once they’re cleaned.

That’s a great potential growth area for all our franchisees for repeat business.”

CLEAN CORPS Hoodz International in Ann Arbor, part of Belfor Franchise Group in Birmingham, offers cleaning services for commercial kitchens in the United States, Canada, and Europe.

Lightning model pickup truck, Ford Motor Co. in Dearborn is introducing the Flash.

The new truck, which retails for $69,995, was designed to expand on the Ford F-150 XLT model line by adding tech capabilities including an extendedrange battery, which has a targeted EPA-estimated range of 320 miles, Ford BlueCruise hands-free highway driving, and a standard 15.5-inch touchscreen for seamless interactions and navigation.

The F-150 Lightning Flash’s EV powertrain and tech features were specifically designed to give customers a more affordable price as well as the ability to handle people, pets, or gear, according to the automaker.

“The F-150 Lightning Flash is a direct outcome of engaging with and learning from our customers,” says Marin Gjaja, COO for Ford Model e. “This truck combines many of the technology-forward features our customers love in our EV lineup, at a more accessible price.”

Ford’s available hands-free highway driving technology, BlueCruise, was added to help make driving less stressful and more enjoyable. The F-150 Lightning Flash comes with version 1.2, which includes lane change assist, allowing the driver to change lanes hands-free by tapping the turn signal once the path is clear.

It also has in-lane repositioning to help keep the vehicle in its lane while shifting position away from vehicles in adjacent lanes.

The automaker says the truck’s features should improve over time, with software updates.

— By Jim Stickford

COURTESY HOODZ INTERNATIONAL

FOLLOWING RECORD ORDERS for the EV F-150

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Focus

Recreational retreats in metro Detroit, many flush with record revenue generated during the pandemic, are making major investments in their facilities to further their standing as safe havens from hardships and mishaps.

BY DAN CALABRESE

P

rivate clubs and high-end resorts are often associated with history. The longer they’ve been around, the stronger their appeal as tried-and-true establishments committed to moving things forward.

Some are driven by ambitious vision, such as the new gathering facilities and a redesigned golf course coming to Plymouth Township’s Saint John’s Resort.

Others are motivated by preservation, like the renovated bowling facilities at the Detroit Athletic Club or the redesigned dining options at the Grosse Pointe Yacht Club.

In the case of Oakland Hills Country Club in Bloomfield Township, however, a completely rebuilt clubhouse wasn’t an option under consideration. It was a necessity after a devastating fire destroyed the century-old, 92,000-square-foot clubhouse in February 2022.

Saint John’s Resort, which is owned by the Pulte Family Foundation, isn’t a private club. It’s open to members of the general public who are willing to pay for its various offerings. But it’s also unique from other resorts that are open to the public in that all net revenue earned by Saint John’s is donated to support educational and humanitarian organizations.

Upgrades at Saint John’s Resort start with the Wine Grotto, a new facility that has the feel of an underground wine cave. The 1,800-square-foot Wine Grotto, an extension of the existing meeting

space, utilizes an area that has been part of the property since the 1940s and, in the eyes of resort management, needed to be better utilized.

“It’s Old World charm with the modern energy of a sophisticated lounge,” says Fadi Sibani, a sales and marketing executive at Saint John’s Resort.

Built on the former seminary site on the Saint John’s property at Five Mile and Sheldon roads, the Wine Grotto opened in September. Some of its features include restored arches and art created by local artists, a central bar, and a “royal table” that can be closed off for private gatherings. Its offerings are curated by a team of sommeliers who have already won awards for their work at the existing Saint John’s restaurant, FIVE Steakhouse.

The Wine Grotto also makes it easy for guests to sample wines by making use of the Coravin wine preservation system. It’s a fairly new tool that uses an ultra-thin needle to pierce through the top of a cork and pull wine through, while leaving the rest of the spirits completely sealed in the bottle.

For those who prefer to avoid alcohol, the Wine Grotto offers several non-alcoholic drinks including matcha, ginger, and turmeric nootropics — the latter of which is an antioxidant-based herbal remedy. The Wine Grotto can seat 54 people in its normal configuration, but can be expanded to accommodate 110 guests.

HIGHER CALLING Saint John’s Resort at Five Mile and Sheldon roads in Plymouth Township is adding new amenities like The Cardinal, an 18-hole golf course slated to open in April 2024.

“It has this speakeasy feel because you have to walk down this beautiful corridor, surrounded by nature,” Sibani says. “You’ve got the waterfall garden on one side and you’re walking through these beautiful brick arches and glass.”

Saint John’s Resort also features The Monarch, a 17,000-square-foot ballroom with a central water fountain surrounded by 200 feet of glass. The space accommodates events such as wedding receptions and charity galas.

When guests emerge from the underground and head outdoors, they’ll likely catch sight of the other major addition to Saint John’s Resort: a revamped golf course known as The Cardinal.

The first new golf course to open in southeast Michigan in more than 20 years, The Cardinal is comprised of an 18-hole championship course along with a short, seven-hole Par 3 course and an 18-hole putting course on natural greens. The whole development replaces a 27-hole course. During the 2023 season, golf was unavailable at Saint John’s Resort due to the facility’s update; it’s scheduled to open in April 2024.

“We’re trying to find ways to make it not just about the golf, but about the experiences around it,” Sibani says. “That’s the beauty of having our own resort. Not only can you stay overnight (at a 118-room inn), but you can also have a spa treatment in your room, or you can go to the steakhouse or the wine bar.”

COURTESY SAINT JOHN’S RESORT

Resort Life

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COURTESY DETROIT ATHLETIC CLUB

Focus

Finally, Saint John’s Resort will open a new, Irishstyle pub next summer.

The resort has undergone an identity update since 2021, when the Pulte Family Charitable Foundation acquired it. The property originally opened in the 1940s as a seminary operated by the Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Detroit. It served in that role for more than 40 years before transitioning to an inn and resort.

Prior to the acquisition, the complex was known as the Inn at St. John’s.

When the Archdiocese decided to sell the property, it kicked off an ongoing, multimillion-dollar renovation. All told, Sibani says the cost of the improvements is approximately $50 million.

If golf isn’t everyone’s passion, perhaps bowling is.

While many associate bowling with a blue-collar clientele, with facilities to match, one might be surprised by the possibility that the oldest continuously operated bowling program in the United States — going strong since 1915 — is in the lower level of the Detroit Athletic Club.

Bowling is a major part of the DAC’s legacy, which makes sense since the club’s most significant renovation of the past year involved the Abbey, the centerpiece of which is the facility’s venerable bowling alley.

The remodeling project, which started in 2021, cost $9 million and focused on an expansion of the Clubhouse — specifically the club’s dining and bowling areas — to an area that now totals 11,000 square feet.

A new full-service kitchen was added, and locker rooms were relocated and expanded as part of the overall project.

The Detroit-based architectural firm Rosetti oversaw the design, while Frank Rewold & Sons in Rochester handled the construction work. To make more room, the contractors dug out the area between the DAC and the adjacent sidewalk (the street-level landscaping was replaced and enhanced).

The project also involved repairing — and, in some spots, a full recasting of — the decorative plaster crown molding that adorned the original dining space, which is now contiguous with the bowling areas.

The work was completed late last year, and now the club offers a bowling area with larger locker rooms for men and women, a full-service pro shop, and even ball-drilling services. It helps keep up a bowling legacy that’s integral to the traditions and identity of the DAC. “We’ve never been able to prove it, but we believe we have the longest continuously-running bowling company in the country, public or private,” says Charles Johnson, executive manager of the DAC. “Bowling has been a mainstay throughout our history, and we’ve had six generations of bowlers who have played in a particular league.”

And lest anyone think the only Detroit-Cleveland sports rivalry that matters is the one across the street at Comerica Park, the DAC offers something special.

Since it opened in 1915, the DAC has maintained an interclub bowling competition against the Cleveland Athletic Club. Every year since then, including the years when COVID-19 threatened to get in the way, the two clubs have held their championship battle each February.

SPARE TIME The Detroit Athletic Club recently remodeled its Abbey, which offers eight bowling lanes, locker rooms, trophy displays, and a full-service bar and restaurant.

“We don’t miss years,” Johnson says. “Even during COVID-19, we were able to get it in.”

That was the good fortune of the calendar, as the February date in 2020 preceded the end-of-the-world measures that would have made the event impossible just a month later. And by the following February, things had mitigated enough that the event could take place.

“We have over 900 bowlers,” Johnson says. “Some of these people are in multiple leagues. Some are subs.

But in any given year, we’ll have 900 people waiting to participate, and our leagues are fully subscribed.”

One might think an establishment as venerable as the Grosse Pointe Yacht Club in Grosse Pointe Shores would keep everything as it’s always been. But in the past year, the GPYC completed a significant reworking of its dining facilities, partly in response to a member survey.

The original Spinnaker room had what marketing director Jennifer Benoit describes as a casual pub-feel with offerings like burgers and pizza. “The (members) really wanted a face-lift,” Benoit says. “We’ve been around for over 100 years, and it was something we were looking forward to.”

In the new configuration, there are three different restaurants within the club. They include a fine-dining restaurant as well as a redesigned main dining area that Benoit describes as a casual, circular hangout spot with a round bar in the middle.

The dining areas’ renovations follow an update of the club’s front lobby and rotunda in 2021. Everything in the facility is now open and fully operational, Benoit says.

While some recreational venues expand and others revamp, Oakland Hills Country Club had no choice but to rebuild. The fire that tore through the century-old clubhouse resulted in a total loss. The timing couldn’t have been worse, as Oakland Hills had just completed a $12 million renovation of its golf course the previous summer.

The Bloomfield Township Board of Trustees recently gave unanimous approval for Oakland Hills to not only reconstruct its clubhouse, but also expand its first tee building into a lifestyle structure, while replacing various maintenance buildings with a new greens and grounds building.

Oakland Hills also received approval to redesign its interior traffic design and enhance its landscaping.

While the new clubhouse will be similar to the old one, it won’t be an exact copy. For starters, the new facility will span 110,236 square feet — more than 18,000 square feet larger than the original. Not surprisingly, it will be constructed with considerably more nonflammable materials than the old one. Amenities

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Focus

CLUB LIFE

A resource guide to the top private clubs in southeast Michigan.

Barton Hills Country Club

730 Country Club Rd. Ann Arbor 734-663-8511 bartonhillscc.com Members: 600 (estimate) Initiation fee: NA Monthly fee: NA Offerings: Signature Donald Ross golf course; tennis courts; fitness center; renovated dining room, wine bar, and resort-style pool complex with an outdoor pavilion.

Bayview Yacht Club

COURTESY OAKLAND HILLS

ABOVE THE HOLE Oakland Hills Country Club in Bloomfield Township will soon start replacing its clubhouse after the previous structure was destroyed in a fire. It will reopen in late 2025 or early 2026.

will include three kitchens, a cigar room, and several ballrooms and dining rooms. The total project cost is estimated at $80 million.

The 16,853-square-foot lifestyle building, meanwhile, will include a fitness center, as well as men’s and women’s locker rooms.

In an effort to be more aesthetically appealing and less forbidding, Oakland Hills also will replace the barbed-wire fencing along West Maple Road with 10- to 14-foot evergreens, and decorative fencing will be added along other roads that border the club.

Leo Savoie, a Birmingham-based assessor and former Bloomfield Township supervisor who is now serving as a representative of Oakland Hills, told the township board the club hopes to get the project started in November.

While the target is to have the new facilities open in late 2025, Savoie says April 2026 seems more likely. In the meantime, Oakland Hills has continued to host members on its two, 18-hole golf courses, along with holding select events in temporary pavilions on the grounds.

In other developments around the area, the Birmingham Country Club opened two short-game areas on its golf course. One is known as The Corner and is designed with increased size and versatility for more intense practice, including a number of different lies, shot lengths, and plenty of space to hold large clinics. The Corner has two greens and it’s available for use by the general membership.

The second short-game area is The River, which is designed to complement the club’s newly updated driving range and putting green so players can warm up in proximity to the first tee. The River also has a bunker and an undulating green that allows players to undertake a quick practice session before playing.

Farther north, M1 Concourse in Pontiac opened its Prefix Performance Center over the summer. Developed in partnership with Prefix Corp. and Sunoco Race Fuels, the 3,000-square-foot trackside facility offers vehicle maintenance and upgrade services to all vehicles. It includes capabilities such as restoration, fluid changes, tire installation, and track technical inspections. The Performance Center also features a retail race shop where users and visitors can buy merchandise.

Every year in metro Detroit, recreational activities like golf, boating, auto racing, and dining beckon those who have the means to partake.

And the facilities that host them keep investing in upgrades to stay in step with — or ahead of — the competition, lest they fall further behind their earnest counterparts.

100 Clairpointe St. Detroit 313-822-1853 byc.com Members: 1,000 Initiation fee: NA Monthly fee: NA Offerings: Indoor and outdoor dining, banquet space, marina, sailing lessons and races, regattas, and cruising activities.

Birmingham Athletic Club

4033 W. Maple Rd. Bloomfield Township 248-646-5050 bacmi.net Members: 300 Initiation fee: NA Monthly fee: NA Offerings: Indoor and outdoor dining, two pools, tennis, squash, paddle tennis, pickleball, fitness center.

Birmingham Country Club

1750 Saxon Dr. Birmingham 248-644-4111 bhamcc.com Members: 600+ Initiation fee: NA Monthly fee: NA Offerings: 18-hole golf course, pool, tennis, fitness facilities, indoor and outdoor dining, pickleball, banquet space.

Bloomfield Hills Country Club 350 W. Long Lake Rd. Bloomfield Hills 248-644-6262 bloomfieldhillscc.org Members: NA Initiation fee: NA Monthly fee: NA Offerings: Golf course, dining facilities.

Bloomfield Open Hunt

405 E. Long Lake Rd. Bloomfield Hills 248-644-9411 bohclub.com Members: NA Initiation fee: NA Monthly fee: NA Offerings: Dining room, swimming pool, fitness studio and yoga center, indoor and outdoor tennis, platform tennis, stables, indoor and outdoor equestrian facilities, kids’ activity center.

Country Club of Detroit

220 Country Club Dr. Grosse Pointe Farms 313-881-8000 ccofd.com Members: 800+ Initiation fee: NA Monthly fee: NA Offerings: 18-hole golf course, cross-country skiing, clubhouse, indoor and outdoor dining, tennis, paddle tennis, pool, bowling, fitness center, children’s day camp, guest rooms, dog park.

Dearborn Country Club

800 N. Military Dearborn 313-561-0800 dearborncountryclub.net Members: NA Initiation fee: NA Monthly fee: NA Offerings: 18-hole Donald Ross golf course, swimming, fitness area, dining, banquet facilities, junior golf, swim team.

Detroit Athletic Club

241 Madison St. Detroit 313-963-9200 thedac.com Members: 5,100 Initiation fee: Multiple offerings Monthly fee: Based on age Offerings: Fully restored Albert Kahn-designed clubhouse built in 1915, full-service athletic facilities, pool, restaurants, ballrooms, meeting rooms, guest rooms, newly renovated bowling alley, salon, pavilion, named No. 1 athletic club in the country from 2018-2022.

Detroit Golf Club

17911 Hamilton Rd. Detroit 313-927-2457 detroitgolfclub.org Members: 800 Initiation fee: Available upon membership inquiry Monthly fee: Available upon membership inquiry Offerings: Two 18-hole golf courses, clubhouse, three dining venues, swimming pool, swim team, tennis courts, fitness center, weddings, private events.

Detroit Yacht Club

One Riverbank Rd., Belle Isle Detroit 313-824-1200 dyc.com Members: More than 800; less than half are boating members Initiation fee: $1,500 (active members), $3,000 (boating active members) Monthly fee: $384 (active members), $424 (boating active members) Offerings: Restaurant and bar, outdoor and indoor pools, swim team, adult and junior sailing, kayaking, tennis courts, social activities, weddings, events, more than 300 boat slips for boating members.

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Focus

Edgewood Country Club

8399 Commerce Rd. Commerce Township 48-363-7112 edgewoodcountryclub.org Members: NA Initiation fee: NA Monthly fee: NA Offerings: 18-hole golf course, casual and fine dining, outdoor pool, fitness center, massage therapist, event space.

Franklin Hills Country Club

31675 Inkster Rd. Franklin 248-851-2200 franklinhills.com Members: NA Initiation fee: NA Monthly fee: NA Offerings: Albert Kahn-designed clubhouse, Donald Ross 18-hole golf course, tennis, swimming, banquet space, dining room.

Grosse Ile Golf and Country Club

9339 Bellevue Grosse Ile 734-676-1166 gigcc.com Members: 500+ Initiation fee: Starts as low as $1,000, depending on type of membership and age Monthly fee: Starts as low as $73, depending on type of membership and age Offerings: Donald Ross-designed 18-hole golf course; two full-service dining rooms; swimming pool; GIGCC swim team; clay and hard surface tennis courts featuring adult and youth leagues, individual instruction, and professional tennis staff; social events year-round for all ages.

Grosse Pointe Yacht Club

788 Lake Shore Rd. Grosse Pointe Shores 313-884-2500 gpyc.org Members: 770 Initiation fee: Active (boating) $12,500, social $5,000 Monthly fee: Active (boating) $703, social $570 Offerings: Named a Platinum Club of the World; three dining rooms with views of Lake St. Clair; ballroom and main dining room with Italian architecture perfect for weddings, special occasions, or corporate events; fitness center; Olympic-size pool, bowling recreation center and family activity center; 2,440-square-foot Marine Activity Center with sailing, watersports, and boat rentals.

Indianwood Golf and Country Club

1081 Indianwood Rd. Lake Orion 248-693-2598 iwgcc.com Members: 500+ Initiation fee: Class A Membership NA, Class B Membership $3,500, Family Fitness Membership $1,500, Social/Pool Family Membership $899 Monthly fee: Class A Membership NA, Class B Membership $130, Family Fitness Membership $130, Social/Pool Family Membership $130 Offerings: 18-hole New and Old golf courses, driving range, Junior Golf Program for children, clubhouse, dining areas including Pipers Pub and Men’s Grill, health club, variety of club and social events.

Knollwood Country Club 5050 West Maple Rd. West Bloomfield Township 248-855-1800

knollwoodcountryclub.net Members: NA Initiation fee: NA Monthly fee: NA Offerings: 18-hole golf course; four Har-Tru clay tennis courts; aquatics facility with locker rooms, snack bar, and outdoor dining; 55,000-square-foot clubhouse; fitness center; pickleball; golf simulator studio; banquet space for 400 people; Troon Privé – Private Clubs of Distinction; member golfing privileges at Troon-managed clubs, resorts, and courses worldwide.

Lochmoor Club

1018 Sunningdale Dr. Grosse Pointe Woods 313-886-1010 lochmoorclub.com Members: 691 Initiation fee: Interim Golf (40+) $5,000, golf intermediate (30-39) $3,000, golf junior (21-29) $1,500, social intermediate (21-34) $500, social (35+) $1,500 Monthly fee: Interim Golf (40+) $695, golf intermediate (30-39) $595, golf junior (21-29) $376, social intermediate (21-34) $272, social (35+) $392 Offerings: 18-hole golf course; men and women’s golf leagues; creative pop-up dining events and seasonal menus; summer patio bar and outdoor dining; wine club that features wine tastings/dinners; swim team for children; tennis programs; junior sports such as golf and tennis; Lochmoor Athletic Center with year-round golf training; four Trackman simulators; 1,000-square-foot indoor golf practice area with chipping, putting green, and sand bunker; fitness center; two tennis courts; bar; food service.

M1 Concourse

1 Concourse Dr. Pontiac 248-326-9999 m1concourse.com Members: 150 Initiation fee: $30,000 Monthly fee: $412.50 Offerings: Seven hours of track time per week; use of M1 Fleet Vehicles such as Dodge Hellcats and Lexus Performance Coupes; instruction provided by high-level driving instructors, including notable racers such as Johnny O’Connell; autocross competitions; guest events for friends/family of members to drive; exclusive social events.

Meadowbrook Country Club

40941 W. Eight Mile Rd. Northville Township 248-349-3600 meadowbrookcountryclub.com Members: NA Initiation fee: NA Monthly fee: NA Offerings: 18-hole golf course; 25-meter pool, lap pool, and wading pool; fountain and wading pool for little ones; private tennis programs led by Wayne Jackson; tennis events, lessons, and tournaments; indoor and outdoor dining options.

Oakhurst Golf and Country Club

7000 Oakhurst Lane Clarkston 248-391-3300 clubcorp.com Members: NA Initiation fee: NA Monthly fee: NA Offerings: 18-hole golf course, six tennis courts with USPTA pro available for clinics or private lessons, executive chef, cabana bar, junior Olympic-size resort-style pool, 1,600-square-foot fitness center, variety of social functions.

Oakland Hills Country Club (clubhouse being rebuilt)

3951 West Maple Rd. Bloomfield Township 248-644-2500 oaklandhillscc.com Members: 500 Initiation fee: NA Monthly fee: NA Offerings: South and North 18-hole golf courses, tennis, swimming.

Orchard Lake Country Club

5000 West Shore Dr. Orchard Lake Village 248-682-0100 orchardlakecountryclub.com Members: 600+ Initiation fee: NA Monthly fee: NA Offerings: 18-hole golf course and driving range; six tiered clay tennis courts and four platform tennis courts; seasonal menus prepared by award-winning chefs; lakefront dining; ballroom for wedding celebrations; racquet classes, competitions, and tournament training for all ages; personal training and group fitness programs; sailing clinics and swim lessons for children.

Paint Creek Country Club

2375 Stanton Rd. Lake Orion 248-693-4695 paintcreekgolf.com Members: NA Annual fees: $300-$5,600 Offerings: Golf course, fitness center, pool, 20,000-square-foot clubhouse, 300-seat dining room.

Royal Oak 248-548-7500 redrungolfclub.com Members: 690 families Initiation fee: $6,000 (social), $20,000 (golf) Monthly fee: $331 (social), $755 (golf) Offerings: Golf course, Olympic-size pool, indoor and outdoor tennis courts, fitness center, indoor golf practice area, bowling leagues, casual and formal dining.

Shenandoah Country Club

5600 Walnut Lake Rd. West Bloomfield Township 248-683-6363 shenandoahcc.net Members: NA Initiation fee: NA Monthly fee: NA Offerings: Golf course (open to public), clubhouse, dining, partitionable 11,336-square-foot banquet room, two pre-function areas, 4,000-square-foot outdoor terrace, pool and splash pad, fitness center.

Tam-O-Shanter Country Club

5051 Orchard Lake Rd. West Bloomfield Township 248-855-1900, ext. 408 tamoshantercc.org Members: NA Initiation fee: NA Monthly fee: NA Offerings: Golf course, clubhouse, dining, four hydro-clay and two hard-surface tennis courts, Olympic-size heated pool, fitness center, banquet facilities, youth programs, pickleball.

Wabeek Club

3300 Pine Lake Rd. Orchard Lake 248-682-1300 pinelakecc.com Members: NA Initiation fee: NA Monthly fee: NA Offerings: Golf course, indoor and outdoor tennis courts, Olympic-size pool, fitness center, clubhouse, dining room, grill.

4000 Clubgate Dr. Bloomfield Township 248-855-0700 wabeekcc.com Members: NA Initiation fee: NA Monthly fee: NA Offerings: Golf course designed by Jack Nicklaus and Pete Dye; clubhouse; formal and casual dining; pool; tennis; fitness center; spa; banquet and private event space; kids room; TrackMan golf simulators; sport court for basketball, volleyball, and youth tennis configurations.

Plum Hollow Country Club

Western Golf and Country Club

Pine Lake Country Club

21631 Lahser Rd. Southfield 248-357-5353 plumhollowcc.com Members: 400 Initiation fee: $20,000 (stock), $1,500 (social) Monthly fee: Varies based on membership category Offerings: Golf course, caddie program, three Har-Tru clay tennis courts, Olympic-size pool, swim teams, casual and fine dining options.

Polo Fields Golf and Country Club

5200 Polo Fields Dr. Ann Arbor 734-998-1555 polofieldsccmi.com Members: NA Initiation fee: NA Monthly fee: NA Offerings: Golf course, clubhouse, indoor and outdoor dining, pool, lounge area, fully equipped fitness center, snack bar, patio, golf simulator, year-round events.

Red Run Country Club 2036 Rochester Rd.

