Crain's Detroit Business back issues from August 2003:
St. John plans federally funded health center for NorthEast site; Medical office building also planned near Riverview.(News)(Catholic-sponsored health system will add medical office building)
Aug 04, 2003 ... Byline: Katie Merx St. John Health plans to use the closing of its St. John NorthEast Community Hospital to shore up primary care in Detroit by adding a federally qualified health center and a new medical office building. President and CEO Elliot Joseph told Crain's ...
This just in.(Kojaian Cos. plans to buy former Compuware Corp. headquarters)
Aug 04, 2003 ... Kojaian to purchase former Compuware HQ The Bloomfield Hills-based Kojaian Cos. plans to purchase the former Compuware Corp. headquarters in Farmington Hills and has retained a leasing agent to market it. David Friedman, president of Farmington Hills-based Friedman ...
Corrections.(Correction)(Southern Fires restaurant loan)(Brief Article)(Correction Notice)
Aug 04, 2003 ... * A story on Page 3 of the July 28 issue should have said that Southern Fires restaurant received a loan of $1.19 million. The state amount was incorrect. * An item on Page 26 of the July 28 edition included the wrong dates for the U.S.-Arab Economic Forum. The correct dates are ...
Taubman to lose 4 Lord & Taylors.(News)(Taubman Centers Inc. reports Lord & Taylor stores will close)(Brief Article)
Aug 04, 2003 ... Byline: Brent Snavely Four out-of-state malls owned by Bloomfield Hills-based Taubman Centers Inc. will lose Lord & Taylor stores in the wake of the department-store chain's decision to close 32 of its 86 stores. Three of the four malls involved were opened by Taubman ...
A great combination of past and future.(Column)(downtown urban development)
Aug 04, 2003 ... Byline: KEITH CRAIN If there is one thing that Detroit has plenty of, it's neglected buildings looking for tender loving care. The announcement a couple of weeks ago about reviving the Book Cadillac hotel as the Renaissance Book Cadillac was exciting. I think we ...
For Sale.(News)(DTE Energy Co. selling several properties)(Brief Article)
Aug 04, 2003 ... DTE Energy Co. expects to close on the sale of these properties during 2003 with the exception of the property near its headquarters: * Guardian Building, Detroit. Original asking price of $13.5 million. * One-third ownership in Harbortown, Detroit. Asking price not ...
DTE Energy finds buyer for Guardian; Part of larger plan to divest real estate.(firm divesting unneeded property)
Aug 04, 2003 ... Byline: Amy Lane, Robert Ankeny, Jennette Smith DTE Energy Co. has found a buyer for the Guardian Building, the second major Detroit development that the company is negotiating to sell as part of a strategy to divest unneeded property. Boston-based Boston Capital ...
Y&R hiring 120 after Ford move; Lincoln Mercury return prompts agency to expand Detroit presence.(News)(Young & Rubicam adds 120 local employees for Lincoln Mercury ad account)
Aug 04, 2003 ... Byline: Jennette Smith The Dearborn office of Young & Rubicam is hiring about 120 local employees to service the Lincoln Mercury advertising account. With the client moving back to Dearborn from Irvine, Calif., the advertising agency has been filling the 150 positions ...
Space crunch; As businesses consolidate and shrink offices, designers come up with ways to do more with less.(News)(efficient and functional consolidation office designs)
Aug 04, 2003 ... Byline: Brian Charlton In a market once dominated by the need to expand, office design has switched gears in a slow economy to find ways to develop techniques to do more with less. In some cases, companies have needed to cut costs without eliminating employees. One ...
Week in review.(News)(Northville Psychiatric Hospital site for sale)
Aug 04, 2003 ... State rebuffs protest of Northville land pick The state has denied a protest by an unsuccessful bidder for the Northville Psychiatric Hospital site. In a letter sent Wednesday, Michigan Department of Management and Budget Director Mitch Irwin disputed assertions made by ...
Honigman extends First National lease.(News)(Detroit law firm signs new lease)
Aug 04, 2003 ... Byline: Robert Ankeny Honigman Miller Schwartz and Cohn L.L.P., anchor tenant in the First National Building, has extended its lease 10 years to 2016, Chairman and CEO Alan Schwartz said. Honigman has been in the First National Building since 1948 and occupies more ...
