Crain's Detroit Business back issues from January 2003:
Bankruptcies.(weeks of December 16-27)(Brief Article)(Directory)
Jan 06, 2003 ... The following businesses filed for Chapter 7 or 11 protection in U.S. Bankruptcy Court in Detroit the weeks of Dec. 16-27. Under Chapter 11, a company files a reorganization plan that the court must approve. Chapter 7 involves total liquidation. Alexanders Jewelers Inc., 29542 ...
We resolve to bring you the news - daily.(Column)(Column)
Jan 06, 2003 ... Byline: Mary Kramer Have you broken your New Year's resolutions yet? Because this is our first issue of 2003, the ink is barely dry on our resolution list, which leads with improving regional coverage and expanding our free Web-based news offerings. Today ...
Briefly.(Briefs)(includes, Small Business Administration and Department of Defense integrate databases)
Jan 06, 2003 ... Federal agencies combine contractor databases The recent merger of two government databases should make it easier for small businesses to do business with the federal government. The U.S. Small Business Administration and the Department of Defense integrated the ...
Jennifer Granholm.(News)(becomes first woman governor of Michigan)
Jan 06, 2003 ... Byline: Amy Lane Governor State of Michigan Jennifer Granholm made Michigan political history in November, winning a hard-fought contest to become the state's next leader and its first woman governor. In claiming the governor's seat just four ...
Stock uncertainty treats state better than nation as a whole.(News)
Jan 06, 2003 ... Byline: Katie Merx Uncertainty about the possible effects of war, accounting irregularities and corporate-earnings expectations - unsurprisingly - depressed the stock prices of Southeast Michigan companies, as they did those in the rest of the country in 2002. Local ...
Video pizzazz set to steal auto show.(Cover Story)(North American International Auto Show )
Jan 06, 2003 ... Byline: Jennette Smith The marketing emphasis of the Detroit auto show has shifted this year to exhibits that are almost theatrical, with huge video walls and even more scripted lighting and audio productions. The point of the elaborate and increasingly high-tech ...
Oakland cities try to reinvigorate neglected areas; Four communities review $57M in projects.(News)
Jan 06, 2003 ... Byline: Andrew Dietderich Tired of watching new developments creep farther away from their core commercial and downtown strips, Oakland County communities are luring developers back by taking action to foster redevelopment of vacant or blighted properties. Milford, ...
Eminem.(News)(creates opportunities for Detroit area businesses)(Brief Article)
Jan 06, 2003 ... Byline: Andrew Dietderich Producer, rapper, actor Like Em or not, rapper Marshall Mathers, a.k.a. Eminem, has put Detroit back on the map of the entertainment world in a way that hasn't been seen since Bob Seger and Motown Records ruled the charts. And ...
Frank Macher.(News)(Federal-Mogul Corp. executive, company reports net income)
Jan 06, 2003 ... Byline: Terry Kosdrosky Chairman and CEO Federal-Mogul Corp. Frank Macher's efforts in turning around troubled auto supplier Federal-Mogul Corp. began to bear fruit last year. While working through a Chapter 11 bankruptcy reorganization, the ...
William McCormick Jr.(News)(resigns from CMS Energy Corp.)
Jan 06, 2003 ... Byline: Amy Lane Former chairman and CEO CMS Energy Corp. William McCormick Jr. ended a 161/2-year career at CMS Energy Corp. in a way no executive would want - distinguished not by his sizable accomplishments but by an energy-trading investigation and ...
Richard Whitmer.(News)(works to prevent changes to laws regarding health insurance and Blue Cross and Blue Shield of Michigan)
Jan 06, 2003 ... Byline: Katie Merx President and CEO Blue Cross and Blue Shield of Michigan After picking a fight in 2002 with Blue Cross and Blue Shield of Michigan, Gov. John Engler learned that Blues CEO Richard Whitmer packs a powerful counterpunch. ...
James Bronce Henderson III.(News)(sells DCT Inc.)
Jan 06, 2003 ... Byline: Michael Strong President and owner DCT Inc. (defunct) On Feb. 7, James Bronce Henderson III walked into a crowded room of DCT Inc. employees and changed their lives. He informed the 200 workers gathered that he had sold parts of the ...
Northwest sees friendlier skies; Detroit called key to strategy.(News)(Northwest Airlines Corp.)
Jan 06, 2003 ... Byline: Michael Strong Northwest Airlines Corp. thinks it will survive the tough operating environment that forced United Airlines parent UAL Corp. to file for Chapter 11 bankruptcy protection, and its Detroit hub is critical to that survival. ``We believe we're in a ...
