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Experience the results of a $23 million transformation. The historic Westin Book Cadillac Detroit offers meeting and event spaces thoughtfully redesigned for every occasion, from intimate board meetings to large-scale conferences and sophisticated celebrations. Discover all-new guestrooms and suites, and impress clients or colleagues with a dining experience at Sullivan’s, our brand-new steakhouse. Steps from major corporate headquarters and downtown attractions, our location puts Detroit’s best right at your doorstep.
Connect with a meeting specialist today at 313-442-1616 or visit westinbookcadillac.com.
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FOCUS: At
Dan Calabrese and Michelle Cohl
FROM THE BUSINESS PLAN TO
CONSU L TI NG SER V ICES, M E DC SUPPORTED US
E VERY STEP OF THE W A Y . ”
JERON DOTSON & JUSTIN BUSHFounders of Poke Bowl, Flint, MI
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24 AFRICAN EQUATION
While China has long attracted investment capital, given its stature as the largest country in the world with 1.4 billion people, it will be surpassed by Nigeria by the end of the century, based on population forecasts.
24 TWIN BRIDGES
As the Gordie Howe International Bridge soon opens its gates to traffic, following more than a decade of planning and construction, it remains to be seen what will happen with the Ambassador Bridge.
24 SWING AND MISS
Gov. Gretchen Whitmer has tried to land large development projects by offering record incentives and open land for companies to build new electric vehicle and battery plants in the state, but the effort hasn’t brought much success.
26 COMPENDIUM
How outsiders view Detroit. 18
30 CUVÉE ON THE BAY
Northern Michigan purveyors Mawby Sparkling Wines and Panther Coffee partner to produce a coffee-infused sparkling wine. By R.J. King
31 SUCCESS 360
Doug Hamburger retired early because he was burned out, but after two years he’s back running a new business. By R.J. King
31 DRUG DELIVERIES
In July, Amazon Pharmacy unveiled its first Michigan same-day delivery fulfillment center in Wixom, dedicated to serving customers in metro Detroit. The center is part of the company’s mission to make medications more accessible, in a faster way, to customers nationwide. By Tim Keenan
32 DREAM TEAM
Oras Zuhair has created a culinary oasis in Sterling Heights. By R.J. King
34 GRAIN TO GLASS
Iron Fish Distillery in northern Michigan offers flavor profiles crafted from locally sourced ingredients including grains, maple trees, and fruits. By R.J. King
72 A SENSE OF STYLE
As summer temperatures begin to cool, local business professionals soon will be donning coats and jackets of cashmere, wool, and fur.
By Stephanie Daniel and Giuseppa Nadrowski
74 RETURN ON INVESTMENT
Detroit Story: Marlo Fogelman grew up in West Bloomfield and anticipated a future as a lawyer, but a chance project with a friend helped launch a successful marketing firm. By Tom Murray
78 TOP BUSINESS RESTAURANTS
Our list of the region’s most business-friendly dining establishments.
86 PATENTS AND INVENTIONS
Bedside Innovator: Dr. Homer H. Stryker received 16 patents while developing one of the world’s largest medical technology companies. By Norm Sinclair
88 OPINION
Checkered Flag: Racing helped kick-start Detroit’s auto industry in 1901, and since then the OEMs haven’t let up on the throttle. By Tim Keenan
90 THE CIRCUIT
94 FROM THE TOP Metro Detroit’s Top Intellectual Property Law Firms, 2025-2026 Largest Conventions/ Events in Metro Detroit, Largest Meeting Venues in Metro Detroit.
98 CLOSING BELL
Spinning Tale: Streetwise Eddie Wingate Jr. partnered with Northwestern High School grad Joanne Bratton to create a record label that helped define the Detroit Sound. By Ronald Ahrens
Our party pics from exclusive events. ON THE COVER
Ronald Griggs creates a painting of other PASC artists, along with the nonprofit’s supporters, including Keisha Miller and Rodney Hudson (foreground), and Joel Martin, Anthony Curis, J.J. Curis, and Anthony Marcellini. Griggs’ painting will be sold in PASC’s art gallery in Detroit this fall. Photography by Nick Hagen
WHERE EVERY EVENT FEELS GRAND
Call to Action
Sreach retirement age. Based on gures from the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics and Brookings, there will be 10 million fewer people entering the workforce in 2030.
In total, that’s 43 million jobs at risk by the start of the next decade.
id E. Taylor, who built a $450-million metal processing services business in the automotive sector from scratch, is sounding the alarm on America’s future as a manufacturing powerhouse.
DETROIT CITY AIRPORT
following a 20-year career at General Motors Co., where he began and R.J. KING
Taylor, a decorated U.S. Marine combat veteran who served during the Vietnam War, launched Warren-based S.E.T. Enterprises Inc. in 1989 following a 20-year career at General Motors Co., where he began working on the assembly line and left as an administrator.
“Both books (Volume I and Volume II) are a wakeup call to businesses, banks, government, policymakers, educators, and parents that we, as a nation, need to retool our educational system so that we have enough skilled people to grow our manufacturing base,” Taylor says.
After selling the business in 2012, he devoted his time to helping veterans, having long served on the board and as executive director of the National Veteran Business Development Council. He also has kept active monitoring the nation’s opportunities for job creation and retention.
Based on research he conducted for the rst of his two books, “America’s Kryptonite to 21st Century Jobs Volume I: e Problem,” which will be released this fall, Taylor notes there’s “a coming crisis” in the United States in the form of three labor trends.
One emerging pattern is the growing use of AI, robotics, and machine learning, which could put an estimated 18 million jobs at risk by 2030, based on data from the McKinsey Global Institute and NAM/Deloitte.
In turn, a falling birth rate, caused in part by the 2008 global nancial crisis (fewer people had the means to start or grow a family), is coming home to roost. By 2030, there will be 15 million fewer people entering the labor force, according to the U.S. Census Bureau, CDC, and Brookings (2024 data).
Lastly, Taylor cites a lower labor participation rate on the horizon, as more people from the baby boomer generation (born between 1946 and 1964)
at means we need to bring back shop classes in high schools, and focus more curriculum on high-tech jobs in automation and AI as early as middle school. More organizations also are needed to provide IT-related training to students starting as soon as the rst grade.
“What I’m seeing is a perfect storm of robotics, a birth rate decline, and lower labor force participation eroding the foundation of our economy, weakening our national security, and jeopardizing the future we owe to the next generation,” Taylor says.
For Volume II, which is scheduled to be released next year, the author will deliver his blueprint for reversing the labor trends, including providing solutions for how to better train future workers in the technical elds.
He cautions that while America continues to produce innovation, and it remains a global leader in many respects, there are critical gaps — and the nation is falling behind in key areas.
e two books are “a call to rise, as Americans always have, to the occasion,” Taylor says. “( ey’re) a call to reawaken our ingenuity, renew our commitment to working families, and reclaim our global leadership before the opportunity passes us by. We need to get to work today to solve these looming challenges, not tomorrow.”
R.J. King rjking@dbusiness.com
Great article (Letter from the Editor) on City Airport in the July-August issue of DBusiness. I have maintained that to have/ retain a second airport is a smart move for continued economic development. I still struggle with giving up the second runway. It’s like removing a back door from a home; (there’s) no emergency out plan.
Rainy Hamilton Detroit
BENNY AND THE SPECS
I want to thank you for the wonderful article on Benny’s Eyewear in the July-August issue of DBusiness. It was so thoughtful and well-written, and I can’t tell you how many people have commented on the clever headline. I am truly grateful for your support. Thanks again.
Susan Berryman Southfield
CHECKERED FLAG BALL
It was a pleasure having you and Patrick Gloria join us at the Checkered Flag Ball at M1 Concourse. Thank you for the amazing coverage and all of the great photos. I’ve been sharing the link with our guests.
Lydia Gauzer Pontiac
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CONTRIBUTORS
Sarah Oleinick served as a summer editorial intern with DBusiness In this issue, she conducted research for the magazine’s annual Michigan Venture Capital Report and researched and compiled entries for the Top Business Restaurants in metro Detroit. She also fact-checked information for profiles featured in Detroit 500, and wrote a number of articles in DBusiness Daily News. Oleinick earned a B.A. in English language at the University of Michigan in Ann Arbor and holds a certificate in entrepreneurship through the Center for Entrepreneurship. She’s a writer who has previous experience working in education and autonomous driving.
BRANDON NAGY
Brandon Nagy is a Detroit-based photographer specializing in editorial and event photography. With an eye for storytelling, he’s taken executive portraits and covered high-profile concerts. Nagy brings a people-first approach to every assignment. He’s worked on national campaigns, music festivals, and nonprofit initiatives including ENR Magazine, Lollapalooza, and Jay’s Juniors. His creative background also includes more than a decade of experience as a senior-level graphic designer and an art director. In this issue, his photographs can be found accompanying the Ticker story on Dream Market and the Focus feature on Kintsugi Village.
Rebecca Simonov is a Detroit-based photographer specializing in food and lifestyle imagery. With a deep passion for the culinary world, she has worked with and documented Detroit’s food and beverage scene for publications such as The Washington Post, HOUR Detroit, and EdibleWOW. When not out on location or in the studio, she spends much of her free time researching and (working to) perfect her home barista skills, pizza-making, and overall knowledge of the world’s cuisines. In this issue of DBusiness, Simonov photographed the Executive Fall Fashion feature in Exec Life.
Alessandra Taranta
ACCOUNT MANAGER Elizabeth Kowalik
SPECIAL PROJECTS EDITORS Emily Doran, Olivia Sedlacek DIGITAL
DIRECTOR OF DIGITAL STRATEGY Travis Fletcher
DIGITAL DEVELOPMENT MANAGER Matt Cappo
SR. DIGITAL DEVELOPMENT SPECIALIST Luanne Lim IT
IT DIRECTOR Jeremy Leland
CIRCULATION
CIRCULATION MANAGER Riley Meyers
CIRCULATION COORDINATORS David Benvenuto, Cathy Krajenke, Rachel Moulden, Michele Wold
MARKETING AND EVENTS
MARKETING AND EVENTS MANAGER Regan Wright
MARKETING AND EVENTS COORDINATORS Lindsay Sheridan, Maya Stephenson
MARKETING AND EVENTS ADMINISTRATIVE ASSISTANT Isabella Amadori
MARKETING RESEARCH
MARKETING RESEARCH DIRECTOR Sofia Shevin
MARKETING RESEARCH COORDINATOR Kristin Bestrom
MARKETING RESEARCH SALES COORDINATOR Alex Thompson
While China has long attracted investment capital given its stature as the largest country in the world, with 1.4 billion people, by the end of the century it will be surpassed by Nigeria, based on population forecasts.
Nigeria, along with the rest of the African continent, offers an enticing investment prospect going forward for manufacturers, technology companies, real estate developers, and energy equipment providers, whether based in Michigan or across the country.
INSIDE THE NUMBERS
Projected population of China in 2100
In turn, by 2035, more young Africans will be entering the workforce on an annual basis than workers in the rest of the world combined, according to the World Economic Forum. Today, more than 60 percent of Africa’s population is aged 25 years or younger.
The good news is Africa offers plenty of opportunities, given the Mother Continent has sizeable natural resources, holds 60 percent of the world’s uncultivated arable land, boasts a growing digital market, and is ripe for educational programs in multiple disciplines, including skilled trades.
As it stands, Africa is made up of 54 different countries. Navigating the matrix of national interests will be challenging. By population, the five largest countries include Nigeria (237M), Ethiopia (135M), Egypt (118M), DR Congo (112M), and Tanzania (70M).
Historically, General Motors Co. was one of the first manufacturers to enter the market when it began importing Chevrolet vehicles to South Africa in 1913. Ford Motor Co. followed in 1923 by opening an assembly plant in South Africa. Chrysler began production, also in South Africa, in 1958.
Projected population of Nigeria in 2100
Percentage of Africa’s population that is 25 years old or younger
Today, all three automakers have seen their respective operations ebb and flow, with Chrysler’s parent company, Stellantis, active across North Africa, especially in Algeria and Morocco. Ford South Africa, meanwhile, produces the popular Ranger pickup, while GM pulled out of the marketplace in 2017.
Overall, American companies have made limited investments in Africa. Yet with China making inroads there for several decades, standing pat isn’t an option for companies looking to get in on the ground floor.
Rather, American companies should begin to look at investment opportunities across Africa more closely, especially among nations that have grown tired of China’s influence — one-sided loan agreements, dumping of cheap goods, dominant supply chains, and unexplained CCP edicts.
In addition, Africa is tired of being treated like a charity case, according to a recent article in The Wall Street Journal: “(Africans) want ports, pipelines, and investment deals.”
Former Kenyan President Uhuru Kenyatta summed up the mood of Africa following President Trump’s recent shutdown of USAID.
“It is not your government; it is not your country,” Kenyatta told his followers. “(Trump) has no reason to give you anything. You don’t pay taxes to America. … Nobody is going to continue holding out a hand there to give you. It is time for us to use our resources for the right things.”
AS THE GORDIE HOWE INTERNATIONAL BRIDGE soon opens its gates to traffic, following more than a decade of planning and construction, it remains to be seen what will happen with the Ambassador Bridge. Most likely, tolls will fall initially, given the added competition.
That’s good news for manufacturers, trucking companies, and the general public. But if the Ambassador Bridge closes due to financial pressures, what’s to keep the Gordie Howe International Bridge from raising its rates?
The new crossing, built and owned by the Canadian government, could hike tolls to a point that it doesn’t make financial sense for companies to move goods back and forth. If tolls do rise, Michigan businesses, especially manufacturers, would have an added incentive to open local production facilities.
That scenario is more likely, at least over the next four years, as President Trump has moved to equalize the playing field in relation to tariffs. There are also new incentives for domestic and global companies to expand their operations in the U.S. via the recently passed One Big Beautiful Act
AUTOMOTIVE
SWING AND MISS
GOV. GRETCHEN WHITMER has tried to land large development projects by offering record incentives and open land for companies to build new electric vehicle and battery plants in the state, but the effort has seen limited success. One reason is her achieved goal of abolishing Right to Work legislation, given her close support of labor unions.
That move made it more expensive to build and operate new facilities in the state. In turn, the governor staked success in her second term — really her entire tenure as Michigan’s leader — in drawing one or two massive semiconductor plants, AI data centers, or new automotive facilities.
While such deals take time to consummate, when plans recently fell through for a semiconductor complex by Sandisk Corp., Whitmer blamed “massive economic uncertainty” for the decision. But in light of President Trump’s drive to boost tariff revenue and provide more incentives to open up domestic manufacturing in the One Big Beautiful Act, attracting such projects became easier, not harder.
Consider, this year large semiconductor plants have been announced in Arizona, Texas, and Pennsylvania (the plants are seeking federal and local approvals). Rather than sending out a negative message, Whitmer should be taking the offensive and touting Michigan’s strengths at every turn.
COMPENDIUM: HOW OUTSIDERS VIEW DETROIT
GM’S KOREA PLANTS LEAVE
DETROIT
CARMAKER FULLY EXPOSED TO U.S. TARIFFS
FINANCIAL TIMES
JULY 16, 2025
BY CHRISTIAN DAVIES, SONG JUNG-A, AND KANA INAGAKI
General Motors Co. is under pressure to clarify its plans for the future of a key manufacturing hub in South Korea, as the country’s trade talks with the Trump administration to mitigate steep car tariffs remain unresolved.
GM Korea’s two car making plants produce affordable compact vehicles, principally for the North American market, accounting for nearly 17 percent of the group’s U.S. vehicle sales.
That puts the Detroit auto company at the heart of Donald Trump’s trade war, with executives counting on Washington to strike a deal with Seoul that would lower a 25 percent tariff imposed in April.
If talks fail, analysts say it would require a major rejig of GM’s global manufacturing footprint, following retreats from Europe, Vietnam, and Australia in the past decade.
The company warned in May that Trump administration tariffs could reduce its adjusted profits by up to $5 billion this year, of which $2 billion would be due to tariffs imposed on vehicles imported from South Korea.
“We’re very worried about the possibility of GM’s exit from Korea,” said Ahn Kyu-baek, leader of GM Korea’s labor union, which is threatening a walkout over pay and management’s plan to close down local service centers and sell off underused land and assets.
GM Korea was established in 2002, following the group’s acquisition of the car making assets of the bankrupt Korean conglomerate Daewoo, in the aftermath of the Asian financial crisis of the late 1990s. …
EDUCATION DEPARTMENT LAUNCHES INVESTIGATION INTO UNIVERSITY OF MICHIGAN
NEWSWEEK JULY 15, 2025 BY SONAM SHETH
The Department of Education (DOE) on July 15 announced that it’s opening a “foreign funding” investigation into the University of Michigan.
U-M spokesperson Colleen Mastony told the Associated Press in a statement that the university will cooperate with federal investigators and takes its responsibility to comply with the law “extremely seriously.”
“We strongly condemn any actions that seek to cause harm, threaten national security or undermine the university’s
laboratories remain vulnerable to sabotage” by Chinese foreign nationals.
Moore specifically pointed to recent criminal charges that the Department of Justice brought against Chinese nationals accused of conspiracy and smuggling material into the U.S. that could be a “potential agroterrorism weapon.” …
THE BEST PIZZA IN DETROIT
BON APPÉTIT • JULY 15, 2025 • BY LINDSAY C. GREEN
critical public mission,” Mastony wrote.
The Context
The storied school in Ann Arbor, Mich., is among multiple colleges across the country that have faced pressure from the Trump administration’s demands to shutter diversity, equity, and inclusion programs and crack down on student activism on campus.
President Donald Trump has also prioritized increasing transparency around foreign gifts to U.S. universities, particularly those tied to China. Similar investigations have been opened at Harvard University, the University of Pennsylvania and the University of California, Berkeley.
What To Know
“Today, the U.S. Department of Education’s Office of the General Counsel (OGC) opened a foreign funding investigation into the University of Michigan (U-M) after a review of the university’s foreign reports revealed inaccurate and incomplete disclosures,” the DOE said in a news release.
Paul Moore, chief investigative counsel, issued a statement accompanying the news release, accusing the highly ranked state school of “downplaying its vulnerabilities to malign foreign influence,” adding that “recent reports reveal that U-M’s research
Detroit-style pizza writes its own rules. It’s not about how high the dough is tossed or how thin it can stretch. Instead, the beauty of this pizza rests in its adaptability and history. Here, a rectangular deep-dish pie layers cheese, toppings, then sauce — in that order — leaving ingredients like thinly sliced pepperoni to curl around the edges in the oven. No topping is off-limits. …
The story of Detroit-style pizza stretches back to the city’s automotive roots. In the 1940s a pizzaiolo at Buddy’s Rendezvous Pizzeria on the east side is said to have tested the original recipe using steel pans designed to hold small car parts from an auto manufacturing plant to bake the first known Detroit-style pie. As the city that gave the world Motown and the Model T, Detroit has always been an exporter of culture. Its culinary impact is just as notable: The metro Detroit region is the birthplace of multinational chains, such as Domino’s, Little Caesars, and Jet’s Pizza, which have brought Detroit into the global pizza lexicon. …
From classics to innovators, these are the standouts. … Cloverleaf Bar & Restaurant (Multiple locations)
The pizzaiolo who repurposed steel pans and established the Detroit-style pizza nearly 80 years ago at Buddy’s? That was Gus Guerra. Guerra sold the restaurant along with his sought-after recipe in 1953. He later went on to open Cloverleaf Bar & Restaurant, where he continued crafting the same square-pan pies he’d become known for. …
Grandma Bob’s, 2135 Michigan Ave.
The bar and restaurant ushers classic Detroit-style pizza into a new age with creative flavor combinations. A summertime favorite brings together the best ingredients of a lobster roll. …
Loui’s Pizza, 23141 Dequindre Rd., Hazel Park
Loui’s Pizza has been slinging classic pies for more than 50 years.
Nykolas Sulkiwskyj, grandson of the restaurant’s founder, has preserved a true Midwestern mom-and-pop shop. There’s charm to the Hazel Park operation, where the cheese is gooey and the sauce is slightly sweet and sporadically deployed. …
Niki’s Pizza, 735 Beaubien Blvd.
At Niki’s, Detroit-style pizza meets Mediterranean flavors. Salty, rich feta delivers a beautiful char on the Famous Feta, and tender slivers of lamb on the Greek are so thin they resemble anchovies. …
Pie Sci (Multiple locations) The concept: Treat pies like science projects, creating combinations with unique toppings and playful names. …
Michigan & Trumbull Pizza, 1331 Holden St., No. 100 Locally sourced ingredients inform monthly specials that benefit local charities. It’s also one of the few shops that offers a menu of white pizzas (the classic Detroit-style pizza is known for its racing stripes of red sauce). …
Sicily’s Pizzeria & Subs, 3554 W. Vernor Ave.
Sicily’s is also a go-to destination for metro Detroit’s Muslim population and those who choose to abstain from pork. … Village Pizza, 7701 Harper Ave.
Brittany March, founder of the plant-forward catering company
ItsFoodDetroit, is one of the few Black pizza makers in Detroit. Every Sunday since 2021 she has popped up inside Alkebu-Lan Village, a wellness center on the city’s east side, where she serves vegan pies. …
MICHIGAN FAILS IN BID TO BUILD SEMICONDUCTOR MANUFACTURING PLANT
FORTUNE • JULY 16, 2025 • BY ISABELLA VOLMERT
Plans to build a semiconductor manufacturing plant in Michigan have fallen through and Gov. Gretchen Whitmer said that “massive economic uncertainty” is to blame.
Bringing the company to Michigan was a key goal for Whitmer, a Democrat and potential 2028 presidential candidate who is in her final years as governor of the battleground state.
Domestic manufacturing is a priority of President Donald Trump’s second administration and the president has leveraged tariffs as a way to incentivize companies to build and stay in America. While Whitmer did not mention Trump by name in her remarks, she pointed the finger at his tariffs that have shaken up the economy periodically this year.
“Their board came to this decision amid national economic turmoil, which is at risk of worsening amid threats of even higher tariffs,” Whitmer said in a statement.
Whitmer did not name the company but state records show California-based technology firm Sandisk Corp. was considering the sprawling 1,300-acre site near the city of Flint and forecasted 9,400 jobs and 5,000 construction jobs as a result.
Sandisk declined to comment on Wednesday.
The news quickly set off dueling political statements from Republicans and Democrats in the state.
The Trump administration is using tariffs and other tactics to bring manufacturing in critical areas like semiconductors back to the U.S., White House spokesperson Kush Desai said in a statement in response to Whitmer’s remarks.
Desai pointed to new semiconductor development in Texas and Arizona this year as wins garnered by the Trump administration in the chips and technology industry.
Other Democrats were quick to attribute the loss in Michigan to Trump’s economic policies Wednesday.
“Trump’s abandonment of long-term investments and chaotic tariff practices are not only raising costs, they just killed 10,000 good-paying jobs,” U.S. Rep. Kristen McDonald Rivet, a Democrat who represents the area,
said in a statement. “This could have been a game-changer for mid-Michigan’s economy.”
Michigan House of Representatives Speaker Matt Hall, a Republican, said he supports Trump’s strategy of relying on tariffs and incentives in the tax and spending bill to bring manufacturing development to America, not overseas.
“We simply need state leaders who are focused on making sure Michigan is the best possible place to build and grow,” he said.
Sandisk, known for making flash drives and memory cards, was looking to break ground on the project in 2025, according to documents provided by the Michigan Economic Development Corporation.
Michigan offered Sandisk $1.925 billion in cash grants, $250 million in workforce development funding and about $3.76 billion in tax breaks, according to documents dated to August 2024.
Congress passed the CHIPS and Science Act incentivizing technology development about halfway through former President Joe Biden’s term.
Whitmer in her statement said that the company is no longer looking to build a semiconductor facility anywhere in the U.S. …
USED CAR PARTS BECOME MOVING SCULPTURES AT LANSING’S SCRAPFEST
CAR AND DRIVER
JULY 20, 2025
BY RORY CARROLL
Not once, not twice, but for the 15th time, in July the Old Town neighborhood of Lansing, Michigan, hosted Scrapfest, a two-day juried competition for artists who work in metal and find inspiration in other people’s
garbage. It was supposed to rain on the second day, but it ended up being hot as scrap steel being welded in the midday sun. But neither (a) threat of wet weather nor (an) excess of sunshine kept the crowd away, and spectators strolled between sculptures made from dead appliances, industrial equipment, and car parts all afternoon.
Old Town is one of those adorably scrappy Rust Belt art districts made up of two-story brick buildings with their corners slightly rounded by a century and a half of human touch and weather. It hugs the slow Grand River and peters out into residential blocks that are still waiting on their renaissance. There’s a brewery, a couple decent cafes, a great art supply, a guitar shop and a regionally famous pet store that’s more of a free aquarium. It’s got the cozy feeling of a once-discarded place that’s nice because the people who live there put a lot of time and effort into making it that way.
Turner Street runs north and south and a big portion of it is closed for the fair. One side is lined with vendors, mostly craftspeople and artists. Trees reach over the other side to shade families making their way with small kids and the center is dotted with sculptures. Would-be Scrapfest artists must apply for entry, and for the first time this year, a few were turned away because interest was so high. Those selected are invited to Friedland Industries, a local metal recycler, where they have one hour to collect either 500 or 250 pounds of scrap metal, depending on their class. They then have four weeks to transform their junk into art. …
MICHIGAN ALLOCATES $4.1M FOR NEW AAM INITIATIVES
FLYING • JULY 23, 2025 • BY JACK
DALEO
After awarding more than $6 million in grants for advanced air mobility (AAM) projects in 2024, the state of Michigan is doubling down on drones, electric air taxis, and self-flying planes.