14600 Kinloch Redford Township 313-531-1240 westerngcc.com Members: 425 Initiation fee: $18,000 Monthly fee: $600 Offerings: 18-hole Donald Ross-designed golf course, year-round events, four dining rooms, swimming pool, tennis, pickleball, snack bars, Kid Kamp, golf simulators, junior programs, and a brand-new clubhouse that opened in 2021.

Wyndgate Country Club

1975 W. Gunn Rd. Rochester Hills 248-652-4283 thewyndgate.com Members: NA Initiation fee: NA Monthly fee: NA Offerings: Two 18-hole golf courses, clubhouse, gardens, banquet and event facilities, junior golf program, golf lessons, club fitting, club repair, Olympic-size pool, splash pad, 3-foot-deep transitional pool, swim team.

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Breakfast Series One-of-a-kind networking opportunities and compelling business content across a wide range of industries and topics await you at the DBusiness Breakfast Series.

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UPCOMING EVENTS Michigan 2024 Economic Forecast December 12, 2023

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Perspectives

DBusiness Commercial Real Estate Awards 2023

Introducing the inaugural DBusiness Commercial Real Estate Awards, honoring 21 people, companies, and projects that are transforming metro Detroit. From dozens of nominations submitted by our readers, we chose three finalists for each category, with a focus on developers, brokers, architects, and real estate professionals. From there, we selected a final winner for work that was approved, commenced, or completed last year.

PROFILES BY R.J. KING

INDIVIDUALS AND COMPANIES PIONEER AWARD Finalists

COURTESY BEDROCK

Jill Ferrari, Renovare Development John Costello, Bedrock Kevin Johnson, DEGC

John Costello Chief Development Officer Bedrock, Detroit

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here was no playbook for restoring the Book Tower along Washington Boulevard in downtown Detroit. Just the monumental task of taking a forlorn relic and bringing it back to its original grandeur. Enter John Costello, chief development officer of Bedrock, the real estate development company owned

by Dan Gilbert, who led a team that learned to recreate a historic masterpiece.

Tearing down everything and starting anew would have been much simpler, but Costello and the Bedrock team, which restored its own headquarters along Woodward Avenue — built in 1880 for the Mabley’s department store — were determined to showcase Detroit’s history as the world’s first manufacturing economy.

The many factories that helped spread the city’s size to 139 square miles by 1925 helped finance what has been called “the second largest collection of pre-1930s architecture in the country.” Given the Book Tower had sat empty for a dozen years, the entire structure had to be inspected, cleaned, prepped, developed, cleaned again, furnished, and programmed.

Today, the Italian Renaissance structure, which includes a 38-story tower and a 13-story attached midrise originally completed in 1926, has been fully revitalized into a 117-room ROOST Detroit hotel, 229 apartments, a ballroom, meeting spaces, three restaurants, and more.

As a measure of its successful comeback, in May Architectural Digest recognized the restoration as one of “The World’s 11 Most Beautiful Repurposed Buildings.”

EXTERIOR PHOTOGRAPHY BY TREVER LONG

COMMERCIAL REAL ESTATE BROKER OF THE YEAR Finalists Paul Hoge, Signature Associates Simon Jonna, Jonna Group at Colliers International Daniel Canvasser, Newmark Paul Hoge Senior Vice President, Principal Signature Associates, Southfield

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or decades, metro Detroit’s industrial property sector languished, a victim of manufacturing activity moving overseas, aging facilities, and crumbling roads and bridges. Mix in years of fiscal mismanagement in Detroit that led to the largest municipal bankruptcy in the country in 2013, and the prospects for an industrial turnaround were circumspect, if not grim.

Even as large factories, manufacturing facilities, and projects like the Pontiac Silverdome sat empty for want of demand — metro Detroit’s industrial vacancy rate was at 13 percent in 2008 — Paul Hoge, senior vice president and principal of Signature Associates, kept driving forward.

As a top salesperson at the brokerage firm, Hoge has overseen scores of transactions ranging from leasing and sales to helping to assemble large tracts of land for industrial parks. In one instance, in the late 1980s, he

cold-called Tire Wholesalers, which at the time was located along Eight Mile Road in Southfield.

In short order, he sold the company a larger warehouse in Troy. Last year, Hoge and his team helped Tire Wholesalers establish a 270,000-square-foot headquarters and warehouse operation in Oak Park.

At the same time, Hoge has assisted hundreds of clients in buying and leasing industrial land and facilities, including new and refurbished properties for Brose NA, Dürr, First Industrial REIT, Kirco, MSX International, US Farathane, and Webasto. The projects have generated myriad investments in related industries such as design, construction, machinery, and furnishings.

Today, Hoge, a member of the Midwest Commercial Real Estate Hall of Fame, has never been busier. The region’s industrial vacancy rate was at 3.7 percent in the second quarter, the lowest availabe space in decades.

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Perspectives | Commercial Real Estate Awards

INDIVIDUALS AND COMPANIES

COMMERCIAL REAL ESTATE EXECUTIVE OF THE YEAR

EMERGING COMMERCIAL REAL ESTATE PROFESSIONAL OF THE YEAR UNDER 40

Finalists

Finalists

Andy Gutman, Farbman Group Paul Choukourian, Colliers International Kofi Bonner, Bedrock

Matt Schiffman, P.A. Commercial Jared Friedman, Friedman Real Estate Corbin Yaldoo, C3 Commercial Real Estate Jared Friedman Executive Managing Director, Acquisitions and Business Development Friedman Real Estate, Farmington Hills

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as Chicago, Columbus, Milwaukee, and Houston.

A key driver of Freidman Real Estate’s institutional advisory team, Friedman and his team have been a part of multiple transactions, including the sale and restructuring of the Westin Book Cadilac, Bedrock’s purchase of the former Sakthi Industrial Campus, the development plan for the recently-completed Godfrey Hotel, and the upcoming Perennial Apartments, all in Detroit.

In the suburbs, Friedman helped facilitate several largescale leases for Magna in Auburn Hills, DTE Energy’s storage facility in Redford Township, and Gardner White Furniture Co.’s headquarters complex in Warren (formerly occupied by Art Van Furniture). Beyond the transactions, Friedman seeks to create value in the communities where the company does business through new investment, job opportunities, and community enrichment.

verseeing a diverse real estate portfolio that includes office, industrial, and retail properties, Jared Friedman works to acquire, sell, lease, and provide advisory services for a range of clients consisting of Fortune 1000 companies, REITs, private equity firms, banks, and servicers.

From the historic Parker-Webb Building in downtown Detroit to the Three West 11 office campus in Southfield and the Woodhaven Industrial Center in Woodhaven, he is active across the region and country.

Friedman also has developed a full-service capital markets team, SF Capital, to provide commercial real estate financing nationwide. He also has helped Friedman secure more than 3,000 new units of Class-A multifamily management assignments and 4 million square feet of commercial management assignments. The last several years have included growth in receivership assignments in markets such

DEVELOPER OF THE YEAR Finalists Kofi Bonner CEO Bedrock, Detroit

COURTESY BEDROCK

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verseeing a portfolio of more than 100 properties in both Detroit and Cleveland, some of which, upon acquisition, weren’t far from the wrecking ball, Kofi Bonner, CEO of Bedrock, has helped to transform both downtown districts into thriving metropolises while embracing community partnerships and supporting small businesses.

Overall, Bedrock, owned by Dan Gilbert, founder and chairman of Rocket Cos. in Detroit, and its affiliates, have invested and committed more than $5.6 billion to acquire and restore 100-plus buildings that, combined, total 22 million square feet of space.

New construction also has been a part of the comeback effort, including the Hudson’s Tower in downtown Detroit — now at the halfway point of delivering 1.5 million square feet of office, residential, commercial, and hospitality space that will include a 5-star hotel, complemented by a midrise structure to the north.

Scheduled to open in late 2024, the development joins dozens of restoration projects like the Shinola Hotel, Book Tower, most of the lower Woodward Corridor, Cadillac Tower, and the Buhl Building. Next up is the Development at Cadillac Square, which will add 1.5 million square feet of mixed-use offerings between Monroe and Randolph streets, adjacent to Campus Martius Park and Cadillac Square.

Outside of downtown Detroit, Bonner and his team have acquired properties along or in close proximity to the Detroit River, including Stroh River Place, 200 Walker (formerly The Icon), the Rocket Mortgage Technology Center in Corktown, and a nearly 37-acre industrial development in the city’s Delray neighborhood.

All told, the Detroit projects provide for business expansion, investment, and thousands of job opportunities. At the same time, Bedrock helps support and program community events.

Ron Boji, Boji Group Susan Harvey, Ashley Capital Danny Samson, Sterling Group

CB2

Ron Boji CEO Boji Group, Lansing

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fter opening and running Computer Warehouse stores earlier in his career, Ron Boji, along with his father, Louie, acquired the Michigan National Building in downtown Lansing.

Over the course of more than three decades, the pair expanded their office portfolio, and eventually began to acquire and develop urban properties in downtown Birmingham and Royal Oak. As part of six projects in Birmingham, Ron Boji recently completed a regional headquarters for Boji Group at N. Old Woodward and Maple Road, and leased the first-floor space to CB2, a modern furniture and contemporary home décor store that’s part of Crate & Barrel. More construction is underway at S. Old Woodward and Brown Street for an RH store (formerly Restoration Hardware), along with a separate building to the west that will offer first-floor retail, second-floor offices, and 30 luxury apartments on two upper floors.

In turn, 460 N. Old Woodward, just south of Market North End restaurant, will be home to a high-end supper club called Wilders Bistro. It will be operated by the Eid family, owners of two other Birmingham restaurants, Phoenicia and Forest Grill, and will have upper-floor office and residential units overlooking Booth Park.

Boji also recently completed a $40-million outpatient building for Henry Ford Health in downtown Royal Oak, complemented by a $63-million municipal campus for Royal Oak that includes a new city hall, a police station, a seven-story, 581-space parking deck, and Centennial Commons, a 2.2-acre park. Overall, Boji Group owns more than 60 buildings and has interests in commercial, office, hospitality, and residential markets.

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Commercial Real Estate Awards | Perspectives

EXCELLENCE IN CONSTRUCTION AND ENGINEERING Finalists Loren Venegas, Ideal Contracting John Rakolta Jr., Walbridge Ryan Maibach, Barton Malow John Rakolta Chairman Walbridge

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EXCELLENCE IN ARCHITECTURE AND DESIGN Finalists Pankaj Patel, Albert Kahn Associates Joel Smith, Neumann/Smith Architecture Rainy Hamilton Jr., Hamilton Anderson Associates Rainy Hamilton Jr. President Hamilton Anderson Associates

SAL RODRIGUEZ

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ainy Hamilton Jr. knows how to deliver design projects that are on time and under budget. Keeping everything moving in one direction is symbolized by a working model train display he built in the basement of his home.

Hamilton is principal in charge, president, and associate of Hamilton Anderson Associates in downtown Detroit, and works on everything from new construction to historic restorations.

As the lead or part of a design team, the award-winning firm worked on two of three stadiums in Detroit — Ford Field and Little Caesars Arena — as well as multiple new housing projects in Brush Park, Midtown, and Corktown. In the latter neighborhood, Hamilton Anderson was retained by Detroit’s Roxbury Group on behalf of Soave Enterprises to create a master plan for Elton Park, located along Trumbull Street, north of Michigan Avenue.

The plan included the restoration of the former Checker Cab Building into loft apartments, and the construction of five residential buildings and commercial spaces. The design, which features exterior materials like brick and stone, appears to have been built decades before in the city’s oldest neighborhood, founded in 1834.

Across the country, the firm, launched in 1994, has designed dozens of projects, including the $1.4 billion MGM National Harbor Casino and Hotel in Washington, D.C. In addition to the casino, the property includes a 300-room hotel, a full-service spa, a conference center, a 4,000-seat theater, and a conservatory. Hamilton Anderson, which also designed the MGM Grand Detroit, is active in multiple markets, including health care, academic, civic, cultural, offices, parks, and recreational facilities.

ver a long and distinguished career, John Rakolta has overseen the construction and engineering of some of the most complex structures ever built. His portfolio of work as past CEO of Walbridge, and now chairman, includes the construction of manufacturing plants, high-speed data centers, historic restorations, and hospitals.

The company, founded in 1916, offers data and modeling, pre-construction, construction, and process engineering services.

Active around the world, Walbridge has built or expanded the Stellantis Jeep Assembly Plant in Goiana, Brazil, the Ford Hermosillo Stamping and Assembly Expansion in Mexico, Sparkman Wharf Renovations in Tampa for Strategic Property Partners, and, closer to home, the redevelopment of the David Whitney Building in downtown Detroit into a hotel, apartments, and commercial space, among many other projects.

The company also is at the forefront of Industry 4.0, where automated factories are run by remote digital platforms complemented

by IT, robotics, additive manufacturing, and nanotechnology. Using multiple sensors, the equipment inside the production facilities seem to run on their own.

One of Walbridge’s most high-profile projects is an all-new, $5.6-billion mega campus in Stanton, Tenn., called BlueOval City, where Ford is reimagining how electric vehicles and batteries are manufactured. BlueOval City will occupy nearly six square miles when it opens in 2025. It will become a vertically integrated ecosystem where Ford can assemble an expanded lineup of electric F-Series vehicles, and will include a BlueOval SK battery plant, key suppliers, and recycling. What’s more, Walbridge has been charged by Ford to make the construction process carbon-neutral, with zero waste to landfill once fully operational.

EXCELLENCE IN COMMUNITY SERVICE Finalists Tonja Bolden Stapleton, Parkstone Development Partners Paul Magy, Clark Hill Robert Pliska, Sperry Commercial Global Affiliates Tonja Bolden Stapleton President Parkstone Development Partners, Detroit

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onja Bolden Stapleton oversees Parkstone Development Partners, a full-service real estate development and small business consulting firm in Detroit that provides technical assistance to developers, municipalities, and entrepreneurs. The company specializes in zoning, land use, and site development from an office in Eastern Market.

Prior to starting Parkstone, Stapleton, a zoning and land use expert with more than 20 years of experience in the public, private, and nonprofit sectors, served as the zoning administrator for the City of Detroit from 2011 to 2016, and as a planner for the Village of Glen Ellyn, located west of Chicago.

During her time working for the City of Detroit, Stapleton was part of a team that helped shepherd billions of dollars of investment into the central business district, Midtown, Corktown, Lafayette Park, and

other neighborhoods. Her core strengths include strategic and master planning, project management, land entitlements, and commercial development.

In addition, she has helped launch more than 100 small businesses and has co-authored several ordinances for municipalities. Stapleton, who earned a degree in urban and regional planning from Michigan State University, is a member of the American Institute of Certified Planners. During her career, she has developed multiple specialties, including strategic and master planning, project management, local, state, and federal land entitlements, government relations, budgeting, grant-writing, and storm water compliance.

Her municipal services team includes planners, engineers, and attorneys who provide ordinance and master plan assistance.

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PROJECTS AND DEALS BEST LAND DEAL Finalists Sterling Group, Amazon Detroit Boji Group, CB2 Birmingham LoPatin and Co./NorthPoint Development, Lear Detroit

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popular attraction that originally got its start in 1849, the Michigan State Fairgrounds property at the southeast corner of Woodward Avenue and 8 Mile Road drew millions of people over multiple decades. But as the annual fair that showcased Michigan’s agricultural industry saw declining ticket sales, it moved in 2013 to the Suburban Collection Showplace in Novi.

In recent years, different plans were floated for the 164-acre former fairgrounds site along Woodward, including a racetrack, retail opportunities, office buildings, and a station for a proposed commuter rail service. To help speed development, in 2012 the state transferred the property to the Land Bank Fast Track Authority.

Multiple proposals for the site were presented,

and eventually, in 2018, the land was transferred to the City of Detroit. The Sterling Group in Detroit, an investment and real estate firm, was selected by the City to develop the property into an industrial park.

An early win for the redevelopment project was Amazon’s first robotics fulfillment center in the state, which opened in late July. The fivestory, 823,000-square-foot facility supports the 10 fulfillment and sorting centers, along with 13 delivery stations, that service Michigan residents and businesses. Amazon hired more than 1,200 people to work at the new facility, 60 percent of whom are Detroit residents. In addition, the former Dairy Cattle building is being converted into the State Fair Transit Center, which is scheduled to open next spring.

HUNTINGTON TOWER

BEST COMMERCIAL PROPERTY SALE

BEST RELOCATION

Finalists

Finalists

FANUC America, Auburn Hills Birmingham Place, Birmingham The Addison, Southfield

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n August 2022, Dominion Real Estate Advisors in Bingham Farms orchestrated the disposition of the former Western Michigan University/Thomas M. Cooley Law School Campus along Featherstone Road in Auburn Hills. Following extensive negotiations, a land use study, and meetings with the municipality and state regulators, the property was eventually put under contract by the preferred developer for the buyer, General Development Co. in Southfield.

Today, a 655,000-square-foot facility is under construction for Rochester Hills-based FANUC America — a supplier of CNCs, robotics, and robo machines — for its so-called West Campus expansion, which will boost its operational space in Oakland County to nearly 2 million square feet. The new building, which is scheduled to open next spring, will include manufacturing, engineering, and R&D space.

One challenge to the project was General Development’s isolation of 7 acres of a wetland pocket to the north of the property along Featherstone Road that were permitted to be replaced through the state of Michigan’s wetland bank, or wetland mitigation program (an administratively cumbersome program), at a ratio of 1.5 acres to 1 acre.

Given the scope of the intended project, due diligence was protracted and fully extended even beyond the initial contractual timelines, lasting almost a year. Adding to the complexity of the development site and the sale was the seller’s underlying institutional bond financing, which had to be navigated as a partial release by their legal counsel. The property was eventually acquired by FANUC America Corp. (a subsidiary of FANUC Corp. in Japan), which is the world’s leading supplier of intelligent factory automation systems.

Colliers International, Royal Oak Gardner White, Warren Huntington Tower, Detroit

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untington National Bank cleared the property on what had been a surface lot along Woodward Avenue in downtown Detroit and an older parking deck to the west, and built a 21-story building that features flexible workspaces, state-of-the-art amenities, and a rooftop terrace. The structure, which includes an internal parking deck, serves as the headquarters for Huntington’s Commercial Bank.

It’s the first office tower built in downtown Detroit in more than 30 years.

Overlooking Comerica Park, amenities include a café with on-site refreshments such as Starbucks, terraces on the rooftop, a 19th floor with outdoor access, and a new Huntington Bank branch on the first floor.

The main exterior materials include lightly tinted green glass set in anodized aluminum curtain wall framing. Above the 10-level parking deck are nine floors of office space that can accommodate 750 employees. The $104-million project was designed by Neumann/Smith Architecture and built by Brinker Construction, both with Detroit operations.

In June, the 421,000-square-foot building was acquired by The Herrick Co. in Boca Raton, Fla., for $150 million. “In real estate, there are few investment opportunities as desirable as properties that are leased on a triple-net basis by creditworthy tenants such as Huntington Bank,” Norton Herrick, chairman of The Herrick Co., said at the time the sale was announced.

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BEST NEW INDUSTRIAL PROJECT

Finalists

Finalists Former Michigan State Fairgrounds, Sterling Group Amazon Fulfillment Center in Pontiac, Amazon FANUC North America, General Development

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he Pontiac Silverdome, the former home of the Detroit Lions, opened to great fanfare in 1975. But 27 years later, after the Lions moved to Ford Field in downtown Detroit, the 82,000-seat stadium, which also served as a temporary home for the Detroit Pistons, sat largely empty save for concerts, soccer matches, and other entertainment offerings.

The City of Pontiac owned the facility until it was sold at auction in 2009 for $550,000 to the late Andreas Apostolopoulos, CEO of Triple Properties in Toronto (the sports venue was built at a cost of $55.7 million). In 2013, following a heavy snowstorm, the Silverdome was closed after the air-pressurized roof

BEST NEW OFFICE PROJECT

collapsed. It was finally condemned and cleared for demolition in 2017.

Working with Atlanta-based Seefried Industrial Properties, Amazon announced in September 2019 that it had acquired the parcel and was going to occupy the site. The project included the construction of a 3.8 million-square-foot robotics fulfillment center. The entire project cost an estimated $250 million. Today, some 3,000 employees work at the facility.

Amazon didn’t receive any tax breaks for the project. Overall, there are 6,000 robots at the fulfillment center, and workers ship some 855,000 packages a day. In addition, the facility has nearly 50 million items of inventory.

One Campus Martius, Detroit Wacker Innovation Center and Regional Headquarters, Ann Arbor Bloomfield Hills Office Center II, Bloomfield Hills

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irco in Troy, along with its construction company, Kirco Manix in Farmington Hills, were selected by Wacker Chemical Corp. to develop and construct its $70 million North American Innovation Center and Regional Headquarters in Ann Arbor.

Work commenced in late 2020, and despite COVID-19, construction remained on schedule and on budget. The 75,000-square-foot facility opened in May 2022.

Spanning 18 acres, the technology campus serves as the hub for Wacker’s North and Central Americas (NCA) region. The center houses more than 200 employees, including the company’s NCA senior leadership team, chemists, and a range of technical experts, along with support functions.

The innovation center can accommodate up to 300 employees.

The investment allowed Wacker chemists, scientists, and senior leadership, who previously worked out of separate Michigan locations, to collaborate and innovate in a dedicated building. Amenities at the new center include more than 20 technical and analytical laboratories, a full-service cafeteria, a 24/7 fitness center, and open collaborative workspaces. The new building, which serves as a location for advanced research and design activities, provides plenty of open space.

“After China, the United States is the largest market for chemicals and silicone products,” says Robert Gnann, president of Wacker’s silicones business division. “Our new innovation center is an essential prerequisite for serving customers in North America with tailor-made silicone specialties, which are used in a wide range of application fields.”

BEST OFFICE LEASE Finalists TI Fluid Systems Headquarters, Savills Detroit S State Street in Ann Arbor, Colliers International Warner Norcross + Judd, Olympia Development

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lympia Development of Michigan — part of Ilitch Cos. in Detroit, which includes Little Caesars Arena, professional sports teams, and other investments — built a five-story, $70-million building along Woodward Avenue that offers 127,000 square feet of space. Called 2715 Woodward Ave., the building was completed last year and is located between Little Caesars Arena and Wayne State University’s Mike Ilitch School of Business.

The first tenants, regional employees for Warner Norcross + Judd, a corporate law firm based in Grand Rapids, completed their move into the building’s third floor last year. Boston Consulting Group also has moved into the facility.

Warner has around 60 attorneys and staff in the building, and the firm’s space features flexible work areas, a lounge overlooking Woodward, a 40-seat café,

2715 WOODWARD AVE.

and a media center.

In addition, Warner and other tenants have access to an abundance of natural light with floor-to-ceiling glass, enhanced light quality features, and sound attenuation, which encourages collaboration and improves the ability to focus. The structure was also engineered with state-of-the-art indoor air-quality systems, allowing for 50 percent more fresh-air circulation than standard systems, as well as enhanced air/ particle filtration.

“This building is a timely delivery to the market and exactly what people need and expect in today’s workplace.

We’ve designed (the building) for flexibility and inspiration in an environment that moves us in the direction of health and well-being,” says Stefan Stration, vice president of development for Olympia Development.

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PROJECTS AND DEALS

BEST INDUSTRIAL LEASE Finalists

COLUMBIA STREET

One (Our Next Energy), Van Buren Township Sakthi Automotive Portfolio, Detroit Renaissance Global Logistics, Wixom

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fter acquiring dozens of office buildings, many of them historic, in Detroit’s central business district, and building and renovating residential structures, along with adding retailers and restaurants, Bedrock in Detroit made its first foray into the industrial sector with the purchase of the former Sakthi Industrial Campus.

The nearly 37-acre acquisition, completed in 2020, includes approximately 529,000 square feet of industrial and manufacturing space, 89,000 square feet of office and flex space, and more than 10 acres of developable land. The property is located four miles west of downtown Detroit at West Fort and Waterman streets, and is adjacent to the Norfolk Southern Rail Line and near the future Gordie Howe International Bridge U.S. Port of Entry.

Two years after the acquisition, Bedrock announced a deal with LM Manufacturing, a joint venture between Magna, one of the world’s largest automotive suppliers, and LAN Manufacturing, a minority-owned automotive supplier based in Michigan, to provide 296,000 square feet of manufacturing space.

Under the agreement, LM Manufacturing is leasing space at 6451 W. Fort St., 6401 W. Fort St., and 150 Rademacher St. to manufacture automotive seating. Renamed the Fort Street Industrial Campus, in 2002 LM Manufacturing was joined by Diversified Synergies, which kits, packages, and distributes products for pharmaceutical, food, and consumer goods. The company is leasing 200,000 square feet of space. Overall, the two tenants combined employ around 1,500 workers.

