The Rock July 2021

VOL 2 | ISSUE 7

PLYMOUTH’S NEWS & LIFESTYLE MAGAZINE

Nature

Calls

Plymouth Pollinators creating one butterfly oasis at a time

Meet the Local Sales Reps in Your Community.

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Scott Daugherty

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Scott has lived in the Plymouth / Canton Community since 2002. Some his local favorites are: Crow’s Nest (Canton), Golf at Pheasant Run Golf Course (Canton), Spoons Place, Palermo Pizza, DCFC Soccer.

csoutrar@billbrownford.com Office:(734) 524-2715 Mobile: (734) 765-8980

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VOL 2 | ISSUE 7

16435 Franklin, Northville, MI 48168 • 734-716-0783 • kurtkuban@therockmagazine.com

K U R T K U B A N – Editor/Publisher

Kurt is an award-winning journalist, having served as a reporter and editor for several local newspapers and magazines, including the Plymouth Observer.

He has been a journalist for over two decades. He founded Journeyman Publishing, which also publishes The ‘Ville, in 2017.

S CO T T B U I E – Advertising Director/Vice President of Sales

Scott has 20+ years creating advertising campaigns for clients in Metro Detroit.

After managing sales for radio stations for 17 years he purchased Street Marketing, where he works closely with a variety of businesses and events. Scott and his family have lived in the Plymouth/Northville area for over 23 years.

J E N N Y P E A R S A L L – Creative Director

Jenny has been in the design and print industry for over twenty years, holding various positions in graphic design, print buying, production and print management. She also owns Bovia Design Group, a company specializing in publications and corporate branding.

B R A D E M O N S – Writer

Over the course of his four decades with the Observer & Eccentric, Brad established himself as one of the preeminent prep sports reporters in the state, winning many journalism awards along the way. His greatest joy is interviewing local athletes and coaches, and reporting on their efforts.

K E V I N B R O W N – Writer

Kevin was a reporter for The Plymouth Observer in 1986 and 1989-98. He also has written for The Detroit News, University of Michigan and Ford Motor Co. He is a musician as well, performing with the Ann Arbor-based folk roots band Corndaddy.

T I M S M I T H – Writer

Tim brings a penchant for telling personal stories that run the gamut from news to sports. During more than 35 years in journalism, mostly with the Observer & Eccentric, he has earned numerous state and national awards.

The Wayne State grad is a published author and rec ice hockey player.

M I C H E L E F E C H T – Writer

Michele is a longtime journalist whose first post-college reporter position was at The Northville Record before moving on to The Detroit News. She is an author, researcher, local history enthusiast, and community activist/ advocate.

M A R I A TAY L O R – Writer

Maria is managing editor at The ACHR NEWS, reports for The ‘Ville, used to write for the Plymouth Observer, and once had her photo on the cover of TIME. She lives in Farmington and, as a self-avowed history nerd, routinely risks her life by standing in the road to photograph old buildings.

W E N S DY V O N B U S K I R K – Writer

Wensdy graduated with a degree in journalism from Wayne State University.

Her first job was working as a reporter for The Northville Record. Now, as a freelance writer and editor, she works for a variety of magazines, including The Rock. -Photo by Kathleen Voss

B R YA N M I T C H E L L – Photographer

Bryan started working as a photographer more than 30 years ago, and was a staff photographer for the Plymouth Observer in the 90s. He has freelanced for The Detroit News, The Guardian, Reuters, and other publications. His photography has appeared in newspapers and magazines around the globe.

B I L L B R E S L E R – Photographer

Bill arrived in Plymouth in 1977 to work for the Community Crier. He also worked for the Plymouth Observer for many years. Bill, who taught photography at Madonna University, retired from what was left of the newspaper business in 2019 and now freelances. He’s happy to be back in the Plymouth community.

The Rock is a product of Journeyman Publishing, which assumes no liability or responsibility for any inaccurate, delayed or incomplete information. Any form of reproduction of any content in this publication without the written permission of the publisher is strictly prohibited. Comments are welcome at kurtkuban@therockmagazine.com.

A N O D D S AG A F O R A T R E E O R D I N A N C E When I moved into my home near Five Mile and Northville Road, our street had an “Up North” feel, as most of the lots had mature trees that created a green canopy over the neighborhood. It truly did feel like the country in the city.

Then the for sale sign went up in front of an old house across the street. The house sat on a five-acre lot that was heavily wooded. While our hope was someone would buy the house and leave the lot as is, we knew there was a possibility a developer would come in and build more homes on the lot. One day the bulldozers showed up and demolished the home, and we crossed our fingers hoping for the best.

In the weeks that followed, the sound of heavy machinery and chainsaws were deafening and we watched one giant tree fall after another. By the time the crews were finished, not a single tree stood on the lot. Not one. What had been a beautiful, forested oasis just a couple weeks before, was now huge piles of chipped wood and stacked timber, all of which was loaded up and removed one truck at a time.

It was really devastating to watch, and we were helpless to stop it. Many of our neighbors felt the same way, and a number of them had called the township to complain. But, as the developer told my wife one day when she asked if he was going to save any of the trees, “that’s progress.”

Yes, progress for his bank account, but that’s not how I’d describe it for the rest of us on the street. Like my neighbor whose property was next to the cleared lot. In the 50 years Bob has lived in his home, his basement had never taken on water. In the two years since the new development, his basement has flooded a half dozen times, as the storm water that used to be absorbed by the vegetation on the adjacent lot now runs unabated down into his property.

I’m all for property rights, but I have a problem when developers are allowed to take actions detrimental to others or completely alter the character of a neighborhood.

This is why I applaud Plymouth Township Supervisor Kurt Heise for his efforts to update and put some teeth into the township’s tree ordinance (see Page 12), to basically prevent developers from doing exactly like what happened on our street.

It hasn’t been easy, however. Heise’s political opponents have been raking him over the coals for a much-needed ordinance that I think the vast majority of township residents would support.

It’s no secret that Plymouth Township politics can be pretty rough and tumble, and no one knows that better than Heise, who is serving his second term as supervisor after serving several terms as our state representative.

It started when Heise presented the City of Plymouth’s tree ordinance to the Township Board as a draft for review and discussion. It was a starting point, yet his political opponents – a group of Libertarians and Trump supporters -- suggested he was trying to implement it as written. Flyers went out, lawn signs were created, a website went online, and even the Libertarian Mackinac Center did a story on the draft ordinance as if Heise was prepared to put the Constitution into a wood chipper. One guy threatened to bring a chainsaw to a township meeting.

Using the Michigan Freedom of Information Act, they even obtained a list of township residents who received free trees last year as part of the township’s tree program. Their hope was to prove the trees only went to Heise supporters, which, of course, was not the case. What it had to do with the tree ordinance I’m not sure.

In the end, Heise’s opponents managed to whip up a lot of residents over nothing. When he presented the final draft (its sixth version) to the Board of Trustees on July 13, it passed 6-1 (John Stewart was the lone vote against). The second reading passed unanimously on July 27.

The new ordinance should prevent developers from doing what was done on my street. If they do, they will be forced to pay into a tree fund or face fines deemed appropriate by the township.

And while it was watered down, it’s a good and fair ordinance that will make sure developers don’t come into our neighborhoods and force their version of “progress” down our throats.

Kurt Kuban is Editor and Publisher of The Rock. He welcomes your feedback at (734) 716-0783 or kurtkuban@therockmagazine.com.