In July, Gov. Gretchen Whitmer signed an executive directive establishing the Michigan AAM Initiative — a “whole-of-government” strategy to make the state an attractive landing spot for new aviation technology.
Backing the initiative is $4.1 million in fresh grants for projects that “scale Michigan’s AAM capabilities, ensure safe and efficient integration … and position our workforce, manufacturers, and infrastructure as national assets in the deployment of AAM technologies,” Whitmer said.
“Michigan must play a leading role in building a strong and secure domestic AAM sector by leveraging our manufacturing core, engineering expertise, and statewide infrastructure to build, test, commercialize, and scale next-generation aviation technologies,” the governor added.
Whitmer earlier this year delivered opening remarks for Michigan’s inaugural Uncrewed Triple Challenge, a competition that saw teams use autonomous aircraft to fly a package across the state.
Michigan AAM Initiative
The new initiative represents the state’s bid to cement itself as a hub for aviation innovation. It will involve a variety of agencies, from the state’s Department of Transportation (MDOT) to the Department of Military and Veterans Affairs (DMVA).
While technologies such as electric vertical takeoff and landing (eVTOL) air taxis are likely years away from routine operation, Michigan is embracing them early.
It aims to speed up AAM development, for example, by creating FAA-approved corridors for testing beyond visual line of sight (BVLOS) drone flight. Proposed federal regulations would expand those operations, which are limited to operators with a waiver or exemption. …
THE TICKER
Joe Smith, owner of Croze
Nest Oak Barrels in Grand Rapids, runs a boutique cooperage that handcrafts oak barrels for micro and small distilleries around the country, including Iron Fish Distillery in Thompsonville.
Cuvée on the Bay
Northern Michigan purveyors Mawby Sparkling Wines and Panther Co ee partner to produce a co ee-infused sparkling wine.
BY R.J. KING | STEPHANIE DANIEL
Acup of co ee or two fuels most people throughout the day.
But a new o ering that pairs a sparkling wine with a natural co ee avor takes the penchant for ca eine to another realm — whether enjoyed for breakfast, brunch, or into the evening.
In what is believed to be the rst commercially available co ee wine, Mawby Sparkling Wines in Suttons Bay, on the Leelanau Peninsula, and Panther Coffee in Traverse City and Miami, have partnered to produce Panther Cuvée.
e multi-vintage blend is produced from chardonnay, pinot gris, and Riesling grapes from the Leelanau Peninsula appellation, and nished with a dosage of Panther Co ee Wonderland roast (a blend from Brazil and Nicaragua).
“It’s a cool partnership of avor, and is likely the rst co ee wine,” says Mike Laing, partner and winemaker at Mawby Sparkling, founded by Larry Mawby in 1973. “One of our team members had the idea to adjust the taste of wine with co ee.”
rough research and multiple tastings beginning last fall, the grapes were hand-harvested and whole-cluster pressed — only the initial, gently pressed fractions of the juice were used for the cuvée (the rest is reserved for other sweeter sparkling wines).
From there, following the fermentation process in stainless steel tanks, the young wine was blended with older, reserve wines before being bottle-fermented and then aged “En Tirage” before disgorging.
To create the nal product, which is available for $19 in a half bottle (375 milliliters), Panther Co ee Wonderland roast was soaked in water for three days at a cold temperature. After sugar was added to the co ee-infused water, each bottle was dosed with the special co ee mixture.
Overall, the fermentation process reduces the ca eine level, although some is present in the nished wine.
On the palate, rich notes of vanilla and cocoa mingle with hints of ripe apricot and pineapple, creating a layered avor pro le that coats the mouth in co ee avor.
“ ere’s a bit of ca eine in each bottle, but nothing like a regular cup of co ee,” Laing says. “Rich, tropical fruit comes with each sip, and the co ee avor lingers. We began selling the wine in June, and it’s been o to a very good start.”
ATP Flight School Opens Two
New Local Training Centers
ATP Flight School is opening two new flight training centers in Michigan, at Oakland County International Airport in Waterford Township and the Ann Arbor Municipal Airport. The school already has a location at Willow Run Airport in Ypsilanti Township.
JOE AND VINO
Likely the first co ee-infused sparkling wine, Panther Cuvée, is a collaboration between Mawby Sparkling Wines in Suttons Bay and Panther Co ee in Traverse City.
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A new study from the Social Network Analysis shows southeast Michigan is shifting from a manufacturing ecosystem to an innovation ecosystem that encourages the free flow of ideas and the creation of new partnerships and collaborations.
Panther Co ee, founded in 2010 in Miami by Joel and Leticia Pollock, roasts their beans in small batches to produce several specialty blends. ey opened a second operation in Traverse City in 2020, where they roast Wonderland (short for Michigan’s Water-Winter Wonderland).
“We’ve tried other co ee blends with various micro beers, but never a sparkling wine,” says Joel Pollock, co-founder and director of co ee at Panther Co ee, who grew up in Traverse City. “ e cuvée has a nice aroma and crispness, as well as a delicate balance of avors. It extends our brand in another direction.”
Michigan Tourism Generates $54.8B in Economic Impact
Michigan’s tourism industry contributed a total of $54.8 billion in economic impact to the state’s economy in 2024, according to a new study from Tourism Economics released by Travel Michigan. The study found 131.2 million visitors traveled to Michigan in 2024.
Trinity Health Oakland Completes
Phase One of Emergency Upgrade
Trinity Health Oakland in Pontiac has completed phase one of its four-phase, $48 million emergency department construction project. The initial phase added new patient bays, workflow-enhancing nursing stations, and an expanded employee locker room.
New Brush Park Development
Blends History with Modern Bedrock in Detroit has opened City Modern, which o ers 20 newly constructed buildings, along with the rehabilitation of three historic mansions into five homes, providing 450 new residences to Detroit’s Brush Park. The project includes 31,000 square feet of retail.
DRUG DELIVERIES
IN JULY, AMAZON PHARMACY
unveiled its first Michigan same-day delivery fulfillment center in Wixom, dedicated to serving customers in metro Detroit. The center is part of the company’s mission to make medications more accessible to customers nationwide.
The Amazon Pharmacy and same-day delivery fulfillment site in Wixom is close to 300,000 square feet in size and employs almost 600 full-time employees.
The state-of-the-art facility is staffed by trained and licensed pharmacists who are available 24/7 to speak with customers about their medications. It features advanced automation technology to fill prescriptions fast, while temperature-controlled storage ensures safe medication delivery.
“We’re excited that customers in Wixom, Detroit, and surrounding areas can now receive most of their medications conveniently within hours,” says Kelvin Downes, director of operations for Amazon Pharmacy.
“This Wixom facility, with its advanced automation and 24/7 pharmacist support, addresses the growing challenge of pharmacy deserts in the region. By combining speed, convenience, and transparent pricing, we aim to improve health outcomes for Michigan residents and beyond.”
Recent retail pharmacy closures by Rite Aid, CVS, and Walgreens have left many communities with limited access to convenient, reliable, and fast prescription delivery services.
A study by J.D. Power in Troy states that these closures are opening the door to companies like Amazon to step in and fill the void. According to the study, chain drugstores are losing ground to mail-order pharmacies.
— By Tim Keenan
Wahlburgers Takes Flight
At Detroit Metro Airport
Travelers at Detroit Metro Airport now can sample the offerings of Wahlburgers, the restaurant brand founded by actor brothers Mark and Donnie Wahlburg and Chef Paul Wahlberg. The counter service outlet is located in Terminal A.
Success 360
Doug Hamburger retired early because he was burned out, but after two years he’s back running a new business.
BY R.J. KING
The second time around launching a new business venture, Doug Hamburger surveyed his former clients about what services they needed in the commercial building sector.
“When I asked people what they wanted, sweeping parking decks and parking lots came up again and again. Pest control was another one,” says Hamburger, president and CEO of Commercial Services 360 in Warren.
“But I didn’t want to run everything,” he continues. “I wanted to drive our culture and focus on business development. I learned that’s what I enjoy doing, and those are my strengths.”
Since launching Commercial Services 360 in early 2024, Hamburger has established two divisions: Total Sweep 360 and Pest Authority. For the latter company, he bought out an existing business and now the former owner runs it.
“For Total Sweep 360, we have 280 locations and four (commercial) sweepers,” Hamburger says. “For Pest Authority, we have more than 600 commercial and residential clients. In addition to removing pests, we offer Barrier 360, which provides a pest-proof barrier around the perimeter of a given property.”
During the course of his career, Hamburger has learned big isn’t always better.
After earning a business degree at the University of Michigan in Ann Arbor in 1987, Hamburger joined Colman Wolf Supply, a cleaning products company his father had acquired in the 1970s. A few years later, in 1995, Hamburger bought his father out and started to expand the business into property management by cleaning offices and overseeing landscaping needs.
Over the next 14 years, the entrepreneur expanded the business — renamed The Professional Group — across four states and had 1,000 employees. In 2009, he sold the business to Belfor, although he stayed on as CEO.
By 2021, Hamburger was overseeing 2,000 employees across 20 states.
“The company went through a lot of growth, but I was worn down,” he says. “I was burned out. So, I retired at 58 years old and I played 115 rounds of golf the following two summers. In the latter half of 2023, I was getting bored. I had no purpose, nothing to get me out of
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bed in the morning, and I realized I loved the action of growing companies — but I didn’t need to run everything day to day.”
Getting “back in the game” in early 2024, Hamburger launched Commercial Services 360 initially in Troy, before moving to a larger facility in Warren. From there, he added Pest Authority, also in Warren.
More recently, he launched Abode 360 — what he calls “your home concierge specialist,” which provides everything from general maintenance and repairs to electrical and plumbing services to HVAC system management to residential homeowners. It also is located at the company’s facility near Groesbeck Highway and Martin Road.
“What I learned over the years is that success doesn’t come from the one big thing that you do. Rather, it comes from all the little things that you do to be transparent and build a great customer experience,” he says. “Now I’m contributing to something that provides peace of mind for people.”
Doug Hamburger, president and CEO of Commercial Services 360 in Warren, launched the business in early 2024 and today has 16 employees.
Henry Ford Health, MSU Launch $10M Innovation Hub in Detroit
Henry Ford Health + Michigan State University Health Sciences have launched the Innovation Hub, the partnership’s new initiative to accelerate commercialization of new technologies to improve health. The Hub seeks to grow early-stage companies.
Detroit People Mover to Enhance
Newly Renamed Water Square Station
Detroit Transportation Corp.
officials have announced the transformation of the former Joe Louis Arena People Mover Station to the enhanced Water Square Station, to align it with the new Water Square neighborhood being developed on the site of the former arena.
For full stories and more, visit dbusiness.com/daily-news to get daily news sent directly to your email.
FULL CIRCLE
Dream Team
Oras Zuhair has created a culinary oasis in Sterling Heights.
BY R.J. KING | BRANDON NAGY
Working across the retail spectrum, Oras Zuhair went from owning and operating dollar stores to gourmet markets.
His latest creation, Dream Restaurant in Sterling Heights, elevates the experience to another level.
Opened in June, it’s the first time Zuhair is prepping, cooking, and selling an array of local, Arabic, ethnic, and internationally prepared food on a grand scale. It connects to Zuhair’s Dream Market.
Along with globally sourced coffees, confections, specialty drinks, and, in the style of ancient Baghdad, tableside tea service, the entrepreneur designed everything from custom rotating rotisseries, where dozens of butterflied chickens circle around burning wood embers, to leather chairs, marble-like tables, and a central dessert bar.
The 150-seat, cafeteria-style restaurant, located in a shopping center at 18 Mile and Ryan roads, came about when Zuhair saw an opportunity unfold after an auto parts store closed.
In 2019, from the neighboring space, he converted a 55,000-square-foot locale into Dream Market, an emporium of daily and specialty items sourced from Iraq, Lebanon, Dubai, Jordan, Turkey, Greece, Italy, and beyond.
The market, which also includes a large display of perfumes and colognes, offers an array of spices, fresh and roasted nuts, produce, seafood, poultry, meats, and dairy items. An on-site bakery complements the scene, generating real-time savings over outsourcing and ensuring hyper-local quality control.
“I was born in Baghdad, and moved to metro Detroit in 2002,” Zuhair says. “After working in different retail positions, in 2005 I opened Dream Dollar in
Lincoln Park. The timing was good because a nursery store had closed, and it was 20,000 square feet.”
After a nearby road construction project slowed business, the entrepreneur sold the property and in 2014 opened his first Dream Market, at 15 Mile and Ryan roads, also in Sterling Heights.
“It might surprise you that next to the Dream Market (at Maple and Ryan), I operate the Dream Home Collection,” he says. “I also have an import and export business (Dreamo in Warren), and Dream Inc. in Dubai, where we offer and oversee general training programs.”
Dream Home Collection, spanning 15,000 square feet, offers everything from Turkish-style lamps, ceiling lights, artwork, furnishings, and kitchenware.
To spread the word about his retail and restaurant businesses, Zuhair oversees an in-house graphic designer who produces flyers and direct mail content, while posting special savings called “Daily Deals” on social media.
“We have more than 18,000 different products at each Dream Market, and we source food and other goods locally through Lipari Foods, Spartan Foods, and other distributors,” he says. “Our team starts cooking at 6 a.m. every morning, and we never seem to stop because we want our customers to have the best food we can provide.”
There’s also a hotel he owns in Jordan, and soon he will open his third gourmet market at 14 Mile and Ryan roads, to be called Lemona Market.
“We plan to open another gourmet market (next year) in Shelby Township,” Zuhair says.
EPICUREAN CUISINE
Above: The Dream Restaurant opened in June in Sterling Heights. It adjoins the Dream Market (bottom left). Right: Owner Oras Zuhair oversees multiple businesses in metro Detroit and in the Middle East.
Below Right: Golden Fish is one of many prepared food items at Dream Restaurant, along with butterflied chickens.
TODD FLOOD MANAGING PARTNER
Grain to Glass
Iron Fish Distillery in northern Michigan o ers flavor profiles crafted from locally sourced ingredients, including grains, maple trees, and fruits.
BY R.J. KING
When Iron Fish Distillery in ompsonville launched its spirits business in 2016, it sought to work with as many Michigan-based businesses as possible, even reaching back to the 19th century.
As Michigan’s rst farm distillery growing grains and distilling spirits, today Iron Fish Distillery produces Hazlet rye across 80 acres of land it owns along the Betsie River watershed, located a few miles east of Crystal Mountain Resort.
e farm, which was previously fallow, spans 120 acres. Outside the production facilities, some of the land is used for a garden, where botanicals and owers are grown and harvested for use in cocktails and small plates.
“We used to grow winter wheat, but we came to like the avor pro le of the Hazlet rye, and we source all of the other grains from nearby farms,” says Troy Anderson, marketing manager of Iron Fish Distillery. “We even come full circle. Our spent mash for the distilling process is sold to a local farmer who raises
cows and bu aloes, and we use the beef and bu alo meat for our pizzas.”
e grain-to-glass enterprise was founded by Richard Anderson (Troy’s father) and David Wallace (Troy’s uncle) following a trip the pair made to a generations-old farm distillery on the island of Islay in northern Scotland.
Today, Iron Fish Distillery produces a variety of gins, whiskeys, bourbons, vodkas, rums, and readyto-pour cocktails. Among the more popular products are bourbon aged in maple syrup barrels. e syrup is sourced from the Griner Family Sugar Bush in Copemish, located a few miles south of the distillery.
Founded in the 1890s, the fth-generation maple syrup farm sources its sap from 4,000 maple trees. e sap runs from roughly mid-February to early April. e ideal harvest occurs when sunny (thawing) days are followed by freezing nights.
“Mother Nature tells us when the trees are ready to produce sap,” says Scott Griner, who owns the business with his wife, Jennifer. “I visited Iron Fish before they opened, and today, 95 percent of our product
goes to make their whiskey and spirits. ey’ve been a very steady customer of ours.”
Iron Fish Distillery’s custom oak barrels are produced by Joe Smith, owner of Croze Nest Oak Barrels in Grand Rapids. Smith handcrafts around 15 barrels per month for Iron Fish Distillery’s Mad Angler Bourbon and Mad Angler Rye.
e Mad Angler spirits are named after a character woven into the poems and prose of Michael Delp, former director of creative writing at the Interlochen Center for the Arts in Interlochen, southwest of Traverse City.
Another local connection involves Short’s Brewing Co. in Bellaire, which helped create Soft Parade Vodka — believed to be the rst such spirit infused with real fruit, including locally-grown strawberries, blueberries, blackberries, and raspberries.
Next up, Iron Fish will “host a holiday release event for a new spirit o ering that will be an annual product,” Troy Anderson says. “Part of the release event will support nonpro ts that promote fresh water and watershed preservation.”
MICHIGAN MAKERS
Left: Scott Griner, co-owner of Griner Family Sugar Bush in Copemich, northeast of Manistee, holds a bottle of Barrel Strength Bourbon Whiskey finished in Maple Syrup Barrels. Produced by Iron Fish Distillery in nearby Thompsonville, 95 percent of Griner’s annual output is used by Iron Fish Distillery. Above: Joe Smith, owner of Croze Nest Oak Barrels in Grand Rapids, uses his hands and machines to craft barrels for Iron Fish Distillery.
Reva Constantine Events
Reva Constantine Events
Community Academy
At a former Catholic school in Detroit’s Corktown, Paul Spiegelman and Hamsa Yaqo are establishing a novel nonprofit community center called Kintsugi Village, which will provide business and life skills to students of all ages.
BY DAN CALABRESE AND MICHELLE COHL BRANDON NAGY
Detroit’s Corktown, already celebrated as the city’s oldest neighborhood and steeped in history, is now on the cusp of becoming a vibrant community hub by offering an early education center for children, space for artists and chefs, and a gathering place for families, businesses, and organizations — all brought to life through the shared vision of two unlikely compatriots.
One came to the project after a 40-year business career, largely spent on the West Coast, that taught him about the power of investing in people and helping them thrive.
The other partner brought forth wisdom gained and the value of community understood from a young age, having grown up in an immigrant family that used food as their way to connect, gather, and heal.
Together, the pair has taken on a considerable amount of work, and no small degree of risk, to give Corktown in particular — and Detroit in general — a resource they believe can set the stage for a stronger community moving forward.
Kintsugi Village, spearheaded by Paul Spiegelman and Hamsa Yaqo, will occupy a former school building situated at 2020 14th St. in Corktown, directly east of the newly restored Michigan Central Station.
The nonprofit organization will provide a variety of opportunities for area residents, including an early childhood education center, a culinary training center, various job training opportunities, and an artist incubator where local artists can not only work on and display their art, but also learn about the business side of their avocation, with the potential to teach children.
Kintsugi Village’s etymology traces to the Japanese art of Kintsugi, which involves repairing cracked or broken pottery by using a lacquer mixed with gold, silver, or platinum to seal the cracks. Rather than attempt to mask the repair, Kintsugi seeks to highlight it — embracing the idea that the damage and repair are part of the object’s unique journey, and they actually add to its beauty.
“It’s a metaphor for life,” Spiegelman says of Kintsugi. “What’s broken becomes more beautiful. That resonated with me.”
WELCOME BACK
Hamsa Yaqo and Paul Spiegelman worked with the Corktown community in Detroit to open Kintsugi Village, an educational center for children and adults, in a former Catholic school located along 14th Street just east of Newlab and Michigan Central Station.
Spiegelman spoke with passion about why he and Yaqo chose Detroit for the new center, emphasizing the city’s resilience and strength. He encourages Detroiters to think of the word “broken” as a powerful story of transformation.
With a philosophy that embraces vulnerability, yet places rejoining and mending at the core, Spiegelman and Yaqo hope to give Detroit and its people opportunities not only to remain in the community, but to find ways to grow and prosper within it.
A native of Los Angeles, Spiegelman moved to Detroit a year ago. He has spent the past 15 years helping small businesses develop community connections while learning skills that can help them thrive and grow.
This has been the mission of an organization he formed called Small Giants, where the basic tenet was to help smaller companies achieve success like the larger ones featured in Jim Collins’ classic business book, “Good to Great.”
Spiegelman’s business journey began in 1985, when he and his two brothers started a bootstrapped company that provided call-center services for the health care industry. While it may have cut against the business culture of the time, which Spiegelman calls the command-and-control model, the brothers wanted to create an environment in which employees would love coming to work every day.
Based in Los Angeles, the brothers launched Beryl Health from an unused conference room in the law office they shared with their father. Older brother Mark and younger brother Barry joined Paul in setting up an operation that would take the calls of those using medical alert systems.
“We would talk to them through a speaker in the little unit we put in their homes, and we would find out what kind of help they needed — whether it was a paramedic or a neighbor or something like that,” Spiegelman recalls.
But Beryl Health almost went out of business after its first year, before an unlikely confluence of events saved the day.
“I was working on a Saturday night and a call came in from a 93-year-old woman,” Spiegelman says. “It turned out she had been beaten and stabbed and locked in a closet. And we were able to save her life.”
That got the company featured in a front-page story in The Los Angeles Times, which kept the company going — and kept the three brothers trading shifts and sleeping on cots in the interim.
“We had no money to sell units to the public, so we went to hospitals and had them offer our units to people who were leaving the hospital,” Spiegelman says. “One of our hospitals called and asked if we could take on a different project for them, which was people calling from the community and looking to be matched up with doctors.”
Beryl took on that challenge, and did so well with it that it eventually opened the door to a contract with HCA, the largest privately held hospital company in the country. The HCA opportunity led to Beryl moving to Texas.
In 1994, the brothers sold the original medical alert side of the business for “a few hundred thousand,” then focused on growing the newer part of the business to $40 million in annual revenue and more than 400 employees by the time it was sold for an undisclosed but “significant price” in 2012.
As he and his brothers were building the business, Spiegelman read a book by Bo Burlingham titled “Small Giants,” which applied many of the principles Collins touts in “Good to Great” to make them work for smaller companies.
Spiegelman found the ideas in “Small Giants” to be a good fit for his own developing philosophies about business, and reached out to Burlingham to see if he would write a foreword to a book Spiegelman was writing, “Why is Everyone Smiling?”
Burlingham agreed, but Spiegelman wanted more.
“He wrote a foreword for my book, and we became friends,” Spiegelman recalls. “But it took me two years to convince him to help pull this community together.”
LILTING RHYTHM
The former St. Vincent Middle School, which will reopen on Oct. 11 as Kintsugi Village, will be a community training center for the arts, music, culinary trades, and business skills.
The Small Giants organization, formally launched in 2010, focuses on providing content, workshops, and mentoring programs to teach small business owners how to create the most positive experiences for employees.
Since 2017, Small Giants has hosted a conference, known as its Summit, each year in Detroit — giving Spiegelman an opportunity to develop an appreciation for the city and what it could be.
The Summit provides an opportunity for as many as 300 leaders of businesses to share stories and tactical tips on how to achieve the vision Spiegelman used to build the organization. Since Yaqo came on board, the group’s signature offering has been the Small Giants Academy, a one-year certification program for next-generation leaders.
“Founders and CEOs like me, who have been around a long time, need to understand and support this,” Spiegelman says. “If these principles are going to sustain our companies long-term, it has to happen at the next level.”
It was at one of the Small Giants Summit meetings in Detroit that a participant surprised Spiegelman by questioning his move toward the nonprofit arena.
“At our Small Giants conference, we have a Hall of Fame program and we recognize some of those leaders every year,” Spiegelman says. “The next morning, on the stage, I interviewed the winners of the awards, and one of the guys turned to me and said, ‘I want to put you on the spot, Paul. You had this business career and you had Small Giants, and you’ve accomplished a bunch of things. Now you’re doing this. What are you doing? Why are you doing this?’ ”
Spiegelman knew exactly how to answer the question. “Because I’m still chasing purpose,” he responded. “That is in all of us, and that will go on forever.”
The longer Spiegelman owned and led Small Giants, the more he developed an interest in applying his achievements on behalf of business at the community level.
As it happened, that tracked nicely with the interest of one of his top lieutenants, Yaqo, who joined the organization in 2017 as executive director.
After eight years working for Small Giants and gaining an appreciation of its mission, the Iraqi native turned 30-plus-year Detroit-area resident had given a year’s notice of her intention to seek a new mission.
Yaqo has lived in the Detroit area since 1992, shortly after her family immigrated from Iraq when she was 12 years old. The emphasis on culinary skills particularly resonates with Yaqo because her cultural upbringing revolved around cuisine.
“I grew up in a household where it’s all about food and family and community,” Yaqo recalls. “The way my parents show love is through food. My parents, over the years, have hosted literally thousands of people. Family dinner night would be six people, but food would be for 50 because it was all about showing love and generosity.”
Reflecting on her cultural upbringing, Yaqo expresses a vision in which food helps to build community, where culinary skills among young people plant the seed for the community’s strength and cohesion.
“Eight years into Small Giants, I got to a place where even though the community was full of incredible people, I brought it to a certain point and it was beyond my skill set,” Yaqo says.
In addition to that belief, she felt a strong desire to do something that involved children — and that’s when she informed Spiegelman that she would be looking for an opportunity along those lines.
