More than 11,000 students from across Michigan gained a first-hand look at modern manufacturing thanks to the Michigan Manufacturing Technology Center, which supported multiple events and activities throughout the state in celebration of Manufacturing Day 2018.
Looking for some interesting dining companions while eating some iconic Buddy’s Pizza? Then look no further than its newest location inside the Detroit Zoo.
This month, Buddy’s opened a 5,200-square-foot restaurant with 163 seats near the Zoo’s historic Horace H. Rackham Memorial Fountain. This is Buddy’s 13th location in Michigan, and the restaurant features a main dining room, outdoor patio and rooftop terrace that has the highest vantage point in the Zoo.
In addition to serving a variety of Buddy’s original square pizzas, the restaurant will feature pizza by the slice, gluten-free pizza, antipasto salad, Buddy Brew and other cold beverages.
“We’re proud to partner with Buddy’s and bring another classic and iconic hometown staple to our visitors,” Ron Kagan, Executive Director and CEO for the Detroit Zoological Society, said in a statement. “This building is also yet another example of our commitment to environmental sustainability.”
Eco-friendly site
The restaurant incorporates donated and recycled materials, including tables and furnishings built with reclaimed wood from around the Zoo that have been stamped with the location of its origin. A striking ceiling feature is made of 100-year-old wooden planks from a Michigan barn and two counters were built using bowling alley flooring from an old establishment in metro Detroit.
Additionally, the windows are made with fretted glass to prevent and minimize the occurrence of bird strikes. The rooftop terrace is made from a 95-percent recycled wood-alternative decking material called Trex, composed primarily of plastic grocery bags and reclaimed hardwood. Future eco-friendly practices will include a rain garden cared for with water runoff from the rooftop terrace.
“Since 2011, Buddy’s has been the ‘Proud Pizza Partner of the Detroit Zoo’ which has included assisting with educational opportunities for students and special enrichment experiences with animals,” Wes Pikula, Buddy’s Pizza COO, said in a statement. “Having an actual Buddy’s restaurant there is a natural expansion of that partnership and we’re glad to be able to serve more families as they visit our cherished zoo.”
In 1946, Buddy’s Pizza became the birthplace of the original Detroit-style square pizza. For seven decades the restaurant has been feeding patrons at its 12 metro Detroit locations and earning accolades from fans across the nation, including recognition from CBS This Morning, USA Today, Zagat, Food Network, Pizza Today, Eater, Travel Channel and more. Consistently voted Detroit’s number one pizza locally, regionally and nationally, the Farmington Hills-based restaurant remains true to its Detroit roots, legacy and traditions that began on the corner of 6 Mile and Conant years ago.
For Matthew Lesha, books have been a part of his life from the moment he can remember holding one in his hands – this University Liggett student believes in the written word so much that he considers himself an avid reader who prioritizes books in every regard.
That is why he has organized along with Brilliant Detroit a book drive. The high schooler aims to collect 1,000 new and gently used children’s books for kids aged 0-8 now through Oct. 31 to benefit Brilliant Detroit families.
Brilliant Detroit, an organization Lesha has served as a volunteer, is dedicated to building kid success families and neighborhoods where families with children have what they need to be school ready, healthy and stable. Brilliant Detroit early child and family centers provide proven programming and support year-round out of Brilliant Detroit homes in high-need neighborhoods.
“Recently, I became aware of some alarming statistics on literacy in our country and knew that I had to do something to make a difference, even if that meant starting small in my own community,” said Lesha, 17, who was an accelerated reader in grade school and remains a passionate, avid reader today. “…To learn how many kids grow up without books and can’t read is shocking and, importantly, unacceptable to me.”
Reading is fundamental
According to Raising A Reader, a national nonprofit organization and partner of Brilliant Detroit that provides resources and guidance for families to implement home-based literacy routines, “approximately 86 percent of Detroit’s third-graders are not reading at grade level, which makes it more likely these children will struggle academically and throughout their lives without intervention.”
“Matthew has been an invaluable volunteer at our organization,” said Cindy Eggleton, co-founder and CEO of Brilliant Detroit. “Through his efforts to mobilize his local community, we will be able to provide families and children with a fundamental tool to help them be school and life ready.”
On a mission to improve the lives of children and families in Detroit, Lesha has worked with his local community to set up collection sites for donations of new and gently used children’s books in the following locations: Grosse Pointe Shores City Offices, Our Lady Star of the Sea Church, St. Paul on the Lake Catholic Church and University Liggett School.
Established in 2015, Brilliant Detroit provides a radically new approach to kindergarten readiness in neighborhoods and create a unique delivery model for early childhood development by using underutilized housing stock to create early child and family centers in neighborhoods.
Julie Fershtman, an attorney and shareholder with Foster Swift Collins & Smith, was presented with the highest honor from the State Bar of Michigan at the State Bar’s NEXT Conference and Annual Meeting on Sept. 26-28 at DeVos Place in Grand Rapids.
Hagerty announced that Collette “Coco” Champagne, Hagerty’s Chief People Officer, has been promoted to Chief Operating Officer. Champagne becomes the second woman COO in Hagerty history.
Health Alliance Plan has announced the appointment of Kelly Wright as vice president, consumer operations. In this position, she is responsible for planning, directing and coordinating all activities associated with HAP’s consumer operations department.
MSSP Alert, published by After Nines Inc., has named Rehmann to the Top 100 MSSPs list for 2018 (http://www.MSSPAlert.com/top100). The Top 100 MSSP rankings are based on MSSP Alert’s 2018 readership survey combined with aggregated third-party research.