Innovation drain; Foreign automakers likely to benefit from pressures facing suppliers, experts say.(News)
Jan 06, 2003 ... Byline: Terry Kosdrosky Price reductions that automakers' demand from suppliers could stem the flow of innovation to the traditional Big Three and direct it toward foreign-owned manufacturers, industry analysts say. Automakers rely more on suppliers for innovation on ...
Online sales booming; Retailers rethink Web biz as sales increase.(News)
Jan 06, 2003 ... Byline: Brent Snavely The dramatic percentage increase in online retail sales over the holidays is causing Edmund T. Ahee Jewelry Co. to rethink its online strategy. Total consumer online sales between Nov. 1 and Dec. 20 exceeded $12.6 billion, up 29 percent compared ...
$160M plan pushed for NE Ann Arbor; Environmental, other concerns pose obstacles.(development to include offices, health center, housing and retail space)(Cover Story)(Cover Story)
Jan 06, 2003; ... Byline: Laura Bailey A plan for a $160 million mixed-use development could transform 7 acres in northeast Ann Arbor from a suburban strip-center shopping area into a village-style complex with offices, a health center and housing connected by sidewalks. Ann Arbor ...
About the Power Breakfast series.(News)(Calendar)
Jan 06, 2003 ... Crain's Detroit Business will host a series of private roundtable discussions in 2003 on key issues important to Southeast Michigan businesses. Four to six executives and experts will be invited to each ``power breakfast'' discussion for a free-wheeling conversation moderated ...
People.(staffing changes at Detroit-area businesses)
Jan 06, 2003 ... architecture David Beschke to landscape architect and project manager, Professional Engineering Associates Inc., Howell, from vice president, Equinox Inc., Brighton. associations Heather Hunwick Van Poucker to manager, consulting services, Michigan ...
Corrections.(Correction)(Correction Notice)
Jan 06, 2003 ... * A Dec. 23 Business Diary item gave an incorrect location for Lovio George Inc. The company is in Detroit. * A Rumblings item on Page 22 of the Dec. 23 issue said the Ford Motor Co. Piquette Avenue Plant was the birthplace of the moving assembly line. A moving assembly line ...
Calendar.(Calendar)
Jan 06, 2003 ... Wednesday jan. 8 10th Annual AutoWeek Design Forum. Sponsored by AutoWeek magazine. 8 a.m.-7:30 p.m. Dinner speaker: J Mays, Ford Motor Co. design chief. Includes five other design speakers. Riverview Ballroom, Cobo Center, Detroit. $250 full day, $99 full day for ...
Check your lists.(News)
Jan 06, 2003 ... Companies and organizations featured on Crain's lists can update their information electronically throughout the year by visiting www.crainslists.com/update. Companies can log on anytime to update information such as ...
It will be great couple of weeks for Detroit.(North American International Auto Show to bring thousands of journalists)(Column)
Jan 06, 2003; ... Byline: KEITH CRAIN Be sure to say hello to a few thousand journalists from all over the world who arrived in Detroit over the past weekend for the press days at the North American International Auto Show. They'll be around for a few days and will be taking over, ...
Federal funds may spur Legislature to re-enact transit bill.(for metro Detroit regional transportation)(News)
Jan 06, 2003; ... Byline: Amy Lane A window of opportunity to secure federal startup funds could help push metro Detroit regional transportation bills through a new Legislature. But it remains to be seen whether the compromise crafted to create the Detroit Area Regional Transportation ...
New axle firm faces labor fight.(News)(AxleTech International L.L.C. negotiating with United Auto Workers Local 291)(Brief Article)
Jan 06, 2003; ... Byline: Terry Kosdrosky Mary Petrovich spent 20 months putting together one deal and begins the new year trying to close another one. Petrovich and Chicago-based private equity firm Wynnchurch Capital Ltd. bought the off-road and heavy-equipment axle business from ...
Rumblings.(Compuware Corp. as acquisition target, Sparrow Hospital & Health System contract with Blue Shield of Michigan, six local law firms make national ranking, among other briefs)
Jan 06, 2003 ... Forget revenue - how much can you bench? Is your company's top gun in top shape? If so, he or she might qualify to land on the list of the ``50 Fittest CEOs'' in metro Detroit. Crain's Detroit Business and WJR AM 760 have joined the Rehabilitation ...
Local nonprofits benefit from polluter-pay rulings.(News)(Metropolitan Affairs Coalition, Friends of the Rouge awarded fines paid by US Liquids of Detroit Inc.)