Spiegelman, grateful for the advance notice of a year, but also thinking in his own right about new challenges that would carry meaning, started sharing ideas of his own.
The more Spiegelman and Yaqo talked, the more they agreed that the calling for both of them was to create a community hub in Detroit that could introduce new opportunities and resources to a oncevibrant neighborhood now being revitalized.
The first step was to look for property, specifically an existing building that could house the vision, complemented by open space.
The building they found, which is now being transformed into Kintsugi Village, was the former St. Vincent Middle School, part of St. Vincent de Paul Parish. Built in the 1960s, the Catholic school closed in 2002. In 2014, a co-working space called Saint Vincent Corktown opened, but it hasn’t been operational since 2019.
Enter Sachse Construction in Detroit, which has taken on the task of refurbishing the building and converting it into the community hub Spiegelman and Yaqo envision.
In a nod to Corktown’s deep historical roots, elements of the original school, including vintage lockers and classroom clocks, will be preserved and incorporated in the space, ensuring the past remains part of the story being built.
Of course, even with an inspiring vision, practical concerns come into focus.
“At first, the big question was parking,” Spiegelman says, quickly emphasizing that the property now under renovation will, indeed, have enough parking for all the programming that will take place there. And it will be a lot.
LEARN AND EXPLORE
The first floor of Kintsugi Village, which originally housed classrooms and student lockers, is being transformed into an early childhood learning center (rendering right).
When completed, the first floor will house the early childhood education center, with interactive rock-climbing walls and other fun activities for kids. The second floor will serve as an artist and maker incubator; an art gallery will occupy the center area, surrounded by meeting rooms on the perimeter that will be available for businesses and organizations to rent for meetings, creative sessions, or retreats.
The third floor, where nuns once resided, will serve as the hub of culinary education, where children and adults can take cooking classes, and chefs will prepare meals and fulfill catering orders.
It also will be made available for small weddings and family events.
Outside, a patio that overlooks Michigan Central Station will be equipped to host live music and other events, in addition to offering a playground and a community garden.
“It will be a place where people can have a meditative moment,” Yaqo says.
On the same property, a farmers-style market is planned to give children realworld opportunities to learn about money, shopping, marketing, and entrepreneurship in a supportive, hands-on environment.
According to Spiegelman, Kintsugi Village, when fully staffed and operational, will have an annual operating budget of $1.5 million.
As a nonprofit, that money will have to come from various forms of fundraising.
Financing the purchase and renovation of the property, however, has required debt financing that Spiegelman secured with the help of his past earnings.
It also will be necessary to fundraise to pay back that debt, he says.
The early childhood education center stands out as the first-among-equals of Kintsugi Village’s offerings. Spiegelman and Yaqo say they intend to pay teachers above market rate. So far, they’ve hired two teachers, and plan to add 15 to 18 teachers by January.
“Our first two teachers were hired not just because they wanted to be teachers, but because they had a passion for something happening in another part of the building,” Yaqo says.
Former Detroit City Council member and longtime community activist Sheila Cockrel says she has talked informally with Spiegelman and Yaqo about their plans, and believes they’re addressing the right concerns for Corktown and the broader area.
“I think the child preschool is an important priority,” Cockrel says. “It’s paying homage to the historic use of the building, and there’s a need because, as I understand it, it’s going to be a program that is tied to ability to pay. And that will be important. There’s a mix of income levels in Corktown and Mexicantown.”
Yaqo refers to Detroit as a “day care desert,” where access to early childhood education is limited and inconsistent. With quality programs in short supply and long wait lists for the few that exist, Kintsugi Village recognized both a pressing need and a meaningful opportunity to offer something different.
“We chose the 3-to-5-year-old segment because we know that’s really the most formative time for the formation of the brain and activity and behavior,” Yaqo says.
A critical distinction is the emphasis Kintsugi Village plans to put on life skills, rather than academic skills, in the early childhood programs. That includes teaching children about finances, as well as giving them insight on topics such as where food comes from.
To that end, the future farmers-style market will be run by the children themselves, which adds a real-world element of business and community organizing education to the lessons about food and general life skills.
While the early childhood education programs will not be free, the founders hope to help families access funds so that much of the cost will be subsidized, allowing registered families to pay between $100 and $250 per month.
Other groups that can benefit from some business acumen include local artists and chefs, all of whom will find themselves with a new resource at Kintsugi Village.
While the organization isn’t going to give them jobs, Spiegelman and Yaqo hope to teach the artists and chefs the skills that will help them monetize their work and give them a better shot at turning their interest into a career, and preferably staying in the Detroit area.
THEY’RE ABSOLUTELY APPROACHING THIS WITH THE IDEA OF CREATING SOMETHING THAT’S GOING TO BE OUTSTANDING, NOT JUST OK ...”
— SHEILA COCKREL
FOOD FOR THOUGHT
The third floor of Kintsugi Village will be a culinary center (rendering left), where residents can learn new skills and fulfill catering orders. It also will include a balcony that offers views of Newlab, Michigan Central Station, and Roosevelt Park along Michigan Avenue.
“When we see people like these artists or these chefs, these people who have wonderful talent, they’ve got to work 9-to-5 jobs just to get by,” Yaqo says. “Wouldn’t it be great if we could flip that?”
Spiegelman and Yaqo hope that this new direction will start to address the problem of too many local artists leaving Detroit for Los Angeles or New York once they reach the point where they’re ready to support themselves entirely through their art.
According to Cockrel, Kintsugi Village should be well-received, in part, because Spiegelman and Yaqo are embracing the right attitude about the community.
“I’ve been doing this long enough to know when people are aiming for the highest standard, as opposed to the what’s-the-lowest-level-I-can-get-Detroit-totolerate standard,” Cockrel says. “They’re absolutely approaching this with the idea of creating something that’s going to be outstanding, not just OK, for Detroit — which I really appreciate.”
The founders acknowledge that, because their background is in business and not in nonprofit programming, they will need support from others in the community to excel at executing the Kintsugi Village vision. To that end, they have established a group of collaborators, including:
• Ad agency designer Kristina Brumby
• Boggs School co-founder and executive director Amanda Rosman
• JLL project manager Pri Ramaswamy
• Wild Child Playschool founder and executive director Lindsey Richards, and
• Wellness initiative adviser Simone Cowan.
While the facility is expected to be operational by Sept. 20, the grand opening for the community will take place on Oct. 11. And it won’t be long after that when the building will be humming with activity.
Spiegelman and Yaqo strongly encourage as many community members as possible to attend the grand opening.
“It’s really about showcasing not just the campus, but the campus and the people who are involved,” Yaqo says. “Two days later, on Oct. 13, we’ll have two classes full. So we want people to show up and be excited and enjoy the festivities.”
Cockrel predicts a warm embrace from the surrounding area.
“I think it will be very welcome in the neighborhood,” Cockrel says. “And they have adequate parking, which is really important. The folks at Michigan Central and Newlab, in my opinion, haven’t figured that out. They can’t get people to park in the structure they built, and it adds to the strains on the neighborhood.
Because Kintsugi Village has built-in, adequate parking, I think that’s deeply appreciated by people.”
While the focus now is on Detroit, Spiegelman emphasizes that he envisions the concept spreading to other cities. How that might happen remains an open question.
“One option would be for us to actually do it somewhere else, or find other cities that want to do it and be part of it,” Spiegelman says. “The other idea is to build a roadmap or a kind of recipe book that could be taught so other municipalities can implement this concept in their local area.”
In the course of transitioning to focus on Kintsugi Village, Spiegelman is transferring his interest in Small Giants to new owners. In turn, both he and Yaqo are preparing to make Kintsugi Village their full-time jobs.
Given the staff, the refurbished facilities, and the clear need of the community, the two founders expect Detroit and its residents to be stronger as a result.
As Spiegelman notes, Kintsugi Village isn’t just a restored building; it’s a living, breathing investment in people, place, and purpose.
From empowering the next generation to uplifting artists and entrepreneurs, it’s a space where broken pieces are being joined with intention, and where a stronger, more beautiful community can emerge.
NATURE IS BLISS Immediately north of Kintsugi Village, the nonprofit organization is installing a community garden and space for a small farmers market, where people can learn to operate a food-related business.
RISING TO THE TOP
A new elevator will provide access to all three floors of Kintsugi Village, including studio and maker spaces, as well as an art gallery on the second floor (rendering below).
Venture Capital Report
Resilience Reigns
Michigan’s venture capital and investment ecosystem remains steady despite economic and competitive headwinds.
BY TIM KEENAN
Michigan’s venture capital, private equity, and other investment markets are holding steady, despite economic pressures, market uncertainty due to federal policies, and competition from neighboring states.
“ rough my lens of investing in quickly-scaling, innovative companies for the last 35 years, Michigan remains one of the best states in the country to build a business,” says Charles Rothstein, founding partner at Beringea in Farmington Hills.
A recent report from ntech lending platform National Business Capital agrees with Rothstein’s assessment. It says Michigan, Florida, and Texas are the best states in which to acquire a business.
“Our growth-stage entrepreneurial economy bene ts from access to world-class talent in engineering, life sciences, and technology at our major universities and corporations; lower, more competitive operating costs than in other U.S. markets; and a great quality of life that makes recruiting and retention easier for companies,” Rothstein says.
“While I’m concerned about dampened demand should the national economy falter, and the slower exit markets we’re already seeing, I know Michigan is still the smartest place to start and grow a business.”
States like Michigan (No. 1), Florida (No. 2), and Texas (No. 3) o er strong buying conditions, with high business survival rates, active economies, and better access to capital, according to the National Business Capital report.
It goes on to state: “ e Midwest stands out for its balance of a ordability and stability, while parts of the South, including Arkansas (No. 50), Mississippi (No. 49), and Louisiana (No. 45), pose major challenges for buyers because of poor infrastructure and limited nancing options.”
Ara Topouzian, executive director of the Michigan Venture Capital Association in Bloom eld Hills, also sees Michigan’s strengths.
“I think our ecosystem is pretty resilient,” Topouzian says. “We do better in Michigan than the coastal regions, but I don’t know what’s causing it exactly.
“I’m an optimist and a life-long resident of Michigan. e greatest entrepreneurs in the country are here. In the work that the MVCA does to educate legislators, I’m hearing the support and positivity from them about how we need to support our next generation of entrepreneurs.”
Overall, Michigan leaders are working to expand upon an existing fertile environment for investors.
In January, the state announced the second round of State Small Business Credit Initiative 2.0 funds, which will make more than $79 million available for Michigan’s small businesses. In the rst round, the Michigan Economic Development Corp. supported 636 loans, totaling $72 million.
“Michigan’s small businesses are the driving force behind our economy,” Gov. Gretchen Whitmer said when the funding was announced. “( e) nearly $80 million investment in entrepreneurs and small business owners across Michigan will create good-paying jobs and help us continue leading the future of manufacturing.”
e State Small Business Credit Initiative is designed to catalyze private capital in the form of loans to, and investments in, small businesses, particularly in historically underserved communities and among entrepreneurs who may have otherwise lacked the support needed to pursue their business ambitions. ey also can be transformative in a range of industries including small manufacturing, supply chain, and other sectors.
In addition, the Michigan Strategic Fund Board in April established the Michigan Innovation Fund, allocating $60 million toward evergreen venture capital funds.
e Michigan Innovation Fund is said to be the largest funding proposal for the Michigan entrepreneurship ecosystem since the passage of the 21st Century Jobs Fund in 2005.
e majority of the new fund’s money will be earmarked for disbursement to ID Ventures (Invest Detroit’s fund), Spark Capital (Ann Arbor Spark), the Accelerate Blue Fund at the University of Michigan, the Michigan State University Research Foundation (Red Cedar Ventures and Michigan Rise), and the Biotechnology Research Commercialization Corridor of Western Michigan University.
e Michigan Innovation Fund is designed to combat the e orts of neighboring states, which also are striving to attract investment.
“Another challenge is competitiveness, not with the coastal regions, but with our neighbors — Indiana, Illinois, and Wisconsin,” Topouzian says. “ ese are
EXPECTATIONS FOR THE AVAILABILITY OF
EXIT OPPORTUNITIES IN U.S. MIDDLE-MARKET PRIVATE EQUITY OVER THE NEXT 12 MONTHS COMPARED TO THE PREVIOUS 12 MONTHS
Availability of Exit Opportunities Through April 2026
Source: Katten
SHARE OF M&A VALUE BY U.S. SECTOR
(as of March 11, 2025)
states that are very supportive of their entrepreneurship, innovation, and investment ecosystems. ey have a variety of incentives that encourage investing in startups.
“ e Michigan Innovation Fund is a real positive,” he adds. “It’s the rst time in 20 years that we’ve had anything like that. Do we need more? Absolutely. We can’t put our foot on the brakes when it comes to the support we can provide to the innovation and entrepreneur ecosystem. If not, they’re look for funding elsewhere.”
Competing with neighboring states isn’t the only source of the headwinds being faced by the Michigan investment community. e after e ects of the pandemic and uncertainty caused by tari s and other federal economic policies also are causing concern.
During the pandemic, money was relatively cheap and interest rates were lower, says Caroline Wolanin, an investment team associate at Plymouth Growth in Ann Arbor, which focuses on supporting software and technology companies.
People were spending more to shop and entertain themselves at home, and those kinds of companies bene ted during that time as investors were looking to gain from that shift in consumer behavior.
“From 2020 to 2023, people were valuing companies very high and putting money to work very rapidly,” Wolanin says. “As a result of that, there’s a disconnect now between investors and companies seeking investment capital. Today, money is less accessible, and companies are more strapped for cash.
ere’s de nitely a normalization period happening right now.”
Source: Pitchbook
Topouzian concurs. “ ere are a number of funds that are in the midst of fundraising, and I think that’s a bit of a challenge. It doesn’t mean it isn’t achievable, but it’s taking longer. e uncertainty about the economy also is a factor in people being more averse to risk.”
Haroon Bhatti, managing director of Capital Business Brokerage in Farmington Hills, which represents sellers in the mergers and acquisitions market, says he’s optimistic about the investment scene in Michigan through 2030.
“ ere will be a lot of companies coming to market,” Bhatti says. “ ere’s a large pool of people that are getting close to retirement, and these companies will be coming to market.”
is year, however, the pace of deals has slowed.
“For the past two years we were very surprised, from an M&A adviser standpoint, on private equity being involved in smaller businesses that were in the sub-$10 million in enterprise value category,” says Bhatti, who recently completed a deal for $61 million.
“ e strategy was to consolidate these smaller businesses, which seemed to be focused on skilled trades companies. We probably invested more capital, and we did more deals with private equity, in the sub$10 million space last year than I’ve ever seen.
“ is year, we’ve seen a decline in private equity being involved in smaller companies, (and their) focus has shifted to the larger companies. I think they went through the consolidation of the smaller companies, and they were very successful, but now the market has been overly saturated. A lot of the quality companies have already been gobbled up.”
In the M&A market, Bhatti says he thinks economic uncertainties influence buyers more so than sellers.
“Uncertainty due to tari s and other economic policies might cause them to wait a bit, but that comes mostly from the buyer’s side. Most sellers don’t think market uncertainty is a big enough factor to stay o the market if they feel like it’s time.”
Bhatti reports 20 percent of buyers these days are private equity rms, 40 percent are companies acquiring other companies, and the remaining 40 percent are entrepreneurs and former CEOs with money in the bank who want to run and grow their own companies.
Another issue giving pause to venture capitalists and private equity rms — and it’s a national concern — is looking forward to exit opportunities.
According to the 2025 Katten Middle-Market Private Equity Report, the year opened with hope for a resurgent deal market under the new presidential administration.
“While prospects may have improved compared to the recent multiyear slump — o ering hope for increased exit opportunities — rising volatility is clouding the outlook, with dealmakers expecting challenges to persist as regulatory and scal uncertainty potentially o set anticipated gains,” according to the results of the survey that is the basis for the report.
“Notably, the majority (51 percent) of those who said the regulatory and compliance environment was a challenge in 2024 expected it to be equally or more di cult to navigate this year, when the Trump administration is expected to ease scrutiny in areas like energy, but could exert more pressure on technology mergers and environmental, social, and governance and diversity, equity, and inclusion matters, as evidenced by several executive orders signed at the start of Trump’s term.”
Patti Glaza, executive vice president at Invest Detroit, explains what’s causing the exit anxiety that’s making funds harder to come by for startups and other companies needing a cash infusion.
“It’s getting really hard to close on new funds because the exit markets aren’t there,” Glaza says. “ at means the venture funds aren’t able to show limited partners and investors that they’re able to exit out of their portfolio companies. In order for them to get the returns they’re looking for, they’re waiting to see more exits happen in the market.”
e exception is in the arti cial intelligence space. “ ere’s some crazy things happening in the AI space, but outside of that things are on hold,” Glaza says.
According to PitchBook, an online resource for investing news, research, data, and indexes, AI and machine learning was the national standout segment for investors in the rst quarter of 2025, accounting for 71.1 percent of all U.S. venture capital deal value.
e segment bene ts from secular tailwinds, foundational platform investment theses, and disproportionate media attention, says a report from PitchBook
Companies in Michigan, a hub for technology with a strong presence in AI, cloud computing, and big data, are bene ting.
According to Glaza, entrepreneurs can bene t by using AI as they form their enterprises.
“Entrepreneurs need to adjust to the speed of technology disruption,” she says. “When we think of AI, we often think of AI integrating it with a product. We’re thinking of an AI- rst business, with an AI platform at its core. We’re thinking that the cost of doing a startup should be signi cantly lower than in the past because of the number of AI tools that can be leveraged.”
Wolanin, at Plymouth Growth, agrees. “In the software world, AI is able to help jump-start startups since they don’t need as many people to write code.”
Other segments in Michigan that are ripe for investment include manufacturing, life sciences and medtech, and real estate.
LandApp.com hails real estate investment in Michigan due to “its picturesque landscapes, vibrant culture, and friendly people.”
“Michigan has a strong and diverse economy, with sectors such as manufacturing, technology, and health care driving growth,” writes LandApp.com. “ is means there are plenty of job opportunities and a stable market for rental properties.
“Additionally, Michigan has a relatively low cost of living compared to other states, making it an a ordable option for both investors and potential tenants. e state also o ers various tax incentives for real estate investors, making it even more appealing.”
Meanwhile, angel investors in Michigan, the lifeblood of many startups, are experiencing cautious optimism in 2025, with investors potentially increasing their investment activity, according to the U.S. Angel Investment Network.
“While commonly associated with the automobile industry, advances in local businesses in the biotech, IT, and manufacturing sectors have made Michigan a popular location for angel investors to seek business ideas and invest capital,” according to the U.S. Angel Investment Network.
Overall, venture capital, private equity, and other investing in the U.S. and in Michigan are weighed down by weak exit markets, cautious investors, and a fundraising environment that remains constrained. Still, the promise of AI and other advanced technology still inspires investment in 2025.
e draw of the Great Lakes State and its record of resilience gives those closest to the investor universe hope that things ultimately will improve for all segments.
“We’re seeing a lot more people interested in building companies and seeking investment outside the coastal hubs, which is great for Michigan and investors at all di erent stages,” Wolanin says.
Even so, the state has more work to do in improving its attractiveness, according to a new study from the New York-based AI learning platform Brainly, which ranked Michigan 40th among the 50 U.S. states, plus Washington, D.C., in preparedness for the arti cial intelligence revolution based on jobs, education, and government funding.
“We’re seeing people come back to Michigan because there’s strong tech and strong talent paired with strong quality of life,” Glaza says, “but we have to make sure that the venture capital structure in the state remains strong.” AI AND ML SCOOPS UP
Source: Pitchbook
VALUE CREATION EXHIBITS SLOW BUT RISING PACE
Median U.S. venture capital velocity of value creation ($M) by series
Source: Pitchbook
42 NORTH PARTNERS
171 Monroe Ave. NW Grand Rapids 49503 616-325-2100 42np.com
400 Renaissance Center, Ste. 2600 Detroit 48243 313-686-1020 pendoadvisors.com
UHY CORPORATE FINANCE
230 E. Grand River Ave., Ste. 700 Detroit 48226 313-425-5276 313-964-1040 uhy-us.com
Source: DBusiness research
MICHIGAN-BASED ANGEL INVESTOR GROUPS
ANN
ARBOR ANGELS
201 S. Division St., Ste. 430 Ann Arbor 48104 annarborangels.org
Mission: Invest in young companies with breakthrough products or services while sharing expertise, providing mentoring, and facilitating connections to the broader marketplace.
Mission: The fund invests in early-stage, startup, and other technology-based businesses, along with assisting in the development of such firms.
BELLE MICHIGAN IMPACT
FUND
26 Windemere Place Grosse Pointe Farms 48236 bellefunds.com
Mission: Provide superior
returns for investors while serving the early-stage capital needs of companies led by women.
BLUEWATER ANGELS
INVESTMENT NETWORK
1320 N. Michigan Ave., Ste. 6 Saginaw 48602 michigancapitalnetwork.com/ bluewater-angels.com
Mission: Recognize the value of supporting and nurturing the entrepreneurial community for the economic benefit of mid-Michigan and Michigan in general.
Mission: Building a network of active, progressive, and innovative investors who are committed to turning the U.S. into a powerhouse startup ecosystem.
GRAND ANGELS
40 Pearl St., Ste. 336 Grand Rapids 49503 616-566-1770 michigancapitalnetwork.com/ grand-angels.org
Mission: Invest in new ideas that will have a positive effect on the world, focusing on west Michigan and border states.
KA-ZOO ANGELS
40 Pearl St. NW, Ste. 336 Grand Rapids 49503 michigancapitalnetwork.com/ kazoo-angels.org
Mission: Measure impact through business growth, job creation, and the attraction to and retention of talent in west Michigan. (This is an affiliate of Grand Angels).
MICHIGAN ANGEL FUND
201 S. Division, Ste. 430 Ann Arbor 48104 miangelfund.com
Mission: Provide funding to the most promising, capital-efficient, early-stage companies in Michigan.
MICHIGAN CAPITAL NETWORK
37 Ottawa Ave. NW Grand Rapids 49503 michigancapitalnetwork.com
Mission: Through its prompt investment and constant monitoring, it assists entrepreneurs who want to establish world-class businesses.
Mission: Invest in tech and digitally scaling companies in and around Detroit at the pre-seed and seed stage.
Sources: Michigan Venture Capital Association, DBusiness research
ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT ORGANIZATIONS
ANN ARBOR SPARK
330 E. Liberty St. Ann Arbor 48104
734-761-9317
annarborusa.org
Mission: Advance the economy of the Ann Arbor area by establishing it as a desired place for innovation and growth.
DEARBORN ECONOMIC AND COMMUNITY DEVELOPMENT
16901 Michigan Ave., Ste. 6 Dearborn 48126
313-943-2180
cityofdearborn.org
Mission: Business retention, attraction, and investment; improving neighborhoods; contributing to a high quality of life.
DETROIT ECONOMIC GROWTH CORP.
500 Griswold St., Ste. 2200 Detroit 48226
313-963-2940 degc.org
Mission: Design and implement innovative solutions that attract investment, create jobs, and advance Detroit’s economy.
FLINT COMMUNITY AND ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT
1101 S. Saginaw St. Flint 48502
810-766-7015
cityofflint.com
Mission: To improve the quality of life for all residents of the city of Flint through the creation of safe and healthy neighborhoods, and promoting a growing and diverse economy.
GRAND TRAVERSE ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT CORP.
202 E. Grandview Parkway Traverse City 49684
231-947-5075
grandtraverseedc.com
Mission: To help grow, retain, and expand business in the Grand Traverse region.
LANSING ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT CORP.
1000 S. Washington Ave., Ste. 201 Lansing 48933 517-702-3387
lansingmi.gov
Mission: Attract, expand, and retain business and industry in the city of Lansing.
LIVONIA ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT
33000 Civic Center Dr. Livonia 48154
734-466-2200
livonia.gov
Mission: Retain and expand existing Livonia businesses, and attract of new companies.
MICHIGAN ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT CORP.
300 N. Washington Square Lansing 48913
888-522-0103
michiganbusiness.org
Mission: Market Michigan as the place to do business, assist businesses in their growth strategies, and foster the growth of vibrant communities across the state.
THE RIGHT PLACE
125 Ottawa Ave. NW, Ste. 450 Grand Rapids 49503
616-771-0325 rightplace.org
Mission: To build the next chapter in west Michigan’s growth story.
ZHANG FINANCIAL 1145 W. Long Lake Rd., Ste. 301 Bloomfield Hills 48302 248-687-1258 zhangfinancial.com
Source: DBusiness research
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Art of Renewal
The revitalization of Little Village on Detroit’s east side, where private investment coalesces with arts and educational organizations, serves as a model for redeveloping the city’s neighborhoods.
BY R.J. KING | NICK HAGEN
Detroit’s neighborhoods, which in the early 1950s saw the start of what would become a mass exodus of residents to the suburbs, today are undergoing a remarkable revitalization led in large part by arts and educational organizations.
Across the city’s 139 square miles, the redevelopment of vacant structures and barren lots has been picking up speed over the past three years, as investors and developers see stability returning following decades of deprivation.
Detroit’s population peaked in 1950 at 1.8 million people, making it the fifth largest city in the United States at the time. But as the factories that were built seemingly overnight leading up to and during World War II were closed following the Allied victory, people began to move to the suburbs, where new communities were being built on what was often farmland.