Strong summer sales at the nation’s convenience stores have resulted in record levels of optimism, with nearly three of four retailers reporting an increase in sales during the first nine months of 2018 compared to the same period in 2017, according to a survey conducted by an industry trade association.
The survey, which was conducted by NACS, the association representing convenience store owners, also saw more than half (52 percent) of respondents reporting an increase in fuel sales over last year.
Only 9 percent of retailers surveyed said their in-store sales had dropped. One in five (20 percent) reported a decline in fuel sales.
Rise in retailer optimism
The result is a rise in retailer optimism, according to NACS officials, who say 87 percent of members are optimistic about their business prospects for the next quarter. An equal number are optimistic about industry prospects and slightly fewer—85 percent—said they are optimistic about the overall economy’s prospects.
NACS officials point out that convenience store sales are strongest over the summer months as more people enjoy outdoor activities because of longer daylight hours in the summer months and more travel. Retailers most often cite good weather, positive economic news and low gas prices as the top three factors that drive sales, and all of these factors were cited as positively affecting sales over the past three months.
I
n addition, retailers also cited new programs that are expected to enhance sales for the next three months.
Examples cited include new oil and gas exploration and new non-energy businesses in the Grasslands Market area of Douglas, Wyoming, and a strong prepared food and craft beer offering at Plaza Chevron, located in Costa Mesa, Calif.
That aside, retailers have expressed some challenges, including competition from dollar stores, and new regulations related to wages and tobacco that have been introduced in New Jersey.
And while favorable weather largely led to sales growth over the summer months, it wasn’t uniform throughout the country.
“Mother Nature certainly affected Q3 sales in the Mid-Atlantic region with a historically rainy summer that has continued well into September and has been a deterrent to sales,” noted Dennis McCartney of Landhope Farms, which is based in Kennett Square, Penn.).
NACS has conducted quarterly NACS Retailer Sentiment Surveys since 2015 to both track retailer sentiment and survey retailer involvement and interest in a variety of issues related to their businesses. A total of 90 NACS member companies, representing a cumulative 1,494 stores, participated in the September 2018 survey examining sentiment for Q4 2018.
Tara Bosch, like so many kids, loved candy so much that the people behind the counter at her local convenience store who sold her those sugar snacks knew her by name when she came in to make yet another purchase.
Bosch knew she had what she describes as an unhealthy relationship with food. She knew many of her then college-age friends were the same way. What shocked her was when her beloved grandmother related how she had similar food issues and body-image issues.
That put Bosch on a quest to create something that was sweet, but still good for you to eat. She left college at age 21 with a mission—she would test recipes until she found something that satisfied her sweet tooth without taking out all of her teeth. It started with a gummy-bear mold she bought on Amazon and grew and grew.
The result was SmartSweets. Over the past two years, Bosch’s fledgling company has grown massively, mostly because of her hard work marketing it, but also because there is a growing movement among people to use less sugar and find new ways to enjoy sweets.
Taking candy to the next level
So far, SmartSweets has raised more than $6 million in financing and has product in more than 6,000 stores across the United States. Retailers include GNC, Whole Foods, and Bed, Bath and Beyond.
“It feels like it’s been 10 years” since its launch, laughs Bosch. “It’s been such an adventure!”
She’s also launching a “kick sugar” subscription box service, a unique model in the foodie world, she says. The next step is to take what she calls “the future of candy” to another level by starting the first plant-based candy products—these goodies would have about 80 calories per bag and only three grams of sugar.
Finding a way to bring smarter sugary treats to the masses is a key part of her work. Bosch doesn’t want people to avoid or give up sugar entirely; she believes that completely kicking it out of your diet can backfire. Rather, she wants to change people’s habits by putting new products and new dietary habits into their every day.
“I had to find a balance. I wanted to enjoy what I wanted to eat. Change has to be sustainable to work,” Bosch says. “I decided not to cut out sugar or restrict. I decided instead to change my life.”
Epicenter of food industry
Candy, Bosch says, seems like the epicenter of the food industry. If you look at most products, there is a high amount of sugar, especially those that are processed. So finding a substitute and creating new products became her focus.
She decided to work with stevia, a plant-based, non-GMO, low-glycemic sweetener extracted from leaves of the Stevia Rebaudiana plant. It provides great tasting calorie-free sweetness. Also, she made sure there were no sugar alcohols or artificial sweeteners in SmartSweets.
As a result, her main product, a Gummy Bear, has 85 percent less sugar than the leading gummy bear company. That means a lot to this Canadian and former sugar addict – as well as to the many people she has met through social media, on-site visits and meetings.
Her success comes from one thing, Bosch says, and that is working at the highest level she can at everything she does.
“You have to be relentless in pursuit of the unknown,” Bosch says. “That can be challenging when you have a vision and you believe in it, but you have no idea of how you’re going to go from that vision to something real. But that’s where you have to be relentless.
“What I’ve learned is that it is ok not to have everything figured out—in business, you likely are going to be in a perpetual state of not knowing,” Bosch says. “But I’m at peace with that. I know I’ve put everything out there and I’m meant to go down this path. … You cannot control the outcome; you can only control your effort.”
Especially in a family business, the single best way to avoid conflict is to anticipate issues and resolve matters before the proverbial pot boils over.
When times are good, the tendency is to put conflict on the back burner and let it simmer. The longer it simmers the more difficult it becomes to separate the ingredients and mine down to the underlying issues. When times are good, and money flows easily, we are inclined to disregard the fundamental complications that plague family business.