BEST NEW MIXED-USE PROJECT Finalists

Finalists Big Rock Italian Chophouse, Cushman & Wakefield CB2, Boji Group Uptown Ann Arbor, Beztak Cos.

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ptown Ann Arbor, a mixed-use community of apartments and storefronts, is located at the southwest corner of Ann Arbor Saline Road and Oak Valley Drive near I-94. The retail space at Uptown Ann Arbor received its certificate of occupancy in 2022, and was preceded by the development of 197 luxury apartments bearing the same name, which opened in 2021.

Located near the University of Michigan, downtown Ann Arbor, and major employers like Google, Toyota, and Thomson Reuters, the retail space at Uptown Ann Arbor, complemented by one-, two-, and three-bedroom apartments, lofts, and townhomes, offers some attractive demographics: the average

income within a square mile is $124,430, based on a population of 7,909 people.

Overall, 15,500 vehicles travel by the property on a daily basis.

Given the developer and owner of the property, Beztak Cos. in Farmington Hills, was able to quickly lease the residential units, the apartment community created a steady walk-up market for the retail space.

With modern architecture and parking, the retail space spans 17,289 square feet and includes Marco’s Pizza, Beyond Juice + Eatery, Banfield Pet Hospital, The Great Greek Mediterranean Grill, Detroit Wing Co., Stretch Lab, and Paint Nail Bar. Brokered by Gerdom Realty and Investment in Novi, today the retail area offers 3,603 square feet of available space.

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ver since Mike and Marian Ilitch acquired the Fox Theatre at Woodward Avenue and Columbia Street from the late Chuck Forbes in 1987, the couple who launched Little Caesars Pizza sought to develop a surface parking lot just south of the entertainment venue. Formerly occupied by the Ham Factory, an arcade, and other storefronts, the series of two-story buildings were demolished in the 1970s.

Following the 2020 opening of the Little Caesars Global Resource Center and World Headquarters on the south side of the parking lot, designed by SmithGroup and built by L.S. Brinker, both in Detroit, the real estate arm of Ilitch Cos. — Olympia Development of Michigan — turned to the north side of the vacant lot (originally Columbia Street itself).

After building out a pedestrian square featuring cobblestone paving, festoon lights, and al fresco dining spaces, the European-style plaza called Columbia Street began to fill out around 40,000 square feet of retail and restaurant spaces located in both the Fox Theatre and the new Little Caesars building.

Today, Columbia Street includes Union Assembly, Mom’s Spaghetti, JoJo’s Shake Bar, Good Cakes & Bakes, Frita Batidos Detroit, Sahara Restaurant and Grill, and The M Den Detroit. Other retail and restaurant spaces are available. In addition, the plaza hosts multiple themed activities throughout the year to coincide with major sporting events, concerts, and holidays.

The plaza, which is open year round, is part of The District Detroit, a 50-block area that includes three sports stadiums, office buildings, residences, theaters, restaurants, and entertainment attractions.

COURTESY THE DISTRICT DETROIT

BEST RETAIL LEASE OR PROJECT

Columbia Street, Olympia Development The Griffin Royal Oak, Singh Development Village at Bloomfield, REDICO

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BEST NEW MULTIFAMILY PROJECT Finalists Mystic Cove in Lake Orion, Moceri Cos. Detroit City Club Apartments (downtown), City Club Apartments The Griffin, Singh Development

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s part of a 90-million development along the shores of Lake Orion, Moceri Cos. is building three communities that, combined, will offer 139 luxury residences along with amenities, boat slips, and retail establishments. The project, approved by the Village of Lake Orion in 2022, will replace an aging collection of structures, clean up a marina and any contamination, maintain boat launches for Lake Orion residents, and renovate a gas dock.

Set across 10 acres, the three communities are Mystic Cove, The Starboard, and Constellation Bay. Floor plans include one-, two-, and three-bedroom options, as well as live-work spaces ranging from 1,200 to 2,800 square feet. Other components consist of a community park and an outdoor historical gallery, new storm water

treatment systems, and new and renovated boardwalks.

Located near M-24 and Heights Road, a few miles north of the former Palace of Auburn Hills, Moceri Cos., working with architect Dominick Tringali, is undertaking several restoration projects in the three communities. The company, based in Auburn Hills, is reconstructing the Foursquare House and renovating the Historic Sutherland Home and the Marina Boathouse.

In addition, existing boat slips will be reserved for residents. Design cues were taken from the surrounding architecture, and a new sign will evoke the original gateway to the former Park Island amusement park. A boathouse-style restaurant is planned, as well. The project will open in phases over the next two to three years.

BEST REDEVELOPMENT OR RENOVATION Finalists Columbia Street, Olympia Development Book Tower, Bedrock Newlab, Ford Land

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he Book Tower, which recently completed a $400-million restoration, provides another historic and mixed-use attraction in downtown Detroit. Located along Washington Boulevard at Grand River Avenue, the 38-story tower and adjoining 14-story Book Building includes 229 residential units, a 117-room ROOST Apartment Hotel, and 52,000 square feet of retail, office space, and three new dining options.

Built in 1926 by the three Book Brothers — Herbert, Frank, and J. Burgess Jr. — Book Tower was the tallest building in Detroit at the time of its completion. At the time, the brothers developed the

BOOK TOWER

multiple parcels they owned along Washington into Detroit’s version of Park Avenue in New York City.

Today, the Book Tower remains one of the most architecturally renowned buildings in the Midwest, and is one of the most intriguing reuse projects in Michigan.

Following its 2015 acquisition of the Louis Kamper-designed, Italian Renaissance Revival-style building, Bedrock in Detroit embarked on a historic restoration. The building was in a state of disrepair, after sitting vacant for more than a decade. Interior damage included destroyed century-old plaster ceiling tiles, shattered marble wainscoting, and exposed electrical and plumbing systems.

The restoration included taking molds from what details were left, recreating new ornamentation, and the replacement of exterior stones, statues, and cornices.

New first-floor and lower-level restaurants — Le Suprême, Hiroki-San, and Sakazuki — were designed by Method Studios, Method Co.’s in-house design firm, and Philadelphia-based Stokes Architecture + Design. Kamper’s and Bar Rotunda (part of Le Suprême) were designed in a partnership between ODA Architecture and Method Studios.

Located on the rooftop of the Book Building, Kamper’s offers an indoor/outdoor cocktail lounge.

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Perspectives | Commercial Real Estate Awrads

PROJECTS AND DEALS

BEST HOSPITALITY PROJECT Finalists Westin Book Cadillac Hotel, Oxford Capital Group Godfrey Hotel, Oxford Capital Group Daxton Hotel, Mark Mitchell

M

COMMUNITY IMPACT AWARD

ichigan Avenue and Trumbull Street were synonymous with the Detroit Tigers for more than a century. The Tigers won four World Series championships at the “old ballpark,” which was initially surrounded by manufacturers like Absopure and Carhartt.

As the manufacturers left, their aging facilities were torn down and mostly replaced by surface parking lots for use by residents, businesses, and fans. After the Tigers moved to Comerica Park in 2000, the Corktown neighborhood was largely underutilized. But six years ago, potential turned into activity as Soave Enterprises in Detroit, led by Tony Soave, redeveloped the former Checker Cab Building along Trumbull and built five neighboring buildings that, all told, added more than 150 apartments.

Soon after, Ford Motor Co. announced it had acquired the former Michigan Central Station at Michigan and 14th Street for a new mobility innovation campus.

Against that backdrop, other new businesses arrived — the Godfrey Hotel Detroit

by Oxford Capital Group, Oxford Hotels & Resorts, and Pasteur Homes, with the newest Curio Collection by Hilton.

The 227-room luxury hotel features the I/O Rooftop Lounge and the Lobby Bar, a 5,000-square-foot ballroom, in-room dining, and a fitness center. Next up is Hamilton’s, a collaboration with Samy Eid, of Chickpea Hospitality, that will feature classic American fare and be located on the first floor. The hotel has five room options, including pet-friendly rooms, as well as digital check-in, valet parking, and four flexible meeting spaces.

Finalists

SAL RODRIGUEZ

K

athy Makino-Leipsitz, president and managing partner of Shelborne Development in Detroit, is a pioneer of historic residential development. Long before it was commonplace, Makino-Leipsitz was rehabbing older structures in the Cass Corridor, now part of Midtown, as well as in Palmer Park, near Six Mile and Hamilton roads.

Overall, Makino-Leipsitz has helped to build and rehabilitate more than 1,300 housing units in southeast Michigan, with a special focus on preserving 30-plus vacant historic buildings in Detroit. In 1979, while a student at the University of Michigan in Ann Arbor, she got her start by purchasing and renovating a duplex in Westland.

While some developers will attempt to

pack as many apartments in a building as possible, Makino-Leipsitz prefers to offer larger units that families can grow into. Bigger residential spaces also attract a wider mix of tenants. In the case of Palmer Park, Shelborne’s tenants include city employees, nurses, professionals, and service personnel who work at restaurants and casinos.

“To see an empty structure and see it transformed into a sustainable, energy-efficient apartment community is what really drives me,” Makino-Leipsitz says. “It’s almost like restoring a work of art. I’ve always started in the fringe areas, where other developers have shied away, and when they eventually did come (to an area), I took it as a sign of confidence.”

GODFREY HOTEL

COURTESY GODFREY HOTEL DETROIT

Kevin Johnson, DEGC Kathy Makino-Leipsitz, Shelborne Development Eric Larson, Downtown Detroit Partnership

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TOP LAWYERS |

2024

2024 TOP

LAWYERS Index

ANTITRUST LAW.............................................................56 APPELLATE LAW .............................................................56 ARBITRATION..................................................................56 BANKING & FINANCIAL SERVICE LAW ..........................56 BANKRUPTCY & CREDITOR/ DEBTOR RIGHTS LAW ....................................................57 COMMERCIAL LAW ........................................................57 CONSTRUCTION LAW ....................................................57 COPYRIGHT LAW............................................................57 CORPORATE LAW ...........................................................58 CRIMINAL DEFENSE – NON WHITE-COLLAR ...............58 CRIMINAL DEFENSE – WHITE-COLLAR ........................58 EMPLOYEE BENEFITS LAW ............................................58 ENERGY LAW ..................................................................59 ENVIRONMENTAL LAW ..................................................59 FAMILY LAW ....................................................................59 FOOD & BEVERAGE LAW ...............................................60 FRANCHISE LAW ............................................................60 HEALTH CARE LAW ........................................................60 IMMIGRATION LAW ........................................................61 INFORMATION MANAGEMENT & DISCOVERY LAW.........................................................61 INFORMATION TECHNOLOGY LAW ..............................61 INSURANCE LAW............................................................61 INTELLECTUAL PROPERTY & PATENT LAW ..................61 INTERNATIONAL TRADE LAW ........................................62

LABOR & EMPLOYMENT LAW........................................62 LAND USE & ZONING .....................................................63 LEGAL MALPRACTICE LAW ............................................63 LITIGATION – ANTITRUST ..............................................63 LITIGATION – BANKING & FINANCE..............................63 LITIGATION – COMMERCIAL .........................................63 LITIGATION – CONSTRUCTION .....................................64 LITIGATION – INSURANCE.............................................64 LITIGATION – INTELLECTUAL PROPERTY.....................65 LITIGATION – LABOR EMPLOYMENT BENEFITS...........65 LITIGATION – PATENTS ..................................................65 LITIGATION – REAL ESTATE ...........................................65 MEDIATION .....................................................................65 MEDICAL MALPRACTICE LAW .......................................65 MERGERS & ACQUISITIONS LAW ..................................66 MUNICIPAL LAW .............................................................66 NONPROFIT/CHARITIES LAW ........................................67 PERSONAL INJURY ........................................................67 PRODUCT LIABILITY.......................................................67 PROFESSIONAL MALPRACTICE LAW ............................68 PUBLIC FINANCE LAW ...................................................68 REAL ESTATE LAW ..........................................................68 SECURITIES LAW ............................................................69 TAX LAW..........................................................................69 TRUSTS & ESTATES ........................................................70 WORKERS COMPENSATION LAW..................................70

T

he research for the Top Lawyers list was created by PRS (Professional Research Services) and is based on an online peerreview survey sent out to the certified lawyers within the metro Detroit area. Many votes were cast honoring excellence in the legal field. Inclusion in DBusiness magazine’s Top Lawyers list is based solely upon one’s standing within their peer group. Listings in Top Lawyers cannot be purchased.

The Top Lawyers list will be posted at DBusiness.com on Nov. 20, 2023.

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2024 | TOP LAWYERS

LAWYER POPULATION IN MICHIGAN 2012–2021

ANTITRUST LAW

Paul D. Hudson Miller, Canfield, Paddock and Stone

Steven Cernak Bona Law

Derek J. Linkous Bush Seyferth

Forrest O. Dillon Bodman

Thomas J. Rheaume Jr. Bodman

2013

33,995

2014

34,739

2015

34,739

2016

35,087

Sheldon H. Klein Butzel Long

ARBITRATION

2017

35,236

Thomas C. O’Brien Miller, Canfield, Paddock and Stone

Frederick A. Acomb Miller, Canfield, Paddock and Stone

2018

35,362

Larry J. Saylor Miller, Canfield, Paddock and Stone

Michelle P. Crockett Miller, Canfield, Paddock and Stone

2019

35,360

2020

35,214

Kimberly L. Scott Miller, Canfield, Paddock and Stone

Samantha S. Galecki Miller, Canfield, Paddock and Stone

2021

35,114

L. Pahl Zinn Dickinson Wright

Daniel P. Makarski Secrest Wardle

2022

35,139

APPELLATE LAW

Kimberly L. Scott Miller, Canfield, Paddock and Stone

David A. Ettinger Honigman Howard B. Iwrey Dykema Gossett

Source: Michigan Bar Association

Donovan S. Asmar Bodman Keith Michael Banka Mike Morse Law Firm

AVERAGE ATTORNEY ANNUAL SALARY IN MICHIGAN

$

$232,312 $136,282 PRIVATE PRACTICE

NON-PRIVATE PRACTICE

Source: Michigan Bar Association

Joel C. Bryant Miller, Canfield, Paddock and Stone Michael J. Cook Collins Einhorn Farrell Phillip J. DeRosier Dickinson Wright Stephanie A. Douglas Bush Seyferth Cynthia M. Filipovich Clark Hill Christina A. Ginter Kitch Attorneys & Counselors Caroline Brooks Giordano Miller, Canfield, Paddock and Stone Katharine Gostek Kitch Attorneys & Counselors Mark R. Granzotto Mark Granzotto K. Scott Hamilton Dickinson Wright

Kurtis T. Wilder Butzel Long Beth Wittmann Mark Granzotto

James Lewis Woolard Jr. Miller, Canfield, Paddock and Stone

BANKING & FINANCIAL SERVICE LAW Hebba Aref Bodman Kasturi Bagchi Miller, Canfield, Paddock and Stone Eric Scott Bergeron Miller, Canfield, Paddock and Stone Douglas C. Bernstein Plunkett Cooney David C. Bosman Bodman William T. Burgess Dickinson Wright Matthew K. Casey Warner Norcross + Judd Joseph N. Ejbeh Aloia Law Martin S. Frenkel Maddin, Hauser, Roth & Heller

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TOP LAWYERS |

Robert B. Goldi Kotz Sangster Wysocki

Kristen M. Veresh Varnum

Jaimee L. Witten Bodman

Scott P. Gyorke Bodman

BANKRUPTCY & CREDITOR/DEBTOR RIGHTS LAW

Craig E. Zucker Maddin, Hauser, Roth & Heller

COMMERCIAL LAW

Melvin J. Babi Babi Legal Group

Jonathan S. Berg Bodman

Marc M. Bakst Bodman

Daniel D. Quick Dickinson Wright

Craig W. Hammond Dickinson Wright Kathleen O’Callaghan Hickey Bodman Shawn N. Hopper Miller, Canfield, Paddock and Stone Steven G. Howell Dickinson Wright Joseph C. Huntzicker Miller, Canfield, Paddock and Stone Joseph J. Kochanek Bodman John K. Lawrence Dickinson Wright Melissa A. Lewis Bodman Adam B. Norlander Bodman Michael J. Romaya Varnum

Jason W. Bank Kerr, Russell and Weber Brendan G. Best Varnum Charles D. Bullock Stevenson & Bullock Elliot G. Crowder Stevenson & Bullock Robert J. Diehl Jr. Bodman Stuart A. Gold Gold, Lange & Majoros Jonathan S. Green Miller, Canfield, Paddock and Stone

Damali A. Sahu Bodman

Paul Hage Taft

Aaron Bayne Schwaderer Miller, Canfield, Paddock and Stone

Scott M. Kwiatkowski Goldstein, Bershad & Fried

Wayne S. Segal Dawda Mann

Stephen S. LaPlante Miller, Canfield, Paddock and Stone

Bonnie S. Sherr Bodman

Ralph E. McDowell Bodman

William P. Shield Jr. Dickinson Wright

Noel J. Ravenscroft Bodman

Larry R. Shulman Bodman

Steven A. Roach Miller, Canfield, Paddock and Stone

Frank R. Simon Simon

Ronald A. Spinner Miller, Canfield, Paddock and Stone

Eric M. Stein Miller, Canfield, Paddock and Stone

Marc N. Swanson Miller, Canfield, Paddock and Stone

Theodore B. Sylwestrzak Dickinson Wright

Julie B. Teicher Maddin, Hauser, Roth & Heller

John P. Ulrich Jr. Kotz Sangster Wysocki

Brian R. Trumbauer Bodman

2024

CONSTRUCTION LAW Harvey W. Berman Bodman R. Edward Boucher Kotz Sangster Wysocki Timothy P. Brady Kitch Attorneys & Counselors James R. Case Dykema Gossett Ronald A. Deneweth Deneweth, Vittiglio & Sassak Lawrence M. Dudek Miller, Canfield, Paddock and Stone Eric J. Flessland Butzel Long J. Christian Hauser Frasco, Caponigro, Wineman, Scheible, Hauser & Luttmann Kevin S. Hendrick Clark Hill Carina M. Kraatz Kitch Attorneys & Counselors Mark L. McAlpine McAlpine Jeffrey M. Sangster Kotz Sangster Wysocki John M. Sier Kitch Attorneys & Counselors Scott H. Sirich Plunkett Cooney Craig S. Thompson Kitch Attorneys & Counselors

COPYRIGHT LAW Lisabeth H. Coakley Harness, Dickey & Pierce November - December 2023 || DBUSINESS.COM 59

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2024 | TOP LAWYERS

Gregory Dempsey DeGrazia Miller, Canfield, Paddock and Stone

Jeffrey L. LaBine Miller, Canfield, Paddock and Stone

Jennifer M. Hetu Bodman

Carrie Leahy Bodman, PLC

Brian D. Wassom Warner Norcross + Judd

Sara K. MacWilliams Doerr MacWilliams Howard

Rebecca L. Wilson The Dobrusin Law Firm

George M. Malis Abbott Nicholson

CORPORATE LAW John A. Anderson Giarmarco, Mullins & Horton Thomas G. Appleman Miller, Canfield, Paddock and Stone Kristen L. Baiardi Abbott Nicholson C. Leslie Banas Kemp Klein Law Firm Dirk A. Beamer Wright Beamer Michael S. Ben Honigman Kylie E. Bergmann Dawda Mann J. Michael Bernard Dykema Gossett Devin W. Bone Paesano Akkashian Jennifer E. Consiglio Butzel Long Edward C. Dawda Dawda Mann Laurence B. Deitch Bodman Bruce W. Haffey Giarmarco, Mullins & Horton John P. Hensien Clark Hill Mark R. High Dickinson Wright Laura E. Johnson Butzel Long Loukas P. Kalliantasis Clark Hill

Joseph P. Michniacki Bodman

CRIMINAL DEFENSE – WHITE-COLLAR James W. Burdick Burdick Law Mark D. Chutkow Dykema Gossett Martin E. Crandall Clark Hill Thomas W. Cranmer Miller, Canfield, Paddock and Stone

Heather B. Miles Wright Beamer

George B. Donnini Butzel Long

Daniel H. Minkus Clark Hill

Damien DuMouchel Butzel Long

Linda Paullin-Hebden Warner Norcross + Judd

Derrick E. George George Law

Marc K. Salach Dawda Mann

Gerald J. Gleeson II Miller, Canfield, Paddock and Stone

Shusheng Wang Miller, Canfield, Paddock and Stone

Walter J. Piszczatowski Hertz Schram

Sarah J. Williams Bodman

Neil Rockind Neil Rockind | Rockind Law

Robert A. Wright III Dawda Mann

EMPLOYEE BENEFITS LAW

Gregory L. Wysocki Kotz Sangster Wysocki

Amy M. Christen Dykema Gossett

CRIMINAL DEFENSE – NON WHITE-COLLAR

Sue Ellen Eisenberg Sue Ellen Eisenberg & Associates

Sherman Abdo La Grasso, Abdo & Silveri Jim Amberg Amberg & Amberg Edward A. Bajoka Bajoka Law Group Jalal J. Dallo Dallo Law Maggie P.K. George George Law Marc E. Hart The Law Offices of Marc E. Hart Joseph A. Lavigne Law Offices of Joseph A. Lavigne

Katina Gorman Miller, Canfield, Paddock and Stone Deborah L. Grace Dickinson Wright Roberta P. Granadier Dickinson Wright Samantha A. Kopacz Miller, Canfield, Paddock and Stone Mary Jo Larson Warner Norcross + Judd Charles M. Lax Maddin, Hauser, Roth & Heller Lynn McGuire Butzel Long Christopher McMican Clark Hill

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TOP LAWYERS |

Cynthia A. Moore Dickinson Wright

Susan L. Johnson Butzel Long

Sam G. Morgan Gasiorek, Morgan, Greco, McCauley & Kotzian

Kurt A. Kissling Warner Norcross + Judd

Charles M. Russman Varnum

Steven C. (Steve) Kohl Warner Norcross + Judd

Kenneth J. Sachs Bodman

Steven C. Nadeau Honigman

Jordan Schreier Dickinson Wright

Sharon R. Newlon Dickinson Wright

Brian Mark Schwartz Miller, Canfield, Paddock and Stone

James K. O’Brien Dean & Fulkerson

David B. Walters Bodman

Susan J. Sadler Dawda Mann

Richard William Warren Jr. Miller, Canfield, Paddock and Stone Jennifer Watkins Warner Norcross + Judd Lisa B. Zimmer Warner Norcross + Judd

ENERGY LAW Karen Louise Boore Miller, Canfield, Paddock and Stone Brian J. Considine Dawda Mann Rodger Kershner Howard & Howard Attorneys

ENVIRONMENTAL LAW Kurt M. Brauer Warner Norcross + Judd Brian J. Considine Dawda Mann Michael D. Cummings Harvey Kruse Fredrick J. Dindoffer Bodman Nathan D. Dupes Bodman Grant P. Gilezan Dykema Gossett Beth S. Gotthelf Butzel Long Mark D. Jacobs Dykema Gossett

2024

Todd C. Schebor Dykema Gossett Erica J. Shell Bodman

Amy B. Folbe Honigman

Arthur Siegal Taft

Randi P. Glanz Clark Hill

Tyler D. Tennent Dawda Mann

Lorne B. Gold The Gold Law Firm

FAMILY LAW Candyce Ewing Abbatt Abbatt Zurawski Jeffrey Lance Abood The Abood Law Firm Mark A. Bank Bank Rifkin Carol F. Breitmeyer Breitmeyer Cushman Kyle Bristow Bristow Law Gerald Cavellier Hertz Schram Susan E. Cohen The Law Office of Susan E. Cohen Cristina M. Crescentini CMC Family Law Group Roquia K. Draper Warner Norcross + Judd Laura E. Eisenberg Eisenberg & Spilman

Channelle Kizy-White Kizy Law Kay E. Malaney Hainer & Berman David S. Mendelson The Mendelson Law Firm Delia A. Miller Delia A. Miller Julia A. Perkins Varnum B. Andrew Rifkin Bank Rifkin Michael A. Robbins Law Offices of Michael A. Robbins Stephen C. Rohr Miller, Canfield, Paddock and Stone Jorin G. Rubin Rubin Frampton, Attorneys at Law Nazli G. Sater Warner Norcross + Judd Kurt E. Schnelz Schnelz Wells November - December 2023 || DBUSINESS.COM 61