The migration east, north, and west was driven by parents who didn’t want their children playing next to
closed military industrial sites. The barren properties also brought down property values.
The late William J. Pulte, who built his first home near Detroit City Airport in 1950 and went on to establish his company as one of the nation’s largest home builders, said he, like other residential developers, began building in the suburbs after the freeways opened.
“Once 1-75, the Lodge, I-96, and I-94 were built, the builders just followed the people,” Pulte said. “That left Detroit in a pickle, because they were losing residents and tax revenue, and the city leaders, over time, didn’t downsize like they should have, which set the stage for the (city’s 2014) bankruptcy.”
Today, with an estimated 645,705 residents, based on U.S. Census Bureau figures, Detroit has roughly 36 percent of the population it had in 1950.
“Downtown Detroit lost most of its businesses and residents, and what brought them back, starting 25 years ago, was the arts — and now the arts are
leading the recovery of the neighborhoods,” says George W. Jackson Jr., a private developer and the president and CEO of Detroit Economic Growth Corp. from 2002 to 2014.
“Just like downtown Detroit started its comeback with the arts when the Fox Theatre reopened (in fall 1988) and the Detroit Opera House opened (in spring 1996), now you’re seeing arts and educational organizations in the neighborhoods. And they’re making major investments, and are often the first to arrive.”
The redevelopment pattern in the central business district got its start in 1984 when the late Chuck Forbes, who formerly acquired land for factories and dealerships at Ford Motor Co.’s land division (now Ford Land), personally acquired the Fox Theatre (later sold to Mike and Marian Ilitch), the State Theatre (today The Fillmore), the Gem and the Century theaters, and the Elwood, among other downtown properties.
DETROIT STYLE
Ronald Griggs, an artist at PASC in Little Village on Detroit’s east side, creates a painting of other PASC artists, along with the nonprofit’s supporters, including Keisha Miller and Rodney Hudson (foreground), and Joel Martin, Anthony Curis, J.J. Curis, and Anthony Marcellini (PASC’s program manager). Griggs’ painting will be sold in PASC’s art gallery this fall.
PASC
“Investors look for stability,” Jackson says. “When major projects open or are rejuvenated — like the Detroit Opera House, Orchestra Hall, the theaters, and today places like Michigan Central Station, Newlab, and the three stadiums — other development follows, like restaurants, shops, apartments, condominiums, and single-family homes.”
As downtown’s redevelopment accelerated after Dan Gilbert began to move the rst of more than 17,000 employees to the central business district in 2010, and since then has acquired and redeveloped around 100 buildings and brought them up to Class A standards, Jackson says the city’s closest neighborhoods — Corktown, Midtown, and Lafayette Park — began to attract new residential, commercial, arts, and educational projects.
More recently, the development has spread across the city’s other neighborhoods, from the emerging Little Village, a cultural corridor in the greater East Village neighborhood, to Islandview, West Village, and other neighborhoods on the city’s east side, and Russell Woods, Mexicantown, and Core City on the city’s west side.
LEARNING PERSPECTIVE
Little Village, located two blocks west of Pewabic Pottery, is by most accounts the most ambitious renewal project in the city, where private investors, nonpro t organizations, and residents are working together to bring new life to a long forlorn neighborhood.
“After the city’s bankruptcy, things stabilized and you saw businesses coming back, but often the rst ones in a given area that’s seen better days are artists and educational nonpro ts that have a core mission of improving the quality of life in Detroit,” says Joel Martin, owner of 54 Sound Studios in Ferndale.
An avid art collector, Martin, whose studio along Nine Mile Road has produced countless hit records and songs, including Eminem’s “Lose Yourself,” recently became a patron of PASC, or the Progressive Art Studio Collective, which is located inside the Lantern along Kercheval Avenue and is part of Little Village.
“ e Lantern is like a magnet for the local community, but it also provides a space to curate artists with disabilities who have been marginalized and
PARTICIPATORY ART
PASC, or the Progressive Art Studio Collective, is an art and design studio for artists with disabilities. It also has an exhibitions program.
introduces them to an audience so they can become independent themselves,” Martin says.
“You might look at it as a startup accelerator for emerging artists who might not otherwise have a chance to grow and become sustainable.”
e Lantern, originally Blue Bird Baking Co., was boarded up when it was acquired two years ago by Anthony and J.J. Curis, owners of the Library Street Collective, Louis Buhl & Co., and other businesses in downtown Detroit.
Since then, the couple has partnered with OMA, an architectural rm near Greenwich Village in New York City, on renovating the vacant 22,300-squarefoot building into new spaces for arts education and commercial tenants.
As part of the renovation, 1,353 holes, spread evenly apart, were drilled into the building’s south and west exterior walls and lled with glass block cylinders to subtly reveal light and movement; at night, the community hub seems to glow like a lantern.
Joining PASC in Little Village is Signal-Return, a nonpro t arts organization dedicated to preserving and teaching traditional letterpress printing in Detroit.
Kristi Ternes, a PASC art adviser, works with Paul Carter on his latest painting, right, while Sherri Bryant puts the finishing touches on her next creation, far right.
Its programs include hands-on workshops, exhibitions, access to printing facilities for independent artists, and educational partnerships.
Together, the two nonprofits occupy roughly 8,500 square feet of combined space on the main level of the Lantern.
PASC, a program of the disability services organization STEP (Services to Enhance Potential), is the first art studio and exhibition program dedicated to supporting adults with developmental disabilities and mental health challenges in Detroit and Wayne County.
In essence, PASC provides the curriculum to launch professional art careers for what now encompasses more than 180 local artists with disabilities. It provides studio space, support from a staff of contemporary artists, and a gallery where participants can showcase and sell their work.
The art gallery hosts five to six shows a year. For each work of art sold, the artist garners 60 percent of the sale, with the rest going to support programming at PASC.
In turn, Signal-Return’s retail store offers exposure and revenue for 50-plus artists through the sale of prints, ephemera, and gifts.
“The core of our mission in Little Village is focused on creating an inclusive community centered around the arts,” says Anthony Curis, co-founder of Library Street Collective, who, with his wife, has acquired property in Little Village. Already the couple has renovated two dozen homes in the area.
“We didn’t tear anything down,” Curis says. “Our goal is to leverage the arts to create positive change in the city.”
Joining PASC and Signal-Return at the Lantern is a roster of local businesses, including Assemble
MEET THE ARTIST
Ronald Griggs, a Detroit-based artist working out of PASC, creates mannerist-style drawings and paintings of people and animals in relationships, drawing influences from religious iconography, Western European painting, Manga, mythology, and pop culture references. His artwork is in the permanent collection of
Hills, and has been purchased by musician Jack White, among others.
Sound, a full-service music company and recording studio that works with musical talent in Detroit and beyond, with a residency program for artists, producers, and songwriters.
Founded in 2019 by Angela Wisniewski, Coup D’etat is a fashion boutique at the Lantern that offers an eclectic selection of independent designs catering primarily to women. It is joined by Collect Beer Bar, a family-owned and operated venue that serves a selection of rotating craft brews and operates an outdoor courtyard on the east side of the Lantern.
In addition, Cafe Franco, a coffee shop and gathering space from the owners of La Ventana, will open soon. Three artist studio spaces have been added to the top floor of Lantern, as well.
After viewing photos on Instagram of what was being planned at Little Village, Anthony Marcellini, program manager at PASC, which was operating in the corner of a warehouse in Detroit, took two years to raise the funds to move the nonprofit to the Lantern. The arts organization opened its new space in May, and on average works with 18 to 24 artists each weekday.
“One of our goals was to see that artists are celebrated in Detroit instead of being marginalized,” Marcellini says. “We have artists from the community, and because of a given disability, they can access Medicaid funds. It’s not crafts; rather, the artists are taught how to build a career and sell their work and keep going.”
On an open lot on the east side of the public studio and gallery, Scott Hocking, an installation artist, sculptor, and photographer, is using excess steel from Stanton Yards, a new waterfront development by the Curises that takes its name from the former Stanton Canal, to craft a sculpture garden. Hocking has completed other sculptures in the area, as well.
The development strategy for Stanton Yards, part of Little Village, will transition the storage and service-based marina into a 13-acre cultural amenity for the community, with more than 80,000 square feet of existing commercial and boat storage space, 85 boat slips, and programmed waterfront parks.
New York-based architecture firm SO – IL is leading the adaptive reuse of four existing pre-war industrial buildings at Stanton Yards to create a campus for
the Cranbrook Art Museum in Bloomfield
Stanton Yards
arts organizations, creative retail, artist studios, independent hospitality ventures, and more.
e transformation of the four buildings, which includes a former theater, marina showrooms, boat service shops, and a navy shipyard used during World War II, will introduce new facades on Je erson Avenue with the goal of creating an easily accessible public entryway to programs and the waterfront.
Public access to the riverfront has been problematic since the 1750s, when Detroit rst became a shipping and industrial powerhouse. As transportation transcended to railroads a century later, mills, brasseries, and foundries dominated the river’s edge.
Once completed, Stanton Yards will be a publicly accessible site with access to the arts, ecology, boating, and waterfront activities. Library Street Collective, alongside neighborhood stakeholders, will spearhead the cultural programming and initiatives, which will include exhibitions, public activations, and performances.
As Stanton Yards proceeds ahead, organizations like the Marshall M. Fredericks Sculpture Museum, a liated with Saginaw Valley State University in Saginaw, along with other schools, institutions, and museums will play a role in promoting arts and education at the site.
e Curises’ foray to the east side began in 2019, when the couple acquired the original Annunciation Church along Parkview Street, just north of Je erson Avenue. Dedicated on Christmas Day in 1912, the campus of the Romanesque church included a rectory, a Catholic school, and later, a convent.
Serving families in the community, many of whom worked in the surrounding automobile and supplier plants, the church and school thrived for several decades. But as parishioners began moving to the suburbs starting in 1950, the congregation dwindled, and in 2000 the neighboring Our Lady of Sorrows became part of Annunciation Church.
RIVER’S EDGE
Stanton Yards, an emerging waterfront development at Je erson Avenue and Parkview Drive that’s part of Little Village, will o er public activities, art galleries, and other creative projects.
Six years later, in 2006, the Archdiocese of Detroit merged another church, St. Anthony Parish, with Annunciation. At that time, the house of worship — three parishes in one — was renamed Good Shepherd Catholic Church. It lasted a decade before the Archdiocese deconsecrated the church.
By this time the school had been demolished, and the convent, located on the next block, was deteriorating; two walls of the facility remain.
Following a major renovation, the church was transformed into a community center called the Shepherd. It o ers publicly accessible green spaces, curated programming including exhibitions and
performances, a public art library, artist studio spaces, restaurants, a cocktail lounge, and more.
Two new gallery spaces were added to the Shepherd’s central nave and a transept. e other transept houses the Little Village Arts Library, curated by Asmaa Walton of Black Art Library, where children and adults can access artist monographs, exhibition catalogs, and research materials centered around artists of color who have made contributions to the arts.
COMMUNITY RELIEF
The Charles McGee Legacy Park, located south of the Shepherd and ALEO, is open to the public.
The Shepherd
HOLY GROUND
The Shepherd, which today is a hub for community, arts, and learning activities, was originally built in 1912 as Annunciation Church. In the foreground, left, is the original rectory, which was converted into a bed and breakfast for artists called ALEO.
e Shepherd also provides space for live performances and larger installations throughout the central crossing, an apse, and a mezzanine above the main gallery.
In collaboration with Museum of Contemporary Art Detroit (MOCAD), in 2024 the inaugural exhibition at the Shepherd was an expansive survey of the late Charles McGee, one of Detroit’s greatest artists. McGee created paintings, assemblages, sculptures, public works, and a sense of community with his artwork and teaching throughout the city.
SHOW AND TELL
The Shepherd provides public spaces for multiple activities in the former Annunciation Church. It includes two art galleries, live performances, and the Little Village Arts Library, curated by Asmaa Walton of Black Art Library.
e grounds immediately surrounding the Shepherd o er 3.5 acres of new, publicly accessible community destinations, including the Charles McGee Legacy Park and a new public skate park designed by artist McArthur Binion and skating legend Tony Hawk.
Located in the former rectory of the Shepherd is ALEO, a bed and breakfast that serves as a haven for artists and those seeking a cultural retreat. ALEO (a tetramorph depicting an Angel, a Lion, an Eagle, and an Ox) features works by nearly 30 artists based in Detroit, or with deep roots in the city, throughout the ve guest rooms and communal spaces.
Directly west of the Shepherd is BridgeHouse, two former residential structures the Curises are transforming into commercial spaces geared toward the culinary arts. BridgeHouse is encapsulated within a two-story deck, which provides outdoor space for guests of ALEO and the East Village neighborhood.
One of the houses is occupied by Warda, a new pâtisserie operated by James Beard award-winning
chef Warda Bouguettaya. e other house, to the south of Warda, will become a restaurant.
Behind Warda is a new cocktail bar called Father Forgive Me by Joe Robinson and Anthony Curis, which occupies the church’s former garage.
e former convent at the southwest corner of McClellan Avenue and Agnes Street, using what remains of two of the walls, will next year become the new headquarters for Louis Buhl & Co. It will feature a contemporary art gallery and an in-house production studio, among other o erings.
“Seeing how East Village is being transformed is nothing short of amazing,” says John Hantz, founder, president, and CEO of Hantz Group Inc., a nancial services company in South eld, who in 2013 bought around 2,900 parcels from the city spread across 190 acres in a roughly one-square-mile area of East Village bounded by Mack, Je erson, St. Jean, and Van Dyke.
“We acquired the property from the city at a good price, and while some people say we got a sweetheart deal, that land went up for auction four times before we got it. We’ve also been paying the property taxes over the last 12 years.”
In turn, Hantz, along with his daughter, Lauren, formed the Hantz Foundation in Detroit to serve
ALEO
which includes the Je erson North Assembly Plant and the former Mack Avenue Engine Complex that was converted in recent years into a new assembly plant at a cost of $2.5 billion. Some 5,000 new jobs were added, as well.
the local community. e foundation’s mission is to connect local students, as well as adults, to high-quality education programs, resources, and career opportunities.
e foundation’s school partners include Detroit Enterprise Academy, Hutchinson Elementary-Middle School, and Southeastern High School.
Given so much land was barren, John Hantz established Hantz Woodlands to plant trees on the vacant lots. e trees, which are harvested and sold to nurseries, lend a sense of stability to the neighborhood. e organization cuts the grass across hundreds of vacant lots, as well.
“It cost us $1 million to clean up all the titles,” Hantz says. “We’ve sold some of the land to the Curises and others, but we want to be careful of how the land is curated. We don’t want to sell it all at once and have home builders come in, for example, and the next thing you know, the builders go too fast and then you have new problems when the homes don’t sell or rent in a quick manner.”
Helping to drive development in the area are major employers like Stellantis, which operates the Detroit Assembly Complex,
While the Shepherd may be the most ambitious arts-centered project in the city’s neighborhoods, other residential enclaves are being transformed by Life Remodeled, a nonpro t organization that, starting in 2013, began converting operating and closed public schools, along with nearby parks and other community assets, into multifaceted community centers o ering skilled training, after-school activities, STEM labs, and health and wellness programs.
What’s more, Life Remodeled organizes thousands of volunteers each year to remove blight around the schools, board up vacant structures, and repair homes. In many cases, Life Remodeled spends
MEET AND GREET
Above and left: The interior of ALEO, which includes a library and five guest suites. Below: Evan Lavery takes a spin at a skate park built south of BridgeHouse that was designed by McArthur Binion and skating legend Tony Hawk.
Organized Chaos Warda
JOEL MARTIN, A LONGTIME PATRON OF THE ARTS AND OWNER OF 54 SOUND STUDIOS IN FERNDALE, was drawn to Detroit’s Cass Corridor during the late 1970s and into the 1980s, where a thriving arts scene had taken took root and blossomed.
One of his friends from that era, Barbara Greene Mann, was a gifted and prolific printmaker and watercolor painter who captured life in the Motor City, from its gritty industrial heritage to scenes at jazz shows and speakeasys.
One of the uno cial leaders of the creative movement in the Cass Corridor, her remarkable, intricate paintings, prints, and lithographs were exhibited at numerous shows across the United States and Canada, and eventually in Germany.
a year or two working with a given community to renovate a particular school and the area around it.
From there, the organization leaves to focus on another area of the city, with the respective local residents working together to manage and sustain the recent improvements.
Across the city, the nonpro t Brilliant Detroit has acquired a network of 15 homes, each in a select neighborhood, that it redevelops. e newly restored homes o er a safe haven for early childhood development and family support for children under the age of 8, along with their parents and neighbors.
Living Arts, a nonpro t located in southwest Detroit, o ers a wide range of arts experiences and arts-integrated educational programs for area children and teenagers (through 18 years). A related Teen Council and a Parent Council ensure entire families are involved in planning and operating everything from early childhood education to afterschool arts programs.
CULINARY ARTS
BridgeHouse at Little Village includes two former residential homes that were converted into Warda, a pâtisserie by James Beard award-winning chef Warda Bouguettaya and, in the neighboring space, a restaurant that will open later this year. Below are some of the selections at Warda.
In an upcoming book, “Strange Beauty,” an illustrated retrospective of Greene Mann’s life and work, edited by K.L. Dunn and Caroline Maun, the ebb and flow of Detroit is chronicled over 208 pages. From the introduction to the book, which includes essays from people who knew the artist, the editors share, “Barbara didn’t just exist in the scene; she was the scene.”
But as quickly as she emerged and was briefly celebrated as a gifted artist — she had earned a Master of Fine Arts degree at Wayne State University in Detroit — the tour de force vanished from the local scene in the mid-1980s.
“My friends and I thought she had moved, which was something Barbara would do and not tell anyone, and years later I heard she was living in Canada,” Martin says. “After some investigative work, I learned she was living in a public housing project in Toronto. So, with a film crew, we visited her apartment, which best can be described as organized chaos, and attended some of her showings.”
Greene Mann, 68, passed away in 2018 due to complications from lung cancer and PTSD she developed from the loss of her son.
“We saw to it that she was as comfortable as possible in her later years,” Martin says. “She deserved a lot more recognition than she received.”
Her later work, especially, captured the struggles of a lone elephant named Lucy at the Edmonton Valley Zoo in Canada.
“She thought it was so cruel Lucy was in solitary confinement,” Martin says. “She said Lucy was being exploited, and so she used her art to spotlight the su ering.”
In addition to the book, which will be released in October (Wayne State Press), Dunn and Martin co-directed a documentary of Greene Mann’s life called “The Elephant (in my room),” which will premiere on Oct. 9 at the Detroit Film Theatre at the Detroit Institute of Arts.
“What we learned through capturing Barbara’s later life was that Toronto had a very good arts scene that helped nurture and promote artists through the country’s mental health system,” Martin says.
“I didn’t know the U.S. had anything like that until two years ago, when the nonprofit organization PASC (Progressive Art Studio Collective) began raising funds for a new studio to support artists with disabilities in Little Village (part of East Village in Detroit).”
In May, PASC moved into its new space at the Lantern. The public arts and commercial hub, partly supported by Medicaid funds, “would have been perfect for Barbara,” Martin says. “She would have fit right in, and given the nature of her personality, would have helped other artists and become a local leader in the arts scene.”
Apart from the book and the documentary, proceeds of which will benefit PASC, Martin says he and others are planning to encourage area businesses and residents to support local artists.
“Big, medium, and small companies have budgets to decorate their o ces, and through the book and film, along with other advocates, more local artists should be supported,” he says. “You’re not just supporting local artists, but you’re also investing in local communities. The money stays here.”
He adds local community arts programs and redevelopment projects like the Lantern are often easier to complete, given all the utilities and infrastructure are already in place. “And who knows, the next Barbara Greene Mann will have his or her works displayed in area conference rooms and residential homes, ready to tell a new story.” — R.J. King
FILM AND BOOK PREMIERE
“The Elephant (in my room)” and “Strange Beauty”
Thursday, Oct. 9, starting at 7 p.m.
Detroit Film Theatre at the Detroit Institute of Arts
Tickets available at Detroit Film Theatre’s website or box o ce
In Corktown, Kintsugi Village is putting the nishing touches on a community center fashioned from the former St. Vincent Middle School that will o er an early childhood education center, an artist incubator, a culinary learning space, and an events center. It will have its grand opening on Oct. 11 (see page 38).
“Ideally, developers, whether for-pro t or nonpro t, want clean title to land in places like Detroit, but often that doesn’t happen, which makes East Village and Little Village so unique,” Jackson says. “When Comerica Park and Ford Field were being developed, the title work was unbelievable.
“What Hantz did was remarkable. He acquired as much land as he could, he cleaned the titles, he maintains the properties, and when he sells the land, it’s that much easier for the new owners to get their projects going. If the city or someone else could follow that same pattern, redeveloping the neighborhoods would be that much easier.”
CRAFT COCKTAILS
Father Forgive Me, above and upper right, is a new bar by Joe Robinson and Anthony Curis that was originally the church’s garage.
March of the ROBOTS
FANUC America in Rochester Hills, which leads the robotics sector in North America and South America, continues to expand and innovate as it races to develop the next generation of talent.
BY BILL DOW | JOSH SCOTT
Just as Henry Ford revolutionized the auto industry with the introduction of the moving assembly line at Ford Motor Co.’s Highland Park plant in December 1913, the introduction of robotics over the last 40 years has transformed manufacturing in terms of productivity, quality, and safety.
And one of the first places the worldwide robotics industry made a significant footprint was within the automotive industry in metro Detroit.
Faced with the need to diversify its business and improve quality amidst the worst auto industry recession in the United States since the Great Depression, in 1982 General Motors and Japan’s FANUC Ltd. created GMFanuc Robotics Corp., a Troy-based joint venture designed to produce robots for automotive painting and welding operations.
FANUC, an acronym for Fuji Automatic Numerical Control, was established in 1972 at the foot of Mt. Fuji in Japan, where the company developed its first robot in 1974.
Although in the early 1990s GM divested all of its shares in the joint venture, the project helped revolutionize the auto industry and resulted in the establishment of FANUC America in Rochester Hills, headquarters for the Americas and a subsidiary of FANUC Corp., the market leader in automation in the U.S. and worldwide.
AUTOMATE CENTRAL
Mike Cicco, president and CEO of FANUC America in Rochester Hills, and his team of 2,000 employees design, produce, and distribute industrial robots. The company’s headquarters, upper right, is part of a growing campus in Oakland County.
The company now has seven facilities in metro Detroit, 13 regional offices nationwide, two offices in Canada, three in Mexico, and three in South America. In addition, due largely to the auto industry, there are now more than 140 robotics and automation companies in Michigan.
Although 50 percent of FANUC America’s robotic sales are for the auto industry, the technology has expanded and transformed such industries as aerospace, agriculture, food and beverage, consumer goods, medical, pharmaceutical, transportation, and warehousing.
On the first floor of the company’s sprawling headquarters in Rochester Hills, a large display area provides customers and visitors with an opportunity to watch numerous robots and automated systems demonstrate just a few of their capabilities.
Those abilities include spot welding, painting, sorting pills, stacking heavy boxes, and lifting a car (a Chevrolet Corvette), to name a few.
Due to unprecedented demand, a year ago FANUC America, which has 2,000 employees, half of whom work in Oakland County, opened a massive, 650,000-square-foot West Campus facility on 67 acres in Auburn Hills at a cost of $110 million.
Since 2019, the company has invested more than $187 million in its local operations, including a 461,000-square-foot North Campus facility next to its headquarters, as well as new production centers in Canada and Mexico.
Looking down from the mezzanine of the new, brightly lit West Campus facility, one sees huge shelves containing an inventory of thousands of parts, and acres of yellow industrial robots and smaller, white collaborative robots (cobots) ready to be outfitted for the particular needs of FANUC’s customers.
While FANUC sells and works directly in designing robotics and automated systems with its largest customers, such as automotive companies, a growing percentage of sales are to system integrators — companies that determine the unique needs of the end users and work with those clients to install the technology.
All of FANUC’s robots and automated systems are manufactured in Japan, except for robots used for painting. Those are constructed at the Rochester Hills facility, where there are more than 200 robot and cobot model variants.
Two years ago, FANUC announced the production of its one-millionth industrial robot. Currently, the company is capable of producing 11,000-plus robots per month in fully automated factories that use its own robots to make robots.
During a recent tour of the West Campus facility, Lou Finazzo, vice president of FANUC’s automations systems group, pointed to an automation system that’s testing the storing and retrieving of battery trays used for the sequencing to a main assembling line.
At an “innovation lab” in another area, a cobot capable of changing its own endof-arm tooling to pick up different parts performs quality inspections using built-in vision capability.
“When a customer buys a robot, nothing comes on the end of it, so we install the arm tooling and program it depending on the application,” says Finazzo, who has been with FANUC America for 31 years. “The auto company products have never changed so quickly (in recent years), and they need the flexibility of automation so they can dynamically change the product and not be stuck with legacy equipment.”
Finazzo says the robots alone generally cost between $20,000 and $200,000, depending on the size and application. Each unit can last up to 30 years.
“Anything we sell is serviced for life. We retain our customers and work really hard to make sure they’re successful,” he says.
In addition, the company offers a full range of robotics training including programming courses, electrical/mechanical maintenance, and advanced applications courses to its customers’ employees and those working in their integrator network at the FANUC Academy, currently located inside the Rochester Hills headquarters, and at satellite offices throughout the Americas.