If the pot simmers too long, the ingredients become an embroiled burned mess at the bottom. If it’s left long enough, the mess might become uncleanable, and you may have to toss the pot. That’s a very heavy price to pay for not paying attention to a simmering pot.
Don’t let your pot simmer.
Instead, separate the ingredients and address them individually before they get all stirred up – unrecognizable and inseparable. That’s what happens when you wait—conflicts become complicated and difficult to resolve.
Struggling with what’s next
A recent family business client consisting of a senior brother and sister (50/50 ownership structure) was struggling with “what next.” The siblings were in their late 60s and had no exit strategy. The sister’s only child, Jane, had been employed in the business for 15 years and served as the general manager. She was the daily tactical manager of the pet store, she did most of the hiring/firing, customer service, and facility management (the business owned the building). She expected that she would become the sole owner upon the retirement of her Mother, Mary, and Uncle Joe. Mary acted as the purchasing agent, and Uncle Joe did the “back room” (HR, payroll, accounting, banking, and general administration).
One day, after receiving a disappointing bonus, Jane asked her mother, “Are you and Uncle Joe ready to sell me the business?” Mary was surprised. She had not anticipated the question and had never seriously discussed it with her brother.
Uncle Joe had three adult children. One was a successful professional, another was a struggling artist, and the youngest was a stay-at-home mom in a bad marriage with two toddlers. None of Uncle Joe’s children has expressed interest in the business, although they had each worked there at some point.
Uncle Joe was a hard worker. He put in lots of hours and was somewhat upset with his sister who was in-and-out doing “who knows what.” She too was good at her job, and they were a good team with complementary skill sets. The business seemed to run on automatic especially in these good times. But it wasn’t always that way.
There had been a third partner, a sister (now deceased) who hadn’t fit in. She was the store manager but fell short of expectations and was asked to leave. She was eventually bought out and then sued her siblings for more money and a nominal settlement was reached. This all happened just prior to Jane entering the business.
Jane came to the table at the right time. The business needed a store manager and she had the skills, disposition and experience necessary. She fit right in and did a great job lightening the load of Mary and Joe. Jane has been a vital part of the business success, bringing new energy, ideas and pizazz to the store. Sales and profits have grown in part due to her efforts while Mary and Joe have entered the “slow down” phase of their careers.
This pot is simmering, and about to boil.
Mary expects that both she and Joe will sell the business to Jane on a buyout over time. Joe expects to cut back on his workload while taking the same compensation. He went through a messy divorce and has not recovered financially. Jane expects to buy them both out at a reduced price because of her years of “sweat equity,” and she expects Mary and Joe will “fund” the buyout by allowing her to use future profits. No one has considered how the business might run with Joe and Mary in reduced rolls.
Joe also wonders if his children may want to get involved in the business, and he would like to offer them that possibility—especially his struggling daughter and starving artist. No discussion of Joe’s entry in the business has ever ensued.
Business has been good, and it has experienced steady growth. The growth has been a combination of good management, a geographical rebirth and an uptick in pet ownership (as well as how pets are treated). Mary, Joe, and Jane are being well compensated, so no one wants to stir the pot, except maybe Jane. But the pot simmers. To add some heat, one of their competitors has made a very attractive unsolicited offer. Unfortunately, the amount of debt the business carries makes a sale unattractive as the owners wouldn’t walk away with enough of a payday.
Let’s separate the ingredients by asking some key questions that need to be answered.
Entry
What family members, if any, should be allowed to “enter” the business, and what does entry mean? Is it a job, a career and/or a path to ownership? Are there any requirements? Is there some time-line after which the door closes? Who decides? What do outside stakeholders expect?
Compensation
Is there a transparent compensation policy? How are profits factored in?
Governance
How does ownership structure the management of the business and empower the managers? Who decides what, and how? How will the owners decide on family entry? How will ownership, if there is more than one individual, make their decisions—like selling the business? Is there a structure for decision making?
Semi-Retirement
When key stakeholders enter the “slow-down” phase of their career, how will their roles and compensation be addressed? Who decides?
Fair vs. Equal
It is common for family businesses to do things equally, but is that fair? Should siblings get the same compensation, drive the same car, and work equal hours? How will that protocol be passed to the next generation?
Property Ownership
Should the business own the real estate used by the business? If not, and that is the existing situation, what can be done? What are the tax implications? Can rent revenues be used to fund key stakeholder retirement?
Ownership Transfer Restrictions
Should owners – partners – be restricted on what they can do with their piece of the pie? Commonly this is handled through a Buy-Sell Agreement, but what if one doesn’t exist, hasn’t been updated, or has terminated. What then? And what if a current agreement no longer fits the situation for everyone signatory?
Keep or Sell
Ultimately every business either gets dissolved (bankruptcy or liquidation), sold or transferred. So what’s the game plan? If the business is to be transferred internally, where does the money come from? How will the purchase price be determined? What’s next for the stakeholders? How does current management operate with the new ownership structure? If it’s sold, how will owners and key stakeholders make out financially? Will there be employment agreements for current managers?
The questions can continue indefinitely and they all need to be addressed. In good times, don’t ignore the underlying issues that need to be addressed – they don’t go away. Instead, develop a strategy to address issues so that conflict can be resolved before it boils over.
Good advice from professionals can make the simmering pot cool down to a festive meal for all to enjoy.
Recent health care reforms made at the federal level of government are behind a move by two of Michigan’s largest business associations in creating an Association Health Plan for Michigan employers.
The initiative, called TranscendAHP, was announced Monday by officials with the Small Business Association of Michigan (SBAM) and the Michigan Business and Professional Association (MichBusiness).