Tiger Stadium site not a fit for Wal-Mart.(Rumblings)(Wal-Mart Stores Inc. chooses new sites)
Aug 04, 2003 ... Tiger Stadium preservationists can relax: Although the stadium was among the five sites that Detroit officials presented to Wal-Mart Stores Inc. in May at a retail convention in Las Vegas, it is too small. The stadium is on a 15-acre site, and the Bentonville, Ark.-based ...
Police woes an issue of safety, and business.(Column)(Detroit's government employees)
Aug 04, 2003 ... Any time you think you have a tough job, think of Jerry Oliver. The Detroit police chief runs a 4,000-employee department without a key management tool: He can't fire employees for poor performance. Not that wholesale firings are good management ideas. But if a ...
Relationships help Unova win business with Hyundai.(News)(machine-tool manufacturers)(Brief Article)
Aug 04, 2003 ... Byline: Terry Kosdrosky Unova Industrial Automation Systems Inc. has broken into a market normally closed to U.S. machine-tool manufacturers. Its $50 million contract to supply a complete engine machining and assembly system for Hyundai Motor America's new plant in ...
Opinion.(public health authority needed)
Aug 04, 2003 ... Job 1: Fix primary care Now comes the hard part. State and regional health leaders support creating a public health authority to manage care for the uninsured, largely in Detroit and Wayne County. But would such an authority own a public hospital, lease ...
State employee unions balk at unpaid days to cut costs.(News)($230 mn in payroll cuts expected)
Aug 04, 2003 ... Byline: Amy Lane The Granholm administration and state employee unions are at odds over about $230 million in payroll cuts, even before negotiations begin. The administration's favored idea of having employees work unpaid days in exchange for future time off has drawn ...
Taking a toll; Owner promises to fight Grosse Ile attempt to acquire bridge through eminent domain.(News)(Grosse Ile Toll Bridge may sell property)
Aug 04, 2003 ... Byline: Michael Strong The family that has owned and operated the Grosse Ile Toll Bridge for more than 90 years may not be doing so much longer. The Grosse Ile Township board voted last month to invoke eminent domain on the bridge, which connects the island to ...
Bankruptcies.(News)(Brief Article)
Aug 04, 2003 ... The following businesses filed for Chapter 7 or Chapter 11 protection in U.S. Bankruptcy Court in Detroit the week of July 25-Aug. 1. Under Chapter 11, a company files a reorganization plan that the court must approve. Chapter 7 involves total liquidation. T.S. Quatro Co. Inc., ...
Medical offices planned in Novi.(News)(new $20 mn medical office building)(Brief Article)
Aug 04, 2003 ... Byline: Jennette Smith A Bloomfield Hills development company plans to build a $20 million medical office building in Novi. The project, tentatively called the Fountain Professional Center, is on the south side of 12 Mile between Taft and Beck roads. RSM ...
Price pressure woes.(News)(Asian manufacturers offer cheap, quality furniture)(Brief Article)
Aug 04, 2003 ... Art Van Furniture Inc. Cause: Asian manufacturers making higher-quality furniture for lower prices. Effect: Is buying higher-quality furniture and selling it at lower prices in an attempt to maintain annual sales and margins. Borders Group Inc. ...
Letters.(local real estate industry)
Aug 04, 2003 ... Rebirth can happen in Detroit Editor: Read Keith Crain's column in the July 21 edition: "Boy, was I ever wrong - and I'm glad.'' Good for you - on two counts. One, you're a big enough guy to admit it when you're wrong; and two, your voice is a strong ...
Dream opportunity; Cruise to drum up $800K for charities.(News)(Dream Cruise will raise $100 mn for local economy)
Aug 04, 2003 ... Byline: Brian Charlton Parties and merchandise sales at the Woodward Dream Cruise this month will generate at least $800,000 for local charities as corporations and individuals take advantage of the event to help nonprofits. The Revvin' with Ford Charity Preview in ...
BorgWarner competition about more than 60 jobs.(BorgWarner Inc. headquarters move)
Aug 04, 2003 ... Byline: Terry Kosdrosky Bragging rights are worth more than you think. Michigan and Illinois are rolling out the incentives for the BorgWarner Inc. headquarters. Only 60 jobs are involved, but corporate headquarters are a gauge of a local economy's health, and the ...