In this issue

4

TEACHER BRINGS SCIENCE TO LIFE

8

THE PLYMOUTH POLLINATORS

14

IT’S FINALLY SHOWTIME AT THE PENN New ordinance would make clear-cutting developers pay

12

Golf is sacred for Fox Hills pro Brian Cairns

20

All Aboard ‘Chessie The Cat! Caboose opens to public

24

JB Ashtin’s Bradley thriving in ‘MedComms’ industry

26

Forest Barbershop gets creative to bring in new clientele

28

O N T H E CO V E R : Dave and Carly Cirilli stand near the butterfly garden at the corner of Burroughs and Harding across from Lions Club Park. Photo by Bryan Mitchell

Bringing Science To Life PHS teacher Scott Milam gains national praise for opening minds

By Tim Smith | Photos by Bryan Mitchell

W

ith apologies to Bill Nye, there’s another “science guy” in town – namely Scott Milam, the ubertalented chemistry teacher at Plymouth High School.

Milam already has numerous major teaching awards under his belt, including one in 2017 for Michigan Science Teacher of the Year. But this year could be his biggest haul – he is among finalists for the 2021 Presidential Award for Excellence in Mathematics and Science Teachers.

Does Milam even know the timeframe about whether he needs to plan a trip to the White House? Not one iota.

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“It’s very mysterious, and you don’t know,” said Milam, talking about the PAEMST notification process. “Kind of the tradeoff of winning and going through the process is you just have to be ready.”

Milam said earning the 2017 state award was surprising and “probably quite a bit undeserved.

I kind of had a sit-down moment after that award and was like ‘You know, I could do better than I do at teaching.’”

In 2019, he was a PAEMST finalist but did not prevail. That’s when he committed himself to try to win that coveted award, mapping out ways he could improve his own performance in

order to make that last step up the ladder.

Victorious or not this time around, Milam isn’t about to stop his relentless pursuit of knowledge and effectively getting it across to the students sitting in his classroom.

Milam prides himself on not merely spewing out information for students to absorb. Instead, he brings the science lab to life and strives to spark kids’ imagination – with teaching “elements” including discovery, discussion and critical thinking.

To that end, he’ll wear a necktie, bowtie or – during the just-concluded year of COVID-19 safety precautions – a face mask,

featuring the Periodic Table of Elements.

“I do like the mask a lot, it’s very big and comfortable,” said Milam, who started his Plymouth High School tenure in 2010 following four years in the Lincoln Park district. “But when you teach, you want to play that role of like, kids want to feel safe and that learning is the focal point in the classroom.”

Presiding over a classroom environment where kids can let loose and have some fun while getting after the day’s lesson seems like an optimal situation.

Milam also is a roll-up-thesleeves type who never stops trying to up his game so that

high school students (both in general chemistry and International Baccalaureate programs) leave any particular day’s lesson more engaged and more excited about the subject.

He keeps up on former students’ college successes (or failures) and files away their letters and e-mails to gauge whether his approach is doing what he most wants it to do – encourage learning itself.

“I want them to be able to learn chemistry well,” Milam said. “I want to know that they learned it well.”

EXPLORING ANSWERS There’s no doubt in the mind of 2020 Plymouth graduate and Howard University chemistry major Kennedy Chastang that her former teacher is connecting with numerous line drives in that regard.

For starters, Milam never was too obvious in answering students’ questions, always leaving answers just under the surface – enough to prompt inquisitive minds to dig deeper.

“Mr. Milam never gave me the answers I wanted,” wrote Chastang in a recent e-mail. “I could visit him with a question and leave only with a hint toward the right direction.

“If I was persistent, he ended any further questions

with a shrug…but despite how discouraged I initially felt, I realized that everything he did (or didn’t do) inspired me to love not only the answer, but also the process of finding it.

There’s a reward that comes with struggling in education and I learned it’s addicting.”

Chastang didn’t exactly struggle, however. At Plymouth, she eclipsed the 4.3 grade-point mark. Her college path at the Washington D.C.-based Howard University undoubtedly is informed by what Milam taught her; she is majoring in chemistry and minoring in Spanish.

“Don’t be surprised if you ever step into Mr. Milam’s class and find yourself staring at 25 students in a circle with whiteboards,” Chastang noted.

“Chances are, they just finished a demonstration or experiment and were tasked with determining an explanation (the more pictures, the better).

“What were those gas particles doing that made the pressure rise

with temperature? What bonds were breaking when you ripped that piece of paper or tore that piece of tin foil? Trying to work through the why of chemistry, especially with peers who may disagree, further encouraged us to think deeply.”

FOOD FOR THOUGHT Being a role model and essentially “showing his work” is underscored by reading all kinds of books 52 weeks a year – then mimeographing covers of books he consumed and pasting that evidence outside the doorway leading into his classroom.

The 2006 University of Michigan graduate also sets goals constantly, sitting down after each Friday’s classes to write down critiques on how he performed over the past week.

Of course, those are habits he hopes his students pick up on as important in so many ways. And reading tops that list.

“I probably read a book a week,” said Milam, whose outer

classroom door is covered with mimeographs of various book covers (of titles he has read in the past few years). “I’ll talk about them…that’s a nice way to interject stuff that’s not entirely focused on chemistry. Although some of them are chemistry books, too.”

During the COVID-19 lockdown beginning in March 2020, Milam turned unexpected free time into book-reading time.

He poured through 72 tomes, including those with titles such as The Teenage Brain (by Dr. Frances E. Jensen), Thinking Fast and Slow (by Daniel Kahneman) and Superheavy: Making and Breaking the Periodic Table (by Kit Chapman).

“I really love ones about how the brain works,” Milam said. “I really like this one, Superheavy, about how you make new elements.

And what the history of that is. The Poison Squad (by Deborah Blum) is super interesting.”

What would spark such a tireless and voracious reading The Rock

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“When you talk to any of my students, and you say ‘Does he learn a lot of stuff?’

They’d be like ‘yes.’ And does that make an impact on a kid? I think absolutely.

They want to see someone who puts their skin in the game a little bit.”

Scott Milam, a 2021 Presidential Award for Excellence in Mathematics and Science Teachers finalist, on his love of reading (he tries to read a book a week)

habit? Because it rings the bell with teenagers that learning is something that never stops. And it’s leading by example.

“Oh absolutely, because then I’m learning, I’m not telling you to learn,” Milam noted. “When you talk to any of my students, and you say ‘Does he (Milam) learn a lot of stuff?’ They’d be like ‘yes.’ And does that make an impact on a kid? I think absolutely. They want to see someone who puts their skin in the game a little bit.”

Oh, and he also is an author.

He wrote No Teacher Left Behind during some down time between teaching kids, running workshops and—of course— reading.

“That’s my fun, comedy fiction book,” said Milam, after pulling a copy out of his desk drawer.

STORYTELLING HELPS From beams of light and Slinky demonstrations to regaling students with informative and entertaining “origin” stories about 6

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phosphorus and seaborgium, Milam brings flair and energy to the classroom without sacrificing the process of learning.

He recalled a discussion about how the first element of modern times (phosphorus) was discovered in the late 1600s by scientist Hennig Brand.

According to Wikipedia, bathtubs of urine were boiled down into a glow-in-the-dark white paste, earning it the name “Miraculous Bearer of Light” (or, in ancient Greek terms, phosphorus).

As for Element 106, seaborgium, Milam said it was named in the mid-20th century after Nobel Prize-winning American nuclear chemist and Michigan native Glenn T. Seaborg, who died in 1999.

But the official coining of that synthetic element triggered a firestorm, centering around what the official name should be.

