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Sherri Welch

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Carl Erickson

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David Sowerby

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Derek Weaver

Derek Weaver

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Lisa Katz

Lisa Katz

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Mark S. Lee

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Nina Misuraca Ignaczak

Nina Misuraca Ignaczak

All About Water
Raj J. Patel

Raj J. Patel

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Sharlan Douglas

Sharlan Douglas

Communication
Ted Serbinski

Ted Serbinski

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The latest posts from our bloggers
Guest Blog: Raj J. Patel

Is Michigan prepared for a cyber attack?

05/21/13 Imagine someone hacking into our waste management system, causing millions of gallons of raw sewage to spill into our rivers, lakes and parks. Marine life across our lakes and rivers dies, the stench is horrible and diseases spread fast. This is a true story. In 2001, Vitek Boden was found guilty of hacking into Maroochy Shire's computerized waste management system. Over the last 12 years, attacks have become more sophisticated. In 2010, cyber experts discovered a malicious computer code, …more »
Chris Gautz

Key Snyder adviser prefers his place behind the curtain

05/19/13 Most people have probably never heard of Rich Baird and his behind-the-scenes role in Gov. Rick Snyder's administration, and he likes it that way. Baird's relationship with Snyder dates back more than three decades to when he gave Snyder his first job out of law school. The pair remained close over the years, and he is now one of the governor's most-trusted advisers, tasked with overseeing and leading some of the more complex assignments from behind the curtain. "I've frankly enjoyed …more »
Nathan Skid

Second Papa Joe's market to open in downtown Detroit

05/20/13 Tony Curtis, founder of Papa Joe's Gourmet Market & Catering LLC, is doubling down in downtown Detroit. Curtis is opening a 9,000-square-foot Papa Joe's Gourmet Market inside the Renaissance Center to cater to workers in the building. Curtis said the focus of the Renaissance Center location will be on prepared foods, featuring pizza, pasta, Thai, sushi, cheese, charcuterie and a bakery, as well as a sit-down area. It will also have a small …more »
Guest Blog: Carl Erickson

Shortage of software professionals prompts new forms of training, education

05/17/13 As everyone who's recently tried to hire developers or interaction designers knows, there's an acute talent shortage in the U.S. This should be worrisome to everyone, given the importance of software to nearly all aspects of the economy, but is especially troubling for firms that rely on software for innovation. A recent article in Forbes goes so far as to say that we're seeing the rise of Developeronomics, an economic system based on the critical need for software and …more »
Guest Blog: Sharlan Douglas

Use key messages to control your story

05/17/13 The TV reporter's in front of you with a camera and a microphone. How do you make sure that your important content winds up on the air and not on the virtual cutting room floor? Here's the secret: Only "60 Minutes" can roll video for as long as it takes to hang you. TV news reporters have to get on to the next interview. If you keep repeating the same thing over and over, they'll be forced to use it. Answer their question if you can. If you can't, answer the question you wanted them to ask. …more »
Guest Blog: Lisa Katz

Need talent? What's your plan?

05/16/13 In April of last year, the Society for Human Resource Management and the AARP teamed up to survey 430 HR professionals. Of respondents, 71 percent said that, although losing skilled older workers could pose a problem in their workplace, their companies had not done any formal planning to address it. Meanwhile, 60 percent of those surveyed expressed that their companies had not undertaken even general workforce planning to understand and address …more »
Kirk Pinho

Bing as Pistons coach? Ficano jokingly offers up a suggestion for Detroit mayor

05/16/13 Detroit Mayor Dave Bing's future plans were a topic of conversation …more »
Kirk Pinho

Orr: 'We are going to start running a little bit faster now'

05/15/13 Forty-eight days into his tenure as Detroit's emergency manager, Kevyn Orr has a better grasp of the depths of the city's financial problems and he plans to begin rolling out specific actions to tackle those in the next couple of weeks. But while Orr said he remains "absolutely" confident he can get Detroit's money woes in order in his remaining 16½ months as EM, little of the 45-minute interview that I and Crain's editors had Wednesday with the former Washington, D.C., …more »
Nathan Skid

Party like it's 1920: Detroit City Distillery opening in Eastern Market

05/16/13 There is no indication that behind the prison-like door and graffiti-marred walls of an Eastern Market building, workers are transforming a former slaughterhouse into a prohibition-themed micro-distillery. The Detroit City Distillery, at 2462 Riopelle St., is 2,700 square feet and will feature a tasting room serving gin, whiskey and vodka, to start, when it opens as early as spring 2014. Seven young professionals, including a microbiologist, corporate attorneys, an accountant …more »
Chris Gautz

Snyder not surprised by findings in Orr's report

05/14/13 Gov. Rick Snyder did not find much surprising in the report issued this week by Detroit's emergency manager Kevyn Orr, but said the benefit to having it is that all the facts about the city's finances and related issues are in one place. And now there can be honest discussions about what the issues are and what needs to be done, Snyder said Tuesday morning at the Detroit Athletic Club as he addressed the Michigan Hispanic Chamber of Commerce. "It's no surprise …more »
Guest Blog: Derek Weaver