Grant Thornton looks to take bite out of Big Four firms.(News)(accounting firm will increase Detroit area staff by 20%)
Aug 04, 2003 ... Byline: Katie Merx Grant Thornton L.L.P. plans to increase its Detroit area staff by 20 percent and recruit more high-profile clients from the Big Four accounting firms in the next year by installing a new home-grown managing partner and keeping the Midwest regional managing ...
State to redo Medicaid bid system.(News)(Medicaid managed-care contract management)
Aug 04, 2003 ... Byline: Katie Merx The state intends to overhaul the way it awards Medicaid managed-care contracts with a plan that could coax new players into the game, but it's going to require a cash infusion, health care executives said. State health care officials said a ...
Price-tag blues; Local retailers try discounts, better merchandise to deal with falling prices.(Michigan's largest furniture retailer)
Aug 04, 2003 ... Byline: Brent Snavely Art Van Furniture Inc., Michigan's largest furniture retailer, says a nationwide decline in prices gives the company an opportunity to buy higher-quality furniture and sell it at lower prices. By adjusting its pricing and merchandising strategy, ...
Week in Review.(Review)(briefs)
Aug 11, 2003 ... Dana boss says ArvinMeritor's savings are small potatoes The savings outlined by ArvinMeritor Inc. in its bid for Dana Corp. aren't enough to make a compelling case for a merger, Dana's CEO said. Troy-based ArvinMeritor said a merger would save about $200 million a year right ...
Bankruptcies.(Brief Article)
Aug 11, 2003 ... The following businesses filed for Chapter 7, 11 or 13 protection in U.S. Bankruptcy Court in Detroit the week of Aug. 1-8. Under Chapter 11, a company files a reorganization plan that the court must approve. Chapter 7 involves total liquidation. Chapter 13 allows an individual to ...
Rumblings.(briefs)
Aug 11, 2003 ... Unions to celebrate unveiling of Hart Plaza landmark Downtown Detroit's six-story steel arch at Hart Plaza, part of the labor landmark called "Transcending,'' gets its formal dedication Aug. 20 in a ceremony scheduled to start at 10:30 a.m. and extend through the day. ...
Doctors, insurer Ulticare joust over payments.(News)
Aug 11, 2003; ... Byline: Katie Merx Wayne County Health Choice was intended to keep small businesses in Wayne County by subsidizing health insurance for low-wage, uninsured workplaces. But area doctors say one of the program's two insurance vendors has failed to pay claims for as long as three ...
Vacant Farmer Jack stores.(News)(Brief Article)
Aug 11, 2003 ... Leases controlled by Farmer Jack Farmer Jack told Crain's it controls leases for 13 vacant stores in metro Detroit but declined to identify them. Crain's identified the following 10. * 35170 Dodge Park at 15 Mile Road, Sterling Heights. Listed for sublease by ...
People.(appointments, various companies)
Aug 11, 2003 ... construction Mark Cullen to vice president of business development, Clayco Construction Co., Livonia, from director of marketing. Rodney Elgie to vice president-construction operations, White Construction, Detroit, from project administrator. distributors ...
letters.(Letter to the Editor)
Aug 11, 2003 ... Don't neglect the SBA's role Editor: I want to commend you for your article on Southern Fires in the July 28 issue ("A long simmer: Restaurateur packs in customers after long effort to renovate Detroit warehouse''). However, your readers should know that the loan ...
From coda to reprise; One year after closing all but two stores, Harmony House hopes to stay in business.(News)(Harmony House Records and Tapes Inc. in recovery)(Brief Article)
Aug 11, 2003 ... Byline: Brent Snavely Bill Thom's outlook for Harmony House Records & Tapes Inc. is far more optimistic today than it was a year ago when he announced a companywide going-out-of-business sale. But from the beginning, Thom clung to the hope that if he acted fast ...
Loose ends; Clover's end leaves multiple woes, district says.(News)(Clover Technologies Inc. files for bankruptcy)
Aug 11, 2003 ... Byline: Andrew Dietderich The demise of Clover Technologies Inc. has left 20 electrical subcontractors unpaid for about $10 million in work they did as part of a $24 million contract to rewire 135 buildings for the Detroit Public Schools, according to lawsuits. ...
Northwest cargo business flies high amid doldrums.(News)(Northwest Airlines Corp. losing money)
Aug 11, 2003 ... Byline: Michael Strong Northwest Airlines Corp. continues to watch its passenger revenue drop but has found it can make money in one area: cargo. The airline sends 40 percent of its cargo shipments on its passenger flights. The airline is finding significant growth in ...