“When they named that after him, there was a huge controversy, where multiple

countries were claiming that they had discovered these (synthetic) elements,” Milam explained.

“Initially, they named it after him and then recanted, that (they were) not going to name it after someone who’s alive. It’s too political.”

Then came negotiations, which concluded with the official unveiling of seaborgium in Seaborg’s honor.

“When they announced it, his daughter was driving and thought he must have died, because they said they weren’t going to name an element after a living person.”

Milam noted. “So she pulled off the road frantic, trying to get to a pay phone…finally, she was able to call him.”

Those “Ripley’s Believe It or Not” type stories also are deployed to better imprint complex information into inquisitive minds for future retrieval.

“If you pick an element, I can probably tell you something

about it,” Milam said. “I read a lot about them. I read the stories because brains are better remembering stories than anything else.

“You’ll likely remember those things I said about the urine and the phosphorus and the daughter thinking her dad was dead, more so than maybe the chemistry from them. Or anything else from this whole process.”

But maybe that’s the secret to his genius. Always leave them wanting to discover for themselves.

Chastang, for one, is thankful to have gotten plenty of “yeah, so” type responses to her questions.

“I believe Mr. Milam’s class is a major part of the reason I am pursuing an MD/PhD degree, because that’s what research is, right?” Chastang said. “Looking at an unknown and having it shrug right back at you – daring you to find the answer yourself.”

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Nature Calls

Plymouth Pollinators creating gardens, one butterfly oasis at a time

By Tim Smith | Photos by Bryan Mitchell

A

“beautification revolution” seems to be taking root – literally – throughout Plymouth, with picturesque butterfly gardens sprouting around town thanks to nature-loving Dave and Carly Cirilli.

All the Plymouth couple needs to work their makeover magic is a weedy parcel in need of transformation. On the banks of the Rouge River, across from the Plymouth Lions Club Park, is a must-see butterfly garden now beginning to catch the eye of pedestrians and motorists alike.

The project is the latest and greatest for a fledgling volunteer

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organization the Cirilli’s are spearheading, the Plymouth Pollinators (of which there is an active Facebook group page).

“This garden (at the northeast corner of Burroughs and Harding) is probably one of my favorites to come to because we get a lot of foot traffic here, a lot of the residents stop and chat with us,” Carly Cirilli said. “The feedback we’ve been getting is great, they just love it.

“Especially last year with the pandemic it was kind of this, a highlight, something good that was happening.”

Chiming in was her husband, Dave Cirilli, who is a water

technician for the Plymouth Department of Municipal Services.

“It’s one of those things where you drive by and it catches your eye,” he said. “She’s more of the gardener, but they’d be asking me ‘What’s this plant?’ I’d come up with my own names. I’m kind of the worker bee, I guess.”

To help during such awkward situations, the couple has installed an information box. Inquisitive people can reach in to pull out a brochure or pamphlet with plenty of important facts about what they might be looking at.

“It’s information for those interested in starting their own pollinator garden,” Carly

continued. “There’s quick tips, (about) what plants to buy, what host plants to get for butterflies.

There’s also a brochure about if you want to create a monarch way station, just monarch conservation.”

Monarchs are the bright orange and black male pollinator butterflies which bounce around from plant to plant, snatching pollen along the way.

“That’s a male monarch,” Carly explained, pointing to a butterfly on a late June evening. “The females, they go around, lay eggs on milkweed plants, that’s the only plant that monarchs will eat.”

Also eating it up are area residents and nature lovers who can’t help but crane their necks while taking a peek at the colorful pollinator garden. As long as 20year gardener Carly Cirilli is in the vicinity, they should get their questions answered.

“We have been trying to incorporate some native plants in here,” she said. “We also have some non-natives. This is a pollinator garden, so we have… post plants for certain butterflies that they eat when they’re caterpillars -- like swamp weed, the light pink flowers over there.

“And orange butterfly weed over here. We have nectar plants for the pollinators to eat, for the bees (there is) bee balm in here, some lavender. We also have some parsley and fennel for swallowtail butterflies. That’s their host plant. They lay their eggs on there and that’s what they eat. We come in here a lot and check for caterpillars and any kind of butterfly activity.”

Things might be buzzing for the rest of summer, but the garden (located east of S. Main Street and south of Ann Arbor Trail) had very humble beginnings.

Chris Helinski, Nick Johns and Aaron Micek already were tuned in to the untapped potential – having previously installed similar gardens in the city.

“It started with a little landscaping over on Main Street and Church, one of the islands, and it went really well,” Dave explained. “So we moved to another place, across from Saxton’s in Kellogg Park, it was always weedy and never nice. When we decided to do something, we decided ‘let’s do a pollinating garden.’

“So we started with that little triangle as our very first pollinating garden. After that, a few of us got the bug to do other ones.”

Johns discovered the area across Lions Club Park that now is such a conservation saver and conversation starter.

Having found a place to beautify, in spring of 2020, Johns and the other municipal workers removed weeds, brought in several boulders and sprinkled handfuls of wildflower seeds. They hoped for the best and got so much more.

“We’re learning as we go along on some of these things.” Dave said. “This whole area last year

A street corner with nothing but weeds and grass called out for some attention.

It helped that Dave Cirilli and municipal department colleagues

we had wildflower seeds we put down. I put down some, then Nick put down some, Chris…we went ‘Oh wow, it turned out nice!’”

But what people see these days

THE RIGHT PLANTS

has more to do with the help of volunteers and residents who donated portions of their own household gardens.

To spark new life out of the year-old garden, Carly and Dave also made plenty of trips to area greenhouses (Barson’s in Westland, Willow’s in Northville) and paid for the foliage and flowers out of their own pocket.

“People would come up to us and say ‘Hey, do you want some free flowers? I’m cleaning out my garden,’” noted Dave. “So we’d drive to their house, pick up flowers and bring them back.”

Such dedication to Plymouth’s beautification cause from Dave and Carly Cirilli and others is nothing new, however. About five years ago, Carly noticed there were fewer butterflies coming into the couple’s household garden.

“So I started doing some research and saw there’s such a huge decline in pollinators, specifically monarch butterflies,” Carly stressed. “There’s about an 80-percent decline in Monarchs.

My husband built me a bunch of raised beds and we put all kinds of pollinator plants in there. That’s kind of where we started with it.”

LABOR OF LOVE The Cirilli’s also give freely of their own time and energy to help unleash some of Plymouth’s natural beauty.

After all, both have day jobs. In addition to Dave’s position with the City of Plymouth, Carly is director of business, intelligence and data analytics with Wayne State University in Detroit.

Carly doesn’t mind whatever time she spends weeding or doing other beautification tasks, noting that gardening gives her “a little bit of recreative outlet” from her analytical career.

“We come out here and work on it quite a bit,” Carly said.

“I don’t personally consider it work because I love to garden.

Of course, last year, with the pandemic, what else were we going to do?

“It’s just fun to come out here. Every time you come it’s The Rock

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“It’s just fun to come out here. Every time you come it’s something different. There’s a new flower that’s blooming or there’s new activity. It doesn’t feel so much like work.”

Carly Cirilli, discussing the butterfly gardens the Plymouth Pollinators maintain something different. There’s a new flower that’s blooming or there’s new activity. It doesn’t feel so much like work.”

And the hope is that plenty of like-minded people will want to get involved with Plymouth Pollinators and perhaps plant the seeds for further projects.

“We are trying to figure out where we want to go next with this,” Carly added. “We didn’t know what was going to happen or if it was going to take off. Do we want to do a non-profit and keep things moving? We’re just letting it evolve.