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TOP

5

AREAS OF PRACTICE FOR

MICHIGAN LAWYERS

John J. Schrot Jr. Berry Moorman

Debra A. Geroux Butzel Long

Lynn Capp Sirich Dickinson Wright

John P. Hessburg Kitch Attorneys & Counselors

Mark Snover The Law Firm of Hauer & Snover

William O. Hochkammer Honigman

Matthew S. Weaver Giarmarco, Mullins & Horton

Ann T. Hollenbeck Jones Day

Stewart C.W. Weiner Maddin, Hauser, Roth & Heller

Robert S. Iwrey The Health Law Partners

Miriam Z. Wolock Law Offices of Miriam Z. Wolock

Michael R. Janes Miller, Canfield, Paddock and Stone

FOOD & BEVERAGE LAW Thomas J. Azoni Secrest Wardle 1

2

3

4

5

1. Private Practice 2. Corporate Counsel 3. Government 4. Legal Services 5. Non-law Related

16,929 3,274 3,194 2,386 1,463

Source: Michigan Bar Association

FRANCHISE LAW Courtland W. Anderson Bodman Salam Elia Elia Law Bernard J. Fuhs Butzel Long

TOP

5

Gary M. Remer Dawda Mann

POPULATIONS OF LAWYERS

BY STATE (+MICHIGAN)

Briar Siljander Trio Law David L. Steinberg Taft

HEALTH CARE LAW

1

2

3

4

5

1. New York 2. California 3. Texas 4. Florida 5. Illinois 10. Michigan

10 187,246 170,306 95,196 77,223 62,720 35,139

Matthew Keuten Honigman Eric S. Klein Dykema Gossett Mark S. Kopson Plunkett Cooney Ali H. Koussan Koussan Law Alexander Lebedinski Giarmarco, Mullins & Horton Mark R. Lezotte Butzel Long Lisa A. Lucido Hall, Render, Killian, Heath & Lyman Theresamarie Mantese Mantese Honigman Gregory W. Moore Dickinson Wright

Richard AlAziz Delta Law Group

Joseph G. Nuyen Jr. Bodman

Jennifer L. Benedict Honigman

Lori-Ann Rickard Rickard & Associates

Reesa Benkoff Benkoff Health Law

Alan T. (Al) Rogalski Warner Norcross + Judd

Aaron Beresh Howard & Howard Attorneys

Jeffrey S. Segal Warner Norcross + Judd

Brandon M. Dalziel Bodman

Laura H. Selzer Miller, Canfield, Paddock and Stone

Jovan Dragovic Kotz Sangster Wysocki

Keith J. Soltis Kotz Sangster Wysocki

Gregory Drutchas Kitch Attorneys & Counselors

Annalise Lekas Surnow Bodman

Source: American Bar Association

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TOP LAWYERS |

Andrew B. Wachler Wachler & Associates

Meghan Kennedy Riordan Kitch Attorneys & Counselors

Rabih Hamawi Law Office of Rabih Hamawi

Deborah J. Williamson Williamson Health Law

Julianne Cassin Sharp Miller, Canfield, Paddock and Stone

Harvey R. Heller Maddin, Hauser, Roth & Heller

Mark E. Wilson Dickinson Wright

Michal Terebelo Fakhoury Global Immigration, USA

Aaron Herskovic Fabian, Sklar, King & Liss

IMMIGRATION LAW

INFORMATION MANAGEMENT & DISCOVERY LAW

James G. Aldrich Dykema Gossett N. Peter Antone Antone, Casagrande & Adwers Linda J. Armstrong Butzel Long

Phillip M. Shane Miller, Canfield, Paddock and Stone Angela Emmerling Shapiro Butzel Long

Elizabeth Boyda Baker Miller, Canfield, Paddock and Stone

INFORMATION TECHNOLOGY LAW

Dorothy H. Basmaji Antone, Casagrande & Adwers

Michael S. Khoury FisherBroyles

Meghan N. Covino Honigman

Jill M. Miller Bodman

Rami D. Fakhoury Fakhoury Global Immigration, USA

Claudia Rast Butzel Long

Katie S. Fish Ellis Porter Leila Freijy Law Office of Leila Freijy Carol A. Friend Honigman Aimee Guthat Jackson Lewis Joseph Kallabat Joseph Kallabat & Associates Christopher M. (Chris) LeClair Warner Norcross + Judd Elise S. Levasseur Dickinson Wright Clara DeMatteis Mager Butzel Long Eli Maroko Taft Michael P. Nowlan Clark Hill Reginald A. Pacis Butzel Long

INSURANCE LAW Nicholas Andrews Liss, Seder & Andrews Jordan A.W. Barkey Michigan Auto Law Stephanie M. Brochert Plunkett Cooney Charles W. Browning Plunkett Cooney Jeffrey A. Bussell Michigan Auto Law Mark G. Cooper Taft Michael G. Costello Bodman Michelle Thurber Czapski Bodman Todd B. Denenberg Denenberg Tuffley Julie I. Fershtman Foster Swift Collings & Smith Justin A. Grimske Secrest Wardle

2024

John C.W. Hohmeier Scarfone & Geen Patrick A. King Fabian, Sklar, King & Liss Jason J. Liss Fabian, Sklar, King & Liss Moheeb H. Murray BSP Law Frederick B. Plumb Garan Lucow Miller Stanley A. Prokop Plunkett Cooney Kevin H. Seiferheld Michigan Auto Law Nicole E. Wilinski Collins Einhorn Farrell Douglass Young Young Insurance Law

INTELLECTUAL PROPERTY & PATENT LAW William G. Abbatt Brooks Kushman Daniel P. Aleksynas Young, Basile, Hanlon & MacFarlane Andrew S. Balazer Bodman Andrew R. Basile Jr. Young, Basile, Hanlon & MacFarlane Jeremy D. Bisdorf Taft Kelly K. Burris Burris Law Mark A. Cantor Brooks Kushman John E. Carlson Carlson, Gaskey & Olds

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Vito A. Ciaravino Warner Norcross + Judd

James D. Stevens Reising Ethington

Robert A. Boonin Dykema Gossett

Gregory Dempsey DeGrazia Miller, Canfield, Paddock and Stone

Michael B. Stewart Fishman Stewart

James J. Boutrous II McDonald Hopkins

Eric M. Dobrusin The Dobrusin Law Firm

Daniela M. Walters The Dobrusin Law Firm

Darcie R. Brault McKnight, Canzano, Smith, Radtke & Brault

Jennifer A. Dukarski Butzel Long

INTERNATIONAL TRADE LAW

Daniel J. Bretz Clark Hill

Monte L. Falcoff Harness, Dickey & Pierce Stacie N. Farina Young, Basile, Hanlon & MacFarlane Megan E. Fink Bodman

James C. Bruno Butzel Long Roger H. Cummings Dickinson Wright Joseph D. Gustavus Miller, Canfield, Paddock and Stone

Laura A. Brodeur-McGeorge Brodeur-McGeorge Legal Deborah Brouwer Nemeth Bonnette Brouwer Kaitlin A. Brown Maddin, Hauser, Roth & Heller

Michael D. Fishman Fishman Stewart

Robert A. Hudson Butzel Long

Linda G. Burwell National Investigation Counsel

Denise M. Glassmeyer Young, Basile, Hanlon & MacFarlane

James Y. Rayis Giarmarco, Mullins & Horton

John C. Cashen Bodman

Jennifer M. Hetu Bodman

Jeffrey G. Richardson Miller, Canfield, Paddock and Stone

Connie M. Cessante Clark Hill

Wyatt J. Istvan-Mitchell Warner Norcross + Judd

Bruce C. Thelen Dickinson Wright

David M. Cessante Clark Hill

Erin Klug The Dobrusin Law Firm

Richard A. Walawender Miller, Canfield, Paddock and Stone

Randal R. Cole Dawda Mann

Susan M. Kornfield Bodman

LABOR AND EMPLOYMENT LAW

Paul W. Coughenour Clark Hill

Douglas P. LaLone FisherBroyles David M. LaPrairie Howard & Howard Attorneys Francine B. Nesti Young, Basile, Hanlon & MacFarlane Katherine M. Pacynski The Dobrusin Law Firm Paul J. Palinski The Dobrusin Law Firm A. Michael Palizzi Miller, Canfield, Paddock and Stone Randall J. (Randy) Peck Warner Norcross + Judd Kristen L. Pursley The Dobrusin Law Firm Matthew J. Schmidt Reising Ethington

Margaret Carroll Alli Ogletree, Deakins, Nash, Smoak & Stewart William E. Altman Fisher & Phillips Gary C. Ankers Littler Mendelson Michelle D. Bayer Joelson Rosenberg John T. Below Bodman Karen B. Berkery Kitch Attorneys & Counselors John F. Birmingham Jr. Foley & Lardner Kathleen L. Bogas Bogas & Koncius Terry W. Bonnette Nemeth Bonnette Brouwer

David R. Deromedi Dickinson Wright Carey A. DeWitt Butzel Long Barry S. Fagan Fagan McManus Gary S. Fealk Bodman Aaron D. Graves Bodman James F. Hermon Dykema Gossett Susan Hartmus Hiser Fisher & Phillips David A. Kotzian Gasiorek, Morgan, Greco, McCauley & Kotzian Jason R. Mathers Harvey Kruse

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TOP LAWYERS |

Jennifer Lossia McManus Fagan McManus

Susan K. Freidlaender Friedlaender, Nykanen & Rogowski

Patricia M. Nemeth Nemeth Bonnette Brouwer

Alan M. Greene Dykema Gossett

Megan P. Norris Miller, Canfield, Paddock and Stone

Edward F. Kickham Kickham Hanley Inc.

Heather Gelfand Ptasznik Ogletree, Deakins, Nash, Smoak & Stewart

John Mucha III Dawda Mann

Maureen Rouse-Ayoub Varnum

Gregory K. Need Adkinson, Need, Allen & Rentrop

Jennifer L. Sabourin Miller, Canfield, Paddock and Stone

Jerome Pesick Steinhardt Pesick & Cohen

Brian Schwartz Miller, Canfield, Paddock and Stone

Richard D. Rattner Williams, Williams, Rattner and Plunkett

Rebecca C. Seguin-Skrabucha Bodman

Carol A. Rosati Rosati Schultz Joppich & Amtsbuechler

Brian D. Shekell Clark Hill

Thomas R. Schultz Rosati Schultz Joppich & Amtsbuechler

Ronald A. Sollish Maddin, Hauser, Roth & Heller

Tyler D. Tennent Dawda Mann

Raymond J. Sterling Sterling Employment Law

Michael Vogt Dickinson Wright

Bethany S. Sweeny Kotz Sangster Wysocki

Peter H. Webster Dickinson Wright

Melissa M. Tetreau Bodman

LEGAL MALPRACTICE LAW

Christopher M. Trebilcock Clark Hill Thomas Warnicke Warnicke Law Firm Richard W. Warren Miller, Canfield, Paddock and Stone Kathryn S. Wood Dickinson Wright John F. Youngblood Abbott Nicholson

LAND USE & ZONING LeRoy L. Asher Jr. Miller, Canfield, Paddock and Stone Richard A. Barr Honigman Daniel P. Dalton Dalton & Tomich Steven R. Estey Zausmer

Lawrence J. Acker Lawrence J. Acker David C. Anderson Collins Einhorn Farrell Michael P. Ashcraft Jr. Plunkett Cooney Theresa M. Asoklis Collins Einhorn Farrell Donald D. Campbell Collins Einhorn Farrell Thomas H. Howlett The Googasian Firm Kathleen H. Klaus Maddin, Hauser, Roth & Heller Matthew Turner Sommers Schwartz Steve M. Wolock Maddin, Hauser, Roth & Heller

2024

LITIGATION – ANTITRUST David A. Ettinger Honigman Robert Edgar Murkowski Miller, Canfield, Paddock and Stone Larry J. Saylor Miller, Canfield, Paddock and Stone L. Pahl Zinn Dickinson Wright

LITIGATION – BANKING & FINANCE J. Adam Behrendt Bodman Scott R. Lesser Miller, Canfield, Paddock and Stone Joseph J. Shannon Bodman

LITIGATION – COMMERCIAL Brian M. Akkashian Paesano Akkashian Alexander A. Ayar Williams, Williams, Rattner and Plunkett Jordan S. Bolton Taft Michael Brady Warner Norcross + Judd Keefe A. Brooks Brooks Wilkins Sharkey & Turco Evan M. Chall Wright Beamer Stephen P. Dunn Bodman Jennifer Grieco Altior Law Ethan R. Holtz Taft Law William H. Horton Giarmarco, Mullins & Horton Derek Howard Doerr MacWilliams Howard James J. Hunter Collins Einhorn Farrell November - December 2023 || DBUSINESS.COM 65

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TOP

5

POPULATION OF LAWYERS BY COUNTY

Gerard V. Mantese Mantese Honigman

Ian Williamson Mantese Honigman

Stephen McKenney Altior Law

Frances Belzer Wilson Dawda Mann

Roger P. Meyers BSP Law

LITIGATION – CONSTRUCTION

E. Powell Miller Miller Law Sonal Mithani Miller, Canfield, Paddock and Stone Brian M. Moore Dykema Gossett John Mucha III Dawda Mann Kenneth Neuman Altior Law Marc Newman Miller Law Eric A. Parzianello Hubbard Snitchler & Parzianello

1

2

3

4

1. Oakland 2. Wayne 3. Kent 4. Ingham 5. Washtenaw

5 11,373 6,458 2,740 2,416 1,869

Source: Michigan Bar Association

Jeffrey G. Raphelson Bodman Joseph J. Shannon Bodman John M. Sier Kitch Attorneys & Counselors Matthew Smith Altior Law Michael O. Smith Cardelli Lanfear Law Brian C. Summerfield Schenk & Bruetsch

NUMBER OF LAWYERS IN MICHIGAN BY GENDER

David B. Timmis Vandeveer Garzia Ann Marie Uetz Foley & Lardner

Female

Male

12,774

22,154

Source: Michigan Bar Association

Thomas Van Dusen Bodman Thomas Warnicke Warnicke Law Firm Linda M. Watson Clark Hill Robert Y. Weller II Abbott Nicholson

Marty A. Burnstein Law Offices of Marty A. Burnstein Michael D. Carroll Kerr, Russell and Weber Christopher A. Cornwall Dickinson Wright Mark M. Cunningham Kerr, Russell and Weber Lawrence M. Dudek Miller, Canfield, Paddock and Stone Timothy P. Dugan Kotz Sangster Wysocki Eric J. Flessland Butzel Long David M. Hayes Clark Hill Richard T. Hewlett Varnum Edward J. Hood Clark Hill Thomas M. Keranen Clark Hill Gregory P. LaVoy Harvey Kruse John R. Prew Harvey Kruse Jeffrey M. Sangster Kotz Sangster Wysocki John M. Sier Kitch Attorneys & Counselors

LITIGATION – INSURANCE Sarah L. Cylkowski Bodman Nathan J. Edmonds Secrest Wardle

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2024

Michael H. Fabian Fabian, Sklar, King & Liss

Glenn E. Forbis Harness, Dickey & Pierce

Jerome Pesick Steinhardt Pesick & Cohen

Michael S. Hale Clairmont Advisors

Maxwell J. Goss Maxwell Goss Law

MEDIATION

Rabih Hamawi Law Office of Rabih Hamawi

Andrew (Jake) Grove Howard & Howard Attorneys

Thomas William James Michigan Auto Law

Richard W. Hoffmann Reising Ethington

Adam Kutinsky Kutinsky

J. Michael Huget Honigman

Jason J. Liss Fabian, Sklar, King & Liss

Kristopher K. Hulliberger Howard & Howard Attorneys

Mark F. Masters Secrest Wardle

Linda D. Kennedy Panagos Kennedy

Anthony A. Randazzo Secrest Wardle

John S. LeRoy Brooks Kushman

Michael F. Schmidt Harvey Kruse

Marc Lorelli Brooks Kushman

Stuart A. Sklar Fabian, Sklar, King & Liss

Barbara L. Mandell Fishman Stewart

Joshua Robert Terebelo Michigan Auto Law

Mary Margaret L. O’Donnell Blue Filament Law

Douglass Young Young Insurance Law

MEDICAL MALPRACTICE LAW

A. Michael Palizzi Miller, Canfield, Paddock and Stone

D. Jennifer Andreou Plunkett Cooney

Steven Susser Carlson, Gaskey & Olds

Cathy R. Bowerman Foley, Baron, Metzger & Juip

Brian D. Wassom Warner Norcross + Judd

Brian Cernak Bone Bourbeau Law

LITIGATION – LABOR EMPLOYMENT BENEFITS

Steffani E. Chocron Lipton Law

John T. Below Bodman

David W. Christensen Sommers Schwartz

Samantha A. Kopacz Miller, Canfield, Paddock and Stone

Wilson A. Copeland II Grier Copeland & Williams

LITIGATION – PATENTS

Matthew G. Curtis Sommers Schwartz

LITIGATION – INTELLECTUAL PROPERTY Frank A. Angileri Brooks Kushman John S. Artz Dickinson Wright Robin W. Asher Miller, Canfield, Paddock and Stone David L. Atallah Carlson, Gaskey & Olds Justin P. Bagdady Bodman Marjory G. Basile Miller, Canfield, Paddock and Stone Michael P. Coakley Miller, Canfield, Paddock and Stone Christopher G. Darrow Darrow Mustafa Catherine T. Dobrowitsky Rivenoak Law Group

Douglas LaLone FisherBroyles

LITIGATION – REAL ESTATE

Tracy L. Allen Global Resolutions Kathleen L. Bogas Bogas & Koncius Gene J. Esshaki Abbott Nicholson David A. Kotzian Gasiorek, Morgan, Greco, McCauley & Kotzian Daniel P. Makarski Secrest Wardle Paul Monicatti Impartial Dispute Resolution James J. Rashid Judicial Resource Services Robert F. Riley Riley & Hurley

Albert J. Dib Jefferson Law Center Andy Dragovic Sommers Schwartz

Alfredo Casab Dawda Mann

Paul J. Dwaihy Tanoury, Nauts, McKinney & Dwaihy

Phillip J. Neuman Couzens, Lansky, Fealk, Ellis, Roeder & Lazar

Catherine Bonczak Edwards Kerr, Russell & Weber November - December 2023 || DBUSINESS.COM 67

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2024 | TOP LAWYERS

Chad David Engelhardt Goethel Engelhardt

Laura H. Selzer Miller, Canfield, Paddock and Stone

Justin G. Klimko Butzel Long

Jenna Wright Greenman Kitch Attorneys & Counselors

Robert B. Sickels Sommers Schwartz

Jeffrey L. LaBine Miller, Canfield, Paddock and Stone

Milton H. Greenman Thurswell Law

Judith A. Susskind Sommers Schwartz

Nicholas P. McElhinny Bodman

Russell Gregory Cerebral Palsy Law Centers

Gerald Thurswell Thurswell Law

Christopher J. Moceri Taft

Justin J. Hakala Plunkett Cooney

Norman D. Tucker Sommers Schwartz

Zan M. Nicolli Dickinson Wright

Helen K. Joyner Fieger Law

Brian W. Whitelaw Foley, Baron, Metzger & Juip

Steven R. Pacynski Clark Hill

Randall A. Juip Foley, Baron, Metzger & Juip

Leroy H. Wulfmeier III Giarmarco, Mullins & Horton

Linda Paullin-Hebden Warner Norcross + Judd

Victoria S. Lehman Giarmarco, Mullins & Horton

MERGERS & ACQUISITIONS LAW

Michael T. Raymond Dickinson Wright

Thomas G. Appleman Miller, Canfield, Paddock and Stone

John P. Ulrich Kotz Sangster Wysocki

Brad B. Arbuckle Miller, Canfield, Paddock and Stone

Richard A. Walawender Miller, Canfield, Paddock and Stone

Andrew A. Ayar Clark Hill

Shusheng Wang Miller, Canfield, Paddock and Stone

Robert S. Bick Williams, Williams, Rattner and Plunkett

Sarah J. Williams Bodman

Brendan J. Cahill Dykema Gossett

Gregory L. Wysocki Kotz Sangster Wysocki

Donna M. MacKenzie Olsman MacKenzie Peacock & Wallace Brian J. McKeen McKeen & Associates Cullen B. McKinney Tanoury, Nauts, McKinney & Dwaihy John J. Moran Abbott Nicholson Jules B. Olsman Olsman MacKenzie Peacock & Wallace Emily M. Peacock Olsman MacKenzie Peacock & Wallace

Timothy R. Damschroder Bodman Joseph J. DeVito Dinsmore & Shohl Daljit S. Doogal Foley & Lardner Michael D. DuBay Honigman William H. Heritage III Giarmarco, Mullins & Horton John J. Hern Jr. Clark Hill David D. Joswick Miller, Canfield, Paddock and Stone John P. Kanan Honigman Lee Kellert Taft

MUNICIPAL LAW Derk W. Beckerleg Secrest Wardle Lawrence T. Garcia Miller, Canfield, Paddock and Stone Lisa J. Hamameh Rosati Schultz Joppich & Amtsbuechler Steven D. Mann Miller, Canfield, Paddock and Stone Michael P. McGee Miller, Canfield, Paddock and Stone Kenneth J. Sachs Bodman Amanda Van Dusen Miller, Canfield, Paddock and Stone Sarah J. Williams Bodman

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NONPROFIT/CHARITIES LAW

Alexander P. Kemp Michigan Auto Law

Cheryl A. Bush Bush Seyferth

Sarah E. Kuchon Hohauser Kuchon Attorneys at Law

Thomas G. Cardelli Cardelli Lanfear Law

Barry F. LaKritz LaKritz Law

Michael P. Cooney Dykema Gossett

Jody B. Lipton Lipton Law

Herbert C. Donovan Brooks Wilkins Sharkey & Turco

Marc E. Lipton Lipton Law

John T. Eads III Gordon Rees Scully Mansukhani

Donna M. MacKenzie Olsman MacKenzie Peacock & Wallace

Clayton F. Farrell Collins Einhorn Farrell

Mark F. Masters Secrest Wardle

James P. Feeney Dykema Gossett

Brian J. McKeen McKeen & Associates

Dennis M. Goebel Harvey Kruse

PERSONAL INJURY

Brian A. McKenna Sinas Dramis Law Firm

Clay A. Guise Dykema Gossett

Jon Abrahams Abrahams Law

Richard A. Moore Michigan Auto Law

Amy M. Johnston Miller, Canfield, Paddock and Stone

Matthew Ray Bates Mike Morse Law Firm

Mike J. Morse Mike Morse Law Firm

Christina J. Marshall Miller, Canfield, Paddock and Stone

A. Vince Colella Moss & Colella

David M. Moss Moss & Colella

William E. McDonald III Bush Seyferth

Donald John Cummings Mike Morse Law Firm

Daniel V. Padilla Padilla Law Group

Wolfgang Mueller Murphy Law Firm

Jennifer Damico Fieger Law

Emily M. Peacock Olsman MacKenzie Peacock & Wallace

Paul L. Nystrom Dykema Gossett

David C. Femminineo Femminineo Law

Kevin H. Seiferheld Michigan Auto Law

Stephen J. Ott Miller, Canfield, Paddock and Stone

Scott A. Goodwin Scott Goodwin Law

Joel B. Sklar Joel B. Sklar Law

John R. Prew Harvey Kruse

George A. Googasian The Googasian Firm

Stuart A. Sklar Fabian, Sklar, King & Liss

Daniel J. Scully Clark Hill

Lawrence E. Gursten Michigan Auto Law

Joshua R. Terebelo Michigan Auto Law

Patrick G. Seyferth Bush Seyferth

Steven Gursten Michigan Auto Law

PRODUCT LIABILITY

Gary Sharp Foley & Mansfield

Celeste E. Arduino Bodman Gary R. Glenn Miller, Canfield, Paddock and Stone Charles Nida Honigman Jennifer M. Oertel Bodman Albert H. Pak Bodman Wendolyn Wrosch Richards Miller, Canfield, Paddock and Stone Duane L. Tarnacki Clark Hill

Christopher J. Hastings The Hastings Law Firm Ven Johnson Johnson Law Jordan M. Jones Michigan Auto Law

Anthony A. Agosta Clark Hill Thomas P. Branigan Bowman and Brooke Dale R. Burmeister Harvey Kruse

2024

Brian T Smith Dykema Gossett Matthew J. Stanczyk Plunkett Cooney Michael J. Sullivan Collins Einhorn Farrell November - December 2023 || DBUSINESS.COM 69

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2024 | TOP LAWYERS

POPULATION OF LAWYERS

BY GENERATION

Matt Warmbir Miller, Canfield, Paddock and Stone

Patrick F. McGow Miller, Canfield, Paddock and Stone

Mark A. Wisniewski Kitch Attorneys & Counselors

Amanda Van Dusen Miller, Canfield, Paddock and Stone

James E. Wynne Butzel Long

REAL ESTATE LAW

PROFESSIONAL MALPRACTICE LAW Joshua I. Arnkoff Collins Einhorn Farrell Thomas W. Cranmer Miller, Canfield, Paddock and Stone 1

2

3

4

5

1. Pre 1944 2. 1944-1960 3. 1961-1980 4. 1981-1996 5. 1997+

Melissa E. Graves Collins Einhorn Farrell

1,515 11,039 13,794 8,627 26

Michael W. Hartmann Miller, Canfield, Paddock and Stone Kathleen H. Klaus Maddin, Hauser, Roth & Heller

Source: Michigan Bar Association

Ed Lennon Lennon Law

5

TOP

Deborah A. Lujan Collins Einhorn Farrell Laura H. Selzer Miller, Canfield, Paddock and Stone

TOP 5 LAW SCHOOLS ATTENDED BY MICHIGAN LAWYERS*

Michael J. Sullivan Collins Einhorn Farrell Alan J. Taylor Segal McCambridge Singer & Mahoney John M. Toth Sullivan, Ward, Patton, Gleeson & Felty Leroy H. Wulfmeier III Giarmarco, Mullins & Horton

PUBLIC FINANCE LAW Jeffrey S. Aronoff Miller, Canfield, Paddock & Stone 1

2

3

4

Barbara A. Bowman Bodman, PLC

5

1. Western Michigan University Cooley Law School 2. Michigan State University College of Law 3. Wayne State University Law School 4. University of Detroit Mercy School of Law 5. University of Michigan Law School

1,803 1,108 1,102 780 386

* Most recent 10 years. Other law schools 2,062.