The plan is said to be one of the first to come into effect after changes to the Affordable Care Act were initiated under an Executive Order by President Donald Trump, signed in October 2017.
Jennifer Kluge, president of MichBusiness, said access to comprehensive health insurance programs continues to rank at the top of concerns expressed by small business owners.
“Combined with a tight labor market, our members need options that allow them to compete with much larger companies for the talent they need to be successful,” added Kluge, who also owns Corp! magazine.
SBAM President Rob Fowler said a long-term partnership with MichBusiness, combined with the changes initiated federally, have made this move possible.
“For decades, SBAM and MichBusiness have been working to offer small business owners across Michigan the best health insurance options with comprehensive coverage and quality networks. This new AHP is the next chapter in that history.”
The new regulations enabling this move were published in June by the U.S. Department of Labor, which expands options for small business and their employees. Under the AHP model, groups are now able to band together by geography or industry to obtain health care coverage as if they were a single large employer.
Officials at both MichBusiness and SBAM say TranscendAHP serves to strengthen the negotiating power of small businesses by creating larger risk pools and greater economies of scale.
A relationship with Blue Cross Blue Shield of Michigan and Blue Care Network is giving members of SBAM and MichBusiness access to the Blue Cross network of health care providers.
Before the advent of TranscendAHP, small business operators did not have access to plans available only to large employers.
Under the AHP regulations, businesses with as few as one person and up to 50 are eligible as long as they meet certain membership requirements. Both SBAM and MichBusiness officials say they are encouraging small business owners to ask their health insurance agent for more information. They can also visit www.transcendmichigan.org.
“We are taking a long-term approach to improving health care options with this initiative,” said Fowler of SBAM. “In doing so, small business employers will now have a competitive advantage in a market that faces talent shortages while there is a continuing need to provide competitive health care.”
Jennifer Kluge of MichBusiness said Transcend Association, a newly formed and neutral nonprofit association, will be making the TranscendAHP available to members of other business groups, including Chambers of Commerce.
“We will work to provide marketing materials, resources and all administrative functions,” added Kluge.
At the core of the TranscendAHP initiative is to be able to offer health care solutions that make more sense to a significant percentage of Michigan firms, those having less than 50 employees.
“The products which are available to TranscendAHP under the new legislation come from the large group menu of Blue Cross Blue Shield of Michigan,” said Fowler. “That’s important because those products do not have the same restrictions, mandated benefits and taxes of small group products which must cover the ACA’s essential health benefits.”
Chemical Bank, a wholly owned subsidiary of Chemical Financial Corporation (NASDAQ: CFHC) and Michigan’s largest headquartered banking company, today announced it has named James Gudenau as its national business deposit manager.
Will Branch is an international foodie – he’s cooked in kitchens from New York, eaten his way through the charcuterie of Paris and he founded a sausage company in Detroit.
As of this month, September 2018, Corridor Sausage Co. products can now be found in 126 Kroger locations across Michigan. The artisan meats are already featured on restaurant menus state-wide and in independent markets across 14 states. Adding Michigan-based Kroger stores to the list meant creating a fully-cooked version of several varieties of their sausages.
It marks a major development for an independent business such as Corridor Sausage Co. Since its start in 2009, the all-natural artisan products of Corridor Sausage Co. have been named among the “10 Best Sausages” by Thrillist.com and “Best Artisan Sausage” by The Metro Times. The Detroit-based company earned awards and grants from NEIdeas and Eastern Market Corp.
Branch is himself a graduate of the Goldman Sachs 10,000 Small Businesses program. He serves as vice president of the board of directors of FoodLab Detroit and mentors others through Detroit Food Academy. Branch is a Pleasant Ridge, Mich. resident.
Corp! asked Branch to share a suggestion on how to use his brats in a recipe. Here is the ingredients and instructions for Braised Cabbage, an accompaniment for any of their products.
Braised Cabbage
1 head red cabbage, cored and thinly sliced
1 small yellow onion, thinly sliced
8 oz sauerkraut, preferably from The Brinery or another naturally fermented ‘kraut
6 slices bacon, cut into ½ inch strips
3 T your favorite mustard
1 bay leaf
1 T ground caraway
1 T ground juniper
2 cups of apple cider
Salt and Black Pepper
1) In a large pot with a lid or Dutch over, slowly render the back on low heat
2) When the bacon fat has rendered and the bacon is crisp, add the onions and sweat until translucent.
3) Turn heat to medium and add cabbage. Cook until the cabbage softens. About 5 minutes
4) Add the kraut, mustard, spices, and beer. Cover and cook for 30 minutes, stirring the pot occasionally.
5) Taste and check for seasoning. Serve hot or cool and store for up to a week.
ROSSETTI, a multi-disciplinary global architectural design and planning firm, has been retained by Bedrock to create a master plan for the new $300 million-plus mixed-use development on the now-vacant site of the former Brewster-Douglass public housing projects.
Metro Detroit history always talks about Henry Ford and his $5-a-day wage. But did you know what General Motors did for Pontiac, Michigan?
From 1919 to 1926, General Motors built 261 affordable houses for Pontiac workers, where generations of diverse residents have lived side by side. Now, nearly 100 years later, a new project through Partners in Preservation has the potential to renovate and restore the exteriors of several homes that are threatened with demolition.
GMMH in partnership with Main Street Oakland County is participating in a national grant program sponsored by American Express and the National Trust for Historic Preservation.