“I would love to grow the Facebook group page (Plymouth Pollinators), just getting other folks that are interested in gardening in general, people

who are interested in saving the pollinators. It’s nice to get all these folks together to share tips and tricks and just pictures of gardens.

Something positive to focus on.”

Community-minded efforts could branch out from there, possibly extending to Plymouth Township.

“There’s a couple other nonprofit (organizations) that we’re starting to talk to that we’d like to do other projects with, like Friends of the Rouge and Keep Plymouth Leafy,” Dave said. “They do a lot of the trees around town. It would be nice to collaborate with them on some of

our other parks that need some attention.”

That fact alone is enough to spur the Cirillis and others to action developing pollinator gardens such as the one at Burroughs and Harding streets.

“It’s about conservation, the pollinator population is declining,” she emphasized. “It’s the best of both worlds, doing something for the environment and something that people can enjoy. I think you’d be hardpressed to find somebody that doesn’t enjoy a garden.”

For more information about Plymouth Pollinators, send an email to Dave and Carly Cirilli at plymouthpollinators@ gmail.com. Also check out their Facebook page.

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STANDING UP FOR TREES New ordinance will make clear-cutting developers pay

By Maria Taylor

A

group of Plymouth Township officials, led by Supervisor Kurt Heise, are worried about trees. Specifically, about trees being clear-cut for development.

“About a year ago, we had a rogue developer who was essentially thumbing their nose at the township and clear-cut everything,” said Trustee Bob Doroshewitz, “and there was nothing we could do about it.”

So Heise came up with a solution: Update the township’s tree ordinance.

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“I’m concerned about the trend that I think many of us have seen in the township where people will buy a parcel and clear-cut the entire lot to build a residence,” Heise said. “I think it’s good public policy to find a way to work with those individuals to say, ‘Hey, these are heritage trees­—you may have a 200-yearold tree that’s been around since Native Americans were walking these parts. Is it really necessary to take that tree down?’”

Granted, Plymouth Township has had a tree ordinance in place, but Heise said it lacks teeth and

doesn’t go far enough as far as offering real protection to trees or real guidelines to developers.

“It basically just tells you ‘be nice to trees, make sure you plant them properly,’ and there’s about five or six different trees that you’re not supposed to plant,” Heise said. “It really has a lot of holes.”

He explained, the township mandates that developers who cut down large swaths of trees must either replant them or pay into a tree fund. It’s being done as part of the site plan approval process—“on a handshake basis,” as Heise put it.

“There’s a lot of unwritten policies that we have with respect to trees. So basically we have to play ‘Let’s Make a Deal’ every time, and … that makes it a challenge to enforce when businesses come before us, because there’s this obvious tension between the development and the trees. I’m sure the

Planning Commission and the building department would love to have some structure, rather than a two-and-a-half page ordinance based on something that’s 80 years old.”

Plus, Heise would like to get Plymouth Township certified as a Tree City USA through the Arbor Day Foundation. Strengthening the tree ordinance would be the final step.

OUTRAGE AND ANGER While saving and preserving heritage trees may seem like a good idea, the ordinance has sparked criticism from some township residents.

It began at a May township board study session. The City of Plymouth updated its tree ordinance in 2019. So Heise snagged their ordinance language, plastered “DRAFT” on the document, and put it on the agenda for discussion.

“I’m putting it out there to show what is probably the most

restrictive or — depending on your point of view — the most detailed, from a comparable community, that has also gone through a very thorough vetting process,” he explained. “As much as I like [township attorney] Kevin Bennett and respect his work, I don’t want to have to pay $3,000 to start from scratch and draft a brand new ordinance.

I’d rather just take an ordinance from another community and use that as a starting point.

“This is a study session — we’re not voting on anything,” he added. “But you have to have something on the table to talk about it.”

If it was discussion he wanted, he certainly got it. A handful of residents showed up and spoke at public comment, most of them to express outrage at the City of Plymouth’s ordinance, which requires permits to cut down trees on a homeowner’s own property.

“I’m opposed to the proposed tree ordinance that violates property owners’ constitutional rights,” said Duane Zantop. “I cannot believe the board would even consider this outrageous intrusion in our lives. There are currently thousands of lawsuits against tree ordinances of this kind going on right now. Are we prepared for more lawsuits? Get the hell out of my yard.”

Several residents did voice approval, pending some updates.

No one opposed the sections of the ordinance pertaining to trees on public property and new construction. Rick Ward, for example, agreed with reining in developers from clear-cutting, while stating he feels the township isn’t equipped for the “bureaucratic monstrosity” of site visits and plan approvals.

After the meeting, naysayers took their fight to Facebook and Nextdoor, and someone distributed lawn signs that said “My tree, my choice.”

“I’ve never seen anything like the tree ordinance anger and upset more people in the 28 years I’ve been on the township board,” said Trustee Chuck Curmi, who agreed there could be merit in rules for developers but objected to regulation regarding private property.

For his part, Heise said opposition to the tree ordinance is politically motivated and is being led by Libertarian Party activists.

“They’ve been nitpicking at me since January,” he said.

“Every month it’s something new. They have gone around the town to put fliers out saying Kurt Heise is going to charge you $500 for taking down the tree in your own backyard.”

The social media rhetoric escalated to a point where “this one guy who is some kind of crazy said ‘I’m going to come

WHAT DO YOU THINK? Do you agree that Plymouth Township needed a new ordinance to prevent developers from clear-cutting properties and cutting down “heritage trees” (18 inches in diameter and greater)? Should the ordinance also apply to all property owners? Or do you feel the township should not be concerned about trees? Please email your opinions to Editor Kurt Kuban at kurtkuban@therockmagazine.com.

to the board meeting with chainsaws, I’m a true patriot, I’m going to fight this.’ That freaks everybody out,” Heise said. “I’m used to it, but this is why people get turned off by politics.”

On top of that, the lists of residents receiving a free tree in the Township’s annual treeplanting program have been FOIA’d.

“I think this is just an attempt to bully and intimidate people,” Heise said. “When we’re dealing with guys who want to bring chainsaws, it has a chilling effect, and it really serves to undermine a service of township government.”

Curmi made the request during a public meeting as well. The Rock asked what he intended to do with the names and addresses.

“Nothing,” he said. “What you’d want to know is, was it only given to friends and relatives or things like that?

When you give anything away that’s taxpayers’ [dollars], you want to know who it is.”

WATERED DOWN In the two months since the study session, the proposed ordinance underwent a half dozen alterations. It’s been scaled back to the point where it only deals with developers (not homeowners). But the first reading was approved at the July 13 township board meeting by a 6-1 vote, and the second reading was passed unanimously July 27.

The new ordinance becomes law after being published in the local newspaper.

Heise said the new ordinance has definitely been watered down since the process began.

“Is it perfect? No. But it’s better than what we had before,” he said.

Here are some of the main provisions in the ordinance: • A tree removal permit is required when any heritage tree (18 inches in diameter and greater) is planned for removal by a developer.

• Heritage trees shall be replaced pursuant to a fee schedule set by the Township Board for each tree removed.

Replacement tree(s) shall be located on the parcel where each heritage tree is removed.

If replacement trees cannot be reasonably planted on the property or elsewhere, the developer shall pay into the tree fund pursuant to a fee schedule set by the Township Board.

• A tree replacement plan is required when replacement trees are required to be planted after tree(s) have been removed by a developer pursuant to the site plan approval process. After review, the Building Department shall issue a permit.

• A tree protection plan is required when a qualifying construction development project is planned for a property.