In the near future, the main FANUC Academy will be expanded and relocated inside the former Cooley Law School building in Auburn Hills.
D BRIEF
FANUC AMERICA
Services: Designs, produces, and distributes industrial robots
Headquarters: Rochester Hills
President and CEO: Mike Cicco
Employees: 2,000
Revenue: NA
“Advanced automation requires new skills, and training is key to keeping manufacturing strong in North America,” says Mike Cicco, 48, who has served as president and CEO of FANUC America since 2016.
“The FANUC Academy will become the largest corporate robotics and industrial automation training facility in the U.S.”
After the completion of the new FANUC Academy and other infrastructure projects, FANUC America will have invested more than $250 million in North America.
“FANUC’s products are best in class, with bulletproof reliability and the widest bandwidth of products at a very competitive price point,” says Greg Sandler, co-owner of Troy-based Dynamic Machine, an ASI-authorized FANUC systems integrator that works primarily in precision machining for component manufacturing. “They also provide great technical and customer support.
“What led us to an automation path is that some of our customers complained about the lack of labor, or labor unreliability. We buy the robots from FANUC for a modular automated drawer system called Cubebox, which houses parts that are then picked up and inspected by a robot that perhaps puts the parts in a lathe or whatever the customer wants it to do.”
Industry observers say the greatest challenges facing United States manufacturing are a labor shortage and the need to be more competitive with China, where factories are automating faster in manufacturing than anywhere else.
According to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, there’s a shortage of about 450,000 manufacturing workers in the country. A recent study by Deloitte and
the Manufacturing Institute, meanwhile, showed the number could surge to 1.9 million openings, based on some 3.8 million manufacturing jobs likely to be needed between now and 2033.
In turn, there’s an ever-increasing demand for the use of robotics and automation throughout numerous industries worldwide.
The World Robotics 2024 report, published by the International Federation of Robotics (IFR), found that the countries with the most robots per 10,000 employees are (ranked in order): The Republic of Korea, Singapore, China, Germany, and Japan; the U.S. ranks 11th, with 295 units per 10,000 employees in 2023.
The study further found that the new global average robot density reached a record 162 units per 10,000 employees in 2023 — more than double the number measured only seven years earlier (74 units).
According to a recent Future Market Insights report, the industrial robotics market will surge to $291 billion by 2035 from 55.1 billion in 2025, in large part due to the rise of cobots built for precision in repetitive tasks and designed to safely work alongside humans in shared workspaces.
The report stated that cobot use will rise due to the increased use of artificial intelligence and machine learning that enables AI-driven decision-making and predictive maintenance, along with the rising demand for flexible, customizable robotic solutions.
Recognizing that robots had to be painstakingly trained by skilled engineers, in 2019 FANUC introduced an AI tool that teaches robots how to pick the right objects out of a bin with simple annotations and sensor technology. The new offering reduced the training process by hours.
COME TOGETHER
FANUC’s West Campus, located just south of Stellantis’ world headquarters in Auburn Hills, opened in 2024 and spans 650,000 square feet. It was built at a cost of $110 million.
“What AI doesn’t mean is that robots are going to take over the world,” Cicco says. “That’s never going to happen, because robots don’t think for themselves. They make an informed decision based upon information we’ve given them. Robots are able to make quicker and informed decisions because a human fed (them) with a bunch of information.”
Besides the need to meet increased demand for automation from industry sectors other than automotive, FANUC is expanding the technology into general assembly at automotive factories.
General assembly is considered the most manual and unpredictable state of vehicle production, and typically requires massive infrastructure upgrades and constant maintenance. Finazzo believes general assembly will see the largest grown in automation.
To that end, FANUC recently introduced the integration of its CRX cobot and other FANUC robot models with Inbolt’s real-time 3D vision and AI that gives robots the intelligence to perform production tasks alongside workers on the assembly line.
General Motors is the first auto manufacturer to use the integrated system.
“In general assembly, there are still important things for the workers to do, but collaborative robots will make their job more efficient,” Cicco says.
In May, at Huntington Place, FANUC demonstrated the new integrated system along with some of its other new robotic systems at Automate, the largest robotics and automation show in North America.
The event is annually hosted by the Association for Advancing Automation (A3) in Ann Arbor, which has 1,360 member companies involved with robotics, artificial intelligence, machine vision and imaging, motion control, and other automation technologies.
The four-day event clearly demonstrated the growing importance and future of robotics and automation, as the show set records with more than 875 exhibitors who demonstrated their technologies in front of 45,000 attendees.
In addition, more than 200 speakers and panelists held discussions on a number of topics including the future use of robotics and the challenges companies face as the Trump administration tries to bring more manufacturing back to America while competing with increasing automation in other countries.
TECH ECOSYSTEM
LAST YEAR, FANUC AMERICA IN ROCHESTER HILLS, along with HTC Global Services, JR Automation, OneStream, and RGBSI, agreed to be the “Keystone Companies” for the newly established Oakland County Tech Collaboration.
The initiative seeks to develop and promote a new ecosystem of technology companies to retain and expand within three industries: research, engineering, and design; IT computer services; and robotics integration.
“These Keystone Companies are not only leaders in their fields, but are committed to building a thriving tech ecosystem that will create new jobs, attract investment, and ensure our region’s continued economic growth,” said David Coulter, Oakland County executive, in announcing the new program.
Overall, Oakland County generates more than 20 percent of Michigan’s GDP and is home to 700-plus global companies from over 30 different countries, exporting $14 billion annually.
“Those industries make up over 60,000 employees in Oakland County, and we discovered that it’s one of the largest tech ecosystems in the country that’s been hidden under the shadow of automotive and manufacturing,” says Greg Doyle, manager of Oakland County’s business retention and growth team.
“To really accelerate growth amongst those companies inside Oakland County and create more connectivity between them, and also with the local universities, it was important to create an identity for that ecosystem. If there’s one company considered to be the leader in this ecosystem, it’s FANUC.”
Mike Cicco, president and CEO of FANUC America in Rochester Hills, sees the Oakland County Tech Collaboration as a portal to help grow the industry.
“As a Keystone Company, we’re excited to play a pivotal role in shaping the future of automation and advanced manufacturing in Oakland County,” Cicco says. “The reality is that collaboration is key.
“In today’s rapidly evolving landscape, working together with fellow industry leaders isn’t just beneficial, it’s essential. By sharing expertise, tackling challenges collectively, and developing smarter solutions, we’re ensuring that manufacturers in the region remain competitive and ahead of the curve.”
In preparation for launching the Oakland County Tech Collaboration program, Doyle and his four-person team surveyed more than 500 tech companies in Oakland County and discovered that few were well-connected.
“One company said they had a contract that required the outsourcing of services to another firm, and a year after the work was given to a California company it was discovered that the California firm had outsourced the work to a company two floors above the Oakland County company,” Doyle says. “We heard a number of stories like that.”
KNOWLEDGE SOURCE
FANUC America is one of several sponsors supporting the Oakland County Tech Collaboration. The initiative seeks to better connect tech companies and help advance the industry.
A major goal of the Oakland County Tech Collaboration is to try and get companies to reap the benefits of working with local universities. It hosts a series of events that pair smaller tech companies with larger ones, and connect businesses with higher education.
“Many of the mid-size to small companies may not be aware of how to connect to the universities and colleges and the resources that are available,” Doyle says. “They may know how to contact the placement office, but they may not have developed a relationship with the school and know about opportunities for working with them on research, putting together white papers, and sharing lab space, for instance.
“In addition, the students may not know about all these companies, and they end up going out of state. If we can bring light to the ecosystem here, perhaps we can retain more of the talent.”
Patrick Oja, founder and president of Provisio Technology Solutions, a small firm in Troy that creates custom-based software for businesses, says the Oakland County Tech Collaboration approached him and shared the events they were hosting in conjunction with universities in the county.
“I found them to be extremely helpful in making connections and hearing about how we could partner,” Oja says. “I made contact with some of the faculty at Oakland University (in Rochester Hills), and we have a pending project together. I’ve also made some pretty good contacts with manufacturing.
“I think the collaboration is really positive, particularly for small businesses trying to get connected to larger opportunities. That has been the most exciting part of it for me.” — Bill Dow
THE OAKLAND COUNTY TECH COLLABORATION will host a series of events, including the Edu2B Tech Collaboration Series, which connects businesses with higher education resources and opportunities at the university level, and links small tech companies to larger tech companies. The event schedule includes:
• Nov. 6 — 9-11:30 a.m., Oakland Community College, Royal Oak campus
For more information about the Oakland County Tech Collaboration, visit oakgov.com/octechcollaboration
Jeff Burnstein, president of A3, sees great opportunities and growth in the robotics and automation arenas, but he also recognizes the challenges.
“I see robotics and automation increasing over the long term, and we’re in the early innings in America,” Burnstein says. “Labor shortages are a factor, but the main reason is the need for companies to remain globally competitive.
“The advances in robotics, AI, and machine vision are advancing relatively quickly and if you’re not using them, competitors elsewhere are going to be. It’s not just in manufacturing. We’re seeing that virtually every industry is automating now or is considering it in life sciences, agriculture, construction, and fulfillment.”
According to Cicco, “The biggest challenge FANUC has now is that we have our own labor problem. That’s weird that I make robots and have a labor problem. We need more people who know how to program, install, and maintain them.”
Burnstein agrees.
“The future of our world is going to be increasingly automated, and we’re going to need to have a skilled workforce that can operate the machine and develop new strategies,” he says. “We have to put a lot of emphasis on the next generation of the workforce.”
Mindful of the need for future workers, A3’s Automate trade show in Detroit hosted a record 1,200 students.
“We had an education pavilion, and students took part in robotics challenges,” Burnstein says. “They walked the show, and met with academic institutions that were there. It was a great learning experience for them.”
In an effort to try and inspire more young people to consider careers in robotics and automation, FANUC has placed robots in more than 1,600 high schools, community colleges, and universities since 2009.
The company also introduced robots and a curriculum to multiple prisons, military bases, and community centers in underserved communities.
In Michigan alone, FANUC has its robots in about 140 schools. The schools buy the robots at a greatly discounted academic price, while FANUC provides the curriculum, simulation software, and instructor certification for a robotics program that aligns with industry needs.
“One of the biggest challenges that keeps CEOs up at night is how are we going to find people to operate all of this technology?” says Paul Aiello, who has been director of education at FANUC America for the past 15 years. “The only way our customers can maximize their investment is to have trained employees.
“We want to reach students before they make pathways to a career decision, because they don’t know what they don’t know, and there are hundreds of career opportunities in robotics in different areas.”
Last year, FANUC America announced the establishment of a $1 million endowed scholarship fund in collaboration with the SME Education Foundation. It will provide annual scholarships totaling at least $50,000 to deserving students pursuing careers in advanced manufacturing.
“The fund aims to alleviate the financial burden of post-secondary education and create a robust pipeline of talent for the automation workforce,” Aiello says.
During a recent audit, the company determined its educational outreach initiatives have reached more than 1 million students since the program was launched in 2009.
“FANUC and our customers are trying to find a pipeline of talent, and we know we’ve made an impact because I’m sure a significant number of students have gone on to positions in robotics automation,” Aiello says.
According to The Future of Jobs Report 2025 from the World Economic Forum, broadening digital access is expected to be the most transformative trend — both across technology-related trends and overall — with 60 percent of employers expecting it to impact their business by 2030.
INITIATE SEQUENCE
In addition to working with people, FANUC America designs robots that work together to complete tasks. In some cases, robots are building robots, all under human supervision.
Advancements in technologies — particularly AI and information processing (86 percent); robotics and automation (58 percent); and energy generation, storage, and distribution (41 percent) — are also expected to be transformative.
It’s anticipated that these trends will have a divergent effect on jobs, driving both the fastest-growing and fastest-declining roles, and fueling demand for technology-related skills including AI and big data, machine learning, networks,
FANUC IS A TECHNICAL COMPANY, AND WHAT TECHNICAL PEOPLE WANT MORE THAN ANYTHING IS CHALLENGE AND CREATIVENESS.”
— LOU FINAZZO
and cybersecurity and technological literacy, which are predicted to be the top three fastest-growing skills, the report states.
“One of our strengths is our retention,” Finazzo says. “FANUC is a technical company, and what technical people want more than anything is challenge and creativeness. When you come to work here, nothing is a no.
“If you have an idea you might get some questions about it, but people embrace the desire to continue to improve and have better ideas. It’s very rewarding, and I think that’s why we retain most of our people. When someone retires, sometimes we think, ‘How are we going to replace someone with 40 years of experience?’ But right behind him or her is someone with 25 years.”
Cicco, who earned an electrical engineering degree at Bucknell University in central Pennsylvania and worked one year at Northrup Grumman as a lead automation engineer before joining FANUC in 1999 as a software supervisor in robot programming, says one part of his focus is on corporate culture.
“We operate as a big family while providing our employees a pathway throughout their career in various areas,” explains Cicco, who last year traveled to FANUC’s headquarters in Japan nine times. “We have a joint development organization between headquarters, and a very strong bond.”
When asked what his secret to business success is, Cicco says it’s a sense of reinvention.
“Since I was a young child, I took things apart and put them back together and liked to figure out how things work,” he says. “The best show I’ve watched is ‘How It’s Made’ (a documentary TV series). I could sit and watch that show over and over again.
“I’ve been able to progress here because I went from actually doing the fixing to teaching others how to do it, then building a community of people. Now, as CEO, I’m the coach of the whole team. I don’t get my hands as dirty as I used to, and I miss that, but I derive joy now by seeing other people do it. Over the years, I’ve changed what drives me.”
Although FANUC America doesn’t publish its sales data and financials as a subsidiary of FANUC in Japan, Cicco foresees continuing expediential growth for the company.
“The pandemic created a huge demand for robotics and automation because of the labor shortage and early retirements,” says Cicco, who believes that automation played a key role in helping to battle COVID-19.
“We sold 2,000 robots that helped make masks, handle vials, and make test kits. Probably lives were saved because we were able to turn on automation so quickly.”
At the present time, Cicco says the tariffs announced by the Trump administration have caused some companies to delay moving forward with automation investments because the situation is chaotic.
“Our customers and future customers are frozen right now because they’re fearful and don’t know what it’s going to look like, (and neither) do we,” Cicco says. “Once it gets settled, then it will look a lot better because there’s a fundamental trade imbalance with the rest of the world, and there are more things that could be made here that aren’t.”
That being said, Cicco envisions having to once again expand FANUC America’s footprint because he and his team foresee there will continue to be a strong demand for robots.
“We had a number of leased facilities in the area, and the new West Campus facility was going to combine those, but because of demand we still need those other facilities,” he says.
“When the West Campus opened a year ago, I got a pit in my stomach seeing all this empty space and wondering how we were going to fill it. But now it’s full, so I anticipate having to create another new campus. Southeast Michigan will continue to be a key part of our growth.”
PICK AND PLACE
As robots are used in greater numbers on assembly lines and inside production facilities, demand for skilled training is expected to soar. That’s one reason FANUC America has introduced a robot curriculum in schools and communities.
GRAND TRAVERSE RESORT AND SPA
WITH AN AWARD-WINNING meeting staff and indoor and outdoor spaces to choose from, Grand Traverse Resort and Spa isn’t like other hotel event venues. Looking to work on your short game or relax in a spa? Want to meet at the beach or in a ballroom with space for 2,500? All of that and more awaits at our Michigan conference center.
Bring the beauty of northern Michigan into your next meeting. “As northern Michigan’s largest convention center, we are thrilled to offer state-of-the-art upgrades and features in every one of our meeting spaces,” says Katie Leonard, director of sales. “Located off the lobby, the 10,000-square-foot Michigan Ballroom is seen by so many. The chic design and natural colors are eye-catching.” The “lake effect” theme continues in the resort’s 19,000-square-
foot Governors’ Hall, plus the Tower, Mackinac, and Peninsula ballrooms. The design of the spaces was inspired by the natural beauty of the Traverse City area. Updated meeting space restrooms include all touchless features, air walls offer increased sound dampening, 21-inch digital reader boards are outside of all meeting rooms, and all rooms are furnished with linenless classroom tables and Michigan-made banquet chairs. The meeting spaces are also equipped with a state-of-the-art Crestron sound system, lighting, and increased bandwidth.
With four seasons of adventure, we’ll show you how a small-town meeting can make a big difference. At Grand Traverse Resort and Spa, the entire property is your home. With 86,500 square feet of indoor and outdoor meeting space and endless dining options, plus opportuni -
ties to relax or have fun, the resort is your one-stop meeting spot. Mix business with pleasure while enjoying our full-service spa. The renowned Spa Grand Traverse brings a relaxing element to meetings and events. Looking to work on your short game? The resort is home to three championship golf courses, including Jack Nicklaus’ The Bear. Engage in positive team building at The Den, Traverse City’s entertainment hub. Located off the main lobby, The Den features axe throwing, boutique mini-bowling, an escape room, and more. Take your meeting beyond the boardroom at Grand Traverse Resort and Spa. To learn more about holding a meeting or event at Grand Traverse Resort and Spa, visit grandtraverseresort.com/meet.
THE WESTIN BOOK CADILLAC DETROIT
DISCOVER A LANDMARK SETTING for your next meeting or event at The Westin Book Cadillac Detroit. Perfectly positioned in the heart of the city, the iconic hotel offers more than 36,000 square feet of recently refreshed meeting and special event space, including the historic Venetian and Crystal ballrooms and sleek, modern boardrooms designed for productivity and inspiration.
Whether you’re planning a corporate retreat, an executive summit, or an elegant reception, your guests will enjoy elevated catering, state-of-the-art technology, and Westin’s signature wellness-inspired service. Steps from the city’s major business, entertainment, and sports venues, The Westin Book Cadillac is where Detroit’s most iconic moments come to life.
Let Westin’s event professionals help you plan a seamless experience from start to finish.
SHENANDOAH COUNTRY CLUB
5600 WALNUT LAKE ROAD, WEST BLOOMFIELD, MI 48323 • 248-454-1919 • SHENANDOAHCC.NET
LOCATED IN THE HEART of West Bloomfield, Shenandoah Country Club is more than a golf destination — it’s an experience. Renowned for service excellence, the club is where every event is transformed into a seamless masterpiece, whether you’re hosting a high-powered corporate retreat or an unforgettable social celebration.
From the moment you arrive, you will feel the difference. The team members anticipate your needs with precision and warmth, ensuring every detail is executed flawlessly. They pride themselves on creating personalized experiences that reflect your vision, backed by a reputation of professionalism and hospitality.
Shenandoah Country Club offers a stunning array of venues tailored to elevate any gathering:
- The Grand Ballroom: A blend of classical and modern architecture with 12,000 square feet of columnless divisible space with panoramic golf course views and an outdoor terrace, ideal for executive conferences, gala dinners, and weddings.
- Activity Rooms 1 and 2: Modern charm meets upscale amenities, perfect for communions, graduations, birthdays, and milestone celebrations.
- Tech-Equipped Conference Room: Designed for board meetings and small conferences with high-speed connectivity and videoconferencing. Make your event legendary! Choose Shenandoah Country Club for your next event and discover why it’s the region’s premier hub for corporate and social gatherings. Here, excellence isn’t just a promise — it’s the standard.
MOTORCITY CASINO HOTEL
WITH BALLROOMS, BOARDROOMS , a large theater, and spaces with soaring skyline views, MotorCity Casino Hotel is Detroit’s leading meeting destination. Each space is fully equipped with state-of-theart audiovisual equipment, including video and teleconferencing capabilities.
Customize your experience with help from MotorCity’s expert team and skilled culinary staff and treat your guests to complimentary Wi-Fi, parking, and 24-hour business and fitness center access.
Once the closing speech has been delivered, there’s no better place to let loose than MotorCity Casino. Play the latest slots and experience the excitement of a variety of games. Of course, the sports fans in your crew will flock to the two-story FanDuel Sportsbook. On the right night, you can also sneak away for a show at Sound Board. Or simply retire to one of MotorCity’s 400 large, elegant hotel rooms and suites.
ANTHOLOGY EVENTS
LOCATED INSIDE DETROIT’S beautifully restored Book Tower, Anthology Events is the perfect host for your next corporate gathering. With historic architectural details and sweeping views of the city, it’s an elegant backdrop for your next event.
Housed within Book Tower is ROOST Detroit, which offers accommodations for local residents attending multiday events or visiting guests. The rooms are thoughtfully designed suites with full kitchens, in-room laundry, and plenty of space both to work and to relax.
This all-encompassing venue is an ideal place to entertain guests beyond your corporate events. Book Tower features a portfolio of acclaimed restaurants and cocktail bars, including Le Suprême, Kamper’s, Hiroki-San, and Bar Rotunda. Whether it’s a post-event dinner or casual cocktails, it’s all right here.
With Anthology and ROOST Detroit, you can host, stay, and entertain all under one roof. The experienced events team is dedicated to bringing your vision to life.
DOWNTOWN DETROIT HAS A FRESH new seafood spot with the arrival of Ostrea. The menu leans into both classic and creative fare, from luxurious seafood chowder and hamachi crudo to standout lobster rolls. The vibe is fun but polished, and the drink menu is curated to be perfectly matched to seafood. Expect bright and thoughtful creations that pair with the food offerings but also are bold enough to enjoy by themselves.
The London Chop House is the premier Detroit steakhouse offering classic fine dining with a vintage vibe. Established in 1938, it’s renowned for prime steaks, seafood, and an extensive wine list. Live jazz and exceptional service make it a top destination for elegant dining and unforgettable special occasions.
Elevate your corporate gathering with Anthology Events, located in the beautifully restored Book Tower. Encompassing a collection of unique offerings ideal for entertaining, dining, and accommodating overnight guests.
Boutique Event Space for Corporate and Social Gatherings
An All‑Day Café and Wine Bar
Thoughtfully Designed Apartment Hotel
Immersive Soulful Japanese Dining and Artisan Cocktails
Classic French Brasserie, Daily Plat du Jours, Weekend Brunch
Rooftop Lounge with Tapas, Cocktails, and Views
An Intimate Lounge for Curious Drinkers
A Taste of Tokyo with Weekly Karaoke, Cold Beer, and Sake.
MEN’S
RIGHT: Straight Coat with High Collar in Black Wool and Cashmere Serge with Calfskin Trim, $6,750 Hermès at Somerset Collection, Troy, 947-218-0740, hermes.com WOMEN’S COAT, LEFT: Julia & Stella Patchwork Shearling Coat, $1,795 Maximilian, Birmingham, 248-642-1690, maximilian.com
WOMEN’S COAT, LEFT: Julia & Stella Tibetan Lamb Jacket with Belt, $1,795 Maximilian, Birmingham, 248-642-1690, maximilian.com
WOMEN’S COAT, RIGHT: Mohair Scarf, $260
Oversized Wool Coat, $1,795
Tory Burch at Somerset Collection, Troy, 248-458-1307, toryburch.com
Detroit Story
Marlo Fogelman grew up in West Bloomfield and envisioned a future career as a lawyer, but a chance project with a friend helped launch a successful marketing firm.
BY TOM MURRAY
Marlo Fogelman, founder and CEO of Marlo Marketing, a Boston-based public relations and creative services firm, says her career turned out to be a dramatic departure from what she thought she wanted to do when she was a little girl.
“I can’t go back far enough to remember exactly when, but I was probably 8 years old (and) I wanted to be a lawyer,” Fogelman says. “Not because I watched ‘Perry Mason,’ and said I want to do that. It was more that I liked to communicate and argue, and someone (told me I) should be a lawyer.”
Fogelman grew up along Buckingham Trail in West Bloomfield. Her mother was a travel agent and her father was a podiatrist who had four or five offices and a lot of patients in the auto industry.
“We were always moving around,” she recalls. “This was a time when a lot of families who lived in the Detroit suburbs were proud that they never went downtown, but my family embraced downtown Detroit.
“It was an important part of my family’s ethos. We’d go with my dad to his office and have lunch at the Traffic Jam & Snug (in Midtown), and we always went to the Eastern Market.”
Just seeing what was going on in the city during the 1980s had an impact on Fogelman.
“I grew up in a relatively affluent neighborhood, so I was in this bubble. Being downtown as much as we were, I realized it was just the opposite — especially during that time,” Fogelman says.
“My dad was very much into giving back. We belonged to Temple Beth El, and my dad was a member of the Brotherhood, and there were always turkey drives and other things going on so you could give back to those less fortunate.”
Fogelman attended Andover High in Bloomfield Township, and by the time she moved on to Michigan State University in East Lansing, she was still thinking about a career in law.
“I studied pre-law and poli sci, and actually spent my junior year abroad in Paris,” she says. “I never wanted to come back and I stayed as long as I possibly could have, but I missed taking the LSAT.”
After Fogelman finished her senior year at Michigan State, she took the law school admission test, or LSAT. As a result, there was a one-year gap between college and law school.
“I worked for a law firm in Birmingham that did mesothelioma cases,” she says. “I didn’t really love it, but at that point I didn’t know what else to do, and I was just kind of on this path.”
The journey continued when Fogelman scored well on the LSAT, decided she wanted to live in either Washington, D.C., or Boston, and was accepted by the law schools at both American University in D.C. and Boston University.
So, how did she decide between the two cities?
“I don’t know. I don’t know. You’re going to think I’m cuckoo,” she reveals. “One of my essays for the law school at Boston University was that it was kismet that I was meant to live in Boston.