During this campaign, the public is invited and encouraged to vote once a day for up to five Main Street projects at VoteYourMainStreet.org. The Main Streets with the most votes at the end of the voting period will be awarded grants, until the full $2 million is distributed.
The Pontiac General Motors Modern Housing Neighborhood is one of 20 communities competing nation-wide in the Partners in Preservation initiative. It’s the only Michigan project on the top 20.
Partners in Preservation is an initiative created by the National Trust for Historic Preservation and American Express to engage the public in preserving and increasing awareness of America’s historic places and their role in sustaining local communities. Since its inception in 2006, Partners in Preservation has committed over $22 million in support of more than 200 sites.
The 2018 Partners in Preservation: Main Streets campaign invites the public to #VoteYourMainStreet to decide which historic sites along 20 of America’s favorite Main Streets should receive $2 million in preservation funding from American Express. The campaign runs from September 24th to October 26th.
The GM Modern Housing neighborhood is a historical residential development located in Pontiac, Michigan. Listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1989 the neighborhood is undergoing major restoration efforts.
The project seeks to restore and rehabilitate three target exteriors of an initial eight legacy homes that are blighted and have been vacant for years. The strategy entails following a successful model from Indiana Landmarks to restore the exteriors to foster revitalization in the neighborhood.
For more information about the General Motors Modern Housing Neighborhood project, please go to https://gmmh.org/
You can vote here: https://www.nationalgeographic.com/voteyourmainstreet/pontiac/
Mental health in the workplace is one of those topics that may seem too controversial to discuss in the office – but there has never been a better time to tackle this important issue, workplace experts say.
One company, Detroit Labs, is going full out on the conversation around mental health. The Detroit-based company has put many processes and procedures in place to help those struggling with mental health.
One key policy is how its leadership has made it clear that all employees should feel comfortable talking about mental health when they’re at work. Detroit Labs also offers Mental Health First Aid training annually, allows for Emergency Leave for unplanned and non-recreational situations employees must attend to as well, as group coaching sessions with Leadership Coaches, who are brought in twice a year to help employees set and meet goals.
Employees also have access to a “mental-health room” in an online program called Slack, where Detroit Labs workers can discuss challenges they are facing and receive judgment-free feedback and support, says Elyse Turner, director of marketing at Detroit Labs.
Nationwide issue
According to the National Alliance on Mental Illness, 1 in 25 adults experiences a serious mental illness in a given year that substantially interferes with or limits one or more major life activities (like work), and serious mental illness costs America $193.2 billion in lost earnings per year.
Detroit Labs, a mobile app and software development company, is fighting the stigma around mental health, Turner says, and addressing mental health in the workplace. In the tech industry, depression and other related mental illnesses are common, Turner notes, which comes of the solitary and sedentary nature of the profession.
“When Detroit Labs was founded, the management wanted to make a company where developers would want to work – and that was beyond ping-pong tables and other things tech companies are known for,” Turner says. “We wanted to offer balance, so developers or anyone in the company would have a say. They could raise concerns. They could give input on decisions.”
Having that kind of transparency made it easy to say it is important to talk about mental health, Turner adds.
“What that means for us is that we have created a place that’s safe and makes it clear that it is ok to talk about mental illness,” Turner says.
Personal issue
Turner herself describes Detroit Labs as a fantastic place to work. She has taken advantage of the individual coaching and she has felt the support from management after she had twins. Having two children and going back to work meant some rough times, and she felt comfortable talking about postpartum depression and other issues she was thinking about at work.
“It only helps out the team and the company,” Turner says. “There’s a culture here where people can talk openly about their experiences, the things they have gone through. … Being able to talk about PPD at work with my peers or even leadership has been so helpful. I don’t have to hide what I’m dealing with and the ebbs and flows of that.
“Everyone brings their whole self to work at work,” Turner adds. “So you feel supported in a lot of different ways. When the whole person’s needs are met, you can do so much more.”
Participants in the Best and Brightest Companies to Work For competition already appreciate how a commitment to excellence in an organization’s human resources practices and employee enrichment initiatives can pay off in the long run.
At the September 21, 2018 event, held at the Detroit Marriott Renaissance, several panelists highlighted how they handled one situation that could serve as an inspiration for others faced with similar challenges. The result: a useful and resource-rich discussion that those who attended the event will be processing in the days, weeks and months to come.
For Jennifer Sulak Brown, vice president of Human Resources at Barton Malow, a focus on innovation and communication to employees is a big part of how the firm helps people throughout their careers. She recalls how one employee was able to bring forward a technology that was adopted throughout the firm and another who applied coding skills to improve the workflow for others. Her point: everyone can be something bigger than their job.
The sense of family in an organization like Digitas is something that Omari Francis, the firm’s vice president, Detroit Project Management, highlighted, referencing the similar DNA and drive that exists in its workforce. Looking for ways to foster trust with the Digitas team and embracing a “playful spirit” gives that team the energy to face the challenges with vigor.
Saylor Frase, CEO of Nuspire Networks, said a hyper-focus on a team that creates policies and structure around culture is a practice that’s done in a deliberately thoughtful manner, with an emphasis on the leadership that’s critical to building a positive culture. It all starts at the top by empowering the managing of culture.
For Patty Jones, chief human resources officer at Michigan First CU, facing the challenge of turnover in the organization began four years ago. A key insight—that people really do leave leaders—led to the creation of the organization’s own leadership academy where aspiring leaders go through a multi-level skills development curriculum that ends with graduates travelling to Gettysburg to walk the battlefield.
Michael F. Cooper, corporate president and managing principal, of HED, which has won the Best and Brightest designation all 19 years its been in existence, concurred that leadership is key in any workforce initiative.