No building permit shall be issued by the Building Department until an approved tree protection plan permit has been issued.

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Lights, Camera, Action!

It’s finally showtime at the Penn Theatre

By Tim Smith | Photos by Bryan Mitchell

W

hen COVID-19 pretty much stopped American life in its tracks in March 2020 – including the cozy showing of family-friendly movies at Plymouth’s Penn Theatre – Ellen Elliott knew nothing would truly stop the downtown landmark.

Elliott, executive director of the 501(c)3 non-profit Friends of the Penn (which operates the Kellogg Park venue), has had moments of unease and frustration over the ensuing 17 months. But she never doubted how much the community wanted its theater to survive and thrive once the health crisis lessened its grip.

That finally occurred on July 16, when the beloved theatre opened its doors to the public for the first time in more than a year and a half with the showing of the blockbuster “Star Wars: The 14

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Rise of Skywalker.”

The audiences came out to take in “a galaxy far, far away” and everything seemed alright with the world.

“We had a wonderful opening weekend. Our attendance was light, but everyone who showed up was so appreciative,” said Elliott.

Elliott wasn’t surprised by the light attendance, as people are still dealing with COVID fear.

“It will just be a slow road.

We’re taking each day as it comes, that’s what you have to do in this sort of circumstance,” she said.

Ticket prices are $5 instead of $3, but moviegoers don’t need to wear face masks if they don’t want to. No other restrictions are in place, although Elliott is keeping her fingers crossed that patrons will still use common sense when it comes to keeping themselves and their neighbors safe.

“Everything is back to normal, the only difference is hand sanitizer outside the restrooms,” Elliott said. “Everything else is exactly the same, you can sit where you want, you can walk up to the counter, talk to our people face to face. We’ve all been vaccinated.

“So they can choose to wear a mask or not. We hope that if you’re not vaccinated that you do wear a mask, but we aren’t policing that. You really can’t.

We just hope people are going to do the right thing.”

Films that cater specifically to children are not going to be booked for the foreseeable future, because children still have not had the opportunity to get vaccinated.

“We’re not restricting kids from coming to a show, but we’re not going to book anything that’s specifically for kids. Because we want to make sure that we still

are mindful of the population that can’t be vaccinated right now,” Elliott said.

ONE SHOWING Each night will only feature one screening of that weekend’s movie, with 7 p.m. showings on Thursdays, Fridays, Saturdays and 5 p.m. screenings on Sundays.

“We think that’s going to help us from an economic standpoint, to be able to tighten that up a little bit, to not have as many hours where you’ve got the lights on,” Elliott explained. “Trying to be more strategic with showtimes for that reason, to save money.”

This month’s return is akin to

ripping the bandage off, waiting to see how much the patient had recovered. She is hopeful for a much better business outlook than how things appeared last

October, during a brief and disappointing reopening.

“We were open for three weeks and it was not good,” Elliott recalled. “The attendance wasn’t good and it was uncomfortable.

People weren’t always wanting to follow the rules that we needed to follow.

“We couldn’t provide the environment that was necessary for social distancing, and financially it wasn’t worth it at a reduced capacity. We’d lose money doing that and we didn’t think that was wise.”

During the long arc of the pandemic, the Penn found other ways to maintain solid financial

and community standing. Not that a strong bond with Plymouth ever was questioned. Very popular were “Popcorn to Go” weekends, where people could come up to the front windows and order snacks and beverages.

Photographs of the theater facade were sold as part of a fundraiser.

Elliott and staff also put famous movie quotes onto the double marquee, or put up special messages such as congratulating Canton, Plymouth and Salem high school graduates of 2020 and 2021.

“We’re going to make it to 100 quotes by the time we reopen,” Elliott said. “We felt like it was really important and that we really did connect. It was our

promise that we were going to stay strong, that was our promise to our community and we’ve fulfilled that.

“It got hard to come up with ideas and quotes and getting up there on rainy days, but we did it, because so many people were counting on us to do that.”

She said many people have thanked her for keeping the movie quotes coming, especially during bleak weeks and months when much of society was shuttered.

“It got them out of the house during those real dark times,” she explained. “Even if it was just once a week, to go out for a walk or go for a drive to see what the

new marquee quote was.”

One Belleville family made regular junkets to see the movie quotes for a very special reason.

“They would bring their son, he’s autistic and had difficulty reading,” Elliott said. “But he likes movies, so they’d take a drive to the Penn once a week for him to read what was on the marquee, and they felt that was one way they could get him to read. It was really powerful.

Because you don’t really know until you hear someone tell you that.”

KEEP IT GOING Elliott said another important lifeblood for the Penn throughout

the long shutdown was the backing of donors.

“We’ve always had very, very strong support from our donors,” she added. “That was just a wonderful, amazing thing to see, how much people wanted the Penn to survive. If they didn’t want it to survive they wouldn’t have donated during this time.”

Taking that another step, she said a program is being developed to give businesses and individuals the opportunity to sponsor a particular weekend’s slate of movies.

“We are actively seeking weekend movie sponsors (for first time ever),” Elliott said. “That’s another way for us to kind of assure our stability.”

Radiant Fine Jewelry sponsored the opening weekend, and the Plymouth-Canton Educational Park radio station, WSDP 88.1 The Park, is sponsoring the week-long run of Tom Hanks’ “News of the World,” which opened Saturday, July 31 and continues through Thursday, Aug. 5.

Plymouth City Manager Paul Sincock and his wife Traci were among those in attendance for opening night. He said the latest The Rock

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15

Star Wars movie was great, but even greater was seeing the beloved Penn open to the public again.

“The Penn Theatre is such a historical jewel in our community,” he said. “It adds an energy to Plymouth and helps to

keep our wonderful small town community image. We cannot wait to go back for another movie.”

Elliott said it’s that kind of support that continues to buoy the Penn.

“When something like this (pandemic) happens it really hits home even more.” Elliott said. “It makes you really proud to be from a place like this, where people care about each other, they look out for their neighbors, they don’t turn their back on something like this.

“There’s lots of communities across the country that have lost their theaters during this time because of the lack of support.”

Even though Elliott knows the 16

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Penn will not suffer that sorry fate, she and others in Friends of the Penn are not leaving any stones unturned. The organization is waiting to hear whether it was approved for the federal Shuttered Venue Operators Grant.

“If that comes through it will be really wonderful for us, but that’s a slow process,” Elliott stressed. “It’s part of what Friends of the Penn owes the community to keep that place going.

“It’s whatever we have to do to keep that entity there for the long-term economic stability of downtown and just the cultural and the historic nature of our city.

That’s our responsibility to keep that there, so whatever we have to do we’re going to do to make sure the Penn stays there.”

The Penn Theatre is located at

760 Penniman Avenue. For more information, or to inquire about sponsoring a movie weekend, donating or volunteering, go to www.penntheatre.com or send an email to info@friendsofthepenn.org.

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A Sacred Game Fox Hills pro Brian Cairns has always worshiped golf

By Brad Emons

B

rian Cairns believes the game of golf is sacred and he wouldn’t treat it any other way.

There’s a devoted reverence toward the sport for the 2017 Michigan Golf Hall of Fame inductee, who is not only one of the state’s most accomplished players but also one of its preeminent golf instructors who has spent the past 12 years at the Fox Hills Learning Center in Plymouth.

“I love it,” he said. “I think it’s 20

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my job to protect the game and make it better in kind of a way through my students and my kids that are under my tutelage. It’s huge. You can’t screw around with this game. This is how we make it better for the next generation.”

Cairns, now 57, learned the game from his late father William, a certified public accountant, and his grandfather.

