Our roundup of the latest news from metro Detroit and Michigan businesses as well as announcements from government agencies, including updates about the COVID-19 pandemic. To share a business or nonprofit story, please send us a message.
Detroit Historical Museum Exhibit Showcases 50 Years of Minority Architects
“Say It Loud,” a new exhibit at the Detroit Historical Museum’s Robert and Mary Ann Bury Community Gallery, celebrates 50 years of the National Organization of Minority Architects (NOMA).
Founded during the AIA Convention in Detroit in 1971, NOMA was named for all minority architects as the founders envisioned a future that would unite and uplift generations of Black, Indigenous, and persons of color (BIPOC) — including women — in the profession.
“Say It Loud” features a timeline of the organization’s history, a photo wall of its 35 past presidents, and information about its 12 founders. The exhibition also showcases the many accomplishments of its members with a wall of notable projects, both private and public, including the Charles H. Wright Museum of African American History, the Martin Luther King, Jr. Memorial, and the Smithsonian’s National Museum of African American History and Culture on the National Mall.
Visitors can vote on a People’s Choice design within the exhibit, and the winning architect will receive a special prize after the exhibition closes on Jan. 9, 2022.
Citizens State Bank Opens New Headquarters in Royal Oak
Citizens State Bank, one of Michigan’s oldest institutions with 110 years of service, has opened the doors of its new headquarters on Woodward Ave. in Royal Oak.
The new Royal Oak headquarters includes a facility that gives a private and personal banking experience to all its customers. The location will offer a wide array of services utilizing leading technology while at the same time, cultivating personal relationships and delivering extraordinary customer service, according to the bank.
“At Citizens State Bank, we are about creating a great culture of relationships, reliability, and personal service,” says Dan Fischer, CEO of Citizens State Bank. “We value our customers and their time and promise to truly show how we excel in all areas of our expertise.”
Chris Yatooma, principal of Citizens State Bank, says he expects the Royal Oak headquarters to become a pillar of the community serving the needs of underserved areas through a non-traditional approach and customized services for entrepreneurs and small business owners.
The bank says it is one of the few banks in metro Detroit ready to accept deposits from cannabis businesses.
Highline Brings High-speed Internet Service to Thumb and UP
Highline Internet, based in Escanaba, announced the launch of 1 Gigabit (1,000 Megabytes) fiber Internet service to households in the Upper Peninsula and Thumb markets of Michigan. The first customers were connected last week and Highline is adding many more customers every day.
This announcement is the beginning of the company’s plan to build a future-proofed 6,000-mile fiber network in Michigan to connect tens of thousands of households that have for too long been suffering with poor Internet access.
“The speed and reliability that fiber delivers to our customers is critical in today’s world where streaming entertainment, online learning, and work from home are often all happening at the same time,” says Bruce Moore, CEO of Highline’s Midwest markets. “These activities are now fundamental needs for households in Michigan and require network speeds and capacity that outdated technologies were never meant to support.
“Highline is constructing an all-new, state-of-the-art fiber-optic network, purpose built to deliver symmetrical upload/download lightning-fast speeds, and we’re thrilled to be the service provider that is finally delivering real Internet access rather than those that just talk about it.”
Knight Foundation $750K Investment Brings High-speed Internet to Detroit’s North End
The Equitable Internet Initiative (EII), backed by a $750,000, three-year investment from the Knight Foundation, is bringing high-speed internet to hundreds of families in Detroit’s historically underserved, predominantly African American North End and surrounding neighborhoods.
The free connectivity will help those residents with employment opportunities, education, health care, news and information, shopping, and socializing.
“It’s unacceptable that so many North End residents are missing out on critical lifelines because they don’t have access to high-speed internet,” says Nate Wallace, Detroit program director at the Knight Foundation. “This disparity was exacerbated during the pandemic lockdown, when high-speed internet became even more critical to daily life.”
Knight’s investment will support the training of 18 community members as “digital stewards.” They will be taught the engineering skills to set up neighborhood-governed networks and serve as local tech support.
The goal is to connect 1,000 North End households in three years. The estimated annual operations and maintenance costs to serve 1,000 households is currently $30 per household per month, one-third of what major providers charge. EII will pilot low-cost and tiered-payment models to begin establishing a self-sustaining model.
CleanSlate Technology Group Opens Metro Detroit Office
CleanSlate Technology Group, an Indianapolis-based advanced consulting partner with Amazon Wed Services (AWS), recently opened a new office in metro Detroit metro area to accommodate rapid growth and leverage the area’s high tech talent pool.
This office expansion is led by regional director Scott Bonato, who has more than 15 years of experience working with clients in this area to help solve their biggest challenges and providing them with the right solutions to grow their business.
“Seeing the talent and completed work by CleanSlate made joining the team an easy decision,” says Bonato. “We are at critical time for businesses to advance with cloud-based solutions, and I’m eager to lend my expertise and drive results for companies across Michigan, and area I’ve spent the last 14 years of my career.”
Blockchain.com Launches Crypto Trading in Michigan
Blockchain.com has announced custodial and brokerage product availability for more than 10 million Michigan residents, delivering on the company’s goal of bringing crypto access to all Americans.
Upon launch, Michigan user sign-ups doubled, demonstrating high demand for crypto trading within the Great Lakes State.
In addition to the financial access and earning potential that crypto trading will usher in for Michigan residents, the remote-first company also is offering roles across compliance, customer success, data science, engineering, finance, people operations, and marketing. More information can be found here.