Jan 06, 2003; ... Byline: Robert Ankeny Two metro Detroit nonprofits are the latest to benefit from a trend of federal courts ordering companies convicted of polluting to contribute directly to cleanup efforts. U.S. District Judge Gerald Rosen on Dec. 18 ordered U.S. Liquids of ...
James Adamson.(News)(working to repair Kmart Corp.)
Jan 06, 2003; ... Byline: Brent Snavely Chairman and CEO Kmart Corp. Everything that James Adamson did last year made local and national headlines, starting with his appointment as Kmart Corp. chairman nearly a year ago. After that, Adamson's salary, signing ...
Ringing in 2003 with some biz resolutions.(Opinion)
Jan 06, 2003 ... It's still early enough in the year to make resolutions for 2003. So for the benefit of some of our favorite headline-makers, we offer these modest suggestions: Detroit's domestic auto companies: Play nice with suppliers - for your own sake. Hardball tactics on price cuts may ...
Change could open way for exodus of hospital beds; Systems say Detroit won't lose as many as some fear.(News)
Jan 06, 2003; ... Byline: Katie Merx Opponents of new certificate-of-need legislation say the changes passed over the holidays were too broad and could result in many more beds leaving the city of Detroit than legislators thought they were approving. The passage of Senate Bill 1436 ...
Real estate insiders to reveal forecasts for the coming year.(News)(Metro Detroit Commercial Real Estate Trends and Forecasts Seminar)(Brief Article)
Jan 06, 2003 ... Byline: Jennette Smith Commercial real estate experts will offer a forecast on how this year's market is likely to shape up at an upcoming conference. The Jan. 17 Metro Detroit Commercial Real Estate Trends & Forecasts Seminar is highlighted by a keynote speech from ...
New law likely to save businesses money on terrorism insurance.(News)(Terrorism Risk Insurance Act)
Jan 06, 2003 ... Byline: Katie Merx Business owners should keep an eye out for mail from their property insurers this month because the correspondence is likely to include instructions for reducing the cost of terrorism coverage, insurance experts said. Passage of the Terrorism Risk ...
Ricardo looks to ride shifts in auto business.(News)
Jan 06, 2003 ... Byline: Terry Kosdrosky New car models, the growth of diesel engines and a shift in attitudes have created opportunities for engineering companies such as Ricardo Inc. Anticipating growth, the Van Buren Township-based auto supplier in December moved into a new $12 ...
Backers of border projects press on despite split decision.(News)(committee recommendations for truck-only parkway)
Jan 06, 2003 ... Byline: Michael Strong The backers of three proposals to relieve truck congestion in Windsor expect to push for their individual projects despite recommendations from a committee that selected bits and pieces of each of the proposals for $300 million in Canadian funds. ...
This Just In.(includes, possible acquisition of Rootlevel Inc. by Carriersnet Group Inc.)
Jan 06, 2003 ... Rootlevel in talks to be purchased by Carriersnet Detroit-based Rootlevel Inc. and Dearborn-based Carriersnet Group Inc. hope to complete a $10 million stock swap in two months that would make Rootlevel a subsidiary of Carriersnet responsible for application development. ...
Letters.
Jan 06, 2003 ... Cranbrook students not ignorant Editor: Interested in business and hoping to become an entrepreneur and follow in my father's footsteps, I often read Crain's Detroit Business, specifically your articles on small businesses. Usually I find your articles to be ...
In Jack he trusts; Ex-Decision Consultants owner starts new company.(News)(Jack Krasula starts Trustinus Inc.)
Jan 06, 2003 ... Byline: Andrew Dietderich A year ago, Jack Krasula was head of Decision Consultants Inc., a company with $117 million in revenue, more than 1,100 employees and a client list that included General Motors Corp. and DaimlerChrysler AG. Now he's the head of Trustinus ...
Commercialization gets attention in life-science funding.(News)(Michigan Life Sciences Corridor)
Jan 06, 2003 ... Byline: Laura Bailey The competition for $45 million in state life-sciences funding next year is more heavily weighted with proposals to commercialize technology than it was last year. The state has sent nearly twice as many product-commercialization proposals to the ...
Memo details losses, plans for cuts at DMC.(News)(Detroit Medical Center)
Jan 06, 2003 ... Byline: Katie Merx The Detroit Medical Center expects to post losses at many of its hospitals for 2002 and will cut executive salaries and vacations in 2003, according to an e-mail that DMC President and CEO Arthur Porter sent to the hospital system's board, physicians and ...
Legislation aims to tax Internet sales.(News)
Jan 06, 2003 ... Byline: Amy Lane Michigan may be about to take the next step in collecting more taxes from Internet and mail-order companies. Legislation expected to be introduced soon would ratify a multistate agreement designed to streamline processes for collecting sales taxes ....