The Madison Heights native attended Bishop Foley High School where he was a four-

time letter winner in golf and wrestling, and went on to play NCAA Division II golf at Barry (Fla.) University where he majored in history and religious studies.

As a youth, he cut his teeth as a golfer at Red Run Golf Club in Royal Oak. “My dad (William) was born and raised in Scotland,” Cairns said. “He moved over here in the ‘50s, so it’s second nature.

I was lucky to be a member of the club. I was lucky to have

that growing up. I wasn’t a country club brat. I had strict accountability. My dad was pretty strict, a Roman Catholic, and that’s why I went to Catholic schools and Catholic colleges.”

Throughout the late spring into the fall, Cairns’ schedule is action-packed with tournament play. His impressive resume includes three PGA Championship appearances and five Senior PGAs. Cairns recently returned from the 41st U.S. Senior Open at the

“I think it’s my job to protect the game and make it better in kind of a way through my students and my kids that are under my tutelage. It’s huge. You can’t screw around with this game. This is how we make it better for the next generation.”

—Brian Cairns

Omaha (Neb.) Country Club where he missed the cut scoring an 80-78-158.

“Much to my dismay -- best part of my game, my putting -kind of betrayed me,” Cairns said.

Despite the result, Cairns was grateful to earn the opportunity and proud to be a part of the field.

“USGA events are the pinnacle,” he said. “It’s the best, it’s the highest. It’s not a limited field. It’s an open field.

Everybody in the world can try to qualify for. It’s not like the PGA Senior, which is kind of a limited field, controlled, world rankings.

When you play in the U.S. Senior Open you have the best possible field to play against in the world.”

5-foot-7, 180-pound Cairns has played in seven PGA Tour events making the cut in one.

He also qualified in 2015 PGA Championship at Whistling Straits (Wis.) where he was in a Saturday morning pairing with Australian Matt Jones (who eventually tied for 21st).

“I’d say one of my better moments was the restart at Whistling Straits and I’m playing with the leader of the PGA Matt Jones,” said Cairns, who ended up carding an 83-81-164. “We got back out for the restart and on the third hole of the third green and

there’s a camera man standing behind you. I’m like dude, ‘You don’t want to stand behind me.’

I think if there’s highlight or a moment, I was just in awe of where I was. It was like, ‘Wow, this is cool.’”

Cairns’ breakthrough victory came in the 1996 Michigan PGA Championship and he followed it up the next year with the Michigan PGA Match Play title.

In all, he has captured three Michigan PGA titles, five Match Play titles and several team titles.

Five times Cairns was named Player of the Year by the Section.

all the sudden you look around and there’s 15,000 people, and

As a senior he has continued to excel, claiming the 2014

‘GOOD MOMENTS’ In 2011, Cairns made it into the PGA Championship at the Atlanta Country Club shooting 85-79-164. He qualified again the following year (2012) for the PGA at the Ocean Course in Kiawah Island (S.C). where he shot 75-83-158.

“So many good moments,” Cairns said. “It’s really hard to say. No doubt, when you play in your first major – I was on the 10th tee of the Athletic Club -the rush and adrenalin is so high, it’s unbelievable.”

During his career, the

Michigan Senior PGA championship. In 2015, Cairns was the PGA of America’s Senior Player of the Year, the first Michigan player to be so honored. He also achieved conditional status during the late 1990s on the Web.Com Tour and was a member of the Champions Tour in 2014.

“I can’t believe what the PGA has done for my life,” he said.

“I’m very appreciative.”

In 2021, Cairns captured a pair of Michigan Section PGA events, the Barton Hills CC Pro-Pro and the Yamaha Golf Cars Pro-Pro. Earlier this month he was coming off a tied for fifth at 2-under 70-72-142 in the PGA Michigan Section Club Car Senior Open at Bedford Valley in Battle Creek.

Among his other scheduled competitive appearances for 2021 include the Tournament of Champions (July 26-28, at Boyne Mountain); the Michigan PGA Professional Championship (Aug. 16-18 at Prestwick Village); and the Michigan Senior PGA (Aug. 2-3 at Point O’Woods).

He is also headed to the Senior PGA Professional National Championship at the Wanamaker and Ryder Courses Oct. 21-24 in Port St. Lucie, Fla.

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FOX HILLS SUPPORT Meanwhile, Cairns has been able to juggle his schedule.

As the owners at Fox Hills in Plymouth, sisters Kathy Aznadorian and Sandy Dul Mily have given Cairns both the leeway and the platform to compete and teach at the same time.

He was named one of the top 20 golf instructors in Michigan

by Golf Digest in 2019-20.

“The sisters have obviously promoted golf in a different way,” he said. “Once it was thought they were always about banquets, but last year certainly proved their commitment to golf with easier access for people. I think with the array of instructors we have there, we definitely present that – from four-, five- and six-year-olds all the way up to seniors and beginner groups. And it’s great being part of that.

“I obviously work with the better players, and now that they’ve built this million-anda-half dollar building with the short game area, I feel kind of lucky to be there and lucky to do what I do,” Cairns continued.

When he’s not at Fox Hills, Cairns resides in Milford and spends his off seasons playing and teaching in Vero Beach, Fla. where his family owns a second home.

“I go to Florida for six months, but they’ve been very, very gracious to me and I’m very appreciative with what they’ve done,” he said of the Fox Hills owners. “They’ve always supported me that way – really good people.”

During his time in Florida, Cairns will play in winter season PGA events and pro-ams.

Students will fly down during weekends to keep the golf pro’s schedule booked.

“I try and give my students the competitive edge,” he said. “Weekends or weekend experiences in Florida, one on one. I work with them, which I think are very important for tournament or high-level players to see where they stand -- and

this is what we do, this is how we do it, this is our diet, sleep patterns, this is our practice regimen, the gym, this is everything…so I’m very lucky to be able to do that as far as the spectrum of what it takes to improve, which was somebody gave me when I was young with all my mentors.”

Two of Cairns’ elite level students, James Piot of Canton (Detroit Catholic Central/Michigan State) and Grant Haefner of Berkley (Birmingham Brother Rice/ Wayne State), both qualified for the upcoming U.S. Amateur.

It becomes a balancing act, but Cairns, like a doctor, is always on call. He will work overtime to coach and practice

at the same time if needed.

“It cuts into it, but I kind of concentrate on my better players during that time,” he said. “If they call me at 2 in the morning, I talk to them and do whatever I can to help them. I’ll hit balls at 4 in the morning if I have to help myself, but they’re first priority.

Drawing a line is pretty fine in competition, but I treat my students the same way to give them a competitive edge with them and accountability with myself as well as for them.”

Meanwhile, Cairns does get away from the game from time to time. He can be found on the streams fishing by his property at Forest Dunes Golf Club in northern Michigan.

“I’ll build there eventually and spend my summers because the Au Sable (River) is there and the Loop (course) is there,” he said.

Cairns, however, is not planning on retiring just yet.

Golf remains in his DNA both as a competitor and teacher. He treats the game with a religioustype sanctity that never fades away.

“There was no bull crap about how you treat the game of golf,” Cairns said of his upbringing. “It was just one notch below God. It was really a golf family in our household. It was very, very sacred. It’s the way I’ve always treated it, and we still do.”

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Past Tense...

All Aboard ‘Chessie The Cat’ Plymouth Historical Museum opens restored CSX caboose

By Michele Fecht

W

ith a weight of 67,500 pounds, the CSX caboose—or CO 904151—is without question the heaviest item on permanent display at the Plymouth Historical Museum.