Golf course to become 256 homes; $90m project would convert R. Hills club.(new neighborhood with luxury single-family homes)
Aug 11, 2003 ... Byline: Andrew Dietderich A development company plans to convert the 118-acre Rochester Hills Golf and Country Club into a neighborhood with 256 single-family homes worth at least $90 million. Bloomfield Hills-based East Course L.P. received preliminary site-plan ...
Delphi hopes collaboration can get its suppliers off price-cut treadmill.(News)(automakers and their suppliers in battle)
Aug 11, 2003 ... Byline: Terry Kosdrosky Every year in recent memory, suppliers at the Management Briefing Seminars have complained about the way automaker customers treat them - annual price-cut demands, broken contracts and last-minute changes. Then many go back to work Monday and ...
An array of problems.(News)(Clover Technologies Inc.'s bankruptcy)(Brief Article)
Aug 11, 2003 ... The fallout from Clover Technologies Inc.'s bankruptcy. * Former employees and vendors have filed claims worth nearly $11 million, according to the claims register report for the case. The last date to file claims is Aug. 14. * A judge has ordered the company to turn ...
Some of the cuts.(News)(Granholm administration cuts state government's budget)(Brief Article)
Aug 11, 2003 ... The Granholm administration has cut costs throughout state government. Items include: * Cutting contract expenditures by $88 million so far, toward a $100 million goal by Oct. 1. * Reducing the state's vehicle fleet by an initial 1,293, saving $2.7 million. ...
Eastern Market offers a golden opportunity.(opinion)(Detroit's Eastern Market, downtown farmer's market and retail center )
Aug 11, 2003 ... It's time to make Detroit's Eastern Market into the gem it always has had the potential to be. But while the city needs to take the lead in organizing and facilitating the revival, property owners should be willing to invest in the district's future through tax dollars pledged to a ...
Busy weeks of summer cruise into town.(Column)(Woodward Dream Cruise)
Aug 11, 2003 ... Byline: KEITH CRAIN Although they tell me that the Woodward Dream Cruise is only on this Saturday from 9 a.m. until 9 p.m., don't you believe it. I'll bet people will be setting up lawn chairs as early as today. This has become a very big deal for car lovers from all ...
Sitting fallow; Empty Farmer Jacks dot metro Detroit, and communities work to fight blight that can accompany them.(strip mall in decline)
Aug 11, 2003 ... Byline: Andrew Dietderich, Brent Snavely Laurie Marrs, director of the Northville Chamber of Commerce, cringes every time she drives by Northville Plaza. Once a vibrant shopping center in Northville Township, the strip mall has been on a downslide since 1996, when ...
City sets sights on Eastern Mkt. New team in charge of planning for redevelopment.(News)(Mayor Kwame Kilpatrick eyes Eastern Market)
Aug 11, 2003 ... Byline: Robert Ankeny Eastern Market, whose businesses and boosters often say their locale has taken second place behind more vigorously promoted projects such as stadiums and casinos, is getting new attention from Mayor Kwame Kilpatrick's administration and a recently formed ...
Business Diary.(Business)(Doan Cos. buys Consumers Concrete Chelsea plant)
Aug 11, 2003 ... acquisitions Doan Cos., a Ypsilanti-based ready-mix-concrete company, has announced the acquisition of the Consumers Concrete Chelsea plant. call for entries Global Business Solutions L.L.C., a business- and economic-development company in Oak Park, will ...
The burdens of proof; After a year of Sarbanes-Oxley, costs and worries start to pile on for publicly traded companies.(Finance)(corporate governance law)
Aug 11, 2003 ... Byline: Katie Merx In the year since the federal government enacted the Sarbanes-Oxley Act, it has added a great deal to corporate governance- a great deal of time, cost and anxiety. "They're using a cannon to kill a flea,'' said Samuel Bush, vice president, CFO and ...
Winning Northville bidder begins due diligence on site.(News)(sale of Northville Psychiatric Hospital site)(Brief Article)
Aug 11, 2003 ... Byline: Jennette Smith, Amy Lane The sale of the 400-acre Northville Psychiatric Hospital site has cleared a potential legal hurdle and is proceeding after a judge last week denied an unsuccessful bidder's request to hold up the sale. Ingham County Circuit Judge ...