The full list of the winners of the Best and Brightest Metro Detroit event can be found HERE.
Blue Chip Talent
Communication and Shared Vision
www.bctalent.com
This trusted, award-winning IT & Engineering Talent Acquisition Partner has been building relationships with quality, skilled professionals and matching them with reputable companies with for over 20 years. Blue Chip’s senior leadership is strategically positioned in cubicles, not offices with walls, to be near their entire team so they can engage in ongoing dialogue with them. In addition, the President’s and CEO’s office doors are always open for spontaneous “pop-ins” for any topic of discussion.
Lake Michigan Credit Union
Community Initiatives
www.lmcu.org
Founded in 1933, Lake Michigan Credit Union is the largest credit union in Michigan. The organization’s commitment to community and educational outreach is rooted in the belief that service is an essential part of good corporate citizenship. Making a positive impact in the communities of its members and its employees through donations, sponsorships, and volunteerism, LMCU donated nearly $300,000 to community partners in the past year. Gifts did not stop with the issuing of a check, but in most cases were accompanied by larger involvement including volunteerism and other elements of organizational support.
Greenleaf Trust
Compensation, Benefits and Employee Solutions
www.greenleaftrust.com
With offices in Kalamazoo, Grand Rapids, Birmingham, Petoskey and Traverse City, Greenleaf Trust is an independent Michigan-chartered trust-only bank, exclusively focused on wealth management, trust and estate administration, and administration of company-sponsored retirement plans. Greenleaf offers its team members industry-leading compensation, benefits, time off and overall work-life balance. Last year, team members received and average salary increase of 4.2 percent, with an average of a 16 percent bonus at year-end based on their profitability and individual performance.
Technosoft Corp.
Diversity and Inclusion
www.technosoftcorp.com
At Technosoft, the mission is to Go Beyond. They have proven capabilities to find, hire, and manage skilled technical talent. Throughout the year, they celebrate the Asian Indian culture by celebrating Southeast Asia holidays such as Diwali, Pongal, and Ramadan. Additionally, their luncheons are usually inclusive of all cultures, containing a plethora of dishes that range from American to Asian Indian cuisine.
EDSI Solutions
Employee Achievement and Recognition
www.edsisolutions.com
EDSI is a national workforce development and talent solutions consulting company with a passion for helping people and companies in transition. This organization’s CEO sends personal cards to recognize employee achievement. Enclosed with each card is a company coin with the company’s logo on one side and the core values on the back (Show Up, Smile, Support). Employees proudly display the coins on their desks.
V-Suites
Employee Education and Development
www.v-suites.com
V-Suites strives to make a customer’s short-term housing or extended stay suite experience an exciting one. Employees experience a formalized five-day onboarding program to ensure that they are provided with the foundational elements to succeed and become part of their dynamic culture.
Contract Professionals
Employee Enrichment, Engagement and Retention
www.cpijobs.com
Certified by The Department of Veterans Affairs (VOSB) and by the National Veterans Business Development Council (NVBDC) as veteran owned, Contract Professionals, Inc. (CPI) is a DoD cleared, ISO certified, ITAR compliant global staffing company with over 34 years of operating history. This winner began a committee that meets monthly to discuss how they can provide better/improved benefits and perks to the employees. Employees from each department are represented on the committee.
Panasonic Automotive
Recruitment, Selection and Orientation
www.careers.panasonic-automotive.com
Panasonic Automotive doesn’t just strive to put tomorrow’s technology on the road – it prides itself on recruiting the brightest and best to do it. This company’s Onboarding Portal for new team members is impressive. It is accessible to new hires from pre-boarding phase through the initial 90 days with the company and includes Quick links to helpful tools and resources, an onboarding video center, and employee/contractor/student centers that features specific checklists through all onboarding process phases.
ImageSoft
Work-Life Balance
www.imagesoftinc.com
ImageSoft, Inc., provides technology solutions to automate, streamline and improve workplace processes, increase productivity, reduce operating costs, and save time and money. They offer a flexible work schedule that allows their employees discretion in setting their start time. They also offer part-time positions for those who want to re-enter the workforce, but wish to limit their work hours due to personal demands.
Turner Construction Co.
Strategic Company Performance
www.turnerconstruction.com
Turner has been a leading builder since 1924 by providing full-service resources to clients and completing over $500 million worth of construction volume annually. This company’s HR team is viewed as a partner with the VP-General Manager and the VP -Operations Manager. The Human Resources Manager takes an active role in the Senior Leadership and Senior Operations committees, providing information on and preparing management for the ever changing work environment.
Burns & McDonnell
Best of the Best Small Business
www.burnsmcd.com
Burns & McDonnell is a family of companies made up of more than 6,000 engineers, architects, construction professionals, scientists, consultants and entrepreneurs. As a 100 percent employee-owned firm, each of its professionals bring an ownership mentality to the projects it works on. The company plans, designs, permits, constructs and manages facilities across the world. This organization prides themselves on paying above market in all categories: Hourly, Salaried, Entry Level, Mid-Management and Executive. For more than a decade, their Education & Training team has helped professionals fulfill licensing requirements and offers 2,500 internal classes annually to employees.