Dedicated at a July ribboncutting and now open for public viewing, the “signal yellow” caboose with its iconic Chessie the Cat mascot is the culmination of nearly four years of negotiation, collaboration, frustration, and a whole lot of heavy lifting.

Thrown into the mix was a pandemic that brought final 24

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completion of the project and its public opening to a grinding halt.

Noted for her tenacious advocacy in bringing Plymouth items home to the museum (In its March 2021 issue, The Rock featured the recent addition of George Starkweather’s 19th century legal cabinet shipped from California), the caboose is a tangible reminder of the railroad’s profound impact on Plymouth.

The process of bringing the caboose to the museum coincided with the publication of Plymouth Railroads in April 2020 and coauthored by Kerstens and Penn

Theatre manager Ellen Elliott.

“One of the board members suggested doing a book on trains as a fundraiser for the caboose campaign,” Kerstens noted. The book’s final chapter chronicles the trials and tribulations of the transport, placement and restoration of the CSX caboose.

FORTUITOUS EMAIL Kerstens was not looking to add a caboose to the historical museum’s collection when she received an email from CSX in April 2018 asking if she was interested in one of the two cabooses housed at the Plymouth

rail yard. Since the 1980s, cabooses had been eliminated from most trains due to upgrades in monitoring and safety technology that reduced the number of train crew members housed in the caboose.

Repurposed as a shoving platform, CSX was looking to offload its obsolete equipment.

Among the two cabooses offered to Kerstens was one with a cupola.

“I fell in love with the cupola caboose,” Kerstens said. “But then hurdles began.”

The museum board of directors was “on board” with the caboose

donation and plans were brought to the city to place the caboose in the front of the museum for greater visibility. After many months and meetings, the city nixed the front yard placement; a space behind the museum would eventually house the caboose… but not the caboose Kerstens originally selected.

It would take until November 2018 to settle the placement issue. When Kerstens circled back to CSX to begin the process of transport, she learned both cabooses were gone.

Undaunted, Kerstens reached out to CSX getting through “to a guy in New York who talked me off the ledge,” and helped locate another caboose — CO 904151 — housed at the Wyoming Yard in Grand Rapids. Though it did not have a cupola, it was in good shape and among the last group of cabooses manufactured in North America.

In early 2019, the caboose was sent to CSX’s Rougemere Yard in Dearborn, awaiting transfer to Plymouth.

The first step in preparing to move a caboose or a rail car, is building a railroad track for it to sit on. Kerstens credits CSX with “helping point me in the direction of a lot of folks who could help.”

“I had many minds working on this,” she said. “Afterall, it’s my first railroad.”

Enter Reliable Landscaping who prepared the subgrade for the track behind the museum.

Ontario Trap Rock donated the railroad ballast with CSX donating the railroad ties. Alfonsi Railroad Construction built the railroad. Two 40-foot pieces of steel rail date-stamped 1945 were privately donated with the spikes donated by CSX. HEAVY LIFTING Transport of a caboose is a Herculean feat. It cannot be moved by rail as it would disrupt

train schedules on the mainline.

Instead, it is moved by a custom tractor trailer transported over public roads. This delicate and nail-biting endeavor was left to Marc Kalis, a veteran of more than three dozen train car transports.

Using a process involving two sets of temporary wheels, hydraulic lifts and a pulley system, Marc and his crew (his wife and son) placed the caboose on the museum site in June 2019.

It was ready for restoration.

Kalis would later return to the museum to move the working crossbuck that was previously located outside the museum’s Church Street entry to a location closer to the caboose. Its light continues to flash when the museum is open though the bell has not been hooked up.

Fundraising kicked into high gear once the caboose was in place. Most of it was achieved through a combination of fundraising events and grants.

A grant from the Margaret Dunning Foundation helped finish the caboose.

Upon delivery, Kerstens said she noticed that the caboose did not have doors on either the front or back. This is typical of trains repurposed as push platforms. CSX located replacement doors, and Rick Westphal from CSX in Toledo drove to the Wyoming Yard in Grand Rapids, removed two doors from a sister caboose and delivered them to Plymouth.

Though in pretty good shape upon delivery, the exterior of

the caboose needed a facelift.

Under the direction of TJ Gaffney of Streamline Historic Services, LLC in Port Huron, painter Jeff Conner of Railcar & Military Equipment Painting in Pennsylvania was brought in to paint the roof, underframe, wheels and the exterior.

In its nearly 40 years of service — it was built in 1980

by Fruit Growers Express in Alexandria, Virginia — CO 0941515 had never been repainted which allowed Connor to accurately replicate its colors and stenciling.

Aside from a good cleaning and few floorboards being replaced near the windows, the interior of the caboose looks the way it was when it was in use. “The outside looks new; the inside looks like it has life,” Kerstens said. HVAC was added to the caboose which can hold

approximately 15 people for tours.

The museum held a public grand opening for the caboose, featuring a ribbon cutting ceremony and music by the Plymouth Community Band, on July 17.

The caboose also provides a nice juxtaposition to the museum’s current exhibit, “Plymouth’s Roaring ‘20s,” that highlights the decade of jazz, barnstorming, kit houses, bank robberies (!), speakeasies and flappers. There also is a 1929 Model A Coupe parked in the center of the exhibit.

The ‘20s popularized a new mode of transportation that would eventually compete with passenger train travel.

Either way, cars and trains made an indelible mark on Plymouth’s history.

The Plymouth Historical Museum, located at 155 South Main Street, is open from 1-4 p.m. Wednesday, Friday, Saturday and Sunday.

Admission is $7 for adults; $3 for students (6-17). Caboose tours are included in the price of admission. For more information, visit plymouthhistory.org.

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“On behalf of our pharmaceutical and biotech clients, JB Ashtin helps translate complex scientific information for healthcare providers, or HCPs. We interpret the science and clinical data that support new Joni medications.” —Joni Bradley

Bradley PharmD President & CEO

JB Ashtin CEO Joni Bradley thriving in ‘MedComms’ industry

By Ryan M. Place

P

lymouth is full of surprises if you take the time to look around.

Take, for example, the medical communications agency JB Ashtin, which is led by female entrepreneur (and multi-award winner) Joni Bradley.

As founder, president and CEO, Joni is at the helm of a company with 25 employees currently providing service to 16 clients across the United States. You might ask, however, what exactly is JB Ashtin and the medical communications, or MedComms, industry?

“On behalf of our pharmaceutical and biotech clients, JB Ashtin helps translate complex scientific information for healthcare providers, or HCPs,” Joni says. “We interpret the science and clinical data that support new medications.”

JB Ashtin’s deliverables come in a variety of forms, including

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“running advisory boards, designing digital educational programming for HCPs, and supporting researchers to publish their data in major medical journals,” she says. “We also offer strategic services to medical affairs and commercial teams of our pharma clients.”

Joni created a thriving company from scratch. It is also a company that actually did well during the pandemic.

“We are extremely humbled that our business has been steadily increasing,” says Joni.

“It’s a testament to our team.

Every single day they continue delivering relevant solutions to our clients.”

Located on General Drive south of Ann Arbor Road, JB Ashtin has evolved to an impressive degree since its original location: Joni’s basement in Canton. “I formally established JB Ashtin in

September 1999 and expanded it in the Summer 2000,” she explains. “Prior to that I was

a medical writing consultant.

The trajectory of my career was uncertain, so I took a risk and 20 years later, I couldn’t be happier.”

JONI’S JOURNEY Joni has deep Michigan ties.