“I’d never been there, but must have lived there in a past life, and just had an affinity for it. I felt the same way about Paris before I went there for a year. There’s just certain places that I feel a kinship for.”
PR FOR THE SOUL Marlo Fogelman, founder and CEO of Marlo Marketing in Boston, grew up in West Bloomfield. During her childhood, she often visited downtown Detroit, Midtown, and Eastern Market.
In 1997, Fogelman graduated from Boston University School of Law with a JD, as well as a master’s degree in international relations. After passing the bar exams in both Massachusetts and New York, she found herself in a quandary.
“I really enjoyed going to law school,” she says, “but I wasn’t at all sure about how much I was going to enjoy the actual practice of law. So, I went through what I call my ‘pre-life crisis,’ and kind of just messed around for a couple of years.”
She started out as an executive assistant at a tech startup, then joined the legal team at John Hancock Life Insurance Co.
“We called ourselves the Island of Misfit Lawyers. We either couldn’t find jobs or we didn’t know what we wanted to do,” Fogelman says. “But I was doing the kinds of things that come naturally to me — creating relationships, throwing events. And then I helped a girlfriend with a project she was working on for The Big Dig.”
The Big Dig was a massive road infrastructure undertaking that began in Boston in the early 1990s, and Fogelman and her girlfriend came up with a novel idea to promote the project.
“We did a Boys of The Big Dig calendar, and one for the girls, too,” Fogelman explains. “It was meant to be an educational tool for the city. We did casting calls, contests with celebrity judges, and we got a ton of press. It was my first exposure to doing PR, and I didn’t even know what I was doing. I was just doing something because it was fun and I liked it.”
While Fogelman was still working on that project, she heard about an intriguing opportunity.
“The biggest PR firm in Boston was looking specifically for a lawyer because they were having trouble keeping anyone on their professional services accounts, things that aren’t sexy and fun,” she says. “They had 500 lawyers apply for that job, more than for any job they ever posted, and I got it.”
Along with those boring, mundane accounts at her new job, Fogelman inherited a gigantic challenge in the retail coffee sector.
“Starbucks entered New England in 1995, and had been (with) the company that hired me for six months,” she says. “They’d gone through five PR firms before, and they weren’t happy. So it was like, ‘Let’s give Marlo the Starbucks account. We’re going to lose it anyway, and when she messes it up, we’ll fire her.’ ”
But Fogelman turned the account around in three months, singlehandedly, mostly because there was a lack of understanding of what the Starbucks product was.
By way of example, “New Englanders like their coffee sweet and creamy, right? So they’re thinking, what’s a latte? And why would I pay $4 for it?”
Fogelman’s marketing strategy was wide-ranging and multipronged. She helped open the first Starbucks store in Vermont by directly connecting to the surrounding community.
“I found a policing organization that impacted everybody in the entire city of Burlington, and we worked very closely on our relationship with them, asking what they needed, and following through.
“I feel like a lot of marketing people get a bad rap for just talking, excuse my French, bull*#@t, and never following through, but I walked the walk, right? And I think that was a big reason why I was able to infiltrate Starbucks.”
She also made their product fun and accessible.
“What’s big in New England? St. Patrick’s Day. How do we play into that?” Fogelman asks. “We did coffee with green whipped cream. Then, we did a mint mocha latte with green whipped cream, and every
year we were allowed to get bigger and bigger — from one store, to a whole region, to the entire state.
“By the end, we were taking out full-page ads in The Boston Globe with this whole leprechaun latte thing.”
It was at this point in her career that Fogelman took what seemed to be the obvious next step, and set out on her own.
“I started (my) company with Starbucks and three other clients,” she says. “I never took out a business loan, and we made money from day one.”
Garrett Harker, the proprietor of Eastern Standard and several other restaurants in Boston and the surrounding area, was one of Fogelman’s first new clients.
“I first met Marlo in 2006, after I opened a 220-seat restaurant,” Harker recalls. “The space was big, but I was a small-minded thinker, and Marlo had the vision and aspiration and expertise to tell the public how driven and committed we were.
“Marlo makes all of my people better, because her bar is so high, and her partnership and understanding of the brand has been a beacon over the last 20 years.”
SHARED VALUE
Fogelman and one of her clients, Garrett Harker, who owns several restaurants, attend Boston Magazine’s Most Influential Bostonians event in 2023.
Fogelman was an aggressive self-promoter from the start, launching a newsletter for her clients, “Marlo Monthly,” a precursor to the numerous social media options so prevalent today. As her venture prospered and grew, Fogelman didn’t forget the lessons she learned from her father about giving back.
“We always took on pro bono work; it’s just always been a part of who we’ve been,” she says.
When the global nancial crisis hit in 2008 — her company was four years old at the time — she lost a lot of business. But instead of ring people, she took the long-term view of keeping her team in place while reinforcing her high standards.
“Knowing what it takes to nd people who meet those standards isn’t easy,” she maintains. “So, during that time, I paid my team out of pocket, and they stayed busy with a ton of pro bono work.”
Fogelman and her team prevailed, and forged ahead for several years before another crisis emerged.
“We were at our height right before COVID-19,” she says, “but our clients were all in hospitality, restaurants, hotels, movie theaters, hair salons, gyms, alcohol, (and) senior living real estate development. Our industries got destroyed, and we lost two-thirds of our clients overnight.”
Fogelman also lost the majority of her sta . “We’re much smaller now than we used to be,” she says.
Whereas before 2020 she had around 43 employees, today Marlo Marketing has 16 workers.
But Fogelman and her streamlined team emerged from the pandemic with some signi cant insight.
“Two weeks after the lockdown, we were brought in to turn around Steak ’n Shake, and then opened a signi cant senior living community,” she says. “I realized there’s a lot of people in marketing making big salaries who don’t know what they’re doing.” e result was the launch of Marlo Marketing’s Outsourced Solutions platform, which bills clients hourly for marketing guidance, sparing them the ordeal of hiring large agencies that may overcharge and underdeliver.
For clients like Harker and his restaurants, it was yet another example of Fogelman’s determination and innate creative instinct that leads to success.
“Marlo is a long-term thinker and a short-term doer,” Harker says. “When faced with existential challenges to our businesses, many of us were feeling sorry for ourselves. But Marlo has the gift to lay out a vision for her team and her clients. en she acts with decisive enthusiasm, like no one else.”
I’M IN YPO, THE YOUNG PRESIDENT’S ORGANIZATION, AND I PROPOSED THAT WE DO OUR FIRST ANNUAL GLOBAL SUMMIT IN DETROIT, AND I VOLUNTEERED TO PLAN IT.” — MARLO FOGELMAN
Lately, Fogelman is especially enthusiastic about a project with special meaning for her.
“I’m in YPO, the Young President’s Organization, and I proposed that we do our rst annual global summit in Detroit, and I volunteered to plan it,” she says.
“Ninety- ve percent of my client base is in the hospitality business network, and in October, I’ll be bringing 150 CEOs of hotels, restaurants, alcohol companies, beverage companies, and food and beverage manufacturers to the city.”
Fogelman’s face lights up as she mentions her hometown.
“I go to a lot of conferences. Where do I go? Las Vegas, Atlanta, Miami, Chicago, (and) New York. It’s the same stu ,” she relays.
“Detroit should be part of that rotation, easy. What it o ers is o the charts comparable to any other major city, and I’m really excited about bringing those people there, because the Detroit story is amazing.”
MARKETING MILESTONE
Fogelman, center, and her team recently celebrated the company’s 20th anniversary. In October, Fogelman will help host 150 CEOs from the food, beverage, and hospitality industries in Detroit.
BRAND IDENTITY
Marlo Marketing’s clients include the Franklin Park Zoo, a 72-acre zoo that’s part of the Emerald Necklace in Boston, Narragansett Lager, and Showcase Cinemas.
TOP BUSINESS 2025
RESTAURANTS in metro Detroit
ANN ARBOR
BLUE LLAMA JAZZ CLUB
New Orleans jazz meets downtown Ann Arbor with live music every night and world-inspired cuisine. A favorite spot for locals, visitors, and fans attending a sporting event. 314 S. Main St., Ann Arbor, 48104, 734-372-3200, D Wed.-Sat. / 40 / 100 / / NA
THE CHOP HOUSE
An elegant steakhouse destination featuring grain-fed beef like filet mignon and New York strip — usually a great spot before or after a U-M football game. 322 S. Main St., Ann Arbor, 888456-3463, D Daily / 46 / 81 / / The Chef’s Table. Seats 10-12 people at the front of the restaurant, with a view of Ann Arbor’s Main Street.
GANDY DANCER
Located in the elegantly restored 1886 Michigan Central Depot railroad station, made from stone, the Gandy Dancer specializes in seafood, steak, and pasta dishes. 401 Depot St., Ann Arbor, 734769-0592, B Sun., L Mon.-Sat., D Daily / 35 / 270/ / / Window tables with a scenic view of the train tracks or a central booth by a sculpture.
PAESANO RESTAURANT & WINE BAR
A cozy atmosphere featuring rustic Italian dishes with an emphasis on regional preparations. The menu also boasts variety, o ering dishes such as duck ravioli and barbequed ribs flavored with orange molasses and vinegar. 3411 Washtenaw Ave., Ann Arbor, 734-971-0484, L & D Daily / 26 / 250/ / NA
ZINGERMAN’S ROADHOUSE
A down-to-earth establishment, Zingerman’s serves fresh regional American foods. Entrées
include Uncle Joe Burroughs’ Southern fried whole catfish platter, rainbow trout, and Alaskan halibut. 2501 Jackson Ave., Ann Arbor, 734-6633663, B, L & D Daily / 293 / 65 / / / NA
AUBURN HILLS
LELLI’S OF AUBURN HILLS
This Italian restaurant is known for its filet mignon with zip sauce, a 32-oz. porterhouse, and tableside Caesar salad. Originally located in Detroit. 885 Opdyke Rd., Auburn Hills, 248-3734440, L & D Daily / 50 / 350 / / / Located in a high-profile part of the restaurant, the tables by the bar are highly requested.
BIRMINGHAM
220 MERRILL
220 Merrill is a modern and chic upscale restaurant specializing in American cuisine. 220 E Merrill St., Birmingham, 248646-2220, BR Sat.-Sun. L & D Daily / 40 / 250 / / NA
BIG ROCK ITALIAN CHOPHOUSE
Charming and historic, the former Grand Trunk Railway station has found new life as the Big Rock Italian Chophouse, serving up premium steaks and upscale Italian dishes. The menu highlights branzino, lasagna, and veal parmesan, complemented by a curated wine list. 245 S. Eton St., Birmingham, 248-275-0888, D Mon.Sat / 40 / / The Grand Trunk private dining room accommodates up to 36 guests; Eton Station accommodates up to 30 guests (available in 2026).
BIRMINGHAM PUB
Enjoy a sophisticated twist to the classic gastropub experience with an inviting ambience that’s casual and comfortable, with luxe touches and urban chic details. 555 S. Old
Woodward Ave., Birmingham, 248-885-8108, B & L Sun., L Tue.-Fri., D Tue.-Sun. / 30 / 300 / / The Sunset Room can seat up to 60 guests and has standing room for 70. It overlooks South Old Woodward Avenue and features a full bar and open-air views.
CASA PERNOI
Casa Pernoi, located in Birmingham’s Triangle District, is best known for its famous bread basket, which is baked in-house. The food is all scratch-made in this Trattoria-style casual Italian restaurant, featuring homemade pastas, wildcaught seafood, local vegetables in season, and locally raised meats. 310 E. Maple Rd., Birmingham, 248-940-0000, L Wed.-Fri., D Tue.-Sat. No valet, but the restaurant has its own dedicated parking lot that costs $5 to use. / 50 / 400 / / The most popular area for guests to sit is the covered patio in the bar/port rooms. The restaurant o ers private dining in the Maple/ Ocean rooms from six to 50 people.
FLEMING’S PRIME
STEAKHOUSE & WINE BAR
This steakhouse, accompanying a menu complete with aged prime beef and fresh seafood, o ers a renowned wine list with more than 100 selections. 323 N. Old Woodward Ave., Birmingham, 248-723-0134, D Daily / 50 / 400 / / / The Captain’s Table seats eight people in large, comfortable chairs.
FOREST
Located in Birmingham’s Triangle District, diners can watch as the culinary team prepares charcuterie and traditional bistro dishes behind glass windows. The chef emphasizes fresh, local ingredients. 753 Forest Ave., Birmingham, 248258-9400, L Sat., D Tue.-Sat. / 45 / 65 / / / The restaurant’s corner booth seats up to 14 people and provides ample privacy.
HAZEL’S SEASONAL SEAFOOD
This seafood restaurant o ers diverse options all year long, with rotating regional o erings from some of the best-known seafood destinations in the country. 1 Peabody St., Birmingham, 248-6711714, L & D Tue.-Sun. / 25 / 125 /
HYDE PARK PRIME STEAKHOUSE
The popular downtown venue o ers both traditional and specialty steaks, including dry-aged reserve prime o erings, as well as shrimp and lobster tail. 201 S. Old Woodward Ave., Birmingham, 248-594-4369, D Mon.-Sat. / 70 / 60 / / / The plush red Gotti booth is a customer favorite, but for more privacy the Board Room seats 8-10. Other popular areas of the restaurant include six rooms for private dining, and stained glass-ornamented Room 11, which includes a flat-screen TV and a fireplace.
MADAM
Located inside the Daxton Hotel, Madam serves American cuisine and beverages. Entrées include scallops, flat iron steak, and steelhead trout. 298 S. Old Woodward Ave., Birmingham, 248-283-4200, B, L & D Daily / 42 / 90 / / / With an open floor plan and the large expansive space, every table is as advantageous as the next.
PHOENICIA
A unique and refined menu for Middle Eastern cuisine. Owner Sameer Eid selects the finest cuts of meat every morning and uses them in specialty dishes such as baba ghanoush and hashwi with lamb confit. 588 S. Old Woodward Ave., Birmingham, 248-644-3122, L Mon.-Fri., D Daily / 25 / The dining area can comfortably accommodate parties of up to 10. / / Booths 1, 2, and 21 are popular for meetings. The two most private booths can seat up to six and are located beside the wine cellar.
WILDER’S Birmingham
RUGBY GRILLE
Tucked inside Birmingham’s Townsend Hotel, the Rugby Grille offers steaks, seafood, and racks of lamb. Or sit outside on the expansive sidewalk patio, which offers a great view of who’s coming in and out of the main entrance doors. 100 Townsend St., Birmingham, 248-6425999, B, L & D Daily / 52 / NA / / / Tables 71 and 74 have unparalleled vantage points of the restaurant.
TOWNHOUSE
Located in downtown Birmingham, this American bistro serves up everything from lobster rolls to footlong cheesesteaks, and has an extensive alcohol selection. 180 Pierce St., Birmingham, 248-792-5241, L & D Daily / 34 NA / / NA
WILDER’S
The Art Deco-inspired space features rich green hues, polished brass, and eclectic art. Wilder’s offers craft cocktails and an extensive wine and spirits list. Menu highlights include a raw bar featuring oysters on the half shell, beef and tuna tartare, and prime steaks with enhancements. 458 N. Old Woodward Ave., Birmingham, 248771-0900, L & D Mon.-Fri., D Daily / 65
ZANA
Zana offers a modern American menu with a European flair. Its ambience celebrates the fusion of art, aesthetics, and food. 210 S. Old Woodward Ave., Birmingham, 248-800-6568, D Tue.-Sun. / 42 / 130 / / The back booth is perfect for a private business lunch.
BLOOMFIELD HILLS
ANDIAMO BLOOMFIELD
The Italian eatery offers a range of traditional
dishes such as ravioli and lasagna, along with premium cuts of beef. 6676 Telegraph Rd., Bloomfield Hills, 248-865-9300, L Mon.-Fri., D Daily / 41 / 150 / / / Table 40 is at the center of the restaurant near a fireplace. With a low wall to one side and a high wall to the other, this secluded table offers ample privacy for a group of eight.
EDDIE MERLOT’S
This is the first and only Eddie Merlot’s in Michigan and, in keeping with the restaurant’s mantra, it provides top-of-the-line steaks and seafood. 37000 Woodward Ave., Bloomfield Hills, 248-712-4095, D Daily / 56 / 600 / / / Table 441, located in the center of the restaurant, seats up to eight people and offers views of the entire restaurant and the wine wall. Table 119 is also highly requested for a more private setting.
JOE MUER SEAFOOD
Joe Muer Seafood in Bloomfield Hills is the second Muer seafood restaurant in the region. The menu is the same, and the décor is distinctive with a central bar, black-and-white marble floors, live acts, and an extensive wine collection. 39475 Woodward Ave., Bloomfield Hills, 248-792-9609, D Daily / 49 / 200 / / / The Bloomfield Hills location seats up to 250 people, with several prime locations.
ROADSIDE B&G
This bar and grill is retro-themed and specializes in everything from burgers, ribs, and fish and chips to steaks and seafood. 1727 S. Telegraph Rd., Bloomfield Township, 248-8587270, D Daily / 24 / 40 / Tables on the patio are the most requested.
CANTON TOWNSHIP
ANTONIO’S CUCINA ITALIANA
Family recipes feature authentic Italian cuisine like linguine primavera, ravioli, and cannelloni, that truly reflects the Old Country. The location is one of four Antonio’s restaurants in metro Detroit, along with Roman Village in Dearborn. 2220 N. Canton Center Rd., Canton, 734-9819800, L & D Daily / 19 / 140 / /
The VIP Room. This plush and private room, equipped with a 20-foot-long captain’s table and captain’s chairs, has a widescreen TV.
CLARKSTON
RUDY’S PRIME STEAKHOUSE
Located on the corner of Washington and Main Street in what was Rudy’s Market for almost a century, Rudy’s Prime has been updated to offer a modern and sophisticated dining experience. The menu includes prime and Wagyu steak options, and other specialties such as craft cocktails and mocktails, lobster mac and cheese, and pan-roasted sea bass. 9 S. Main St., Clarkston, 248-625-3033, D Tue.-Sun. / 48 /
VIA BOLOGNA
Designed to remind customers of the romantic atmosphere of European dining, this Italian restaurant specializes in pastas, veal, chicken, and fish entrées. 7071 Dixie Hwy., Clarkston, 248-620-8500, D Wed.-Sat. / 28 / 50 before 3 p.m. / / Table 14 is tucked away by a window.
CLINTON TOWNSHIP
THE BREWERY RESTAURANT
A casual American restaurant featuring upscale, world-class cuisine including steak, chops, fresh seafood, and daily specials.
39950 Hayes, Clinton Township, 586-2863020, D Tue.-Sat. / 34 / 30 / / A corner table by the patio that seats up to eight people and offers plenty of privacy.
COMMERCE TOWNSHIP
AURORA ON THE LAKE
Overlooking Union Lake, the large Italian-style restaurant inspired by a Capri menu showcases specialties including tableside Caesar salad preparation, made-in-house pastas, land and sea entrées, and vegetable side dishes. 2323 Union Lake Rd., Commerce Township, 248-360-6650, D Daily / 31 /
DEARBORN
ROMAN VILLAGE CUCINA ITALIANA
This family-owned restaurant sticks to its traditional Italian roots and uses family recipes. For example, their polenta consists of cornmeal topped with Italian sausage and meat sauce. 9924 Dix Ave., Dearborn, 313-842-2100, L & D Daily / 19 / 110 / / A round table in the center of the room.
DEARBORN HEIGHTS
ANTONIO’S CUCINA ITALIANA
This location, just as the Rugiero family’s other locations, produces its own pasta daily. Apart from ravioli Florentine or mannicotti, pair their fresh gnocchi with the house special pancetta and mushroom sauce. 26356 Ford Rd., Dearborn Heights, 313-278-6000, L & D Daily / 19 / 110 / The secluded south room, with its few tables, is reminiscent of old school Italian restaurants and is located away from the main room’s hustle and bustle. It’s private and quaint.
DETROIT
ADELINA
A block north of Campus Martius Park, Adelina offers elevated Italian-Mediterranean flavors in a bright, modern space. It serves made-in-house pastas, signature cocktails and mocktails, and has an extensive wine list by the bottle and the glass. The dessert menu features Italian classics like tiramisu and zeppoli, Italian ricotta doughnuts, and after-dinner drinks. One Campus Martius, 1040 Woodward Ave., Detroit, 313-246-8811, D Tue.-Sun. / 42 /
ALPINO
Situated at 1426 Bagley St. in Detroit, Alpino is rooted in an Alpine tradition where cattle adorned with oversized cowbells and flower crowns are led down the mountains by local farmers in early fall. The menu includes mountain cheeses, fondue, La Valaisanne tomato soup, gurkensalat, pasta, meat, fish including walleye, and wienerschnitzel, steak, spatzle, and more. Desserts include buttermilk panna cotta, rosette, bonet, rhubarb tarte, and carrot and strawberry torte. 1426 Bagley St., Detroit, 313-524-0888, BR Sun., D Daily / 43 / 80 / / / There’s seating for an additional 50 guests on a 1,500-square-foot patio.
ADELINA Detroit
ANDIAMO RIVERFRONT
Located on the Detroit River in the Renaissance Center, this scenic eatery offers authentic Italian dishes including ravioli and lasagna, and has numerous wine selections. 400 GM Renaissance Center, Detroit, 313-567-6700, L Sat., D Daily / 44 / 200 / / / The Galleria. Accommodating up to 90 guests, the elegant room offers plenty of privacy for meetings both small and large.
THE APPARATUS ROOM
Housed in the former Detroit Fire Department Headquarters that is now the 100-room Foundation Hotel, the Apparatus Room features regional riffs on traditional American dishes. Entrées include braised farm chicken, lamb shank, and seafood bourride. 250 W. Larned, Detroit, 313-800-5600, B Mon.-Sat., L & D Daily / 39 / 320 / / / The Chef’s Table, a 10-seat space that offers a multi-course tasting menu, and also serves as a home for visiting chefs and pop-ups.
BASAN
Tucked neatly into the ground floor of the historic Eddystone and a mere stone’s throw from Little Caesar’s Arena, Basan is a marriage of distinctive food and inimitable beverages with a lifestyle of hospitality. 2703 Park Ave., Detroit, 313-481-2703, D Daily / 24 / 24 / /
BESA
An exceptional modern dining experience in a 1917 building featuring cuisine inspired by the Adriatic Sea. 600 Woodward Ave., Detroit, D Mon.-Sat. / 44 / 108 / / / The Chef’s Table, a 15-seat space on the lower level that features its own lounge.
CAUCUS CLUB
The Caucus Club, which originally opened in 1952 and then closed in 2012, is enjoying new life and new ownership in the Penobscot Building. House favorites include tenderloin steak bites, roast prime beef, and pan-seared halibut. 150 W. Congress, Detroit, 313-9654970, D Daily / 66 / 93 / / /
Table 53, a corner booth that’s right in the middle of the restaurant, is the most sought-after spot, but Table 31, a “Vegas-style booth,” is the favorite of owner George Sboukis.
CUISINE RESTAURANT
Set in New Center, this quaint French-American restaurant is located inside a residential manor and offers seared sea scallops, beef tenderloin, and roasted Alaskan halibut. 670 Lothrop St., Detroit, 313-872-5110, D Tue.-Sat. / 50 / 200 / By request / / Tables 15 and 16 are on the old porch overlooking Lothrop Street.
D.PRIME
Inside MGM Grand Detroit, D.PRIME features a modern twist on flame-grilled steaks, signature cocktails, and a fresh atmosphere. 1777 3rd St., 313-465-1645, D Wed.-Sun. / 70 / N/A / / / NA
GIOVANNI’S RISTORANTE
A recipient of a DiRoNA award for being among the best restaurants in North America, Giovanni’s is a cozy Italian eatery offering ravioli, lasagna, and gnocchi. Guests have included Frank Sinatra and Sammy Davis Jr. 330 S. Oakwood, Detroit, 313-841-0122, D Tue.-Sat. / 26 / 127 / / The Sewing Machine Table, in a corner that overlooks the entire restaurant, seats up to four people.
HIGHLANDS DETROIT
Atop the Renaissance Center downtown, Highlands Detroit offers a twist on a traditional steakhouse with starters like squash and coconut soup, second courses including Spanish octopus, and classic steakhouse third courses such as an 8 oz. New York strip, a Wagyu skirt steak, sea scallops, and more. 400 Renaissance Center, Floor 71, Detroit, 313-877-9090, D Mon.-Sat. / 85 / 300 /
HIROKI-SAN
Deeply rooted in Japanese tradition and
technique, the menu is overseen by highly regarded Japanese Executive Chef Hiroki Fujiyama. Hiroki-San’s ultra-marbly Wagyu steaks are cut from cattle raised in Japan’s Miyazaki, Kagawa, and Hokkaido prefectures. Fresh seafood is flown in twice weekly from Tokyo’s Toyosu Market. 1265 Washington Blvd., Detroit, 313-597-8344, D Tue.-Sat. / 85 / 150 / The 16-seat private dining room.
JOE MUER SEAFOOD
With sweeping views of the Detroit River and a newly-redesigned interior, the menu offers seafood dishes, sushi, and classics such as Dover sole, whitefish, and surf and turf. There’s also a piano bar and a small patio. 400 Renaissance Center, 313-567-6837, L Mon.-Fri., D Daily / 49 / 175 / / / A table in the main dining room, next to floor-to-ceiling windows with views of the river, the Riverwalk, and Windsor.