Prudential Advisors Great Lakes Financial Group
The Best of the Best Medium Business
With operations in the United States, Asia, Europe and Latin America, Prudential Advisors provide customers with a variety of products and services, including life insurance, annuities, retirement-related services, mutual funds and investment management. Quarterly the Great Lakes Financial Group has an all-day employee event with the goal to provide a platform for education, marketing support and to have fun! They generate high productivity by creating fun competition amongst their advisors with an exciting atmosphere. Their leadership team and product partners provide breakfast, lunch and dinner, have various vendors come in for employee appreciation such as shoe-shining, chair massages and arcade games, and recognize and reward leaders throughout their three marketing sessions.
Blue Cross Blue Shield of Michigan
The Best of the Best Large Business
www.bcbsm.com
Blue Cross Blue Shield of Michigan is a nonprofit mutual insurance company, committed to being our members’ trusted partner by providing affordable, innovative products that improve their care and health. This company has a high use of technology for efficient workflow, competitive salaries and benefits and an opportunity for advancement packages. They have an amazing Health and Wellness program that features financial incentives up to $500 per household for participating in fitness activities, such as walking challenges. Through out the year they do many wellness challenges and the Weight Management Challenge offers employees the opportunity to compete for prizes based on the greatest percentage of weight loss recorded during the challenge.
If you are a high growth business, chances are you use social media and influencers to help spread the word about your product or service. If you wish to be a high growth company, then consider the power of building social media channels. It’s true, employing popular voices for your brand is good, being the influential voice for your brand and industry is better.
The definition of a channel varies within the marketing world. For the purpose of this article, channel building represents a social media channel, such as an Instagram, Facebook, Pinterest, Podcast, Blog or YouTube channel. It’s a social distribution channel in your control which allows you to amplify your brand voice to a community of people who care.
There is a difference between the company social media account and channel building. Channel building is a mindset and a powerful approach to social media development. A modern channel has focus themed content. For example, review the list of options for your cable TV or satellite radio channels, and you’ll get the point.
Each social media channel has its own algorithm to share content. A series of calculations which determine how content is shared and who sees it. However, there are best practices which will increase your odds of building a successful channel.
Here are some rules you must follow to achieve success. The first is simple, yet tough to do. The good news is if you follow this rule, the social media platforms will help you meet your goals. The fact is each social media channel wants you to attract people to their platform and keep them there for as long as possible. If you can do this well, you are rewarded.
Rule number one: Keep people on and returning to the social platform.
This is the reason why an engaged community is so important. Randomly uploading stuff to Twitter, Facebook or Instagram is not the path to social media success. It’s important to upload posts consistently and as often as possible. I recommend you upload to the point in which post quality or engagement with your channel drops off. The exact amount of content depends on the social channel and your audience.
The most successful channels are not generic. Channel building is not about trying to be everything to everyone. The most successful channels are highly focused with a unique angle giving the professional or brand authority over the topic or theme. Your goal is to be the go-to influencer for your specified niche. Once you achieve dominance of your target niche, you can then expand.
Rule number two: Own your niche
I’ve learned a lot creating YouTube, Podcast, Blog and Instagram channels. One lesson is the importance of sticking to your niche and make your content “bingeable.” In other words, one post leads into another. Have you ever read a blog post from an author and you immediately wanted more? After reading, watching or listening to a few more awesome pieces of content, you end up subscribing to get even more.
Yet, sometimes the next article or post on a channel is on a completely different topic. It isn’t relevant to you, you leave, and never to return. This is why a focused niche or theme is so important. Posting bingeable content satisfies the number one channel rule, keep your audience on the platform as long as possible.
Rule number three: Understand your audience and listen to what they want.
The secret to success on many of the social platforms is to earn post engagement early. When a social media platform notices that people like, share and comment on your work, the algorithm kicks in and shares your posts with more people. This gives your channel more opportunity to earn views and new followers.
Getting people to your post early requires you have engaged subscribers or followers who are notified when you publish. It also helps to let people know when you post via email and other social networks to get the momentum going. Another best practice is to post consistently so people know when to look for you.
Engagement doesn’t magically happen. One of the best ways to encourage engagement on your channel is to be real with your audience and show them you’re human. Also, take a moment to comment back to people who leave their thoughts on your pages. If you really want to build a powerful network, make the effort to comment and share posts from your community members.
Over time, as your community grows, you build authority and influence. Eventually, positive results begin to emerge in the form of increased revenue. Depending on your industry, you may not need many community members, just the right members. When colleagues and associates reference your work at meetings, conferences, and the public square—you know your channel is working.
When you have authority, you earn more opportunities through the search engines. When you have an influence on your community, they take action upon request. With influence, you may find it easier to schedule meetings, and even better, the right people seek you.
Once you successfully build one channel, it’s time to expand your niche or create another channel. You can create a new channel on the same platform to cover a different niche within your industry, or you can expand your expertise to a new social media platform. Over time it’s important to have multiple channels because you don’t want all of your eggs in one basket.
All three rules are important to grow your social channels. If you are ready to develop more awareness of your brand, drive traffic to your website, improve conversions and retain your customers, consider becoming a #channelbuilder.
As Robert V. Sicina was thinking about writing a book on decision making and failure, he had one thesis in mind: If you follow all of his advice, you will still fail, but you likely will fail less often.
“I can improve your batting average,” Sicina said with a laugh. “I always say: We are the sum of all of the decisions that we make.”
Laughing about failure? Yes, that’s what Sicina recommends. Because failure is inherent in the decision-making process. Things will go wrong. It’s how you handle the problems, issues and concerns that will arise as a business leader that separates you from the pack.
Sicina, a former Citibank and American Express executive, knows what he’s writing and talking about when it comes to failure. He has spent 15 years teaching about decision making at the American University Kogod School of Business.