“Crypto has been making a splash in the Great Lakes State, even producing a bitcoin millionaire,” says Brooks Wallace, head of communications for Blockchain.com. “While we’re thrilled to build on that excitement, the real aim of bringing our products to Michigan is to make them accessible to all Americans. As more residents seek out the benefits of crypto, we look forward to serving as a trusted resource helping to build the future of finance.”
With a $5.2B valuation and more than $1.5B in 2021 YTD revenue, Blockchain.com says it is at an inflection point in its growth. The company is home to a growing institutional markets business. With more than 37 million verified accounts across more than 200 countries, Blockchain.com allows users to monitor, buy, sell, trade, and store crypto using their non-custodial Wallet, Exchange, and blockchain Explorer.
Lineage Logistics Launches Nonprofit Lineage Foundation for Good
Lineage Logistics, the Novi-based world’s largest temperature-controlled industrial REIT and logistics solutions provider, has launched the Lineage Foundation for Good, an independent nonprofit aimed at reducing food waste and fighting food insecurity to support the global communities where more than 21,000 of Lineage’s team members live and work.
According to the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO) and the UN Environment Programme (UNEP), an estimated one-third of all food produced globally for human consumption is wasted.
“Given our role in the food supply chain, Lineage recognized that we are in a unique position to leverage our global network of resources to make an impact in the communities where we live and work,” says Greg Lehmkuhl, president and CEO of Lineage. “The Lineage Foundation for Good creates a real-time link to redirect for donation quality products from food producers and manufacturers that might otherwise go to waste. The Foundation will further fuel our purpose to help feed the world and reimagine the global food ecosystem by limiting its environmental impact through food waste.”
The foundation, which was created by a $3 million gift from Lineage, will leverage the company’s access, influence, experience, and expertise in areas like logistics, automated warehousing, cold storage, data science, and distribution to address and improve the global food supply chain’s carbon imprint, reimagine industry processes that have historically led to food waste, and quickly redirect food to be distributed to communities around the world.
Darcee Scavone, Lineage’s vice president of talent, culture, and community engagement, will oversee coordination between the company and the foundation and serve as the point of contact internally.
“Heightened by the COVID-19 pandemic, food insecurity is a pressing issue that millions around the globe are facing. Now, more than ever, people need access to quality food, and we are proud to be part of the solution to bring it to them,” says Scavone. “We have long partnered with the Global FoodBanking Network and Feeding America and are building on this commitment by putting a vehicle – the connective tissue – in place to facilitate both food and financial donations, as well as promote volunteerism, globally.”
In addition to supporting Lineage’s philanthropic efforts, the foundation also will support initiatives and organizations that align to its mission and work towards innovative and sustainable solutions to help reduce waste and fight food insecurity.
For more information, visit here.
Lung Association Reveals New Data for Lung Cancer Awareness Month
Survey data released today from the American Lung Association’s new Lung Health Barometer show that only 36 percent of people know that lung cancer screening is available, and 29 percent know that lung cancer is the leading cancer killer of women and men.
The Lung Association reports this data to raise awareness and kickoff activities for Lung Cancer Awareness Month (November).
“Here in Michigan, it is estimated that in 2021, 8,590 people will be diagnosed with lung cancer and 5,040 will die from the disease,” says Ken Fletcher, advocacy director at the Lung Association in Michigan. “However, there is hope. The five-year survival rate has increased 33 percent in the past 10 years thanks to advancements in treatment, research, and lifesaving lung cancer screening.”
The 2021 Lung Health Barometer surveyed 4,000 Americans nationwide about lung health and lung cancer. Some key findings show that:
- 29 percent of Americans know that lung cancer is the leading cancer killer of women and men, which is an 8 percent increase from the 2020 Lung Health Barometer.
- Only 10 percent of adults understand that lung cancer is among the most likely cancers to affect women while 35 percent know that it is among those cancers most likely to affect men.
- Only 36 percent of respondents know that lung cancer screening is now available for early detection of the disease for those who are high risk.
See more Lung Health Barometer survey results here.
Drive for Life Invitational Raises $322K for Beaumont Oncology Services
The Drive for Life Invitational at Oakland Hills Country Club in Bloomfield Hills Oct. 11 raised more than $322,000 for programs and services at the Walter & Marilyn Wolpin Comprehensive Breast Care Center at Beaumont, Royal Oak and the Wilson Cancer Resource Center at Beaumont, Troy.
In addition to playing the club’s north course, guests enjoyed lunch, dinner, golf tips from pro Rick Smith, and awards. The foursome from Whitlock Business Solutions took first place in the scramble tournament with a score of 57. The team included Sam Yamin of Bloomfield Hills, Ken Noonan of Troy, Katie Dineen of Clawson, and Dave Lee of Grand Ledge.
Chris Emde of Bloomfield Hills and Karen Glorio Luther of Ann Arbor were the co-chairs for this year’s event, working alongside a fundraising committee of community leaders.
Habitat for Humanity of Oakland County Planning 9th Fall Gala Nov. 12
Habitat for Humanity of Oakland County will host its 9th annual Fall Gala on Nov. 12 at the Troy Marriott.
Beginning at 7 p.m. and hosted by Local 4’s Priya Mann, this event will consist of dinner, drinks, music, and a live auction with charity auctioneer Jim Miller. It also will feature Habitat homeowners, volunteers, and Habitat Oakland’s CEO Tim Ruggles.
“We are excited to celebrate 25 years of bringing people together to build homes, communities and hope,” says Ann Duke, director of philanthropy for Habitat Oakland. “It will be a thrill to welcome our supporters back to a live event. We, along with the Troy Marriott are taking every precaution to ensure a safe environment for our guests.”
Tickets for Habitat for Humanity of Oakland County’s 9th annual Fall Gala are on sale here.
Credit: Source link