Source: Michigan Bar Association

Thomas D. Colis Miller, Canfield, Paddock and Stone Steven M. Frank Miller, Canfield, Paddock and Stone Michael P. McGee Miller, Canfield, Paddock and Stone

Benjamin J. Aloia Aloia Law David M. Barbour Kotz Sangster Wysocki Aaron E. Bass Honigman Tim P. Bliss Kostopoulos Rodriguez Jonathan R. Borenstein Honigman Richard J. Burstein Honigman Alfredo Casab Dawda Mann Nicholas T. Chapie Howard & Howard Attorneys Alexander J. Clark Miller, Canfield, Paddock and Stone Kenneth J. Clarkson Taft George A. Contis Giarmarco, Mullins & Horton Alexandra E. Dieck Bodman Joseph Doerr Doerr MacWilliams Howard William B. Dunn Clark Hill Kaitlyn Elias Kitch Attorneys & Counselors Joseph M. Fazio Miller, Canfield, Paddock and Stone Adam M. Fishkind Dykema Gossett LeClair L. Flaherty Wright Beamer Brian P. Foley Bodman

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TOP LAWYERS |

James S. Fontichiaro Barris, Sott, Denn & Driker

Michael B. Peterman Bodman

John A. Hubbard Hubbard Snitchler & Parzianello

John D. Gaber Williams, Williams, Rattner & Plunkett

Duane L. Reynolds Wright Beamer

Mark L. Kowalsky Taft

Dana Kreis Glencer Dawda Mann

Mark D. Rubenfire Taft Stettinius & Hollister

Marc Newman Miller Law

Edward S. Gusky Varnum

Lowell D. Salesin Honigman

Mark W. Peters Bodman

Daniel M. Halprin Dawda Mann

Steven D. Sallen Maddin, Hauser, Roth & Heller

TAX LAW

Edward C. Hammond Clark Hill

Nicholas P. Scavone Jr. Bodman

Kyle R. Hauberg Dykema Gossett

Todd A. Schafer Dawda Mann

Mark R. Hauser Maddin, Hauser, Roth & Heller

Daniel J. Schairbaum Dykema Gossett

Ronald E. Hodess Miller, Canfield, Paddock and Stone

Wayne S. Segal Dawda Mann

Brian H. Holt Miller, Canfield, Paddock and Stone

Daniel M. Share Barris, Sott, Denn & Driker

Brian Hommel Galloway and Collens

C. Kim Shierk Williams, Williams, Rattner & Plunkett

Thomas (Jake) Howlett Wolfson Bolton Kochis

Andrew Z. Spilkin Bodman

Joseph M. Judge Dawda Mann

Eric M. Stein Miller, Canfield, Paddock and Stone

Gary A. Kravitz Maddin, Hauser, Roth & Heller

Laura Ann Weingartner Dykema Gossett

Kelly M. Lockman Bodman

Erin Bowen Welch Dawda Mann

Paul S. Magy Clark Hill

SECURITIES LAW

Gary R. Glenn Miller, Canfield, Paddock and Stone

Matthew P. Allen Miller, Canfield, Paddock and Stone

Michael A. Indenbaum Honigman

Robert J. Cambridge Bodman, PLC

Jay A. Kennedy Warner Norcross + Judd

Dennis K. Egan Kotz Sangster Wysocki

Emily J. Kwolek Bodman

Patrick J. Haddad Kerr, Russell and Weber

William C. “Bill” Lentine Warner Norcross + Judd

Miles D. Hart Saretsky Hart Michaels + Gould

Jay B. Long Bodman

Michael P. Hindelang Honigman

Stewart L. Mandell Honigman

Chelsey L. Marsh-Jones Bodman Christopher R. Martella Dawda Mann Derek G. McBride Kotz Sangster Wysocki Brandon J. Muller Clark Hill Ronn S. Nadis Couzens, Lansky, Fealk, Ellis, Roeder & Lazar Gregg A. Nathanson Couzens, Lansky, Fealk, Ellis, Roeder & Lazar

2024

William B. Acker Kemp Klein Law Firm Jess Bahs FisherBroyles Lynn M. Brimer Strobl Steven R. Cole Bodman Jason Conti Foley & Lardner Sean H. Cook Warner Norcross + Judd Randall A. Denha Denha & Associates Katrina Piligian Desmond Miller, Canfield, Paddock and Stone Christopher J. Dine Bodman Lynn A. Gandhi Foley & Lardner

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Jeffrey M. McHugh Miller, Canfield, Paddock and Stone

Julius H. Giarmarco Giarmarco, Mullins & Horton

Glenn G. Ross Dawda Mann

Jeffrey D. Moss Dawda Mann

Frank E. Henke Warner Norcross + Judd

Dawn M. Schluter Schluter & Hughes Law Firm

Eric M. Nemeth Varnum

Michael J. Jameson Bodman

Aaron H. Sherbin Taft

Gregory A. Nowak Miller, Canfield, Paddock and Stone

Brian R. Jenney Kemp Klein Law Firm

Mark M. Snitchler Hubbard Snitchler & Parzianello

R. Peter Prokop Butzel Long

Shirley A. Kaigler Taft

James P. Spica Chalgian & Tripp Law Offices

William E. Sider Taft Stettinius & Hollister LLP

Mallory A. Kallabat Clark Hill

Jeffrey S. Sternberg Kotz Sangster Wysocki

Michael D. Umphrey Kemp Klein Law Firm

Robert D. Kaplow Maddin, Hauser, Roth & Heller

Geoffrey N. Taylor Maddin, Hauser, Roth & Heller

Linda A. Wasserman Honigman

Robert B. Labe Williams, Williams, Rattner and Plunkett

Thomas V. Trainer Kemp Klein Law Firm

David P. Larsen Bodman

Rachel Tucker Joelson Rosenberg

James H. LoPrete LoPrete & Lyneis

Harvey B. Wallace II Berry Moorman

Elizabeth L. Luckenbach Dickinson Wright

Robert S. Zawideh Kemp Klein Law Firm

Arthur A. Weiss Taft

TRUSTS & ESTATES Thomas H. Bergh Varnum Kimberly C. Browning Great Lakes Family Probate & Estates Kelly M. Burnell Bodman Joseph P. Buttiglieri Kemp Klein Law Firm Thomas P. Cavanaugh Giarmarco, Mullins & Horton Kathleen A. Cieslik Varnum Jonathan M. Colman Barron, Rosenberg, Mayoras & Mayoras Anthony P. Cracchiolo Bodman Andrew H. Curoe Bodman Hameed Dakroub Dakroub Group David R. de Reyna Kotz Sangster Wysocki Randall A. Denha Denha & Associates Thomas M. Dixon Clark Hill

John Mabley Chalgian & Tripp Law Offices

WORKERS COMPENSATION LAW

Sanford J. Mall Mall Malisow & Cooney

Joel Alpert Alpert & Alpert

Christopher M. Mann Dawda Mann

Alex Berman Michigan Workers Comp Lawyers

Julia C. Massaro Bodman

John P. Charters Charters, Tyler, Zack & Shearer

Alan A. May Kemp Klein Law Firm

Jeffrey E.Kaufman Michigan Workers Comp Lawyers

Andrew W. Mayoras Barron, Rosenberg, Mayoras & Mayoras

Gerald M. Marcinkoski Lacey & Jones

Jeffrey D. Moss Dawda Mann

Richard Warsh Alpert & Alpert

Christopher Rambus Bodman Norman E. (Gene) Richards Cummings, McClorey, Davis & Acho Stephen C. Rohr Miller, Canfield, Paddock and Stone Don L. Rosenberg Barron, Rosenberg, Mayoras & Mayoras

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Cover Story

SPECIAL REPORT

TIME BOMB THE NATIONAL DEBT, AT $33 TRILLION, IS AN EXPLOSIVE WEIGHT AROUND THE NECK OF THE ECONOMY.

BY TIM KEENAN | ILLUSTRATIONS BY BRIAN BRITIGAN

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T

he national debt of the United States surpassed $33 trillion on Sept. 18, 2023, and it will continue to grow for the foreseeable future.

It looms like a ticking time bomb over the economies of the U.S., Michigan, and metro Detroit as 2024 nears.

The United States has been in debt since it was founded and every president, except for Andrew Jackson, has presided over economies with national debt in the background.

George Washington inherited a $75.4 million debt from the Revolutionary War. The Civil War cost the country $1 billion under Abraham Lincoln. The debt ballooned to $22 billion after World War I and jumped to $51 billion, then $260 billion, mostly due to World War II, its aftermath, and the Korean War. In modern times, Ronald Reagan saw the debt reach $2.6 trillion. George H. W. Bush began a turnaround with new taxes that were passed in his final year, followed by more taxes in Bill Clinton’s first term.

That set the stage for a string of four balanced budgets with surpluses beginning in 1998 as a Republican Congress under Newt Gingrich kept Clinton from adding more federal spending programs.

But the federal debt still grew to $5.6 trillion.

George W. Bush hit $10.9 trillion (while funding wars in Iraq and Afghanistan). The national debt rose to nearly $20 trillion under Barack Obama.

The COVID-19 stimulus, tax cuts, and a lack of spending constraints boosted the debt to $27.7 trillion under Donald Trump (it increased more than $7.8 trillion). More pandemic efforts, legislation covering infrastructure, chip manufacturing, clean energy, health care, and aid to Ukraine have pushed the debt to $33 trillion under Joe Biden.

“Next year, the national debt will be over ($34 trillion),” says Gabriel Ehrlich, an economist at the University of Michigan in Ann Arbor. “Because of the higher interest rates, it’ll be the third-largest budget item ahead of national defense.”

With the government borrowing so much money and the Fed raising interest rates to combat inflation, it’s more difficult and expensive for companies and individuals to borrow for things like homes and cars.

The U.S. to GDP is projected to be 126 percent on Dec. 31, 2023. In 2000, it was 54.9 percent, in 1980 it was 31.8 percent, and in 1960 it was 53.6 percent (end of each year).

Timothy Nash, chief economist at Northwood University in Midland, says he’s worried interest rates and the overall economy are running counter to conventional economic wisdom.

“The textbook says to run a tight fiscal policy

HIGHER AND HIGHER The Congressional Budget Office projects that annual interest payments on the national debt will rise rapidly over the next 10 years, and climb to $745 billion in 2024 to $1.4 trillion in 2033.

(lower deficits) when the economy is strong and unemployment is low, and a loose fiscal policy (higher deficits) when the economy is weak,” Nash explains. “We’re deviating from that playbook, adding to the debt when the economy is actually pretty good.

“It doesn’t necessarily feel good to people because inflation has been so high, but if you look at the hard numbers, GDP growth has been pretty good, the labor market is strong. The textbook says this is the time when we should be cutting the deficit. A lot of that is because interest rates have been rising.”

Aaron Hodari, chief investment officer at Schechter Wealth in Birmingham, is convinced the Fed’s rate-raising action will be successful in bringing inflation under control, which ultimately will help with the deficit.

“The debt servicing costs today, on a daily basis, are almost double what they were five years ago,” Hodari says. “With more debt, the higher the interest rates, the more we’re paying. So, the Fed has become very focused on getting inflation under control so they can lower rates sooner.”

He says he believes the Fed is less worried about the short term and more concerned about getting the rates down in the long term because the cost of servicing the amount of debt that the nation currently has, if rates stay high for a long time, is going to be detrimental.

“I think the Fed will be successful in getting inflation under control no matter how much pain it inflicts along the way,” Hodari says.

It would seem that the simple solution to the increasing federal deficit is to cut spending and increase taxes — but in today’s polarized political environment, working together on compromises is a near-impossible task.

The Peter G. Peterson Foundation in New York recently published its suggestions for getting the national debt under control. In short, the foundation recommends budget reform, addressing national security spending, and overhauling the tax system.

“There isn’t a political will to make hard choices and I don’t think either party is ready to be clear about what those choices would mean over a long period of time,” says Matt Elliott, Michigan market president for Bank of America. “Dealing with the debt is a little bit like dealing with climate change. Actions taken today will benefit way down the track and you might not see it. That’s for sure one of the challenges policymakers face when trying to figure out what to do.

“The national debt will only be an issue as it relates to our ability to service it over a long period of time. I don’t know that the debt itself is going to be an issue for the economy, other than it may become a policy issue because it’s an election year. Over the long haul, a nation’s ability to service its debt is going to be a question of how fast the economy grows relative to the debt.”

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Cover Story

Nash offers another solution.

“The one thing that would help that’s not raising taxes or cutting spending is if interest rates came down. A big part of why interest rates have risen is because we have this big national debt and we’re paying higher rates on it.”

That won’t happen, according to Hodari, until inflation, which got as high as 7.5 percent in the first quarter of 2022 and now hovers around 3.1 percent, is tamed.

In the meantime, the nation’s debt — and our seeming inability to solve financial problems without taking the country to the brink due to a polarized Congress — caused Fitch Ratings, in early August, to downgrade the U.S. government’s credit rating from AAA to AA+.

Fitch said the downgrade reflects an “erosion of governance” in the U.S. relative to other top-tier economies over the last two decades. “The repeated debtlimit political standoffs and last-minute resolutions have eroded confidence in fiscal management,” the company stated.

The downgrade, the first by a major ratings firm in more than a decade, is seen as evidence by some observers that increasingly frequent political skirmishes over the U.S. government’s finances are obscuring the outlook for the $25 trillion global market for Treasuries.

Moody’s, it should be noted, continues to give the U.S. its strongest assessment.

A continually growing national debt, inflation refusing to ebb completely, and a lower national credit rating form the backdrop for the economic outlook for 2024 and beyond.

“The economy has held up better than people expected this year, but there are still some speed bumps out there,” Nash says. “Now, I don’t expect a recession, but it certainly remains a possibility.

“Fed policy is restrictive, but it wants to make sure inflation is under control before it starts cutting rates.

I do expect them to (gradually) start easing off on rates in the second half of next year.”

Comerica Bank, the Congressional Budget Office, The Conference Board, J.P. Morgan, and Deloitte each have published their views of the economy moving forward.

Comerica Bank’s 2024 forecast agrees with Nash that the economy performed better than expected in the first half of 2023. Instead of growth fading and inflation holding stubbornly high, as feared, growth held up while inflation faded.

Real GDP grew 2.2 percent annualized in the first half of the year, the economy added 270,000 payroll jobs per month, the unemployment rate held nearly a half-century low, and CPI inflation slowed from nearly 10 percent in year-ago terms in mid-2022 to 3 percent in mid-2023.

Surveys of consumers and small business owners improved in the summer, after deteriorating in 2022 and early 2023, and jobless claims pulled back after an increase in the spring. The Comerica report stated that both are “Signs that the risk of the economy slipping into a recession near-term is receding. After real GDP surprised to the upside in the second quarter,

Comerica upgraded the forecast for 2023 real GDP growth to near 2 percent from around 1.5 percent previously.

“We see growth slowing but we think we’re heading into a soft landing,” says Bank of America’s Elliott.

In July, the Congressional Budget Office (CBO) updated its projections for the remainder of 2023 through 2025. It expects the growth of real (inflation-adjusted) gross domestic product (GDP) will slow to a 0.4 percent annual rate during the second half of 2023; for the year as a whole, real GDP will increase by 0.9 percent. After 2023, growth will accelerate as monetary policy eases. Real GDP will increase by 1.5 percent in 2024 and by 2.4 percent in 2025.

That initial slowdown in economic growth will drive up unemployment, the CBO predicts. The unemployment rate will reach 4.1 percent by the end of 2023 and 4.7 percent by the end of 2024 before falling slightly, to 4.5 percent, in 2025. Payroll employment will decline by an average of 10,000 jobs per month in 2024 and rise by an average of 6,000 jobs per month in 2025.

Inflation is expected to continue to gradually decline. Growth in the price index for personal consumption expenditures (PCE) will slow from 3.3 percent in 2023 to 2.6 percent in 2024 and 2.2 percent in 2025. That slowdown reflects several factors, including softening labor markets and flagging growth in home prices (and even declines in some regions), which often pass through to rents.

“The current consensus forecast is for what people are calling a soft landing,” Hodari says. “That doesn’t mean we won’t have a recession — but if we do, it’ll be mild. Employment and wage growth remain strong and, until you see those two things break, I think it would be hard to see a really bad recession.”

The Conference Board, a nonprofit research group in New York, forecasts that the growth seen in many parts of the economy “will gradually buckle under mounting headwinds later this year, leading to a very short and shallow recession.” This outlook, the board says, is associated with numerous factors, including elevated inflation, high interest rates, dissipating pandemic savings, lower government spending, and the resumption of mandatory student loan repayments. “We forecast that real GDP growth will slow to 1.9 percent in 2023, and then fall to 0.5 percent in 2024,” the Conference Board report says.

U.S. DEBT $33 trillion

Like an albatross around the neck, the nation's rising debt is holding back the country's ability to prevent passing on huge liabilities to subsequent generations. The only time the nation was free and clear was under President Andrew Jackson, and while during Bill Clinton's two terms (1993-2001) the debt was reduced, it was never eliminated.

$27.78 trillion

$19.93 trillion

$10.93 trillion

1T $260 billion

250 B

$4.17 $2.68 trillion trillion

$5.66 trillion

200 B 150 B 100 B 50 B 1B

$75.4 million

0

$1 billion

$22 billion

$51 billion

George Andrew Abraham Woodrow Franklin D. Harry S. Washington Jackson Lincoln Wilson Roosevelt Truman

Ronald George Bill Reagan H.W. Bush Clinton

George W. Bush

Barack Obama

Donald Trump

Joe Biden

Sources: Debt.com, U.S. Treasury

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IS A RECESSION COMING IN 2024?

BY DAVID L. LITTMANN

O

“On inflation, we expect to see progress over the coming quarters, but the path will probably be bumpy,” the Conference Board report states. “That large decrease in the reported year-over-year PCE deflator in Q2 2023 was welcome but was due, in part, to base effects. Starting in Q3 2023, rents, which are a significant contributor to faster inflation, are expected to cool. This will drive inflation even lower.

“However, this does not mean the fight to tame inflation is over — far from it. We expect year-overyear inflation readings to remain at about 3 percent at 2023 year-end and that the Fed’s 2 percent target will not be achieved until the end of 2024.”

Looking into 2024, the Conference Board says it expects the volatility that dominated the U.S. economy over the pandemic period to diminish. “In the second half of 2024, we forecast that overall growth will return to more stable pre-pandemic rates, inflation will drift closer to 2 percent, and the Fed will lower rates to near 4 percent. However, due to an aging labor force we expect tightness in the labor market to remain an ongoing challenge for the foreseeable future.”

Highlights of J.P. Morgan’s midyear outlook include the following: • The U.S. economy is performing better than expected — a recession could be avoided.

• The Fed’s fastest hiking cycle in decades is coming to an end.

• Inflation is gradually improving, but still elevated in many areas.

• Some cooling in labor market conditions could materialize later this year but (it will) remain healthy.

• U.S. consumer tailwinds are fading, but household balance sheets still appear solid.

• Supply chain bottlenecks are largely resolved.

• The housing market is stabilizing at low levels.

• Slower loan growth from regional banks could slow economic activity.

• Commercial real estate challenges are mounting.

UNPAID LIABILITIES For decades, the federal government has spent more than it collects in taxes. A mixture of higher taxes and less spending would help to pay down the debt if only the Republicans and Democrats could agree on a plan. In essence, revenue needs to exceed expenditures over a period of time.

ver the centuries, Americans have overcome major threats to their employment and wealth-formation potential, but now we confront the greatest conundrum imaginable: threats that have brought down the mightiest nations of the ages.

Yes, debt and loss of capacity to accelerate overall productivity — despite access to the finest technology ever to be at human disposal — are two factors with dire intergenerational ramifications.

Forty centuries of recorded history show clearly how out-of-control spending by governments — be they headed by emperors, kings, czars, or tyrants — destroys the state. With accelerating debt at both the federal and state level, our situation has never been worse. This is particularly evident when we consider the accumulated unpaid liabilities of our social programs and pension funds. Our GDP (U.S. output/income) is nowhere near the staggering debt totals we’ve now incurred, which will be inflicted on generations yet to be born.

A nation’s yearly real growth rate is determined by two variables: employment growth and productivity growth of workforce participants. The road to prosperity in both instances is a function of the quality of our educational institutions and family support. Having ignored prudent governance of debt and family strength in the transmission of learned wisdom from past mistakes, I believe a 2024 recession is coming.

From suicidal production shutdowns in the domestic auto industry to

the eroding impact of retail and wholesale inflation, American productivity growth is receding and battering worker and consumer confidence. Rising discontent relentlessly stymies the optimism required to avert a recession in the year ahead.

Furthermore, the imposition of punitive taxes and regulations ties the hands of U.S. firms and workers who are eager to strengthen and showcase our comparative advantages to world markets, and seek to tap myriad sources of clean energy and bring competitively priced goods and services to domestic and global customers and investors.

Government obstructions are intentional. They’re hobbling the United States’ status as a nation of innovation. Worse, they raise doubt concerning the efficacy of our economic and financial system, and our currency and capacity to demonstrate international leadership in trade relations going forward.

When our population — irrespective of citizenship, age cohort, or taxpaying status — increasingly frets about the financial future of the city, state, and nation in which they find themselves, their horizon for planning and making good decisions for the future becomes foggier — and, thus, riskier. The more uncertain our vision, the less focused and more unstable we become.

Regardless of the depth and duration of the next recession, the key to restoring optimism and real prosperity lies in restoring our competitive and accountable marketplaces.

A frequent contributor to DBusiness magazine, David L. Littmann is a senior economist with the Mackinac Center for Public Policy in Midland. Previously, he had a 35-year career as senior vice president and chief economist at Comerica Bank in downtown Detroit.

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“The Deloitte forecast shows the economy slowing substantially in the second half of 2023,” writes Deloitte economist Daniel Bachman. “The mixed nature of incoming economic data supports this forecast. This slowdown is not, however, a recession. There’s too much positive news, particularly in the labor market.”

Although most of the economic data looks positive enough, according to Deloitte, the Fed’s earlier aggressive tightening cycle poses some risks. So far, the Fed’s efforts to limit the impact of the inflation problem appear to have succeeded, but there is some evidence that lending standards are tightening.

“Soft business investment is another cause for concern,” Bachman says. “Business investment in equipment has fallen in the last two quarters, and investment in intellectual property products also has slowed. This may be a sign that businesses’ need for equipment and software to adjust to remote work is over, and that businesses are becoming unwilling to increase capacity.