LEÑA
Leña blends open-fire cooking with fresh Midwest ingredients and exclusive Spanish wines to create a vibrant culinary experience. The cocktail menu features Spanish classics like Sangria and gin and tonics. 2720 Brush St., Detroit, 313262-6082, D Wed.-Mon. / 23-90 /
LE SUPREME
Located in the iconic Book Tower, Le Supreme
is a Parisian-inspired brasserie offering French fare and seating at the restaurant’s bar, alfresco, or in its elegant dining room. The menu includes appetizers such as shrimp cocktail, lobster cocktail, and oysters, steak tartare, and wild mushroom tart. Main courses include gnocchi a la Parisienne, omelette Francaise, trout Amandine, Mediterranean sea bass filet, and filet mignon. 1265 Washington Blvd., Detroit, 313-597-7734, BR Sat.-Sun., D Daily / 45 / 210 / / /
A private dining room with a fireplace holds 24, plus patio seating.
THE LONDON CHOP HOUSE
Renovated and paying homage to the original restaurant, The London Chop House is like dining in private luxury. Also harkening back to the original restaurant, the new establishment serves old favorites like a porterhouse steak. 155 West Congress, Detroit, 313-962-0277, D Mon.Sat. / 55 / 40 / / / Booths 1 and 2. In the restaurant’s early days, and even today, these booths host celebrities and luminaries.
MAD NICE
This Italian restaurant in midtown Detroit offers a modern menu surrounded by coastal chic décor and Mid-century Modern design with smooth, sophisticated service. 4129 Second Ave., Detroit, 313-558-8000, L Wed.-Sun., D Daily / 51 / 28 / /
MARROW
With a mission to support sustainable food systems in the Great Lakes region, Marrow is a restaurant and butcher shop in Detroit’s West Village. It serves high-quality meat with a short supply chain and Midwest seasonal produce, and a chef’s tasting menu is updated every six weeks. 8044 Kercheval, Ste. 1B, Detroit, 313-5130361 / 23-90 /
OAK & REEL
Oak & Reel is run by Michelin-starred chef Jared Gadbaw and sources the freshest seafood, kissed by flames fueled by an oak-burning hearth. It features house-made pasta, oysters, octopus, halibut, Dover sole, steak, and more. 2921 E. Grand Blvd., Detroit, 313-270-9600, D Thurs.-Sun. / 36 / 140
OSTREA SEAFOOD
Ostrea Seafood, in Detroit’s Financial District next to the London Chop House, offers oysters, caviar, poached lobster, seared scallops, and more. The bar has a nice selection of Midwest beers; enjoy Happy Hour Mon.-Sat. from 3-5:30 p.m. 536 Shelby, Detroit, 313-403-2111, D Mon.Sat., Bar Mon.-Sat. 3-11p.m. / 30 /
PARC AT CAMPUS MARTIUS PARK
Parc combines contemporary Detroit cuisine with French and Mediterranean flavors in a
vibrant atmosphere featuring modern design. 800 Woodward Ave., Detroit, 313-922-7272, BR Sat.-Sun., L & D Daily / 40 / 175 /
PRIME + PROPER
Aiming to be Detroit’s premier steakhouse, Prime + Proper dry-ages all meats in-house and offers 100 percent USDA prime beef and lamb, as well as seafood. In the lower level is a truly private bar called Cash Only. 1145 Griswold, Detroit, 248-294-0700, L Sat.-Sun., D Daily / 40 / 230 / / / Table 1 is one of the restaurant’s most private and sought-after tables, while Table 2 offers the chance to see and be seen.
PRISM
Winner of the Best Steakhouse award from Hour Detroit magazine and located in Greektown’s Hollywood casino, Prism delivers a sensory overload from appetizers through desserts, thanks to their award-winning dishes, renowned musical accompaniment, and stylish décor overlooking the Detroit skyline. 555 E. Lafayette St., Detroit, 313-309-2499, D Wed.-Sun. / 44 / / / Indoor and outdoor seating.
SAN MORELLO
Located in the Shinola Hotel, San Morello is a hip, trendy Italian restaurant. Specialties include
wood-fired pizza and handmade pasta with seasonal ingredients. 1400 Woodward Ave., Detroit, 313-209-4700, B, L & D Daily / 38 / 40 / / / The two power tables for a business lunch are large enough to accommodate a group of four, but also work well for two. One is somewhat tucked away in the dining room, and the other is free-standing.
SELDEN STANDARD
This seasonally driven restaurant allows guests to enjoy flavors born on local farms and captured at the peak of the season, for ultimate taste and quality. The eatery offers meals such as seasonal flatbread, grilled trout, and charred octopus, as well as local brews and craft cocktails. 3921 Second Ave., Detroit, 313-438-5055, D Wed.-Sun. / 27 / 88 / The chef’s counter seating area is highly requested and very interactive.
SEXY STEAK
Sexy Steak has created an elegant and luxurious space inside Detroit’s historic and castle-like Grand Army of the Republic building, on the corner of Cass and Grand River avenues. Meat lovers will appreciate the menu’s prime steak offerings, Italian-inspired entrées, and memorable desserts. Upper Castle Hall, on the second floor of the GAR building, is available for private events, 1942 Grand River Ave., Detroit, 313-4031000. D Daily / 48
TABLE NO. 2 RESTAURANT
Greektown’s Table No. 2 offers a three-course meal with ingredients sourced from local farmers markets served alongside live entertainment. 1045 Brush St., Detroit, 313-340-9550, D Mon.-Sun. (no Tue.) / 37 / maybe / / / There are two different options for the best table. The first is a private alcove with a curtain drape for a romantic dinner for two. The other is the girls’ night out table, which can seat 12-15.
THE WHITNEY
Detroit’s most iconic mansion, this historic eatery retains all of its charm and refinement while appealing to contemporary tastes with offerings such as bourbon beef Wellington, bourbon-glazed salmon, and crispy panroasted duck. 4421 Woodward Ave., 313-8325700, BR Sat.-Sun., D Wed.-Sun. / 81 / 400 / / / Table 28 is in the center of the bay window area along Woodward Avenue. The table seats two and looks out over a colorful, expansive garden.
WRIGHT & CO.
This restaurant offers contemporary American food, small-plates style, along with craft cocktails. The menu typically features nine plates and three desserts, which change with the seasons. 1500 Woodward Ave., Second Floor, Detroit, 313-962-7711, L Tue.-Fri., D Tue.-Sun./ 30 / 16 / / Table 40. The round table underneath the chandelier is by the front window and overlooks Woodward Avenue. It comfortably seats a minimum of five people and a maximum of eight.
FARMINGTON HILLS
ANTONIO’S CUCINA ITALIANA
Signature dishes include gnocchi Rita, chicken Antonio, various veal dishes, and pizzas — all in an Italian countryside setting. 37646 W. 12 Mile Rd., Farmington Hills, 248-994-4000, L Tue.-Fri., D Tue.-Sun. / 20 / 45 / NA
CAFÉ CORTINA
This Farmington Hills restaurant may be the best-kept secret in metro Detroit. A garden provides fresh ingredients like arugula, basil, eggplant, peppers, and tomatoes for the Northern Italian cuisine. 30715 W. 10 Mile Rd., Farmington Hills, 248-474-3033, D Tue.-Sun. / 45 / 185 / / / When weather permits, the ideal table is one by a fireplace on the patio, with a scenic view.
HONG HUA
With more than 80 years of combined experience, the chefs at Hong Hua offer guests authentic Chinese cuisine like Peking duck in an upscale setting. Other selections include stirfried choice rib-eye, king of the sea, and Phoenix nest. 27925 Orchard Lake Rd., Farmington Hills, 248-489-2280, L Fri.-Sun., D Tue.-Sun. / 28 / 200 / Private meeting rooms are available.
STEVEN LELLI’S ON THE GREEN
Located at Copper Creek Golf Course, Lelli’s Inn continues the tradition started in 1939, serving filet mignon with zip sauce, bone-in filet mignon, and veal marsala. 27925 Golf Pointe Blvd., Farmington Hills, 248-994-1111, D Tue.Sun. / 35 / 200 / / / Tables in the Red Room or the Champagne Room are very private.
FRANKLIN
THE FRANKLIN OYSTER BAR AND EATERY
East Coast elegance and the charm of Franklin village come together at the Franklin Oyster Bar and Eatery, and the result is a space that’s warm and inviting. The menu includes a daily selection of oysters, lobster roll, seared octopus, and non-seafood options. Private dining available in The Second Story, The Nook, and The Pavilion and Patio. BR Sat.-Sun., D Tue.-Sun. 32760 Franklin Rd., Franklin, 248-771-4747. NA
GROSSE POINTE FARMS
THE BRONZE DOOR
This restaurant offers a modern reimagining of several classic dishes including shrimp scampi, stroganoff, fried chicken, and burgers alongside a lineup of classic steak, pork, and lamb chops. 123 Kercheval Ave., Grosse Pointe Farms, 313-886-8101, L Tue.-Sat., D Daily / 28 / 180 / / / N/A
DIRTY DOG JAZZ CAFÉ
In an intimate pub atmosphere, this restaurant provides live music along with entrées such as Vietnamese short ribs, confit chicken fettuccine, and braised pork chops. 97 Kercheval Ave., Grosse Pointe Farms, 313-882-5299, L & D Tue.-Fri., D Sat. / 30 / 80 / /
For entertainment, Table 4 offers an up-close view of the live music, but for a quieter and secluded setting, the Board Room is a private room with a 64-inch screen and speakers that allow guests to see and hear the band, yet still conduct a private meeting.
GROSSE POINTE WOODS
DA EDOARDO
Family-owned by the Barbieri family for more than 25 years, Da Edoardo offers rich Italian cuisine like fettuccine Alfredo, tuna au poivre, and veal saltimbocca. 19767 Mack Ave., Grosse Pointe Woods, 313-881-8540, D Tue.-Sun. / 32 / 75/ Fireside booths, with elegant mahogany and leather features, offer an impressive and intimate setting.
LEXINGTON
EMILIO’S PRIME STEAKHOUSE
Located at Lakeview Hills Country Club, Emilio’s Steakhouse offers first-in-class dining and service. 6560 East Peck Rd., Lexington, 810-3597333, D Wed.-Sat. / 50/ 120 / / The best table is the corner booth that overlooks
the third and fourth holes and the picturesque lake on the South Golf Course. It seats two, or can easily be extended to the nearby tables to accommodate 15.
LIVONIA
ANTONIO’S PICCOLO RISTORANTE
This upscale casual, family-owned restaurant is decorated with oil paintings and mosaics on its walls and serves its fan-favorite linguine with white clam sauce, as well as a fresh, steamed mussels appetizer and spaghetti carbonara. A full carry-out menu is available. Everything, including the gelato, is made in-house in this authentic Italian restaurant. 31735 Plymouth Rd., Livonia, 734-513-8000, L & D Tue.-Fri. D Sat.-Sun. / 18 / 15 / / NA
FLEMING’S PRIME STEAKHOUSE
An ideal setting for entertaining clients, this restaurant offers award-winning steak and seafood, including New York strip, bone-in ribeye, and double breast of chicken. Desserts can easily be shared. 17400 Haggerty Rd., Livonia, 734-542-9463, D Daily. / 46 / 60 / / / A table in the main dining room, next to the reserve wine room with more than 100 bottles.
MITCHELL’S FISH MARKET
Fish so fresh, the menu is printed twice daily. Mitchell’s provides a wide array of fish, and their crab cakes are a guest favorite. 17600 Haggerty Rd., 734-464-3663, L & D Daily / 37 / 40 / / / NA
NORTHVILLE
GAUCHO STEAK HOUSE
This authentic Brazilian steakhouse offers a vibrant atmosphere and 17 types of unlimited meats including filet mignon, rib-eye, and lombo com parmesao. 39550 W. Seven Mile, Northville, 248-380-7770, L Fri., D Daily / 55 / 40 / / Table 7 is located in the second dining room and, conveniently, near the salad bar. This table offers privacy, and one of the restaurant’s waterfalls accentuates the surroundings. There’s also a private dining room that seats up to 30 people.
HYDE PARK PRIME STEAKHOUSE
The venue offers both traditional and specialty steaks, including dry-aged reserve prime offerings, as well as shrimp and lobster tail. 17107 Haggerty Rd., Northville Township, 248-6790007, D Tue.-Sat. 69 / 60 / / / NA
NOVI
BRENTWOOD GRILLE
Chefs Steve Allen and Chuck “Rocky” Rachwitz offer local American, favorites including filet mignon, shrimp Provencal, and lake perch sauté. The restaurant pays homage to its former occupant, Steve & Rocky’s, by keeping a number of signature menu items. 43150 Grand River Ave., Novi, 248-374-0688, L & D Mon.-Fri., D Sat. / 27 / 250 / / The perimeter tables offer the most privacy.
HIROKI-SAN Detroit
TOASTED OAK GRILL & MARKET
Located in the Baronette Renaissance Hotel next to Twelve Oaks Mall, the upbeat restaurant offers an array of steak and seafood prepared in-house, including grilled pizza, Lake Huron trout, local grass-fed rib-eye, and Creekstone Farms tenderloin. 27790 Novi Rd., Novi, 248-2776000, BR Sat.-Sun., B, L & D Tue.-Sat. / 33 / 50 / / A private dining room is available that can extend near the fireplace. With its doors shut, the room holds approximately 26 people.
PLYMOUTH
LA BISTECCA ITALIAN GRILLE
The Grille offers pollo alla picatta and an array of steak and seafood such as a 16-oz. New York strip and salmon al griglia. All steak is certified Piedmontese beef. 39405 Plymouth Rd., Plymouth, 734-254-0400, D Tue.-Sat. / 37 / 100 / / / Table 11 is tucked away in the corner of the dining room off the beaten path, giving you a full view of the room. Table 22 is more private, in an area where diners don’t see many others.
PLYMOUTH TOWNSHIP
CANTORO TRATTORIA
This restaurant offers a selection of homemade gelatos, cannoli, breads baked fresh daily, and a cheese room. Hundreds of wines complement appetizers, salads, fish, meats, seafoods, pastas, and pizzas. 15550 N. Haggerty Rd., Plymouth Township, 734-667-1199, L Tue.-Sun., D Tue.-Sat. / 40 / 280 / / Table 19 is the most popular. The restaurant can’t guarantee reservations for it, but takes requests.
ROCHESTER
PARK 600 BAR + KITCHEN
AT THE ROYAL PARK HOTEL
Park 600 bar + kitchen is a well-appointed restaurant that has memorable flavors and locally sourced foods. The expansive menu features Indian Brook rainbow trout, Asianstyled pork shank, and pasta carbonara. 600 E. University, Rochester, 248-453-8732, B Daily, L Wed.-Fri., D Wed.-Sat. / 42 / 118 / / / Booths near the fireplace or half-booths along the back wall are recommended.
ROCHESTER CHOP HOUSE
The Kruse and Muer restaurant offers great, affordable steaks, chops, Australian lamb chops, and seafood such as Maine lobster tails and stuffed shrimp. 306 Main St., Rochester, 248-651-2266, L & D Mon.-Fri., D Sat.-Sun / 34 / 60 / / / Table 210 is highly requested and is located in the center of the restaurant. The table is half-moon-shaped and near the piano, providing a nice view of the restaurant.
SILVER SPOON RISTORANTE
A new location that embraces the culture and feel of dining in Italy. There are plenty of homemade dishes to satisfy any palate. 534 Main St., Rochester, 248-652-4500, D Mon.-Sat. / 20/ 15 / / / Will accommodate upon request.
ROCHESTER HILLS
MITCHELL’S FISH MARKET
Fish so fresh, the menu is printed twice daily. Mitchell’s provides a wide array of fish, and their crab cakes are a guest favorite. 370 N. Adams Rd., Rochester Hills, 248-340-5900, L Tue.-Sun., D Daily/ 37 / 32 / / / Tables 91, 92, 93, and 94 are horseshoe-shaped booths that are semiprivate, and located in the back of the restaurant. Each one seats up to six people.
ROMULUS
REFLECTIONS
Located inside The Westin at Detroit Metropolitan Airport, Reflections offers a contemporary setting with a modern American menu that provides a wide array of options including pasta, salads, and soups. 2501 Worldgateway Place, Detroit, 734-229-6782, B, L & D Daily / 35 / 10 / / /
Table 29 is next to the tranquility pond in the atrium, and provides an intimate and relaxed setting. A great way to relax before or after a flight.
ROSEVILLE
MR. PAUL’S CHOPHOUSE
This family-operated restaurant offers exceptional steak, seafood, and pasta in a club-like setting. Beef and fish are delivered to the restaurant twice daily, in order to keep meals fresh. 29850 Groesbeck Hwy., Roseville, 586777-7770, L & D Mon.-Fri., D Sat. / 45 / 182 / / / The larger booth in the back corner of the restaurant.
TAYLOR
PETE’S PLACE
Fresh food and great service has been the motto for the past 30 years. A new addition has taken the motto a step further to include 40 draft beers, 26 of which are Michigan craft beers. The menu includes an array of salads, sandwiches, pasta, and more. 12245 Telegraph Rd., Taylor, 734-374-0088, B, L & D Daily / 11 / 40 / / A large high-top table seats up to 10 people and is highly requested by larger parties.
TROY
THE CAPITAL GRILLE
Located at Somerset Collection North, the Capital Grille offers prime steaks and seafood, accompanied by an extensive wine list. 2800 W. Big Beaver Rd., Troy, 248-649-5300, L & D Daily / 59 / 60 / / / Table 64 is the most secluded table, and 61 is great for romantic occasions such as anniversaries and engagements.
EDDIE V’S PRIME SEAFOOD
Eddie V’s offers fresh seafood, a wide selection of steaks, jazz played by local musicians, and more than 300 wines. 2100 W. Big Beaver Rd., Troy, 248-649-7319, D Daily / 48 / 48 / / / The V Lounge offers live jazz every night in a comfortable, secluded area.
MON JIN LAU
Enjoy cuisine infused with Chinese, Japanese, Thai, Korean, and Vietnamese influences, a lengthy sushi list, and a lively atmosphere. Menu selections include cashew chicken, Mongolian rack of lamb, and spicy Korean pork chop. 1515 E. Maple Rd., Troy, 248-689-2332, D Daily / 23 / 60 / / / The patio is spacious, and can be rented for private events.
MORTON’S STEAKHOUSE
Enjoy an intimate setting among lush wood tones and unique caricatures — it’s as close to an Old World steak and seafood club as you can get, and famous for its large portions. 888 W. Big Beaver Rd., Troy, 248-404-9845, D Daily / 56 / 138 / / / Booth 70 is often requested, and is set against a brick wall. Table 51 is highly requested for parties of eight. The round table encourages interaction between guests.
OCEAN PRIME
This contemporary version of a rich American supper club is an award-winning steakhouse that offers prime beef and seafood on its made-from-scratch menu. 2915 Coolidge Hwy., Troy, 248-458-0500, L Mon.-Fri., D Daily / 45 / 95 / / / Table 10 is highly requested for parties of eight. An all-glass room that seats up to eight people is a popular setting.
RUTH’S CHRIS STEAKHOUSE
With more than 40 years of rich history, Ruth’s Chris boasts an extensive offering of steak and seafood, and an award-winning wine list. Steak selections include filet, New York strip, and porterhouse. Well located near I-75. 755 W. Big Beaver Rd., Troy, 248269-8424, D Daily / 51 / 125 / / / Table 50, a special round table that accommodates 10.
STONEY RIVER
STEAKHOUSE AND GRILL
An upscale steakhouse specializing in handcut steaks, fresh seafood selections, signature salads, and house specialties. Lunch and dinner favorites include steak and biscuits, wild mushroom meatloaf, and burgers, sandwiches, and bistro chicken. 155 W. Big Beaver Rd., Troy, 248-925-4730, L & D Daily / 36 / 40 / / / NA
UTICA
FILIPPA’S WINE BARREL
A tradition in dining excellence for more than 40 years, Filippa’s offers quality steaks and seafood, but the hand-rubbed, sweet-sauced ribs are a favorite. 45125 Mound Rd., Utica, 586-254-1311, L & D Tue.-Sun. / 27 / 400 / / Tables 5 and 91. Table 5 is in a corner by a window and faces the main dining room area. Table 91 faces the bar and is near a bulk counter. With the terrace to the right, this is a great option for guests looking for a serene setting.
WARREN
ANDIAMO WARREN
The flagship location of a bustling Italian franchise. Joe Vicari’s Andiamo Italian Steakhouse features cuts of premium beef and seafood, and tableside Caesar salad, cordials, and a dessert cart. It has all the ambience of an upscale steakhouse. 7096 E. 14 Mile, Warren, 586-268-3200, L Mon.-Fri., D Daily. / 34 / 650 / / / Tables in the main or west part of the restaurant allow diners privacy.
WASHINGTON TOWNSHIP
BAR VERONA
With a thoughtfully chosen menu and locally sourced ingredients, Bar Verona strives to deliver cuisine that’s fresh and uncomplicated, yet unique and refined. 59145 Van Dyke Ave., Washington Township, 586-473-0700, D Daily / 36 / 135 /
WEST BLOOMFIELD
AURORA ITALIANA
Aurora Italiana captures the flavors and feel of the Amalfi Coast. The large, Italian-style menu showcases specialties including optional tableside Caesar salad preparation, made-in-house pastas, land and sea entrées, and vegetable side dishes. The location also offers private dining and event spaces, including the patio and Capri Room. 6199 Orchard Lake Rd., West Bloomfield, 248-782-3000, D Mon.-Sun. / 31 /
NARA SUSHI & HIBACHI STEAKHOUSE
Japanese precision and fiery Hibachi come together at Nara Sushi & Hibachi Steakhouse to provide an entertaining culinary experience. Nara also offers extensive sushi options, colorful cocktails, and special sake offerings. It features gathering spaces for large or small parties. 5656 W. Maple Rd., West Bloomfield Township, 248847-0000, D Daily / 23
PRIME29 STEAKHOUSE
A contemporary steakhouse featuring prime cuts of seafood and beef aged for 29 days. The 24-oz. bone-in rib-eye is a restaurant specialty. 6545 Orchard Lake Rd., West Bloomfield, 248737-7463, L & D Tue.-Sun. / 47 / 152 / / A table inside a glass-partitioned room adjacent to the main dining area.
WYANDOTTE
LATITUDES RESTAURANT & BAR
Latitudes Restaurant & Bar offers a nautical culinary experience along the Detroit River with colorful drinks, shareable menu options, coastal seafood offerings, and a waterfront patio. Private dining is available. 2455 Biddle Ave., Wyandotte, 734-407-7042, L & D Daily / 23
Compiled by DBusiness
All restaurants are reviewed anonymously and all expenses are paid by DBusiness. The listings have no relationship to advertising in the magazine.
FURNITURE BANK OF METRO DETROIT — FURNITURE FLIP BASH
Sept. 4, 5:30 to 9:30 p.m. furniture-bank.org/furniture-fl ip-bash
This evening of design and purpose features HGTV’s Hilary Farr and WDIV’s Kimberly Gill. Guests will bid on 100-plus repurposed furniture pieces in a silent auction benefiting the Furniture Bank of Metro Detroit. The event includes food, drinks, entertainment, and $10,000 in prizes for standout furniture transformations.
FOLDS OF HONOR MOTOR CITY — PATRIOT GOLF DAY
Sept. 8, 11:30 a.m. to 7 p.m. motorcity.foldsofhonor.org/event/birmingham-country-club
The Birmingham Country Club Folds of Honor Motor City Charity Golf Outing returns Sept. 8, 11:30 a.m. to 7:30 p.m., supporting scholarships for Michigan families of fallen or disabled service members and first responders. Proceeds benefit Folds of Honor. Join in a day of golf, gratitude, and giving at Birmingham Country Club.
AUBURN HILLS CHAMBER OF COMMERCE — DRIVEN BY INNOVATION
Sept. 16, 7:30 a.m. to 3:30 p.m. business.auburnhillschamber.com/events/details/driven-by-innovation-2025-16822
Driven by Innovation, a new Industry 4.0 event, debuts with keynotes, breakout sessions, and peer roundtables on Sept. 8. Attendees will explore artificial intelligence, automation, talent development, and scalable tech strategies. Designed for OEMs, engineers, and tech leaders, the event offers practical insights to drive innovation and longterm growth.
FORE THE KIDS CHARITY GOLF INVITATIONAL
Sept. 18, 8 a.m. to 7 p.m. fore-the-kids-675.perfectgolfevent.com/about-us
VersaPro Restoration & Construction hosts its second annual charity golf invitational to benefit KIDSgala, a David C. McKnight Foundation. The nonprofit provides celebrations for children affected by life-altering events. Participants will help bring joy and support to young lives while enjoying a day of golf for a meaningful cause.
CLASSIC CARS FOR THE CURE
Sept. 20, 7 to 10:30 p.m. classiccarsforthecure.com
The Karmanos Cancer Institute hosts its third annual Classic Cars for the Cure on Sept. 20 in Clawson. The event features vintage cars, live ’60s music, cocktails, and a strolling dinner. Guests are encouraged to dress in retro style. Proceeds support cancer research led by Dr. Boris Pasche, president and CEO of the institute.