Comerica names governance exec.(News)(Jon Bilstrom)(Brief Article)
Jan 06, 2003; ... Byline: Katie Merx Detroit-based Comerica Inc. last week named Jon Bilstrom executive vice president of governance and regulatory affairs. Bilstrom, 56, joined Comerica (NYSE: CMA) Thursday. He will be responsible for relationships with regulatory agencies and will ...
Week in Review.(Review)(area briefs)
Jan 06, 2003 ... SBC gets $238.5M Michigan telecom deal SBC Communications Inc. won a $238.5 million contract putting it in charge of serving all of state government's telecommunications needs. The contract begins this year and lasts for six years. The contract will consolidate the voice, data ...
Irvin Reid.(News)(Wayne State University president)(Brief Article)
Jan 06, 2003; ... Byline: Laura Bailey President Wayne State University Wayne State University President Irvin Reid has had a busy year, overseeing $108 million in construction projects and luring two major investments that are expected to mean millions of dollars for WSU, ...
Business Diary.(Briefs)
Jan 06, 2003 ... acquisitions The Induction Bonding Systems unit of Robotron Corp., Southfield, has been acquired by the EFD Group, an induction-heating technology company with 14 operating companies in the United States, Europe, India and China. The new company has been named EFD Induction ...
Waltraud Prechter.(News)(Heinz C. Prechter Fund for Manic Depression)(Brief Article)
Jan 06, 2003; ... Byline: Terry Kosdrosky Heinz C. Prechter Fund for Manic Depression The widow of Downriver industrialist Heinz Prechter spent the year not only managing the sale of her late husband's businesses but also leading the fight against the illness that led to his death. ...
Biggest deals sought.(News)
Jan 06, 2003 ... Crain's Detroit Business will publish a list of the largest deals of 2002 in its Jan. 27 issue. Included will be mergers and acquisitions of at least $10 million, stock offerings, commercial-property sales and the largest office and industrial leases. If you have information you ...
Don Coleman.(News)(GlobalHue chairman, CEO)(Brief Article)
Jan 06, 2003; ... Byline: Jennette Smith Chairman and CEO GlobalHue Last year was significant for Don Coleman, chairman and CEO of the GlobalHue ad agency. In April, Coleman took his name off the door of the Southfield agency to create a one-stop shop for all ...
2002 Newsmakers of the Year.(Cover Story)(Brief Article)(Cover Story)
Jan 06, 2003 ... One of 2002's top newsmakers will be named Crain's Newsmaker of the Year in the Jan. 20 issue and will be honored at a Feb. 19 luncheon meeting of the Women's Economic Club and The Economic Club of Detroit. * James Adamson felt intense scrutiny last year, as the new chairman ...
North American International Auto Show.(News)(includes ticket price and economic impact projection)(Brief Article)
Jan 06, 2003 ... Press days: Through Tuesday. Industry preview days: Wednesday and Thursday. Charity preview: Friday. Public show: Saturday through Jan. 20. Doors open 10 a.m.-10 p.m. daily. Tickets $12; $6 for those 65 and over; free for children ...
Karmanos Cancer Institute ends health programs, cites lost aid.(News: Barbara Ann Karmanos Cancer Institute)(Brief Article)
Jan 13, 2003; ... Byline: Laura Bailey The Barbara Ann Karmanos Cancer Institute is ending a group of community-outreach health programs because the state intends to cut most or all of its support. For about seven years, Karmanos has been receiving about $1 million a year from the ...
Business Diary.(Briefs: Detroit area business briefs)(Brief Article)
Jan 13, 2003 ... contracts ROI Systems Group Inc., Bloomfield Hills, and Toronto-based Business Propulsion Systems have entered into an agreement in which ROI will market and support BPS' Project Activator, a Web-based program and project-management software. ROI expects this to add $1 million ...
Union to new Great Lakes owner: Both sides must give; Steelworkers like proposal to National assets.(News: District 2 of the United Steel Workers of America, Great Lakes Steel and National Steel Corp.)
Jan 13, 2003; ... Byline: Terry Kosdrosky The head of the local Steelworker's union said he's willing to discuss concessions with the prospective new owners of Great Lakes Steel, but any sacrifices must be shared by management. Harry Lester, director of District 2 of the United Steel ...
DMC head may ask for drink tax.(News: Detroit Medical Center)
Jan 13, 2003; ... Byline: Katie Merx The Detroit Medical Center president and CEO Arthur Porter says a small tax on alcoholic beverages could be an elixir to get the academic hospital system back to breaking even. Porter said he'll ask state legislators this year to consider an ...