“With business investment in structures (except for manufacturing structures) likely to remain weak over the five-year forecast horizon, overall business investment is likely to remain soft, with a potential impact on the wider economy. That is one reason that we expect very slow growth. But if investment falls substantially more than we expect, employment and consumption could follow.”

At the state level, the Michigan Senate Fiscal Agency’s May 20223 forecast says the economy of the Great Lakes State will be mixed over the next couple of years.

The shift in spending from services to goods during the pandemic and recovery produced significant dislocation in the economy, the forecast states. Goods producers struggled to find workers and raw materials for the higher output that consumers were demanding, and these shortages were amplified by disruptions in supply chains.

Significant fiscal and monetary stimulus efforts, both in the United States and abroad, meant that the recessionary impact of the pandemic was largely mitigated, the Michigan Senate Fiscal Agency forecast states.

The Russian invasion of Ukraine in February 2022, and the resulting economic sanctions on Russia, exacerbated the existing disruptions in the economy and added more. Labor force changes have combined with a variety of supply-chain difficulties to lower the unemployment rate and generate the highest inflation in almost 40 years.

COMING UP SHORT In 2019, the nation's economy was running at full speed, but as more people took early retirement during the pandemic, companies lost a lot of institutional knowledge.

U.S. NET INTEREST COSTS

Billions of Dollars Annual net interest costs are projected to rise sharply in the coming years. $1,600

$1,400

$1,200

Actual

Projected

$1,000

$800

$600 10 Year Interest Costs: $10.6 trillion

$400

$200

$0 2015

2017

2019

2021

2023

Source: Congressional Budget Office

2025

2027

2029

2031

2033

The highlights of the Michigan Senate Fiscal Agency forecast include: • The Michigan economy will experience progressively slower employment growth over the forecast. After falling 7.3 percent during 2022, Michigan personal income, adjusted for inflation, will decline 0.3 percent in 2023 before growing at increasing rates in 2024 and 2025.

• After falling in 2022, light vehicle sales are expected to grow over the forecast, nearing pre-pandemic levels in 2025.

• Michigan employment will exceed pre-COVID-19 levels during 2023, and unemployment rates will remain low by historical standards.

• Inflationary pressures will decline but remain persistent through much of 2023 and 2024 because of tight labor markets and consumer spending that will remain strong due to historically high consumer net worth. Inflation will return to target levels over the forecast as a result of higher interest rates slowing economic activity, productivity gains, and consumption shifting to a more normal split between goods and services.

“In the Michigan economy, the backlog of demand in the housing market and the automotive market cushioned the effects of the high interest rates,” says Northwood University’s Nash. “The (UAW) strike will affect Michigan more in the short run than the rest of

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I THINK MICHIGAN NOT BEING A RIGHT-TO-WORK STATE WILL MAKE IT LESS COMPETITIVE. AS COMPANIES ARE LOOKING FOR A PLACE TO SET UP SHOP, MICHIGAN IS LESS ATTRACTIVE.”— GABRIEL EHRLICH the country, but even if we do have a national recession, we don’t expect it to happen in Michigan. We expect Michigan’s economy to keep growing at a slower pace moving forward.”

U-M’s Ehrlich says he thinks Michigan’s push toward electric vehicles will have a long-term negative affect on the state’s economy.

“I think we’re going to see that we’ve been pushing way too hard for electrification,” he says. “I don’t think we’re ready for it to the degree that was being discussed last year. We’re promoting something that we don’t have the money for, the infrastructure, the charging stations. I don’t think the technology is there in terms of range, especially in extremely cold and hot weather. And consumers don’t want the product.”

He notes that over the long term, EVs require between 50 and 70 percent fewer parts and fewer workers to assemble than a traditional internal combustion engine vehicle, which means fewer automaker and supplier jobs in the future.

“I think Michigan not being a right-to-work state will make it less competitive,” Ehrlich adds. “As companies are looking for a place to set up shop, Michigan is less attractive. It will affect new business opportunities moving forward.”

Drilling down to the local level, other University of Michigan economists say they expect the city of Detroit’s economic recovery to continue over the next several years, with encouraging employment numbers and rising wages. Still, the city lags behind in the number of workers earning a living wage.

The U-M economists agree with most prognosticators that the national economy will experience a patch of slow growth next year, but they don’t expect significant negative effects on this area’s construction and automotive industries.

“Indeed, the city’s blue-collar sector, which includes construction and manufacturing, has been and will continue to be a bright spot in the local economy,” the U-M report says. “The industries’ job count exceeded their pre-pandemic level by 6,000 jobs, or 13.7 percent, in the second quarter of this year, and if the forecast holds, Detroit’s blue-collar jobs count would reach 52,400 by 2028 — the highest level since 2010.

While the study also projects that Detroit will recover its labor force losses from the past two years by the end of the forecast period, labor shortages will persist for the foreseeable future.

Overall, the economic outlook for the U.S., Michigan, and metro Detroit can best be summarized by the term “cautiously optimistic.” That’s a fairly positive outlook, considering the ticking time bomb of the national debt, stubborn inflation, and the wars in Ukraine and the Middle East.

%

16

UNEMPLOYMENT The post-COVID-19 unemployment rate has remained relatively strong, keeping the economy from recession, but not helping inflation.

(Gray areas represent a recession.)

14

12

10

8

6

4

3

Sept 2003

Sept 2005

Sept 2007

Sept 2009

Sept 2011

Sept 2013

Sept 2015

Sept 2017

Sept 2019

Sept 2021

Sept 2023

Source: U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics ORDER OF TIME Supply chain woes continue around the world, though deliveries have picked up the pace since COVID-19 due to onshoring and other factors.

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EXEC LIFE

COURTESY VIRGIN GALACTIC

11-12.23

86 BLAST OFF For the ultimate getaway from the boardroom, take a flight in outer space. A few orbits will put things in better perspective for any executive. Plus, with an early morning flight, there’s plenty of time to recount the experience over lunch.

p. 86

p. 88

p. 91

p. 94

p. 96

p. 98

CEO Gift Guide

Return on Investment

Production Run

Patents and Inventions

Opinion

The Circuit

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Exec Life

CEO Gift Guide 1

BY VALENTINA TERSIGNI

Tiffany Race Car Clock The Tiffany Race Car Clock is shaped like a 1950s speedster, crafted from aluminum, and finished in a Tiffany blue hue. The front radiator grille has a “T&CO” monogram and the bonnet is embellished with a “5” in honor of Tiffany’s Fifth Avenue flagship store in New York City. The helmet-shaped dome of glass over the driver’s seat reveals the escapement and balance wheel. On the left side, the hours and minutes are designed to evoke a racing number. The time on the clock can be set with a counterclockwise rotation of the three-spoke steering wheel; movement of the car is wound by pulling the car back on a flat surface. The Race Car Clock is available to purchase from the Tiffany store at the Somerset Collection in Troy.

Price: Starting at $40,000

2

Adventures by Disney Private Jet Adventure This once-in-a-lifetime vacation spans 24 days and covers six countries, while racking up record time zone changes. Travelers will visit 12 Disney theme parks as well as three iconic landmarks: the Taj Mahal, the Pyramids of Giza, and the Eiffel Tower.

During the trip, guests will stay in world-class accommodations and travel in luxury aboard a VIP-configured Boeing 757 operated by Icelandair, with long-range capabilities that allow for direct flights to maximize one’s time in each destination.

Travelers will have personal access to experts and staff for any questions that may arise.

Price: Starting at $114,995

3

Virgin Space Flight The Virgin Galactic Spaceflight System enables paying commercial astronauts to experience something fewer that 700 human beings have ever experienced — space flight. Virgin Galactic astronauts mark the dawn of a new space age, where leaving the Earth’s atmosphere is something no longer reserved for professional astronauts.

Those who reserve their place in space also gain membership to a unique and long-established global community of future astronauts. All those who fly will be recognized as commercial astronauts by the Association of Space Explorers with a specially commissioned insignia that’s sure to stand out at any gathering.

Price: Starting at $250,000

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Exec Life

4

Personal Garage Motorsports Gateway Howell Motorsports Gateway is the region’s newest destination for automotive enthusiasts. The automotive district, located in Howell and spanning 273 acres, offers track-fronting luxury car condos and an internationally developed racetrack.

Members receive access to the private driving circuit, a driving coach, and off-track amenities like the Drivers Club Lounge. The European-inspired driving circuit known as The Track was developed in partnership with one of the world’s leading track designers, Driven International. The private circuit is highlighted by natural elevation changes, much of it through woodlands, offering a unique driving experience through Michigan’s seasons.

Price: Garage Condo pricing starts at $429,440 Membership initiation fee $35,000; annual dues $7,500

5

iPhone 15 and Apple Watch Ultra The new iPhone 15 features back glass that has color infused throughout the material. It has a custom dual ion-exchange process for the glass and an aerospace-grade aluminum enclosure that help make the phone incredibly durable. The iPhone 15 includes an all-new 48MP main camera, all-day battery life, a 16 bionic chip, and USB-C compatibility. The new Apple Watch Ultra, meanwhile, offers S9 SiP, a novel way to use the watch without touching the screen. The watch also has the brightest Apple display ever, along with a precision dual-frequency GPS system, which makes it the most accurate GPS in a sports watch in dense urban environments. Both of these products can be purchased at the Apple store at the Somerset Collection in Troy or at apple.com.

Price: iPhone 15 starting at $1,000 Apple watch starting at $799

6

Streets of Monaco Yacht This 500-foot-long yacht can be described as a floating city. It features scaled replicas of some of the original landmarks of Monaco such as Monte Carlo Casino, Hotel de Paris, Ca Rascasse, and a beach-like swimming pool. The vessel’s grand suite is spread over three floors and has a private elevator, an office, a living room, balconies, and sundecks with Jacuzzis. It also includes seven guest suites with reception rooms, bathrooms, dressing rooms, and balconies. Plus, there’s a spa, a mini waterfall, a cafe-bar that provides an underwater view, a helipad, day trip boats, a tennis court, a submarine, and an indoor go-kart racetrack.

Price: $1.1 billion

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Exec Life

RETURN ON INVESTMENT

CrossCountry Grosse Pointe native John Rowady built up a sports marketing agency in Chicago and went on to acquire a luxury automobile promotions group in Sterling Heights.

BY TOM MURRAY BAND OF METAL The Lamborghini Super Trofeo race was part of Sahlen’s Six Hours of the Glen Watkins Glen International held in Watkins Glen, N.Y., from June 22-25.

was one of the greatest basketball teams in the history of the program.

“Keith Smart hit that last-second shot (with 5 seconds to go) in New Orleans (during the NCAA championship game),” Rowady remembers, excitedly. “We beat Syracuse, the whole place blows up, and we’re dancing in the streets of Bloomington.

And I’m thinking to myself, ‘Does this happen every year down here?’ ” Initially, Rowady planned on pursuing a pre-med major at Indiana, but that changed early in his freshman year. “I realized I had more of a business acumen,” he says. “My dad kept telling me, ‘Marketing and sales, marketing and sales, marketing and sales.

That’s where you need to be.’ So I tested my way into the business school, where I had great professors and really started to gravitate toward management and leadership, and marketing and finance.”

Rowady also decided to join a fraternity.

“It was small, and it wasn’t well-respected,” he says.

“There were other big houses around there and I thought, ‘I need to do something and show some leadership.’ I ended up becoming the president of my fraternity, and in my senior year I wanted to do some ambitious things.”

For Rowady, that meant a massive overhaul of the fraternity house itself. “We worked with university officials and we built out the house from accommodating 60 guys to 120,” he says.

Ironically, even more than his work in the classroom, it was Rowady’s involvement in spearheading the fraternity construction project that most attracted the attention of job recruiters.

“Because I was in the business school and because what I was doing was entrepreneurial, I got targeted and a lot of companies kind of came after me — like Pepsi, GE, and others,” he says. “I was pretty excited, doing all these interviews, but I didn’t know any better. I think I was acting more instinctively, or streetwise, (rather) than showing off a skill set.”

Rowady was ultimately hired by Pittsburgh Plate & Glass, a global supplier of paints, coatings, and specialty materials, and he ascended the corporate ladder with startling quickness.

“I moved to Pittsburgh and they put me in a tech training camp,” Rowady says. “I was selling chemicals and glass and all kinds of stuff, doing well, and then they told me I was a Midwest guy, and they wanted me to run a nine-state area: Michigan, Indiana, Illinois, Ohio, and Wisconsin, all the way down into Kentucky.

I’m like, ‘OK. I’m 22 years old, and I got a budget to entertain my clients to sell them chemicals.’ And PPG was the title sponsor of the PPG Indy Car World Series.”

Rowady was already a car racing fan from his days as a kid. “My dad would get invited to the Formula 1 races (in Detroit),” he says. “We’d go downtown to watch them. So now I’m taking my clients to these PPG Indy Car races and, being the title sponsor, they had the best hospitality and the best tickets.

“I could go in the paddock and put my clients in a pace car. And my sales numbers went up because I was entertaining all these people at these great events. What a great way to build sales and have fun doing it! It was incredible. And I was also getting my first real connection between business relationships and sports.”

JAMEY PRICE

A

s president and founder of the sports marketing agency rEvolution in Chicago, John Rowady readily concedes he could have ended up with a career in the automotive business in metro Detroit.

“I grew up in an auto family; my dad worked for most of his career as a metallurgical and design auto engineer at Eaton Corp. in Southfield,” Rowady says.

“When I was a little kid, I remember he would take me to the Eaton Proving Grounds in Marshall, because he was part of a very small team that created the airbag, the cruise control systems, and the safety door beams that provide occupant protection in a side-impact collision. He has a lot of patents as an auto guy and an engineer.”

Rowady is the second of four boys, and he and his siblings grew up in two different houses in the Grosse Pointe area.

“We lived first in the Farms, and I used to walk up the street to Richard Elementary School, which is still there,” Rowady recalls. “Then we bought a house in Grosse Pointe city, and all my brothers and I went to Grosse Pointe South.”

When the time came to decide what college to attend, Rowady had his heart set on following the path taken by his older brother.

“He was at the University of Michigan, and I loved Michigan football, so that was my dream,” Rowady says. “Then my mom said, ‘Let’s take a ride around the schools in the Midwest.’ So we started in Indiana and went through West Lafayette to look at Purdue University. And then we headed down to Bloomington to see Indiana University.”

For Rowady, it was love at first sight. “I landed on this campus, which is gorgeous,” he says. “I thought, ‘This is cool. I could mark my own path.’ The place is incredible. So I went to Indiana.”

His timing was impeccable. Rowady’s freshman year coincided with the 1986-87 season for the Indiana basketball team, coached by Bobby Knight. It

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Exec Life

VISION ONE AGENCY

TEAM SPORT John Rowady (center) and the rEvolution team at their open house in September. The company’s clients include Lotus, Lamborghini, Bugatti, and Alfa Romeo.

PPG moved Rowady to Chicago, planning to put him in charge of a large chemicals group, but his enthusiasm for venturing down the path in that career was already waning. “I was going into all these paint plants and I started to get really worried about being around all these chemicals and other stuff,” Rowady says. “That’s when everything shifted and kicked off for me. I was 23, 24 years old and thinking I’d take a breath. I started looking for jobs in sports, but didn’t really know where to go.”

Rowady jumped around for the next few years — first landing a job with a sports production company in Chicago, followed by a stint with Raycom, a major syndicator in college sports, followed by another job with Fox Sports in Los Angeles.

“From there I worked for an international sports marketing agency in Switzerland called ISL Worldwide,” he says. “It was run by Horst Dassler, the son of Adi Dassler, who created Adidas. I wanted to do full-on sponsorships and sports event marketing, and this was a juggernaut of a company that spanned the globe with broadcast rights and everything. I was the managing director, still a young guy, and they gave me North and South America. I absolutely loved it there.”

But it was all too good to be true.

“In May of 2001, ISL Worldwide went bankrupt and I was out of a job,” Rowady says. “My wife and I just had our first kid, we were living in West Bloomfield, and I had mortgage payments to make. I needed a big job, so I was thinking, ‘We gotta go to New York.’ ” That fall, Rowady lined up a few days of interviews and took a morning flight out of Detroit.

DETROITERS ARE A SPECIAL BREED, AND ONE OF A KIND. WE STICK TOGETHER, AND WHEREVER I GO, THERE’S A WHOLE DIFFERENT EDGE ...”

— JOHN ROWADY “We’re 40 minutes out of LaGuardia,” he says.

“The captain comes on and says we got to make an emergency landing in Cleveland. It was the morning of 9/11. We landed, and everyone was running around and saying the buildings are coming down.

The Cleveland airport had a bomb threat. I called my wife and she was crying, saying, ‘You’re supposed to be on a plane into New York, and I don’t hear from you, and I’m watching these planes crash into those buildings.’ ” The traumatic day turned out to be a life-changing point in Rowady’s life and career. “I hitchhiked home from Cleveland to Detroit and I told my wife, ‘We’re gonna go back to Chicago and we’re gonna start our

own business,’ ” he recalls. “While I was looking for a job and had time on my hands, I was writing a business plan for what would become rEvolution. And that’s how I started the business in my basement in West Bloomfield.”

In late September, rEvolution celebrated its 22nd anniversary as one of the largest and most successful independent sports marketing agencies in the world.

The mission of the company is the same today as it was all those years ago, when Rowady emerged from his basement with a plan for his novel idea.

“Instead of repping athletes or repping commercial rights or selling sports media at networks, it was all about being the brand agent and wrapping

ELITE BEAT Yung Gravy is introduced prior to his performance on July 6 at the American Family Insurance Amphitheater, Summerfest in Milwaukee. American Family Insurance is a client of rEvolution.

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NEW DIGS Top: Attendees at the grand opening of rEvolution’s offices in Sterling Heights enjoy a networking reception in September. The marketing agency was formerly known as Centigrade.

Middle: Chris Ward, senior manager motorsports at Automobili Lamborghini America, listens to John Rowady’s remarks during the grand opening.

Bottom: Rowady, Martin Lilly, vice president of integrated client services at rEvolution; Julie Barnard, executive vice president, rEvolution; and Ward with the Lamborghini Huracán GT3. Lamborghini is an Italian manufacturer of luxury sports cars owned by the Volkswagen Group via its subsidiary, Audi.

WATERHOUSEPHOTO

brands in the sports mix — building a marketing, media, and advertising agency, but focused on sports. No one was really doing that, and that idea became rEvolution.”

Given the humble — literally subterranean — beginnings of his company, Rowady is especially proud and excited about the 23,000-square-foot global headquarters for rEvolution in Chicago, located in what is commonly described as the “hip corporate and entertainment area” of the former warehouse district of Fulton Market.

“I wanted to create a headquarters that was like coming out of the tunnel at Michigan Stadium and entering the field to play,” Rowady explains. “So that’s what it is. There’s a tunnel off the elevator. You may not be playing sports anymore, but I want you to get energized because you’re in a great place.

I didn’t intend for it to be the coolest office in Chicago, but everybody started saying it’s the coolest place they’ve ever been in.”

The company has an office in Carmel, Ind., a suburb of Indianapolis, as well as an international branch based in London. “After COVID-19, we tripled in size,” Rowady says. “Before the pandemic, we had around 70 employees. Now, throughout the world we have well over 200 people and we’re growing.”

In May 2022, Rowady not only added another asset to his company, but also accomplished a longtime goal. “I always wanted to get back to Michigan and Detroit and be in the auto business, and we acquired Centigrade in Sterling Heights,” he says.

Centigrade, now rEvolution, is a marketing agency with a client roster of luxury auto brands that includ-s Lamborghini, Lotus, Bugatti, and Alfa Romeo.

“It’s great to have the Lamborghini client there,” Rowady says. “With all of the things they do in the automotive business it was a very big deal for the company, and for me and my family to finally return and have a business there and employ a lot of people,” he says.

“We’ve doubled our employees in Michigan since the takeover, from 10 to 20 people, and we have two full offices — one for rEvolution and one for our clients Lamborghini and Iron Lynx, the Lamborghini racing team. It’s been incredible.”

The 55-year-old Rowady lives in Munster, Ind., 30 miles southeast of Chicago’s Loop. “My wife’s from there, and it’s nice because we can get to Chicago quickly, but it’s also easy to get back to Michigan and see family.”

Rowady’s parents still live in Grosse Pointe, and it’s clear he retains a strong connection to his roots — and their impact on his life and career.

“Detroiters are a special breed, and one of a kind,” he says. “We stick together, and wherever I go, there’s a whole different edge and credibility that’s given to you. When you grow up in that type of environment, there’s no question it’s in the water. And it’s definitely in my blood, and in me.”

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Exec Life

PRODUCTION RUN

Ornamental Income A church musician pivots to importing Polish Christmas decorations.

BY TIM KEENAN |

BECKY SIMONOV

K

lassics by Kurtis Inc. in Monroe has evolved over the last 27 years from a way to supplement a church musician’s income into a major international business centered on holiday ornaments.

Curtis J. Posuniak is a concert pianist and a musician who began playing in church at the age of 12. He’s now music minister at St. Patrick Church in Carleton, north of Monroe. In the early 1990s, he was performing at Neiman Marcus at the Somerset Collection in Troy when he was inspired to launch a specialty Christmas ornament business.

“There was a glass designer who was doing ornament signings nearby, and I was fascinated by the quality of the work,” recalls Posuniak, who at the time ran the Michigan Bach Festival. “There were two ladies there who said I should do ornaments of musical composers. So I went to Poland, where the specialty ornaments are made, and the rest is history.”

Posuniak founded Klassics by Kurtis in 1996 and sold 7,500 ornaments — featuring the likenesses of Bach, Mozart, Beethoven, and Chopin — in the first year. In subsequent years, he focused on custom ornaments for businesses, clubs, schools, churches, and municipalities.

Over time, his clients have included the Detroit Athletic Club, local churches, The Grand Hotel on Mackinac Island, Edmund T. Ahee Jewelers, EWTN (the Catholic television network), country clubs, Greenfield Village, the Ritz-Carleton (now The Henry) in Dearborn, Channel 7, the Detroit Pistons, the Detroit Tigers, the Detroit Red Wings, Big Boy, and RE/MAX, among others.

He’s produced a Model T for Ford Motor Co., a Hemi engine for Dodge, planes for Pentastar Aviation, and ornaments for Elvis Presley’s Graceland, the Detroit Opera House, and the USS Arizona Memorial at Pearl Harbor.

Among this year’s total run of 13,000 ornaments are custom jobs featuring Novi Catholic Central High School and a Saugatuck landmark.

“We’re in the process of trying to do a Jimmy Buffett commemorative ornament, too,” Posuniak says.

In addition to its custom work, Klassics by Kurtis produces a new collection each year to sell online and in retail establishments like Bronner’s Christmas

GOOD TIDINGS Curtis J. Posuniak, pictured in his showroom, estimates that Klassics by Kurtis has delivered approximately 100,000 Christmas ornaments in the 26 years he’s been in business.

Wonderland in Frankenmuth, the gift shop at The Grand Hotel, and other outlets.

“We do $40,000 or $50,000 per year with Bronner’s,” Posuniak says. “We have our own section there. It does very well for them.”

He shares that the gift shop at The Grand Hotel takes 600 to 700 pieces each year and sells out, bringing in revenue that’s comparable to Bronner’s.

“One year a company ordered 12,000 pieces,” Posuniak says. “We had an incredible year that year. When COVID-19 hit, it was bad. Nobody was buying and (our clients) had big inventories from the year before.”

Business is bouncing back following the pandemic, and this year’s public collection includes a new Santa Claus and Michigan Central Station in Detroit’s Corktown neighborhood.

All Klassics by Kurtis ornaments are created from hand-blown glass and hand-painted at six factories in Poland — three each in Krakow and Czestochowa, in the southern region of the country.

“Each factory has a niche,” Posuniak explains.

“The factory that did the train station, their model-maker is just incredible. You go with what you know is good. Other factories are great with bulbs.

Other factories are great with shapes. From experience, when we’re doing something custom, you know the best place to take that project.”

Regardless of the ornament ordered, it goes through a similar process.

A client submits a purchase order that requires a 50 percent deposit, with the balance due on delivery.

The customer also provides as many images as possible of the building or product the ornament will represent. Sometimes even blueprints are used. From there, a prototype is sculpted in clay and pictures are sent to the client for approval.

“You get a picture of the clay model that has been sculpted to our — and our client’s — specifications,” Posuniak says. “We look at all the detail in the clay and make any necessary changes.”