DRIVE FOR LIFE INVITATIONAL
Sept. 29, 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. corewellhealth.org/foundation/southeast/events/drive-for-life-invitational
The Drive for Life Invitational returns at a new location — Birmingham Country Club — benefiting oncology programs at Corewell Health’s Royal Oak and Troy hospitals. The event includes a championship round of golf, contests, tips from golf pro Rick Smith, a cocktail reception, a strolling dinner, and awards. Find details at corewellhealth.org/driveforlife
Breakfast Series
Nomination period deadline: October 3rd.
DBusiness Magazine’s Top Corporate Culture Awards celebrate metro Detroit’s outstanding workplaces with a unique awards program for companies of all sizes and industries. Thousands of employees participate in surveys each year covering various important workplace topics. The survey results, conducted in partnership with Best Companies, will determine our finalists and winners.
These exemplary workplaces will be honored in DBusiness magazine and on stage at the Top Corporate Culture Awards event. Plus, all participating companies receive robust reporting so they can take actionable steps to build a better work place!
Scan the QR Code to Participate!
PATENTS AND INVENTIONS
Bedside Innovator
Dr. Homer H. Stryker received 16 patents while developing one of the world’s largest medical technology companies.
BY NORM SINCLAIR
From his humble 19th century roots as a teacher in a one-room schoolhouse in the Keweenaw Bay school district in the Upper Peninsula, Dr. Homer H. Stryker took a circuitous route in creating a global medical equipment powerhouse headquartered in Kalamazoo.
Last year, Stryker Corp., with 53,000 employees in 75 countries, recorded annual sales of $22.6 billion. The company’s products reach more than 100 million customers and patients each year.
The fledging teacher who went on to become a surgeon, an inventor, and an entrepreneur initially launched Orthopedic Frame Co. in 1946. He changed the name to Stryker Corp. in 1964.
Homer Hartman Stryker was born on a farm in 1894 in rural Wakeshma Township in Kalamazoo County. He graduated from Athens High School and went on to Western State Normal School, now Western Michigan University, where he earned a teaching degree in 1916.
At the outbreak of World War I, Stryker attempted to enlist in the U.S. Army, but was rejected because of his deformed right hand. A boyhood accident had left a deep scar that curled his fourth and fifth fingers inward.
Stryker approached an Army colonel responsible for recruitment in the Kalamazoo region and persuaded the officer to assist him in overcoming his initial rejection.
The recruit was inducted into the 107th Engineers in December 1917, promoted to the rank of corporal the following year, and completed his service in 1919.
Stryker’s experience as an infantryman in France exposed him to the challenges of treating battlefield injuries. Biographers believe his military background influenced the veteran’s interest in creating medical innovations to assist in the treatment and recovery of patients.
Upon his return from his World War I service in the U.S. Army in France, young Stryker realized that although he loved teaching, he had a stronger passion for creating things and working with his hands.
A discussion with a family friend, who happened to be a doctor, encouraged the young instructor and military veteran to consider attending medical school.
MEDICAL MARVEL
Dr. Homer H. Stryker, who was born in Kalamazoo County, placed patient comfort and care at the forefront of his career.
With the physician’s personal recommendation easing the entry process, Stryker was admitted to medical school at the University of Michigan in 1919.
Before enrolling, however, Stryker needed a nest egg of cash to cover his tuition, along with room and board. To that end, he temporarily returned to his old career, joining the staff at Grand Ledge High School, where he coached baseball, basketball, and football in addition to his teaching duties. During that twoyear period, Stryker also worked as a barber and earned another paycheck pitching for the Grand Ledge semi-pro baseball team.
Similar to his initial rejection by the Army, Stryker also had to overcome an academic deficiency that could have kept him out of medical school. The school’s entry requirements included a foreign language proficiency. While he had picked up a rudimentary knowledge of French in the Army, he sought help from a fellow Athens High School graduate.
Mary Jane Underwood, a valedictorian in her class, and the first female graduate of Athens to attend college, was teaching French and German in nearby Belding after her graduation from Northwestern University. Her tutoring helped Stryker learn enough French to pass the medical school entrance exam, and he officially enrolled in 1921.
Once at U-M, Stryker joined the University of Michigan baseball team, and as a starting pitcher he led the squad to the Big Ten Conference in his freshman year.
Stryker’s tutoring sessions with Underwood led to a lifelong partnership; the couple married in 1924. They had two sons, Homer Frederick, who died at age 5, and Lloyd Lee, who would later work for his father’s company.
In 1925, the now Dr. Stryker graduated from medical school and set up his practice in Kalamazoo. Ten years later, he returned to Ann Arbor for a three-year residency in orthopedic surgery at the University Hospital.
In this second stint in Ann Arbor, he began working on early designs for medical equipment. His mindset for innovation may have been shaped by his childhood on the farm, where resources were scarce.
Growing up, he spent time with his grandfather, who encouraged him to create anything he needed.
“It’s a poor workman that blames his tools. If they don’t work, make them work. If you can’t make them work, make some that do work,” is one of Stryker’s most famous quotes, which biographers credit to those lean, formative years.
In 1937, Stryker applied for a U.S. patent for his first invention, the Wedge Turning Frame bed, which allowed medical personnel to easily and safely turn immobilized patients who were at risk for blood clots and bed sores caused by lying in bed too long in the same position.
The device was made of lightweight tubing with canvas stretched tightly between the frames to support the patient. Stryker’s concern for the well-being
COURTESY STRYKER
Next up for the inventor was a heralded replacement for the cast-iron heels that were commonly used on leg casts at that time. Unlike metal, rubber heels were more stable on smooth oors and didn’t damage furniture.
Removing casts from limbs at that time was a tedious process involving soaking the cast in water, then painstakingly breaking o pieces of the softened plaster.
Variations of the Stryker saw are still in use today. In 1946, Orthopedic Frame reported rst-year sales of $228,954, with a net pro t of $40,179.
e 1950s were a period of signi cant achievements. Over an eight-year period, Stryker designed and produced what is regarded as his most famous invention, the Circ-O-Lectric Hospital Bed.
e bed could be used not only by orthopedic patients, but by all hospitalized patients.
Stryker initially made the heels from discarded automobile and truck tires, but later switched to rubber replacement heels similar to those used for shoe repairs.
He eventually received 16 patents for inventions as disparate as surgical knives, splints, gurneys, and a foot holder for applying casts. All were based on his three principles for innovation.
“For several years I felt that there was a de nite need for a hospital bed which would allow and encourage a patient to do more for himself, and also enable nurses to do more for the patient,” he said.
Unlike his wedge bed design, the new version was equipped with an electric motor that allowed a patient or a nurse to rotate it 180 degrees vertically or horizontally.
In 1955, Stryker’s son, Lee, joined the company as general manager. ree years later, the company hit $1 million in annual sales.
In 1964, Stryker retired from his medical practice and renamed the company Stryker Corp. Lee took over as president and CEO in 1969. By 1976, under his leadership, Stryker Corp. had grown to 280 employees and $10 million in annual sales.
CIRCLE OF LIFE
Stryker invented and launched the Circ-O-Lectric Hospital Bed in 1958. The bed, which proved popular, could rotate 180 degress vertically or horizontally via an electric motor.
“It must allow the doctor to do procedures which he or she already does, but do them better, or in less time, or with less trouble and e ort or in greater safety,” he said. “Or it must enable him or her to do a desired procedure which he or she could not do with available equipment, and the value to the user must be greater than the cost of production and distribution of the product.”
Stryker gained national exposure in 1939 when he took his frame bed on the road for a demonstration at the annual conference of the America Academy of Orthopedic Surgeons in Memphis, Tenn.
e Stryker family, however, su ered a devastating tragedy that year.
On July 25, during a vacation in Wyoming, 45-yearold Lee, his wife, Nancy, and another couple were killed when a twin-engine plane that Lee was piloting crashed. e other victims were Nancy’s brother, Emerson Stevens, and his wife, Dorothy.
John W. Brown, a longtime company executive, succeeded Lee, and during his 32-year leadership of Stryker Corp., Brown is credited with transforming the company from a regional maker of hospital beds to its position today as a global supplier of medical equipment.
of the sick, and for easing the tasks of doctors and nurses, was paramount in his designs.
e turning frame not only safely moved patients, but it also facilitated reading in bed, supported spines, and accommodated toileting. A single nurse could operate it, unlike similar devices in use at the time that required two nurses and a male orderly to turn a patient.
While designing the turning frame, Stryker began drawing up another invention, a rubber heel for patients in walking casts.
e time he spent on his innovations prolonged his residency; he had to work an extra year in the hospital wards to make up for the time he spent on his edging inventions.
In 1939, Stryker completed his residency and returned to Kalamazoo as the rst orthopedic surgeon in southwest Michigan. He joined the sta at Borgess Hospital, where he had an o ce on the second oor and a workshop in the basement.
e event attracted the attention of the U.S. Surgeon General, who invited Stryker to Washington, D.C., to put on a similar demonstration for Army surgeons at Walter Reed Hospital.
e favorable reception he received from military surgeons sparked demand for the frame bed for treating injured soldiers. To prepare for the new orders, the inventor rented additional workspace in the attic of Borgess Hospital and hired his rst employee in 1941.
He also recruited the nearly defunct Kalamazoo Toy and Sled Co. to manufacture his frames before he launched Orthopedic Frame Co.
Meanwhile, Stryker’s experience with rubber heels for walking casts led to another early invention, his Cast Cutting Saw, which he introduced in 1945.
While tinkering with a broken saw blade in his workshop, he came up with an idea for an oscillating blade that would go back and forth, allowing the saw to cut through rigid plaster without damaging underlying skin.
Dr. Stryker died in Borgess Hospital in 1980, at age 85.
His three grandchildren — Ronda Stryker, who sits on the company’s board of directors, Patricia Stryker, and Jon Stryker — are still part of the Kalamazoo community. e trio holds an estimated 11 percent share of the company.
For his achievements, Stryker’s legacy in Kalamazoo is emblazoned on the Western Michigan University Homer Stryker M.D. School of Medicine, the Stryker Center at Ascension Borgess Medical Center, and the city’s sports and entertainment park, Homer Stryker Field, home to the Kalamazoo Growlers baseball team (a Northwoods League a liate).
In a eulogy, another prominent Kalamazoo resident, Burton Upjohn, said of his friend: “It wasn’t that urge to succeed in business that drove him. Dr. Stryker was truly motivated by compassion. Helping injured and handicapped people sparked his genius.”
Checkered Flag
Racing helped kick-start Detroit’s auto industry in 1901, and since then the OEMs haven’t let up on the throttle.
BY TIM KEENAN
“Win on Sunday. Sell on Monday.” Some credit the above adage to Rhode Island Ford Motor Co. dealer and drag racer Bob Tasca Sr. in the 1960s. Others say it came from Henry Ford and Harvey Firestone at the dawn of the automotive age.
Regardless of who said it rst, racing has been in the DNA of the auto industry — and metro Detroit and Michigan — since underdog Ford took his now-famous “Sweepstakes” car to the Grosse Pointe Race Track and beat Alexander Winton in 1901 to jump-start his edgling company.
As the motorsports world hits the homestretch of the 2025 racing season, it’s as good a time as any to explore why racing is such a big deal in these parts.
Every driver wants to prove their superiority on tracks across the country and around the world. To help them to victory lane, the Detroit ree automakers provide these daredevils with cars, engines, and the associated technology.
Although NASCAR’s roots are in running moonshine in the Southeast during Prohibition, it has the attention of and heavy investment from Detroit’s automakers. General Motors Co. and Ford provide the basis of the cars and engines that run on tracks from coast to coast (and this season in Mexico) every weekend between February and November. Next year, Stellantis’ Ram truck division will enter the NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series.
So, what’s driving the pursuit of motorsports superiority? Well, automakers use racing as a test bed for technology that often gets trickled down to production vehicles. Additionally, and perhaps more importantly, many OEM engineers who work in racing programs cycle back to production vehicle programs with certain problem-solving skills and a competitive mindset that can’t be learned in a classroom or at a desk in Detroit, Dearborn, or Auburn Hills.
en there’s this: 100,000 to 125,000 people watched the 2025 Daytona 500 in person. Another 6.7 million folks watched on TV. It’s like a four- to vehour commercial touting the manufacturers’ performance, endurance, and safety features.
Closer to home, around 100,000 NASCAR fans converge on the little town of Brooklyn in the Irish Hills annually to watch drivers compete at Michigan
International Speedway. Given its proximity to the Motor City, it’s a race the drivers and manufacturers desperately want to win. ere are bragging rights on the line, as well as the Michigan Heritage Trophy.
Elsewhere in the pantheon of racing, Chevrolet battles Honda in the NTT IndyCar Series, which is owned by local businessman and legendary race team owner Roger Penske. He also owns the iconic Indianapolis Motor Speedway.
Winning the “Greatest Spectacle in Racing” is cache enough, but when you do it in front of more than 300,000 spectators and over 7 million TV viewers, it just means more.
France in 2027, competing in the Hypercar class — its rst foray in the top sportscar class since the ’60s. Cadillac and Corvette also have been longtime competitors in international sportscar racing.
Ford and GM (using the Cadillac brand) both have their sights set on what many consider the premier motorsport in the world: Formula 1.
Ford, which competed in F1 from 1967-1983, is returning in 2026 as a technical partner to Red Bull Powertrains. Ford will provide expertise in areas like battery cell and electric motor technology, as well as power unit control software and analytics. Some consider these systems to be the future of the auto industry.
draws around 150,000 fans over the threea ence of just over 1 million viewers.
It also hits home if an OEM wins one of the races during the Chevrolet Detroit Grand Prix on the streets of downtown Detroit, especially if a car carries the Chevy Racing red bowtie, a Ford blue oval, or a Cadillac crest. e hometown race draws around 150,000 fans over the threeday race weekend and attracts a TV audience of just over 1 million viewers.
Cadillac, which supplied engines to unsuccessful F1 teams in 1952 and 1953, will join the F1 grid next year with a two-car team powered at rst by Renault engines, and ultimately its own motors by the end
By extension, Ford and Dodge are major players in NHRA drag racing. Dodge-supported Top Fuel and Funny Car teams run
rst by Renault engines, and ultimately its own motors by the end of the decade.
Although there’s no research
Although there’s no research to back the “Win on Sunday, Sell on Monday” phrase, the idea is just one reason why the auto industry is so invested in
By extension, Ford and Dodge are major players in NHRA drag racing. Dodge-supported Top Fuel and Funny Car teams run engines loosely based on the 426 Hemi powerplant, which delivers 11,000 horsepower and propels cars down the 1,000-foot track faster than 300 mph. Ford’s Boss 500 engine delivers similar results in the Funny Car ranks.
powerplant, which delivers 11,000 horsepower and propels cars down the 1,000-foot track faster than 300 mph. Ford’s Boss 500 engine delivers similar results in the Funny
Sell on Monday” phrase, the idea is just one reason why the auto industry is so invested in motorsports.
Although NHRA events don’t draw NASCAR- and IndyCar-size crowds or giant TV ratings, fans of the fastest racing on Earth are known for their loyalty and passion.
Although NHRA events don’t draw NASCAR- and IndyCar-size crowds or giant TV ratings, fans of
ing was well-documented in the motion picture “Ford vs. Ferrari.” A half century later, Ford returned with the tory at Le Mans. e Dear-
Ford’s 1960s involvement in international endurance sportscar racing was well-documented in the motion picture “Ford vs. Ferrari.” A half century later, Ford returned with the Ford GT to take a class victory at Le Mans. e Dearborn automaker will return to
TIM KEENAN is managing editor of DBusiness magazine, DBusiness Daily News, Hustle and Muscle, and Detroit 500. He has been covering and watching all forms of motorsports since 1976.
SHIMMER ON THE RIVER
PATRICK GLORIA
The Detroit Riverfront Conservancy hosted its annual Shimmer on the River fundraiser on June 26 at Robert C. Valade Park on the Detroit riverfront. The evening featured live musical entertainment, summer activities, a family-friendly Adventure Park, a Kids Dance Party on Valade Beach, and food trucks. Funds raised at the event go directly to the ongoing improvement, operations, maintenance, security, and programming of the Detroit Riverwalk and associated parks and greenways.
1. Fran Gough, Jenny Parke, Molly Valade, Henrietta Fridholm
3. Kylie Chavez, Jennifer Chavez, Samantha Chavez, Chris Chavez
4. Sandra and Tom Pierce, Rachelle Akinwusi
5. Vivian Day, John Stroh III
SUNSET AT THE ZOO
PATRICK GLORIA
The Detroit Zoological Society hosted its annual Sunset at the Zoo event on June 20 at the Detroit Zoo in Royal Oak. The theme of the party, presented by KeyBank, was An Evening Under the Canopy. The focus of the event was protecting endangered chimpanzees and gorillas. Guests enjoyed summer cocktails and classic spirits, signature dishes from Detroit’s top eateries, dancing and live entertainment, a raffle, auctions, and Sunset Keys with prizes.
11. Brooke and Casey Overg, Henry and Celeste Maclin
12. Bill and Heather Drake
13. Bonnie Larson, Dr. Haley Murphy, Cynthia Ford
14. Jason Craft, Kristin Mattei, Marcie Chalmers
15. Tracie and Mark Hackel, Hon. Debbie Dingell
FORD FIREWORKS
PATRICK GLORIA
The Parade Co. in Detroit hosted its annual Rooftop Party presented by Ford on June 23 on the top two levels of the Center Garage located just west of the Renaissance Center. The sold-out event was attended by Detroit business and civic leaders and their families. Guests were treated to cuisine from Andiamo; beer, wine, and beverage offerings; giveaways; and the opportunity to observe the live broadcasts, interviews, and performances from the event by 760 WJR and WDIV-Local 4. Proceeds from the Rooftop Party presented by Ford directly support The Michigan Thanksgiving Parade Foundation.
6. Darryl and Karen Onderak, Kelly May Onderak, Paul Jerzy
7. Kizzmett Collins, Kristen Collins, Harold Collins
8. Robert Riney, Christina Lovio George
9. Detroit Police Chief Todd and Tracie Bettison
10. Tanya and Fabian Griffith
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ARMY BALL
PATRICK GLORIA
The Arsenal of Democracy Chapter of the Association of the United States Army hosted the 250th Army Birthday Ball on June 13 at the Westin Book Cadillac in downtown Detroit to mark the 250th anniversary of the U.S. Army. The event included tributes to heroes past and present, an honor guard presentation, military pageantry, a plated dinner, and dancing. Michigan is home to the TACOM headquarters in Warren, the only active-duty U.S. military installation in the state, and the only active-duty Army installation in three states (Michigan, Ohio, and Indiana).
1. Ret. Gen. Roger Burrows, Dunya and Capt. Anthony Owens
2. Axel Cooley, Antonio Wells, Cemone Moy, Antonio Wells Jr.
3. Becky and BG Jeffrey Terrill
4. Janice S. Collins, Ret. Col. Patricia Sellers
5. Ryan Howell, Ken Bernier
ARCHBISHOP’S GALA
CHRISTINE M.J. HATHAWAY
Sacred Heart Major Seminary hosted its annual Archbishop’s Gala on June 12 at Huntington Place in downtown Detroit. Approximately 700 people attended the event, which included a plated dinner, a program, a raffle, and live music. Sponsors included the Knights of Columbus, Weingartz, the Christian Financial Credit Union, Ave Maria Mutual Funds, CFCS, Corporate Travel, Alliance Catholic Credit Union, Genthe Automotive, and the Rob and Melanie Notz, John and Kelly Berry, and Sal and Cindy Simone families.
11. Danielle Center, Joseph Balistreri, Rev. Paul Snyder
12. Rev. James Bilot, Rev. Athanasius Fornwalt, Joe Wienclaw, Rev. Mario Amore
13. Tom Fabbri, Bishop Robert Fisher, John Vitale
14. Karen and Michael Chilcote, Bob Koval
15. David and Michelle DiFranco, Archbishop Edward Weisenburger
DESIGN SHOWCASE
PATRICK GLORIA
The Detroit Institute of Ophthalmology staged its 38th annual EyesOn Design classic car show on June 15 at the Edsel and Eleanor Ford House in Grosse Pointe Shores. The day included a Private Eyes Brunch and an Automotive Design Exhibition, in addition to the public show that attracted thousands of automotive enthusiasts. The theme of this year’s event was The Art of Design, while British vehicle designer Sir Ian Callum was presented with the EyesOn Design Lifetime Design Achievement Award. Also unique among car shows, one class of cars is judged by a group called the Visionaries — blind and visually impaired judges who don white gloves and evaluate the vehicles only by touch. EyesOn Design has raised millions of dollars to support the Detroit Institute of Ophthalmology.
6. Ed Lorenz, Paul Zlotoff, Terese Zlotoff, Jim Gray
7. Cindy and Tim McGrane
8. Ricca Gonzalez, Kip Wasenko
9. Cyndy Doherty, Brian Baker
10. Melinda and Kelvin Gray
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More than picking up just a hit, Golden World Records scored a secure foundation in spring 1964 when its release, “(Just Like) Romeo and Juliet,” peaked at No. 6 on the Billboard Hot 100.
One of the last hits of the doo-wop era, the song by e Re ections sold more than a million records, far exceeding the break-even point of 50,000. Now Golden World could address its needs, starting with a new studio at 3246 W. Davison St. in Detroit (near Dexter Avenue).
Eddie Wingate Jr. launched Golden World in 1962. e native Georgian with the smooth touch, then 43, had migrated to Detroit and worked at Ford Motor Co. before owning a restaurant in the 1940s. His knack for business as well as life bene ted many around him and led to an empire that competed directly with Motown Records and Berry Gordy.
Joanne Bratton, co-owner and president of Golden World, supervised the early recordings. Bratton (née Jackson) was described in a divorce notice as “the long-su ering wife of playboy ex-welterweight champion Johnny Bratton.” She had graduated from Northwestern High School at 16, and became a long-distance phone operator before marrying.
“I was very bright, probably precocious as a little girl,” she told a reporter. “I was double-promoted twice in grade school. But I got dumber as I grew older.”
Bratton regained her smarts after her divorce and found a natural release in the new job, teaming with Wingate to lead their ourishing startup.
She supervised at RCA Studios in Chicago when
Spinning Tale
Streetwise Eddie Wingate Jr. partnered with Northwestern High School grad Joanne Bratton to create a record label that helped define the Detroit Sound.
SOUND WAVE
Above left: Eddie Wingate Jr. launched Golden World Records in Detroit in 1962.
Above right: Edwin Starr at the Golden World Recordng Studio in 1966 (recording for sister label Ric-Tic Records). At the time, the studio was located on W. Davison Street, near Dexter Avenue.
BY RONALD AHRENS
e Re ections laid down the vocals for their hit. In a strategic move, she and Wingate lured engineer Bob D’Orleans to Detroit from New York to build Golden World’s studio and run the sessions.
Once completed, Wingate would stop by and critique the new acts.
e record market was still regionalized in the mid-1960s, and creating subsidiary labels was the standard way of penetrating into niches. One example: Golden World put out “Agent Double-O-Soul” on Ric-Tic Records. e satiric take on James Bond hit No. 21 on the Billboard Top 40 and powered singer Edwin Starr’s career.
A producer introduced Starr to Wingate, who arranged the “Double-O” session. Starr credited D’Orleans with the assist: “I cut no records without him. at’s my hit maker.”
In 1966, with a particular eye on Starr, Gordy purchased Golden World and its sublabels for, it was said, $1 million. e Davison studio became known as Motown’s Studio B. From there, D’Orleans found himself unemployed, but he was soon running Sidra Records at 12946 Woodward Ave. in Highland Park.
Among Sidra’s contributions to the Detroit Sound were Barbara Mercer’s “So Real” and “Call on Me.” Starr rewarded Gordy’s mogul move four years later when “War” reached No. 1 during its 15 weeks on the charts.
Starting in July 1966, Wingate made a push to diversify when he and partner Ernest Mackey opened the 20 Grand Motel at 14th Street and West Warren Avenue. Situated next to the 20 Grand night club, the $500,000, 52-unit inn featured a penthouse with two suites renting for $85 a day.
Wingate and Mackey also owned the Algiers Motel at 8301 Woodward Ave., which during the 1967 riots was the scene of a tragedy — three young black men were killed by direct concerted gun re by law enforcement, or in a subsequent raid.
Wingate also acquired a cab company, but ultimately turned that business over to his brother, James. After his wife, Ethel, died in 1994, Wingate married Bratton, and they retired to Las Vegas.
Upon his death in 2006, a former Golden World session player, Don Davis, then CEO and chairman of First Independence Bank in Detroit, remembered Wingate as “the guy who held the community together.”
PROUDLY DETROIT
PENINSULA CAPITAL PARTNERS L.L.C. is a metro Detroit-based firm that has fought hard to make a name for itself in the global private equity industry. Since its founding in Detroit in 1995, Peninsula has raised eight investment partnerships exceeding $2.2 billion, each providing customized capital solutions to middle-market businesses seeking funding to complete acquisitions, support growth, buyback stock or address other special situations requiring junior capital. We pioneered the development of a new, more flexible investment approach in the private equity industry and are recognized as a leader in our market, earning us the patronage of major institutional investors both in the United States and Europe. Our unique investment approach combines elements of buyout, private debt and growth capital funds, allowing us the rare flexibility to craft tailored capital solutions for businesses, including both debt and equity, and either as a controlling or non-controlling investor. Since 1995, we have closed over 150 platform investments, about half of which have been in partnership with independent sponsor groups. Please keep us in mind the next time you require a junior capital provider; we’d love to bring some Detroit muscle to your transaction.