Her parents grew up in Southeast

Michigan, and Joni and her siblings grew up in Dearborn Heights. “I attended Wayne State University for pre-pharmacy classes,” says Joni. “Then received my PharmD from the University of Michigan College of Pharmacy.”

After the first year of pharmacy school, Joni had her daughter, Ashley. “My entire college career, I was either pregnant or had a little one,” she says. “Learning how to be a parent while studying pharmacy and working simultaneously was tough. I thank God for my husband, Bruce.”

Upon graduation, Joni’s family moved to New Jersey where she worked for Scientific Therapeutics Information, a medical writing agency.

“Eventually, we wanted to move back to Michigan, but my employer didn’t support working remotely,” she says.

“Through networking, I found a Philadelphia-based company, Medical Education Systems, who let me work remotely.”

Joni moved the family back to Michigan. “I opened the Midwest office of MES and created their medical writing department,” she explains. “Prior to that, the company only hired freelance writers. When I left in 1999, we had 19 people in that group.”

For a brief period, Joni became a consultant. “I was a sixthmonth contract worker for Searle, a global pharmaceutical firm which has since been acquired by Pfizer, when I came up with the name JB Ashtin,” she explains.

“And around this time my husband and I made the decision

that he be the stay-at-home parent, so I could focus on my business. He’s my secret weapon.

JB Ashtin stands for Joni, Bruce, Ashley, and Austin -- my family.”

JB Ashtin’s first actual office was in downtown Plymouth on Forest Avenue.

“We were only there a year, quickly outgrew it, then we moved to Five Mile and Beck,” she says. “Now we’re at Lilley and Ann Arbor Road.”

Although through the pandemic, everybody was working remotely.

Purposely kept as a smaller sized boutique agency, JB Ashtin competes with some agencies that are up to 20 times larger.

“We are very selective in who we hire, and we pride ourselves on being able to give our clients personalized service,” Joni says.

A GREAT TEAM And how does JB Ashtin generate such great business?

Some “95% comes from client referrals and repeat business,” she says. “Repeat business is a blessing. If we had to go out and find brand new clients every year, it would be incredibly tough.

It’s all about the people. The care each of our staff takes in developing client relationships is genuine and consistent.”

“We want to hire the best no matter where they live,” says Joni. “Six of our employees live in different states and two live in West Michigan, so they’re always working remotely. And when we re-open after the pandemic, the return to the office will be optional for Michigan-based employees.”

In terms of organizational anatomy, JB Ashtin is divided into: Business Development,

knowledge base and very broad therapy-area expertise.”

Joni is tremendously proud of her team. “Not only do I get to do what I love doing every single day, but I work with absurdly great people,” she gushes.

“And as a group, together, we make real tangible differences in not only each other’s lives, but also the lives of our clients and ultimately, patients. I don’t always slow down enough to think about that.”

Community engagement is a core value at JB Ashtin, as they

FOUNDER AND CEO: Joni Bradley WHAT: Medical communications agency ADDRESS: 9401 General Dr #100, Plymouth, MI 48170 WEBSITE: www.JBAshtin.com Operations, and Account Services departments. “Five members on our leadership oversee these teams,” explains Joni. “They all report to Jeanne Nickoloff, our COO, and Jeanne reports to me.

As a group, JB Ashtin has a large

support several causes, including Life Remodeled Detroit, Adopt A Family, and the Making Strides for breast cancer campaign of the American Cancer Society, etc.

“We love donating and being actively involved,” Bradley said.

In addition to hiring staff (they recently had an opening for a senior science director, for example), JB Ashtin also offers internships for pharmacy students and now, a one-year post-doctoral fellowship.

“The fellowship is geared towards someone who completed their PhD or PharmD and wants to learn more about the MedComms industry,” explains Joni. “We get plenty of PhD applicants but many have no idea what MedComms is, so we’re using this fellowship as an educational effort.”

Where is JB Ashtin headed?

“I envision having multiple and complementary strategic partnerships, especially those in technology and digital solutions, and thereby expanding our service offerings,” says Joni.

And for all you aspiring entrepreneurs out there, Joni has some great advice. “Don’t be afraid. Sometimes you have to jump in and take a risk,” she says. “Surround yourself with people who are smarter than you, don’t be afraid to collaborate, and keep learning. It could be lifechanging.”

For more information about JB Ashtin, visit www.JBAshtin.com or email jobs@jbashtin.com.

Ryan Place is a Plymouthbased freelance writer. If you have a great Plymouth story idea, please email him at place313@gmail.com.

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I T ’ S Y O U R B U S I N E S S FOREST BARBERSHOP

Local barber gets creative to bring in new clientele Story and photos by Laura Fawaz

S

anitizing groceries, trying new baking recipes, taking up biking, and being in desperate need of a haircut, were just a few signs of quarantine during the COVID-19 pandemic.

Many people and businesses suffered a financial loss, but none more than those who actually had to shut down for health concerns, such as barbershops and salons. Just ask Viktor Ivezaj, owner of the Forest Barbershop.

Fortunately, he’s come out on the other side and business has picked back up.

“We’ve recovered nicely.

There’s a lot of walk by traffic, and we’re still in downtown,” Ivezaj said.

The pandemic hasn’t been the only challenge facing traditional barbershops like Ivezaj’s.

Formally, the barbershops were seen as a budget avenue for men’s grooming. With recent styles and tastes changing, and many feeling the need to go to fancy salons or low-budget

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chains, the traditional barbershop has turned into a nostalgic and vintage symbol. So, to survive and even widen their clientele, many barbershops have had to be creative.

Ivezaj, a barber for 33 years, purchased what used to be Mel’s Golden Razor two years ago, just before the pandemic hit. Located at 595 Forest Street, the location has been a barbershop going back to 1968. Ivezaj was attracted to the location, as he grew up in the Plymouth-Canton area and attended area schools in the early 1970s.

Looking to expand his business, Ivezaj decided to also focus on children’s haircuts, even bringing in the fun chairs that are designed as rockets and cars to help ease fears and tensions of the little ones.

“We saw an opportunity, where there’s just not a lot of places for kids. So, we brought some chairs for them, to help them sit better and enjoy the experience. We also have

prizes after their haircuts, and rewards,” said Ivezaj.

He added that a lot of parents may not know where to take their kids for haircuts, so they are hoping that they will come to a locally-owned shop, verses the chain locations.

“The American dream, owning a small business in the place where you grew up, seeing the people you went to school with.

It’s amazing” added Ivezaj.

He has two other barbers working with him at the location – Francis Crouch and Shelly Schaffer. Both appreciate the downtown location and the community.

“We love Plymouth,” Schaffer said. “We’re all involved in everything in Plymouth, we go and mingle with our customers in the same things.”

As for Ivezaj, he couldn’t be happier. Having come out of the pandemic has given him a new perspective on life. He’s just happy to be working and doing what he loves.

“I really enjoy my job a great deal. I wouldn’t trade it for anything,” he said. “I don’t care what circumstances lie ahead, as long as I can walk and as long as I can stand up, I’m going to be cutting hair. I don’t ever see myself retiring, because it’s stimulating being around good people. I love to meet good people.”

The Forest Barbershop is open six days a week (they are closed Mondays). No appointments are necessary.

FOREST BARBERSHOP OWNER: Viktor Ivezaj 595 Forest Ave, Plymouth (734) 392-7330 HOURS: TUESDAY-FRIDAY 9 a.m.-5:30 p.m.

SATURDAY 9 a.m.-1:30 p.m.

SUNDAY 10 a.m.-2 p.m.

Closed Monday

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