When the clay model is approved, it moves to a cast iron mold. “Once it gets into the metal mold, no changes can be made,” he says.

From there, a glass-blower uses the mold to blow the clear glass into the shape of the ornament. A stem is left so an artisan can hold the ornament while painting it.

“Glass-blowers can blow 100 pieces a day, and most factories have at least five glass-blowers,” Posuniak says. “They take it out immediately and put it in water so it solidifies.”

Next, the ornament goes to another department where the inside is painted with a silvery substance — the better to see through it. After that, it goes into a room that’s kept at between 110 degrees and 120 degrees, and it’s hung upside down to dry.

Once completely dry inside and out, the ornament is painted, and photos are sent stateside for final approval. When approved, mass production

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LOCAL CHEER Klassics by Kurtis started in 1996 with ornaments honoring great musical composers. Newer decorations feature Santa Claus and local landmarks like the Renaissance Center (left) and Michigan Central (top right).

can begin. And this mass production is nothing like Henry Ford envisioned.

“For each project, there are only two people working side by side doing the painting, to minimize the variations,” Posuniak says. “As it is, there are no two ornaments that are exactly the same since they’re done by hand.”

At any one time there can be 100 people working on Klassics by Kurtis ornaments in the six Polish factories.

“The artisans in Poland are not degreed people.

They didn’t go to school to learn to do what they do.

It’s all innate talent,” he explains. “At one factory they have a little lady who is 80 years old still blowing glass at a rate of 10 pieces a day, but most of the artists are between 40 and 60 years old.”

A couple of years ago, one of the painters slipped on some ice and broke her arm, which held up production on 200 custom ornaments for a church in California for close to two years.

To maintain relationships and to check on projects in progress, Posuniak travels to Poland at least once a year for a week or two. “When I go there, I go to every factory to see how production is going,” he says.

“I go to each room where the painting is being done and see how the samples are being done.

“They all take me out to eat, which is good because it’s important to have a good rapport with them. In two days, I might visit three factories. Then I take a couple of days for myself and then visit the other three factories.”

Depending on the complexity of an ornament, it takes anywhere from two days to a week to finish a piece. Each order takes between eight to 10 months to go through the entire process.

“We have to submit our large orders no later than May to have them done for the holiday season,” he says. “For reorders, we can order in June or July.”

Deliveries come via UPS to two warehouses, one in Monroe and another in Southfield.

“Our shipments come throughout the year and within three or four days they’re out the door. We don’t carry big inventories because so much of our stuff is for other people,” he says. “We haven’t experienced any supply chain problems so far.”

Could production be done in the U.S.? “I’m sure it could be done here, but what you’d pay for it here compared to what you pay for it in Poland is very different,” says Posuniak, who adds that the cache of selling European-made products can’t be ignored.

Although he doesn’t divulge what the business brings in annually, he does confess the ornament business has surpassed his church salary. “God has been good to me all my life,” he says.

THE RUNDOWN

100,000 Total ornaments produced

100 Polish artisans who work on the ornaments

6 Polish factories

Largest order: 12,000 pieces

Source: Klassics by Kurtis Inc.

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Exec Life

PATENTS AND INVENTIONS

Midland Marvel Herbert Henry Dow, founder of Dow Chemical, developed multiple advances in the chemical industry and received more than 90 patents.

BY NORM SINCLAIR

T

BROMINE MAN Herbert Henry Dow, founder of Dow Chemical Co. in Midland, had a mindset as an inventor and entrepreneur to “always do it better.”

used by the U.S. Navy to power torpedoes. According to the National Inventors Hall of Fame, Dow’s later inventions included advances in steam and internal combustion engines, automatic furnace controls, and water seals.

His pioneering work in the chemical industry resulted in his filing for more than 90 patents with the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office, according to Dow’s corporate records.

Herbert Henry Dow was born in 1866 in Belleville, Ontario, Canada. The family moved to Connecticut and then to Ohio, where he enrolled in the Case School of Applied Science, the forerunner of Case Western University in Cleveland.

His first major class study was the chemical composition of fuel used to fire up boilers. While testing gas wells in Ohio and Michigan, he was introduced to brine by a worker who discovered the bitter liquid substance while drilling a well. Dow’s analysis of brine samples collected from wells in Ohio and Michigan showed a large presence of lithium and bromine, a chemical used at the time in medicines and photography.

Dow also learned the largest underground sea of prehistoric brine in the country was trapped beneath the small Michigan town of Midland. Once a booming lumber town, Midland — which boasted of having

14 saloons — was on the decline as the surrounding abundant white pine forests were harvested into extinction largely due to demand for homes.

Dow suspected that, in addition to bromine, the salty solution likely contained other valuable minerals that had consumer value.

After graduating with a Bachelor of Science degree in 1888, Dow delved into the nascent field of halogen chemistry. Finding a faster and cheaper way of separating bromine from brine became his major challenge.

Bromine production at that time was a costly and time-consuming process involving heating and evaporating brine before distilling it. His idea, for which he filed a patent in 1899, used bleaching powder to extract bromine from brine. With that breakthrough, Dow opened his first company: Canton Chemical Co. His success as an inventor was not matched by his business prowess, as Canton Chemical went bankrupt within a year. In 1890, Dow moved to Midland where he set up Midland Chemical Co. and continued experimenting with brine.

Following his mindset to “always do it better,” Dow researched the emerging technology of electricity and determined it could provide the most efficient process for bromine production, and could possibly unlock other valuable chemical elements from brine.

COURTESY OF SCIENCE HISTORY INSTITUTE

he 42,000 residents in the prosperous mid-Michigan city of Midland are fortunate their most prominent benefactor, Herbert Henry Dow, outgrew a boyhood fascination with raising ostriches in South Africa.

Instead of focusing his genius on the large birds, Dow made chemistry his life’s work, developing efficient processes for extracting valuable chemical elements from brine found in abundance in the ground in the surrounding Saginaw Valley. The immense wealth he created, and his legacy Dow companies, underwrote Midland’s future reputation as one of the best places to live in Michigan.

At age 12, after reading a magazine article on difficulties South African farmers faced raising ostriches, young Herbert began researching how to successfully incubate their eggs.

The boy’s inclination for problem-solving came out of the close relationship he enjoyed with his father, Joseph Henry Dow, a mechanical engineer who was described as a tinkerer, an inventor, and a problem-solver.

During Herbert’s childhood, his father brought home engineering problems from his job, and father and son would work on solutions. As a result, the youngster took on his father’s aptitude for tinkering.

His family noted that he tended to a garden, constantly worked on puzzles, and kept journals of the creative ideas that came to him daily.

His study of the ostrich problem revealed that their eggs had to be kept at a constant temperature with the proper level of humidity during the incubation process.

Naturally, he invented an incubator to automatically control temperature in the container in which the eggs were hatched. His first 39 devices failed.

Undeterred, he succeeded with his 40th attempt. This first experiment with invention was a lesson in perseverance that shaped his career as a trailblazer in the chemical industry.

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NATIONAL REGISTRY

CHEMICAL SUCCESS Dow received a patent on Sept. 29, 1891, for his process of extracting bromine from natural brine or from bitter waters. A huge deposit of brine was located in Midland.

However, he first had to overcome two major hurdles: He had no capital to invest in developing his idea, and at the time Midland did not have electricity. Dow’s solution was to rent a barn next to a flour mill where he convinced the owner to allow him to use the mill’s 5-volt generator, which was powered by a steam engine, to carry out his experiments.

For weeks on end, he worked 18-hour days and slept in the barn. Locals referred to him as “Crazy Dow.” Five months later, with the faint electricity supplied by the underpowered generator, he used the process of electrolysis to produce bromine from his brine samples. On Sept. 29, 1891, Dow registered a patent for his invention, dubbed “the Dow process.” It became the accelerant for his companies — which would, over

time, dominate the nascent chemical industry.

Living in the barn also gave him a chance to meet Grace Ball, a young teacher who taught in a nearby school. The two were married on Nov. 16, 1892, and had four daughters and three sons.

Dow’s success with electrolysis attracted financial backers for his purchase of 10 acres of land on the banks of the Tittabawassee River, where he dug two brine wells and erected the earliest Dow factory buildings.

However, his constant quest for innovation and diversification soon put him at odds with his investors, who blocked him from pursuing using his electrolysis process to produce chlorine and bleaching powder.

Undaunted, he returned to his alma mater in Cleveland, where he recruited new backers among the faculty. In 1895, he formed the Dow Process Co. His subsequent breakthroughs with chlorine would unlock the development of a wide array of other commercial products.

In 1896, Dow moved his growing family and company back to Midland. The next year he official changed the company name to The Dow Chemical Co., and it absorbed his original venture, Midland Chemical Co. For the next 30 years, Dow served as the president and general manager of Dow Chemical.

As a businessman he proved to have a killer instinct with rivals. In 1902, he beat back a challenge from bleach makers in Britain by cutting his price for bleach so low that the British companies could no longer survive.

Six years later, he began exporting bromine, to the displeasure of a German cartel that had a lock on the market. The Germans responded by flooding the U.S. market with cheap bromine to drive him out of business.

Dow returned the serve by purchasing as much of the cheap German bromine as possible, repackaging it, and selling it for a profit in Germany. The Germans capitulated in 1908 and raised their prices.

According to the Midland Daily News, Herbert Dow’s inventions put Midland on the map as “The City of Modern Explorers,” attracting the best and brightest young people to move there. At one time there were more millionaires and more people with doctorate degrees living in Midland than any municipality its size in the world, the newspaper reported.

By this time Dow had built The Pines, the only home he and his family would ever live in, on a large tract of land at one end of Main Street. The acreage allowed him to return to his childhood interest in gardening. Initially he planted 92 trees that included 35 different varieties of fruit. Eventually Dow had 5,000 apple trees that supplied fresh fruit he donated to children in Midland County schools.

Dow’s garden was the forerunner of today’s 110acre Dow Gardens, one of the city’s most popular attractions, which also includes the family home, now designated a National Historic Landmark.

Dow’s health began deteriorating after he returned from a two-month trip to Japan in 1929. The following spring he went to the Mayo Clinic in Minnesota, where exploratory surgery revealed cirrhosis of the liver. His lifelong avoidance of alcohol prompted theories that the condition could have been caused by exposure to chemicals, or a 19th century practice by scientists who were trained to taste chemicals.

Dow didn’t survive a second surgery and died at age 64 on Oct. 12, 1930. He was succeeded by his 33-year-old son, Willard H. Dow, who led the company through the Great Depression and World War II. The last family member to serve as CEO of the company was Herbert D. Doan, the founder’s grandson. He took over in 1962 and stepped down at age 48 in 1971.

The Herbert H. and Grace A. Dow Foundation, established in his memory by his widow shortly after his death, continues to flourish. The organization has donated millions of dollars for the betterment of Midland and other communities in Michigan.

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Exec Life

OPINION

Lifestyle Medicine

It’s a new era in health care, marked by an increased focus on preventive care and holistic well-being.

BY DR. JON DEAN interventions, individuals become active participants in their healing journey.

In my integrative practice, I’ve witnessed, firsthand, the transformation that occurs when patients embrace their role in achieving wellness. Lifestyle medicine empowers patients to make informed choices about nutrition, physical activity, stress management, and more.

To be sure, lifestyle medicine thrives on collaboration. It bridges the gap between conventional medicine, alternative therapies, and health care providers from diverse disciplines. This collaborative approach fosters a well-rounded, patient-centered care experience, where chiropractors, physicians, nutritionists, and mental health professionals work together to achieve optimal health outcomes.

The old adage, “prevention is better than cure,” holds a significant truth, especially in the context of health care economics. Chronic diseases often exert a tremendous financial burden on individuals, families, and societies.

Lifestyle medicine’s preventive nature often reduces the need for expensive medical interventions, hospitalizations, and costly medications. By mitigating the incidence of chronic diseases, lifestyle medicine can potentially lead to long-term cost savings and alleviate the strain on health care resources.

Beyond the economic benefits, lifestyle medicine’s impact on society is profound. By promoting healthier lifestyles, we can foster a culture of wellness that extends beyond individual patients to families, communities, and generations. Imagine a world where health education and preventive practices are integrated into daily life, resulting in healthier, happier societies with reduced disease prevalence.

In an increasingly fastpaced and interconnected world, our health is often compromised by stress, sedentary routines, and poor dietary choices.

Lifestyle medicine equips individuals with the tools they need to navigate these challenges with resilience.

It encourages mindfulness, stress reduction, and selfcare practices that fortify mental and emotional well-being. Moreover, by encouraging regular physical activity and balanced nutrition, lifestyle medicine lays the foundation for robust physical health.

Lifestyle medicine’s principles resonate deeply with the holistic approach that chiropractic care embodies. Both focus on empowering individuals to embrace wellness as a journey, rather than a destination.

By integrating lifestyle medicine into mainstream health care, we can catalyze a shift toward a future where health is nurtured, diseases are prevented, and patients are partners in their own well-being.

Lifestyle medicine is a beacon of hope in the evolving landscape of health care. It represents a departure from disease-centered care toward a more holistic, patient-centered approach. I am beyond excited to witness the rise of lifestyle medicine and its potential to revolutionize health care by fostering preventive practices, empowering patients, and shaping a healthier future for all.

DR. JON DEAN

Dr. Jon Dean is a partner at Oakland Lifestyle Medicine in Bloomfield Hills. He actively works as a clinical instructor for the Activator Methods Chiropractic Technique, and holds advanced certifications in Activator, Cox Flexion/Distraction, Active Release Technique, and Webster.

NICK HAGEN

L

ifestyle medicine has emerged as a pivotal component in reshaping the landscape of patient care.

As a chiropractor with a profound commitment to holistic health, I’ve seen how lifestyle medicine holds the key to unlocking a healthier, more sustainable future for individuals and communities alike.

Lifestyle medicine is a revolutionary approach that emphasizes the impact of daily habits, behaviors, and choices on overall health. While traditional medical practices often concentrate on treating symptoms and diseases, lifestyle medicine transcends the boundaries of traditional health care. It delves into the root causes of health issues and seeks to prevent illness through the adoption of positive lifestyle changes.

This paradigm shift embodies the true essence of holistic health, which views the individual as a whole entity rather than a collection of isolated symptoms.

Lifestyle medicine addresses not only physical health but also mental, emotional, and social well-being.

This comprehensive approach deeply resonates with the core values of chiropractic care, which has long advocated for a holistic understanding of the body and its innate ability to heal.

The health care industry is evolving, and lifestyle medicine is taking center stage in this reformation.

There’s a growing demand for natural, noninvasive solutions to empower individuals to control their daily health.

Lifestyle medicine aligns perfectly with this trend, offering personalized interventions that include dietary adjustments, exercise plans, stress management techniques, and more.

What’s more, lifestyle medicine doesn’t merely treat the symptoms; it addresses the underlying factors that contribute to poor health. The prevalence of chronic conditions like heart disease, diabetes, and obesity is escalating, and these conditions are often linked to lifestyle choices. By addressing these choices, lifestyle medicine offers a proactive approach that reduces disease burden and eases the strain on health care systems.

One of the most significant advantages of lifestyle medicine lies in its capacity to empower patients.

Instead of being passive recipients of medical

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TrusTed Advisers Q&A

Thought Leaders Add an Extra Dimension of Authority Sometimes you just need answers you can have faith in — from professionals who are not only experienced, but are also thought leaders in their field.

For example, handling a class action lawsuit is a specialty unto its own. Stephanie Douglas of Bush Seyferth has focused on class action cases for at least 10 years. She is

known by clients and peers for having a wealth of knowledge to draw on that guides her nuanced approach to defeating class actions.

Need an assessment of sentiments about the labor market outlook that you can bank on? Here, David Mannarino of KeyBank shares the company’s recent findings surveying middle market

business owners and executives.

And Ron Sollish at Maddin Hauser knows how important it is to give clients answers — not just options. He approaches each case as it if were his deal, his problem, and doesn’t hesitate to offer his experienced take on what he would do if presented with the same set of circumstances.

Q: What’s the best way to defeat a class action lawsuit?

A: When a class is certified, the stakes grow exponentially, so the goal is to prevent a case from even reaching the certification stage. That means hiring an attorney broadly knowledgeable about the law, and specifically tuned in to the nuances of class actions. With a background in computer engineering and appellate litigation, I have developed what one co-counsel referred to as a mental database of class action litigation. We’ve applied that knowledge, plus

creative thinking and persuasive writing, to defeat class actions on grounds like standing, mootness, arbitrability, preemption, and conflicts of plaintiffs’ counsel. One of our proudest wins came when a strategic discovery motion persuaded the plaintiffs to abandon their case.

By identifying early off-ramps from long and expensive litigation, our boutique Michigan firm has earned the respect of our opposing counsel, clients, and big-law peers around the country.

Bush Seyferth PLLC Stephanie Douglas Member Class Action Practice Lead 100 West Big Beaver Road Suite 400 Troy, MI 48084 248-822-7800 bsplaw.com

Q: When it comes to legal matters, why is it important to get answers — not just options?

A: As lawyers, we are built to be problem solvers and fixers. We help our clients navigate a myriad of legal, professional, personal, and business issues every day. I take great pride in negotiating a path forward for our clients, which starts with understanding their needs, desires, and objectives. Once the goal is established, I can craft a plan that works for them according to how much time, energy, and

money they want to invest to reach closure.

Most importantly, I provide answers to their questions. Too often, clients complain they were given numerous options but no clear direction in other legal situations. Not here. I share with my clients what I would do if it were my deal or my problem. We help clients select a direction to go instead of leaving it to them to find their way forward. We’re a team.

Maddin Hauser Ronald A. Sollish Vice President and Chairman, Corporate & Employment Practice Group 28400 Northwestern Highway, Suite 200 Southfield, MI 48034 248-354-4030 rsollish@maddinhauser.com maddinhauser.com

Q: Are middle market businesses still experiencing labor challenges?

A: KeyBank’s most recent middle market sentiment survey found that more than one-third (38%) of middle market business owners and executives surveyed in June believe that it will be difficult or very difficult to fill their company’s job openings over the next six months. This represents a significant increase from the 27% who felt this way in March. Healthcare companies are having a particularly hard time attracting talent: 50% of respondents in this industry said it was going to be difficult or very difficult to fill open jobs through the end of 2023. Fifty-nine percent of business leaders with a neutral or negative company outlook also reported hiring difficulties. And while 56% of survey respondents at publicly owned companies and 58% of those with $500 million–$2 billion in revenue indicated that finding talent was easy or very easy, the overall number of companies confident in their

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ability to attract and retain talent dropped from 52% in March to 43% in June.

Somewhat surprisingly, fewer middle market business leaders who anticipate hiring difficulties said their companies are taking key measures to attract talent. Specifically, the number of respondents who said their businesses are considering implementing or enhancing competitive wages, bonus programs, and flexible hours — the top three measures — all declined slightly this quarter. Similarly, fewer companies are considering implementing or enhancing some of the standard options previously offered as a means for retaining talent, including health and wellness benefits, PTO, and signing bonuses. Yet 20% of middle market business leaders anticipate that it will be difficult or very difficult to retain their employees over the next six months, up from 16% in March.

KeyBank Michigan David Mannarino President & Commercial Sales Leader KeyBank Michigan Market 248-204-6550 David_Mannarino @keybank.com

David Mannarino is President and Commercial Sales Leader for KeyBank’s Michigan Market. He can be reached at (248) 204-6550 or David_Mannarino@keybank.com.

This material is presented for informational purposes only and should not be construed as individual financial advice. KeyBank does not provide legal advice.

KeyBank is member FDIC. ©2023 KeyCorp.. CFMA #230926-2259528

10/9/23 12:59 10/11/23 1:25 PM

Exec Life

CHARITY PREVIEW PATRICK GLORIA

The 2023 Detroit Auto Show Charity Preview was held at Huntington Place in downtown Detroit on Sept. 15. This year’s beneficiaries included the Boys & Girls Clubs of Southeastern Michigan, The Children’s Center, The Children’s Foundation, the Detroit Auto Dealers Association Charitable Foundation Fund, Detroit PAL, and the University of Michigan Health C.S. Mott Children’s Hospital.

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1. Cynthia and Bill Perkins 2. Mark and Kim Dunn, Carole and Mike Ritchie, Ann and Steve Davis 3. Nick and Cortney Ventrone, Jocelynn Hewitt 4. Phil and Chrissy Serra, Maria and Joe Serra 5. Tavi Fulkerson, Bill Hampton

CHECKERED FLAG BALL PATRICK GLORIA

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The Sept. 30 Checkered Flag Ball at Pontiac’s M1 Concourse, the charitable event following the facility’s American Speed Festival, celebrated 100 years of the 24 Hours of Le Mans, focusing on American cars and drivers. The ball welcomed 300 guests who enjoyed chef-driven cuisine, wines, spirits, and a live auction. This was followed by an exclusive after-party overlooking M1’s performance track. The event was hosted by M1’s philanthropic arm and all the proceeds will benefit M1 Mobility, an initiative in partnership with Pontiac Community Foundation to provide transportation solutions that connect Pontiac residents with essential community services and programs.

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6. Dustin and Collett McClellan, Jennifer Granger

7. Erin Kraft, Kristi Robbins, Lauren Schmidt 8. Kellie Smith, Sara and A.J. Forchette 9. Lori and Nick Greiwe 10. Paul Zlotoff, Jim Owens, Tim McGrane

DETROIT CONCOURS PATRICK GLORIA

More than 5,000 attendees enjoyed the 2023 Detroit Concours d’Elegance that took place on Sept. 21-22 at the Detroit Institute of Arts. The event featured classic and luxury cars from around the world. A 1939 Delahaye 135 MS by Figoni et Falaschi was chosen as this year’s Best of Show winner. Detroit Concours and the Hagerty Drivers Foundation pledged a combined $25,000 to local nonprofit partners, including the Boys & Girls Club of Southeastern Michigan, Cass Technical High School, Midtown Detroit Inc., and Pingree Detroit.

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PROMOTIONAL CONTENT

Charity Calendar ABOVE AND BEYOND AWARDS Nov. 1, 5:30 p.m. - 8:30 p.m. detroitpublicsafety.org The Above and Beyond Awards Ceremony — A Blue Tie Affair is an event hosted by the Detroit Public Safety Foundation to honor Detroit’s first responders.

During the awards ceremony, members of the Detroit police, fire, and EMS receive the Medal of Valor, Purple Heart, and Emergency Medical Merit awards. The event is a tribute to the dedicated service of Detroit’s first responders. The stories of their bravery and sacrifice are inspiring, and the event provides the community with a chance to honor their commitment to public safety, highlighting their service above and beyond the call of duty. The Penske Corp., represented by Bud Denker, will be recognized with the James B. Nicholson City Change Maker Award, and Marathon Petroleum will receive the 2023 Public Safety Partner Award. Charlie Langton of Fox 2 will serve as the master of ceremonies.

FOURTH ANNUAL DETROIT DISCOVERY BALL Nov. 11, 6 p.m. - 11 p.m. detroitdiscoveryball.org Join the American Cancer Society as a united force against all cancers at the fourth annual Detroit Discovery Ball, Nov. 11 at The Fillmore.

Celebrate a journey of hope with exceptional food, entertainment, live and silent auctions, and latenight dancing with the Dan Rafferty Band.

Join Co-chairs Eric and Rachel Krupa in celebrating this year’s honorees and recognizing their significant impact on the community.

Listen to inspiring messages from the evening’s speakers, who will talk about cancer’s impact on their lives and why every story matters.

The featured speaker is Saunteel Jenkins.

Honorees include Dr. Eleanor Walker, The Red Wings Foundation, and Gary Cowger.

AUBURN CHAMBER OF COMMERCE – SILVER & GOLD AWARDS HOLIDAY BRUNC

Emcees: Christy McDonald of WDIV and Roop Raj of Fox 2 Detroit

Dec. 8, 9:30 a.m. - 12 p.m. auburnhillschamber.com

The Detroit Discovery Ball supports ACS’s Road to Recovery program, which provides transportation to and from treatment for people with cancer who do not have a ride or are unable to drive themselves.

Join the Auburn Hills Chamber of Commerce in recognizing outstanding local businesses and individuals nominated for the 2023 Silver & Gold Awards during a holiday brunch on Friday, Dec. 8, from 9:30 a.m. until 12 p.m. at the Royal Park Hotel. This high-profile event offers an incredible amount of recognition among hundreds of business executives and community leaders.

