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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 »
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 »
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 »
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 »
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 »
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 »
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 »
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 »
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 »
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 »
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 »