Charities find auto-show parties an ideal vehicle.(News)
Jan 13, 2003; ... Byline: Gary Anglebrandt Five children's charities that benefit from the North American International Auto Show's Charity Preview extended the evening's fund raising and hobnobbing with major afterglow receptions. The Children's Center in Detroit sold 950 tickets to ...
Land wants to expand online dealer registration.(News: Michigan Secretary of State Terri Lynn Land)
Jan 13, 2003; ... Byline: Amy Lane Secretary of State Terri Lynn Land has a full agenda entering office. And many of the items fall under the category of customer convenience and Land's mantra: ``More people online, less people in line.'' Land hopes to expand a pilot ...
This Just In.(Detroit area news briefs)(Brief Article)
Jan 13, 2003 ... Fed-Mogul wants to move HQ into Travelers Tower II Auto supplier Federal-Mogul Corp. wants to vacate its longtime headquarters at the Lodge Freeway and Lahser Road and move into the nearby Travelers Tower II. The company last week filed a motion in U.S. Bankruptcy ...
Bankruptcies.(Brief Article)
Jan 13, 2003 ... The following businesses filed for Chapter 7 or 11 protection in U.S. Bankruptcy Court in Detroit the week of Dec. 30-Jan. 6. Under Chapter 11, a company files a reorganization plan that the court must approve. Chapter 7 involves total liquidation. Avastar Jet Charter & ...
DTE Energy faces challenge to sale of transmission unit.(News: International Transmission Co. is the subsidiary)
Jan 13, 2003; ... Byline: Amy Lane Michigan Attorney General Mike Cox and a group of large industrial businesses are trying to squeeze more money for customers out of DTE Energy Co.'s pending $610 million sale of its electricity-transmission subsidiary. Cox and the Association of ...
Universal care would share costs efficiently.(Opinion)(Column)
Jan 13, 2003; ... Byline: Ron Gettelfinger America's health care system is in a serious crisis. Costs are rising. More than 40 million people have no insurance coverage. And the quality of care is inconsistent at best. Crain's joined the debate about how to reform our health care ...
Tough talk from, and for, suppliers.(Opinion)(Brief Article)
Jan 13, 2003 ... Tower Automotive Inc. recently fired a shot that may be heard, well, maybe as far as Detroit. Tower announced that it had decided not to bid on two major frame contracts: one for the new Ford Explorer, the other for the Dodge Durango. Tower said it can't be profitable on the ...
Casinos fighting class-action status in cases.(News: MGM Grand Detroit Casino and MotorCity Casino are involved)
Jan 13, 2003; ... Byline: Robert Ankeny Two employment-discrimination lawsuits pending against two Detroit casinos highlight strategies on both sides in class-action litigation. Fourteen workers at MGM Grand Detroit Casino sued in 2001, claiming racial discrimination in promotions, ...
German American chamber offers Heinz Prechter Scholarships.(News: German American Chamber of Commerce of the Midwest's Michigan chapter)(Brief Article)
Jan 13, 2003; ... Byline: Laura Bailey The Michigan chapter of the German American Chamber of Commerce of the Midwest will fund three Heinz Prechter Scholarships in 2003. Three $2,000 scholarships will go to Michigan college students heading to Germany for internships. The internships ...
We're bursting at the seams at auto show.(Column: North American International Auto Show)(Column)
Jan 13, 2003; ... Byline: KEITH CRAIN If you believe that the North American International Auto Show in Detroit is one of the great events in our community, you're absolutely right. By far, it's the biggest and most significant event for Detroit and all of Southeast Michigan. When you ...
The Way he was.(Special Report: Ken Way's career history)(Brief Article)
Jan 13, 2003 ... Ken Way's career highlights 1966: Joined American Metal Products, where his father worked, as industrial engineer. Company was bought by Lear Siegler. 1988: Led management in a $500 million leveraged buyout of Lear Siegler Seating Corp. from the private investment ...
Builder plans $80M in homes; Majority are proposed for Macomb County.(News: Lombardo Cos. is the developer)(Company Profile)
Jan 13, 2003; ... Byline: Jennette Smith The Washington Township-based Lombardo Cos. is planning about $80 million in home construction this year, focused mostly on midpriced houses in Macomb County. The developer plans to launch several projects, including condominium and ...
China's cheap labor is next threat to suppliers.(Special Report)(Industry Overview)
Jan 13, 2003 ... Byline: Terry Kosdrosky The growing Chinese economy presents a competitive threat to U.S. auto suppliers that is much greater than any once posed by Mexico. But, like Mexico, opportunities for suppliers could be considerable. China's nearly inexhaustible supply of ...