Inspired by his students, Prof. Sicina has released a new book, “Learn from Failure: The Key to Successful Decision Making.” In it, he explains what drives failed decisions and links sound leadership and management skills to successful decision making.
“In order to learn from failed decisions, one must understand what causes them,” he notes. “As I uncovered the key drivers of failure in decision-making, I was able to develop prescriptive measures for effectively dealing with them. I share those measures in this book.”
Sicina also has 30 years of experience in various entrepreneurial endeavors. He worked for 14 years in Latin America for Citibank, where he served as country manager of Colombia and division chief financial officer (CFO). He became CFO of Citibank’s entire International Consumer Group and, later, of Citibank’s US credit card business.
Failure is driven by a variety of factors, but many of those come from the decision maker him or herself, Sicina said. Although we think we know what we know, we’re often more irrational than we realize. “We don’t think the way we think we think,” Sicina said.
That is because the world is more complex than we can possibly understand.
“The world is a messy place and we try to simplify it in order to deal with that complexity. But the more we do that the more we run the risk of failing. One needs to embrace complexity rather than try to fight it,” Sicina said. “Uncertainty is constant. The future is unknowable, yet we try to determine that in any decision we’re making.”
Sicina said his students and teaching have helped him dissect the decision-making process.
“At the beginning of each semester, I have my students on the first day of the class write down a personal failure that they share only with me. It’s always very interesting the things they share – relationship failures, failure to get on a sports team, even failure to get into the college they wanted,” Sicina said. “Then when we finish going through all of the concepts of the course, we revisit the failure and write an analysis of why they failed based on the concepts of the book to help them.”
Sicina said he tells his students to listen to the wisdom of Pop Music King Michael Jackson: Take a look in the mirror if you want to make a change.
“One of things that we do when we fail in decision making is we point at all the externalities—we point fingers at that and put the blame there,” Sicina said. “But we forget that when we point our index finger our other three fingers are pointing back at us. You have to be introspective when it comes to failure and look at what you could have done to avoid the negative outcome that you had.
“I define failure as taking the circumstances that you’re in and not achieving the desired result after making the decision. It’s going from the current situation to a future situation that doesn’t match the result that you want,” Sicina added. “The fact of the matter is the real world says that you’ll never get all of the information you’ll need to make a decision because of the marginal benefit of gathering all that – the cost exceeds the benefit. Most decisions are made logically with about 80 percent of the information out there.”
Beverly Walker-Griffea, Ph.D., became the seventh president of Mott Community College (MCC) in 2014. Dr. Beverly, as she prefers to be called, is the first female and first African American president in the Flint, Michigan college’s history. Under her leadership, MCC was once again selected by the Aspen Institute’s College Excellence Program as one of the nation’s top community colleges. The Tulsa, Oklahoma native spoke with Corp! to tell us about the college’s latest accomplishments.
Corp!: What is your guiding principle to live by?
Dr. Beverly: Leading with grace and mercy.
Corp!: Who was your mentor in life?
Dr. B: Carolyn McCollum at Old Dominion University. Watching her taught me how to relate and care about students. She was the best counselor I have ever met. And she did it with a loving heart and had a sense of humor that could motivate the students. I watched her and realized that our students, in order to be successful, need someone to engage them, care about them, have concern for them and have someone behind them.
Corp!: What was your first job and what did you learn from it?
Dr. B: I was a volunteer working at Children’s Hospital in Tulsa, helping severely disabled children have physical therapy. I assisted the physical therapist as much as a 14-year-old could. I learned that all people have the ability to be successful if you give them the right tools and right support.
Corp!: You serve as a board member for a number of community organizations. Tell us about the community of Flint right now and what Mott Community College is doing.
Dr. B: The community as a whole is optimistic about where we are going. I believe we have hope. We have to be able to ensure that people know that Flint is a great place to be. There are many different initiatives going on.
As far as Mott, we believe we are an anchor for the county and the region. We are creating new spaces that support the needs for the area.
One is our Culinary Arts Institute, which is relocating into our newly thriving downtown area. We will hopefully be in it by January. We believe that relocating our Culinary Arts program to the heart of downtown Flint will have a positive impact, not only on our students, but on the local economy as well. The restoration of a building into a state-of-the-art Culinary Institute will help create a vibrant destination for all of Flint and Genesee County. We are hoping to double the amount of persons who can go into that program. [According to a college press release, MCC is renovating a 36,000 square-foot former Woolworth Building originally built in 1920, located at 100 W. Second Street.]
We have a new Family Life Center. We remodeled the former Woodside Church building so our students can find services on campus that fit more on the personal side. We have child care housed there. We also have a food pantry that will open there. We are making this building a place for students who need certain resources (food, housing, transportation), to help them keep coming to classes. Our average student age is 28 and our biggest population is age 18-35, so they have families. The center provides extra support to them.
Corp!: You live on campus. How is that helpful in your role?
Dr. B: I think it helps tremendously because I am right here in the
center of things. It helps me have an ear as to what is happening on the campus and it gives me the ability to see what is happening in the surrounding area—the college cultural center area.
Corp!: What is your most recent success story?
Dr. B: I think about graduation that just happened.
We had one student who was a top student and spoke at graduation. She had a disease and was home schooled for most of her life. The family didn’t know how she was going to fare. She did extraordinarily well and was a leader in several of our clubs and organizations. She is now headed to Michigan State University. We had an art student who came to us in her 50s and graduated with honors. She never thought she was college material. Those are the regular kinds of stories of how we affect the community one student at a time.
Corp!: What is the biggest management myth?
Dr. B: That extroverts are better leaders.