Ingredients of successful entrepreneurs: 10 things to know

05/14/13 Last week, I was a guest speaker at Clippert Academy in southwest Detroit for their career day, where I spoke to 150 middle school students. Detroit-based Strategic Staffing Solutions organized over two dozen professionals from various backgrounds to come and enlightened the young minds. I spoke a lot about entrepreneurship and encouraged students to follow their dreams.  I told them about the different businesses that rent space from me at the 4731 Arts Incubator, which houses 31 urban …more »
Guest Blog: Raj J. Patel

Cyberterrorism: Pay attention to this new threat

05/13/13 On April 23, 2013 at 12:07 p.m., the Associated Press tweeted, "Two explosions in the White House, and Barack Obama is injured." By 1:08 p.m., the Dow had fallen 150 points, the price of crude oil had fallen, and U.S. government bonds briefly dropped. Fortunately, there were no explosions, our president was fine, and the Dow bounced back. That just shows you how powerful a simple hack of the AP's Twitter account can be. It's no wonder, then, that protecting the United …more »
Guest Blog: Nina Misuraca Ignaczak

Building a sense of place with green infrastructure

05/13/13 When you think of the term “water infrastructure,” any of the following might come to mind: massive water and wastewater treatment plants, miles of underground pipe delivering water to homes and businesses, more miles of pipe shuttling sewage to treatment plants, and huge basins holding runoff from parking lots and roadways. These features of traditional “gray” urban water infrastructure serve to maintain the health and safety of our communities. When adequately designed …more »
Chris Gautz

GOP Medicaid plan doesn't sit well with Dems, Snyder

05/20/13 At a news conference around lunchtime in the Capitol on Thursday, Gov. Rick Snyder was asked where negotiations stood on the expansion of Medicaid. As with his other top budget priority -- road funding -- Snyder did not have much to report, other than that progress was slow and he wished it wasn't. "I'm waiting to see if either the House or the Senate come up with alternative ideas and concepts that we can talk about," Snyder said regarding Medicaid. A few hours later, House Speaker Jase …more »
Nathan Skid

Taste of the Lions: My top 3 picks, and why you won't want to miss this event next year

05/11/13 From the Cattle Barron's Ball to Ferndale's Pig and Whiskey, Royal Oak's Arts Beats and Eats and Sunset at the Zoo, metro Detroit has a lot of great food-centric events and each has its own personality and place in the culinary landscape. But I have to admit Taste of the Lions could easily become a crowd favorite. There were 891 people at the inaugural event, which took place Tuesday on the main concourse of Ford Field. While the $150 general admission tickets didn't sell out, …more »
Guest Blog: Ted Serbinski

The diamond in the Midwest

05/10/13 If you've been reading my previous posts, you'll notice a common theme: Why Detroit? I think I summed it well in my entrepreneurial gold rush post but I left out a key point: There's a hidden diamond in the Midwest. Yes, a diamond is buried in the Midwest. One that is crucial to so many startups but has never really been touted before.  …more »
Nathan Skid

Iron Chef Symon's first local B Spots likely to be in Rochester Hills, downtown Detroit

05/10/13 Michael Symon's first Michigan B Spot Burger restaurant will be in Rochester Hills, according to Doug Petkovic, COO of the Cleveland-based Symon Restaurant Group. Petkovic laid out his vision for the Iron Chef's introduction of his burger restaurant chain to southeast Michigan, saying there will be as many as six B Spots opening in "vibrant" areas throughout metro Detroit. He would not give the exact Rochester Hills location because the lease has not been …more »
Sherri Welch

Glenda Price's mission: Strengthen annual giving to DPS Foundation

05/16/13 Glenda Price, who succeeded Chacona Johnson as president of the Detroit Public Schools Foundation last fall, is on a mission to strengthen the foundation's annual giving program. Price, who retired as president of Marygrove College in 2006, came out of retirement in 2008 to serve as interim president of the Michigan Colleges Foundation, an organization that raises funds for the state's private liberal arts colleges. "Going forward we want to …more »
Nathan Skid

Iron Chef Michael Symon plans multiple restaurants in metro Detroit

05/10/13 Michael Symon, who is planning to bring his B Spot Burger chain to Metro Detroit, apparently is looking at several locations in the area. Symon and his business partner, Doug Petkovich, have enlisted the Detroit arm of real estate brokerage firm Seattle-based Colliers International to scout locations across metro Detroit. There is no official word on how many B Spot Burger restaurants Symon plans to open in the region. Symon opened six B Spots in Cleveland, one …more »
Guest Blog: Sharlan Douglas

How to write stories that sell

05/09/13
  • Call me Ishmael.
  • Lolita, light of my life, fire of my
 …more »
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