Nominees will be announced November 2. All nominees will be recognized, and winners will be announced during the event. We look forward to celebrating with the nominees and award recipients.

Attire: Detroit Chic Cocktail

ANNUAL LET YOUR LIGHT SHINE CHARITY GALA Nov. 16, 6 p.m. - 10 p.m. newayworks.org

HOB NOBBLE GOBBLE

Join more than 200 community and business leaders, philanthropists, and influencers from southeast Michigan who have a heart for philanthropy and children in need on Thursday, Nov. 16, at Villa Penna on Hayes Road in Sterling Heights for the annual Let Your Light Shine Charity Gala event.

Nov. 17, 6:30 p.m. - 10:30 p.m. theparade.org/hob-nobble-gobble

You are the key to success, and your support would be greatly appreciated.

As the most magical fundraiser for The Parade Company, the Hob Nobble Gobble®, presented by Ford Motor Co., will be held Friday, Nov. 17, from 6:30-10:30 p.m. at Ford Field. Guests will enjoy an evening featuring headline entertainer Rev Run, presented by ALT 98.7; a fabulous carnival midway; dinner and delights; and live entertainment from end zone to end zone for kids and adults alike. The Hob Nobble Gobble, presented

by Ford Motor Co., helps raise important funds that enable The Parade Company to produce America’s Thanksgiving Parade® presented by Gardner White, which has been recognized as one of America’s best parades. Tickets to the black-tie evening are limited.

To reserve your tickets or tables, please contact CarolAnn at cbarbb@theparade.org or 313-432-7831.

Live entertainment during the VIP reception will be provided by world-renowned Sicilian jazz performing artist Michele Ramo.

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Master of Ceremonies TBD. For tables and tickets, visit newayworks.org.

With your help, Neway Works will be the light to make a positive social impact in the community in which we live and call home. Neway Works is a 501(c)(3) tax-exempt organization that advocates for equity in education, social justice, and children’s mental health and well-being. Learn more at newayworks.org.

ASSOCIATION OF FUNDRAISING PROFESSIONALS NATIONAL PHILANTHROPY Nov. 8, 5 p.m. - 9 p.m. afpdet.org Each year, the Association of Fundraising Professionals Greater Detroit Chapter throws one of the nation’s largest local celebrations of National Philanthropy Day. This year, the 32nd annual National Philanthropy Day will be celebrated on three separate occasions.

In late October, a series of philanthropy roundtables took place at Life Remodeled and included some of Detroit’s top philanthropy leaders. On Nov. 8, the National Philanthropy Day Awards Gala takes place at MotorCity Casino Hotel. It will include the presentation of AFP’s annual awards, honor distinguished volunteers, and recognize the importance of philanthropy and coming together as a community. In mid-November, Detroit Public Television will broadcast a television show highlighting the roundtable discussions and this year’s honorees.

THE RED TIE HOUR PRESENTED BY THE TONI A. WISNE FOUNDATION Nov. 16, 5 p.m. - 6 p.m. beaumont.org/giving/ foundation-events/red-tie-hour The Red Tie Hour presented by the Toni A. Wisne Foundation takes place Thursday, Nov. 16, from 5-6 p.m. Get ready to tune in to the Red Tie Hour, a special one-hour event during the annual 104.3 WOMC Turn up the Miracles Radiothon, which supports Corewell Health’s Beaumont Children’s. Funds will be raised through community and corporate donations, as well as a Chairman’s Dinner at Roman Village in Dearborn, to specifically support Beaumont Health’s Center for Exceptional Families. CEF is a medical/ rehabilitative facility that treats developmental diagnoses, disabilities, and disorders, including autism, for patient families. Listeners will have fun with the on-air talent and special guests, learn more about CEF, and enjoy many participation incentives. To contribute, call 877-335-KIDS (5437), turn on 104.3 FM, or visit beaumont.org/giving/foundation-events.

18TH ANNUAL NONPROFIT MANAGEMENT CONFERENCE Nov. 15, 8 a.m. - 2 p.m. troychamber.com The Troy Chamber of Commerce and its Nonprofit Network will host the 18th Annual Nonprofit Management Conference on Wednesday, Nov. 15 from 8 a.m.-2 p.m.

The event will be held at Walsh College.

The annual conference marks 18 years of revenuesharing with nonprofit Troy Chamber organizations that’s made possible by the conference’s sponsorship and ticket sales. Topics of discussion can include Board & Donor Engagement, Fundraising & Strategic Planning, Marketing & Content Creation, and more.

To check for updates on speakers and sponsorship opportunities, visit troychamber.com/chamber-events.

10/11/23 10/9/23 1:42 1:25 PM

Exec Life

AUTOGLOW PATRICK GLORIA

AutoGlow, presented by Ford Motor Co., was held at Ford Field in Detroit on Sept. 15 to raise funds for The Children’s Center. Annually, nearly 3,500 children and their families receive evidence-based, trauma-informed mental and behavioral health services from The Children’s Center in Detroit. Child welfare programs include adoption, foster care, and services for youth aging out of foster care.

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1. Brian and Renee Godfrey 2. Jane Garcia, Marifer Calleja, Mary Carmen Munoz, Laura Chavez 3. Jeffrey Farber, Dr. Francesca Liton 4. Jim and Lia Farley, Bill and Lisa Ford, Nicole Wells Stallworth, Thomas Stallworth III, Liz Agius 5. Jim and Jessica Bishop

WINE AND DINE PATRICK GLORIA

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Started in 2010, Wine & Dine in the D is a two-part event that includes an educational panel discussion by prominent myeloma doctors, followed by a Wine & Dine evening featuring food and beverages from select metro Detroit restaurants. This year’s event took place on Sept.

7 at the Westin Book Cadillac in downtown Detroit.

Some 400 community members, patients, caregivers, and opinion leaders in the myeloma community attended this year’s event.

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6. Brooke Wetting, Brett Baer 7. Jerry Ruggirello, Mischawn Fosse 8. Mike Stefani, Darere Baer, Renee Tull, Mary Wilson 9. Nino and Lauren Ruggirello 10. Sarah Betts, Angela Ellerbrock, Kristy Allison

FREEDOM FORUM PATRICK GLORIA

The Association of the United States Army (AUSA) Arsenal of Democracy Chapter in Detroit hosted its annual Community Partner Luncheon at The War Memorial in Grosse Pointe Farms on Sept. 27. The keynote speaker was Richard Dauch, CEO of Workhorse, founder of PointeWest Capital, and a graduate of the U.S. Army Military Academy at West Point. Awards were presented at the lunch to members of the Volunteer Family of the Year, TACOM, and Michigan National Guard NCOs of the Year.

11. BG Roger Burrows (Ret.), BG Michael B. Lalor,

MG Darren Werner (Ret.), BG Rolf E. Mammen (Ret.) 12. Chuck Cogger, Phil Wills 13. Michael Clow, Michael Zahuranic 14. Michelle Lalor, BG Doug “Odie” Slocum (Ret.), Jen Slocum 15. Ron and Mary Lamparter, Richard Dauch

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Membership has its benefits.

With a diverse membership that represents over 78,000 local professionals, and partnerships with the City, County, and State — the Auburn Hills Chamber of Commerce is where your organization can utilize resources, create long-lasting business relationships, and benefit from exclusive Chamber partnerships.

Ready to Join? Call (248) 853-7862 or visit AuburnHillsChamber.com

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10/12/22 10:38 AM 10/11/23 1:25 PM

From the Top

LARGEST HOSPITAL SYSTEMS IN MICHIGAN (LISTED BY 2022 OPERATING REVENUE) 1. COREWELL HEALTH 100 Michigan Ave. NE Grand Rapids 866-989-7999 26901 Beaumont Blvd.

Southfield 248-898-500

2022 Revenue: $5.5B 2021 Revenue: $5.5B 2023 Employees: 26,000 Operations: University Hospital;

corewellhealth.org President/CEO: Tina Freese

C.S. Mott Children’s Hospital; Von Voightlander Women’s Hospital; Frankel Cardiovascular Center; Rogel Cancer Center; Kellogg Eye Center

2022 Revenue: $14.7B 2021 Revenue: $9.2B 2023 Employees: 60,000+ Operations: Corewell Health

4. ASCENSION MICHIGAN 28000 Dequindre Rd. Warren 586-753-0911

Decker

Beaumont Troy Hospital (Beaumont Hospital Troy); Corewell Health Beaumont Grosse Pointe Hospital (Beaumont Hospital Grosse Pointe); Corewell Health Dearborn Hospital (Beaumont Hospital Dearborn); Corewell Health Farmington Hills Hospital (Beaumont Hospital Farmington Hills); Corewell Health Taylor Hospital (Beaumont Hospital Taylor); Corewell Health Trenton Hospital (Beaumont Hospital Trenton); Corewell Health Wayne Hospital (Beaumont Hospital Wayne); Corewell Health William Beaumont University Hospital (Beaumont Hospital Royal Oak) 2. HENRY FORD HEALTH 1 Ford Place Detroit 800-436-7936

President/CEO/Interim Ministry Market Executive, Ascension Michigan: Carol Schmidt 2022 Revenue: $4.5B 2021 Revenue: $4.4B 2023 Employees: 19,885 Operations: Sixteen hospitals and

hundreds of related health care facilities including Ascension Borgess Hospital; Ascension Borgess – Allegan Hospital; Ascension Borgess – Lee Hospital; Ascension Borgess – Pipp Hospital; Ascension Brighton Center for Recovery; Ascension Genesys Hospital; Ascension Macomb-Oakland Hospital (Madison Heights Campus and Warren Campus); Ascension Providence Hospital (Novi

Campus and Southfield Campus); Ascension Providence Rochester Hospital; Ascension River District Hospital; Ascension St. John Hospital; Ascension St. Joseph Hospital; Ascension St. Mary’s Hospital; Ascension Standish Hospital 5. TRINITY HEALTH MICHIGAN 1600 S. Canton Center Rd., Ste. 310 Canton Township 844-237-3627 stjoeshealth.org;

mercyhealth.com CEO: Rob Casalou 2022 Revenue: $4.16B 2021 Revenue: NA 2023 Employees: 24,000+ Operations: St. Joseph Mercy Ann

Arbor; St. Joseph Mercy Chelsea; St. Joseph Mercy Livingston; St. Joseph Mercy Oakland; St. Mary Mercy Livonia; Mercy Health Muskegon; Mercy Health Grand Rapids; Mercy Health Lakeshore Campus 6. MCLAREN HEALTH CARE One McLaren Parkway Grand Blanc 810-342-1100 mclaren.org

President/CEO: Philip Incarnati 2022 Revenue: $3.8B 2021 Revenue: $6B 2023 Employees: 26,000 Operations: McLaren Bay Region;

McLaren Caro Region; McLaren Central Michigan; McLaren Flint; McLaren Greater Lansing; McLaren Lapeer Region; McLaren Macomb; McLaren Northern Michigan; McLaren Oakland; McLaren Port Huron; McLaren Thumb Region; Karmanos Cancer Institute 7. BRONSON HEALTHCARE 301 John St. Kalamazoo 269-341-6000

bronsonhealth.com President/CEO: Bill Manns 2022 Revenue: $1.62B 2021 Revenue: $1.6B 2023 Employees: 9,000+ Operations: Bronson Methodist

Hospital; Bronson Battle Creek Hospital; Bronson LakeView Hospital; Bronson South Haven Hospital; Bronson Medical Group; Bronson at Home; Bronson Commons; Bronson Athletic Club; Bronson Wellness Center; Bronson Health Foundation

8. SPARROW HEALTH SYSTEM 1215 E. Michigan Ave. Lansing 517-364-1000

sparrow.org President/CEO: James Dover 2022 Revenue: $1.5B 2021 Revenue: $1.5B 2022 Employees: 8,500+ Operations: Sparrow Hospital;

Sparrow Hospital St. Lawrence; Sparrow Carson Hospital; Sparrow Clinton Hospital; Sparrow Eaton Hospital; Sparrow Ionia Hospital; Sparrow Specialty Hospital 9. MYMICHIGAN HEALTH 4000 Wellness Dr. Midland 989-839-3000

mydmichigan.org President/CEO: Dr. Lydia Watson 2022 Revenue: $1.2B 2021 Revenue: $1B 2023 Employees: 10,180 Operations: MyMichigan Medical

Center Alma; MyMichigan Medical Center Alpena; MyMichigan Medical Center Clare; MyMichigan Medical Center Gladwin; MyMichigan Medical Center Midland; MyMichigan Medical Center

Mount Pleasant; MyMichigan Medical Center Sault; MyMichigan Medical Center West Branch; Mackinac Straits Hospital, Health System; Mackinac Island Medical Center (not affiliated with University of Michigan Health) 10. DETROIT MEDICAL CENTER 3990 John R St. Detroit 313-745-1250

dmc.org President/CEO: Audrey Gregory 2022 Revenue: $1B (est.)

2021 Revenue: $1.1B (est.)

2023 Employees: 13,000 (est.)

Operations: DMC Children’s

Hospital of Michigan; DMC Detroit Receiving Hospital; DMC Harper University Hospital; DMC Heart Hospital; DMC Huron Valley-Sinai Hospital; DMC Hutzel Women’s Hospital; DMC Rehabilitation Institute of Michigan; DMC Sinai-Grace Hospital Source: DBusiness research

henryford.com President/CEO: Robert Riney 2022 Revenue: $7.1B 2021 Revenue: $6.8B 2023 Employees: 33,000+ Operations: Henry Ford Hospital;

3. UNIVERSITY OF MICHIGAN HEALTH 1500 E. Medical Center Dr. Ann Arbor 734-936-4000

uofmhealth.org Executive Vice President for Medical Affairs University of Michigan, Dean, U-M Medical School; CEO, Michigan Medicine:

Dr. Marschall S. Runge

HENRY FORD HOSPITAL, DETROIT

COURTESY HENRY FORD HEALTH

Henry Ford Allegiance Health; Henry Ford Macomb Hospital – Clinton Township; Henry Ford West Bloomfield Hospital; Henry Ford Wyandotte Hospital; Henry Ford Kingswood Hospital

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From the Top

LARGEST MULTITENANT OFFICE BUILDINGS (LISTED BY SIZE) ONE CAMPUS MARTIUS 1 Campus Martius, Detroit Total Sq. Ft.: 1,370,000 Avail. Sq. Ft.: NA Office Rent Avg.: NA Owner/Broker: Bedrock Contact: LeasingInquiry@ bedrockdetroit.com, 888-300-9833 ALLY DETROIT CENTER 500 Woodward Ave., Detroit Total Sq. Ft.: 1,000,000 Avail. Sq. Ft.: NA Office Rent Avg.: NA Owner/Broker: Bedrock Contact: LeasingInquiry@ bedrockdetroit.com, 888-300-9833 PENOBSCOT BUILDING * 645 Griswold St., Detroit Total Sq. Ft.: 996,000 Avail. Sq. Ft.: 398,000 Office Rent Avg.: $21-25

Owner/Broker: Triple Triple Properties Detroit Contact: Alex Loewy, 313-961-8800

DOMINO’S FARM OFFICE PARK 24 Frank Lloyd Wright Dr., Ann Arbor Total Sq. Ft.: 920,000 Avail. Sq. Ft.: 62,000 Office Rent Avg.: $32-34 Owner/Broker: Domino’s Farms Holding Contact: Margaret Parkinson, 734-930-4425 FIRST NATIONAL BUILDING 660 Woodward Ave., Detroit Total Sq. Ft.: 830,000 Avail. Sq. Ft.: NA Office Rent Avg.: NA Owner/Broker: Bedrock Contact: LeasingInquiry@ bedrockdetroit.com, 888-300-9833

COREWELL HEALTH CENTER (FORMERLY FIRST CENTER OFFICE PLAZA) * 26901 Beaumont Blvd., Southfield Total Sq. Ft.: 680,000 Avail. Sq. Ft.: 0 Office Rent Avg.: NA Owner/Broker: Corewell Health Contact: Kevin Buchowski THE FISHER BUILDING 3011 W. Grand Blvd., Detroit Total Sq. Ft.: 634,819 Avail. Sq. Ft.: 66,841 Office Rent Avg.: $24 Owner/Broker: JLL Contact: AJ Weiner, 248-581-3335 DETROIT EXECUTIVE PLAZA * 1200 Sixth St., Detroit Total Sq. Ft.: 612,890 Avail. Sq. Ft.: Vacant Office Rent Avg.: NA Owner/Broker: Detroit Executive Plaza

Contact: Derrick Danou,

313-962-9595

NEW CENTER ONE BUILDING * 3031 W. Grand Blvd., Detroit Total Sq. Ft.: 608,823 Avail. Sq. Ft.: NA Office Rent Avg.: NA Owner/Broker: NAI Farbman Group Contact: NA SOUTHFIELD TOWN CENTER–1000 TOWN CENTER 1000 Town Center, Southfield Total Sq. Ft.: 597,346 Avail. Sq. Ft.: 183,000 Office Rent Avg.: $22-24 + electric Owner/Broker: Transwestern Management Contact: Clarence Gleeson, 248-440-1411; Patrick Schlenke 248-440-1448

RENCEN–TOWER 200 * 200 Renaissance Center, Detroit Total Sq. Ft.: 593,480 Avail. Sq. Ft.: 277,000 Office Rent Avg.: $25.50 Owner/Broker: CBRE Contact: Jasper Hanifi, 248-351-2020 RENCEN–TOWER 100 * 100 Renaissance Center, Detroit Total Sq. Ft.: 587,973 Avail. Sq. Ft.: 88,000 Office Rent Avg.: $25.50 Owner/Broker: CBRE Contact: Jasper Hanifi, 248-351-2020 SOUTHFIELD TOWN CENTER–3000 TOWN CENTER 3000 Town Center, Southfield Total Sq. Ft.: 586,038 Avail. Sq. Ft.: 35,600 Office Rent Avg.: $22-24 + electric Owner/Broker: Transwestern Management Contact: Clarence Gleeson, 248-440-1411; Patrick Schlenke, 248-440-1448 RENCEN–TOWER 300 * 300 Renaissance Center, Detroit Total Sq. Ft.: 584,531 Avail. Sq. Ft.: 0

Office Rent Avg.: $25.50 Owner/Broker: CBRE Contact: Jasper Hanifi,

248-351-2020

RENCEN–TOWER 400 * 400 Renaissance Center, Detroit Total Sq. Ft.: 576,449 Avail. Sq. Ft.: 55,000 Office Rent Avg.: $25.50 Owner/Broker: CBRE Contact: Jasper Hanifi, 248-351-2020 SOUTHFIELD TOWN CENTER–2000 TOWN CENTER 2000 Town Center, Southfield Total Sq. Ft.: 556,014 Avail. Sq. Ft.: 101,600 Office Rent Avg.: $22-24 + electric Owner/Broker: Transwestern Management Contact: Clarence Gleeson, 248-440-1411; Patrick Schlenke, 248-440-1448 444 MICHIGAN AVE. * 444 Michigan Ave., Detroit Total Sq. Ft.: 551,453 Avail. Sq. Ft.: NA Office Rent Avg.: NA Owner/Broker: Reign CO1, LLC Contact: NA

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From the Top

MASONIC TEMPLE 434-500 Temple St., Detroit Total Sq. Ft.: 550,000 Avail. Sq. Ft.: NA Office Rent Avg.: NA Owner/Broker: Masonic Temple Association Contact: Ryan Groat, 313-832-7100

COURTESY ALLY DETROIT CENTER

PNC CENTER * 755 W. Big Beaver Rd., Troy Total Sq. Ft.: 535,000 Avail. Sq. Ft.: NA Office Rent Avg.: NA Owner/Broker: Friedman Real Estate Contact: Steve Eisenshtadt, 248-848-3535 AMERICAN CENTER * 27777 Franklin Rd., Southfield Total Sq. Ft.: 508,000 Avail. Sq. Ft.: NA Office Rent Avg.: NA Owner/Broker: REDICO Contact: Barbara Eaton, 248-827-1700 THE QUBE (CHASE) 611 Woodward Ave., Detroit Total Sq. Ft.: 530,000 Avail. Sq. Ft.: NA

Office Rent Avg.: NA Owner/Broker: Bedrock Contact: LeasingInquiry@

bedrockdetroit.com, 888-300-9833

300 RIVER PLACE 300 River Place, Detroit Total Sq. Ft.: 455,000 Avail. Sq. Ft.: NA Office Rent Avg.: NA Owner/Broker: Bedrock Contact: LeasingInquiry@ bedrockdetroit.com, 888-300-9833 SOUTHFIELD TOWN CENTER–4000 Town Center 4000 Town Center, Southfield Total Sq. Ft.: 383,005 Avail. Sq. Ft.: 65,653 Office Rent Avg.: $22-24 + electric Owner/Broker: Transwestern Management Contact: Clarence Gleeson, 248-440-1411; Patrick Schlenke, 248-440-1448 * Did not respond to request for information.

ALLY DETROIT CENTER, DETROIT

Source: DBusiness research

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Closing Bell

End of the Line The congested streetcar system used to make Detroiters crazy, but not enough to make them accept proposals to build a subway.

METRO PASS To help propel a proposed subway system in Detroit, the city constructed a transit entrance in Midtown at Cass Avenue and Peterboro Street in 1927. The subway system was never built.

first, going north from Grand Circus Park, and even closer on the lower section and loop. The cost of this subway was pegged at $16.3 million, with operating expenses of $2 million per year.

The typical haul on the existing Woodward streetcar line was 2.8 miles per passenger — much shorter than the average of 5.57 miles on New York City’s subway (known as “the electric sewer”). With the surge in population, Detroit’s likely subway patronage was put at 50 million rides per year.

But how about the return on investment? Revenue would come from 5-cent fares, whereas streetcar tickets were 7 for 25 cents. Yet a skeptical note was sounded: The “Mere size of a city does not in itself necessarily justify the high expense of subway construction,” the report said. London’s Underground, for example, was only then “making a return upon the capital invested” after well over a half-century of operation.

The biggest obstacle against such a mass-transit system was the small size of Detroit’s average household: just 5.5 people, well below the national average. “This rather low average density of population and its singularly even distribution (throughout the neighborhoods) is caused by the prevalence of detached family residences, Detroit being peculiarly a city of individual homes,” the report noted.

As a point of comparison, it was estimated that replacing the DUR’s entire 207-mile surface system would cost $26 million — about $10 million more than the subway, which would add 12.34 miles of track. Yes, the report suggested, there could be an increase in property values and ancillary cluster-development along the Woodward line and beyond, but this could be offset by declines in other neighborhoods.

If it didn’t add up, option No. 2 was a short subway loop for streetcars in the congested downtown district. They would enter and exit on Woodward at Grand Circus Park. “While such a subway would have little earning capacity, it would, nevertheless, be of a relatively small cost, probably about $2.5 million.”

Officials and voters killed a variety of rapid-transit schemes about a dozen times starting in 1915. That year was an inflection point for individualized mass transit, thanks to automobiles.

And in the next decade, motor bus routes proliferated on more convenient routes throughout the city, bringing mass transit closer to home, crimping streetcar revenue, and providentially helping to end the talk of a subway system.

COURTESY WALTER P. REUTHER LIBRARY

I

n the early 20th century, people reviled the Detroit United Railway, the streetcar system that one historian called “an outlaw corporation.” Mayoral campaigns focused on street rail over a long period, while in 1913 the city grew to an estimated 600,000 people, with a population of 1 million expected by 1920.

The hub-and-spoke layout of avenues and main streetcar routes resulted in few cross-town connection points but plenty of political turmoil; brutal rush hours clogged Grand Circus Park with streetcars, negatively affecting commuters’ mobility and voters’ attitudes.

Detroit had arrived at an apparently critical state, as the authors of an engineering survey determined.

The question of the day concerned whether a subway system might provide relief.

In 1914, the Board of Street Railway Commissioners — John F. Dodge, James Couzens, James Wilkie, and Jay G. Hayden — commissioned a detailed study by consulting engineers Barclay, Parsons & Klapp of New York. The “Report on Detroit Street Railway Traffic and Proposed Subway,” delivered the following year, was ambivalent.

What sort of subway was desired? Some proponents suggested a long, double-tracked run beneath Woodward Avenue from City Hall — then located at the west side of Campus Martius — leading all the way to Manchester Street and Ford Motor Co.’s Highland Park plant might be just the thing, with its own dedicated trains and a number of brand-new stations.

There would be a single-track loop on Fort, Shelby, Jefferson, and lower Woodward. The plan envisioned stations placed less than one-third of a mile apart at

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