Corrections.(Correction Notice)
Aug 11, 2003 ... * On the list of largest office-furniture dealers, on Page 12 of the Aug. 4 issue, the name of Cunningham Limp, a client of Space Care Interiors, was misspelled. * On the list of largest advertising agencies, on Page 14 of the July 7 issue, the 2002 revenue for Brogan and ...
Land-use report done; action to wait.(News)(new report on Michigan land use)
Aug 11, 2003 ... It was no small feat to produce a broad-reaching new report on Michigan land use. But turning recommendations into legislative reality may not happen fast. "We're going to have to take a long look at this first before we put any kind of timetable down,'' said Bill Nowling, ...
This Just in.(unemployment benefits legislation)
Aug 11, 2003 ... State to take action on unemployment benefits About $206 million in additional state and federal unemployment benefits is set for fast final action when the Legislature returns this week for a brief session. House Bill 4945 would make available 13 weeks of additional ...
Freudenberg-NOK pushes into new line of business.(News)(Freudenberg-NOK G.P. hires Mohsen Sohi)
Aug 11, 2003 ... Byline: Terry Kosdrosky A supplier known for its automotive seals business is making a push into the brake-hose and noise-vibration-filter businesses under its new CEO. Mohsen Sohi, CEO of Plymouth-based Freudenberg-NOK G.P., said the company might make a small ...
Monument a reminder of labor's legacy.(Column)(Labor Legacy Landmark)
Aug 11, 2003 ... Detroit's past, its future and its very skyline have been built upon the work of labor. The auto industry, America's last manufacturing giant, gainfully employs thousands due to the standards set by the United Auto Workers union. Schools, courthouses, homes, hospitals and office ...
EDF Ventures helps fund security software company.(Finance)(venture capital companies fund Arxan Technologies)(Brief Article)
Aug 11, 2003 ... Byline: Andrew Dietderich Ann Arbor-based EDF Ventures was among the venture-capital companies that led an $8.3 million second round of financing for San Francisco-based Arxan Technologies. EDF is a venture-capital firm with $120 million of private-equity investments ...
Businesses help state cut $88M from contracts.(Granholm administration seeks savings from out-of-state contractors)
Aug 11, 2003 ... Byline: Amy Lane The Granholm administration has pressed $88 million in savings out of state contractors, with more coming in the next few months. It's been at the expense of businesses large and small, from technology giants to security firms to advertising agencies ....
Porter: DMC can weather executive resignations.(News)(Detroit Medical Center president and CEO Arthur Porter to retire)
Aug 18, 2003 ... Byline: Katie Merx Outgoing Detroit Medical Center President and CEO Arthur Porter has had a succession plan sitting in his top drawer since he took charge of the academic medical center in 1999. So he doesn't expect that his planned departure from the top post will ...
Power worked into Detroit neighborhoods with water plants.(News)(DTE Energy Co. loses power)(Brief Article)
Aug 18, 2003 ... Byline: Terry Kosdrosky DTE Energy Co.'s efforts to get power to critical areas was a reason that some portions of Detroit and the suburbs had power and others didn't. Especially in Detroit, some neighborhoods had power because DTE made supplying the Detroit Water ...
Companies assess blackout losses.(News)(insured losses will be moderate)
Aug 18, 2003 ... Policyholders and insurers are checking contract language and awaiting word about the cause of the massive blackout that darkened large portions of the United States and Canada, as they determine whether there is coverage for business interruption and other losses. Although the ...
Attorney General Cox sends staffers to spot price-gouging.(News)(Michigan Attorney General Mike Cox launches investigation)(Brief Article)
Aug 18, 2003 ... Byline: Andrew Dietderich On Friday and Saturday, Michigan Attorney General Mike Cox sent investigators and lawyers from his office in search of price-gouging on essential items such as gasoline, ice and water. The move departs from the traditional method of dealing ...
Detroit papers not alone in wanting to cut health benefits.(News)(newspapers want to reduce health care and benefit costs)
Aug 18, 2003 ... Byline: Andrew Dietderich Lou Mleczko remembers being ecstatic in 1980 when the Metropolitan Council of Newspaper Unions negotiated full health care coverage for employees of the Detroit Free Press and The Detroit News and can't believe he's watching it unravel. But ...
Hospitals cancel electives, run on backup power.(News)(hospitals in Southeast Michigan operate on emergency power)(Brief Article)
Aug 18, 2003 ... Byline: Cinda Becker , Mary Chris Jaklevic Some hospitals in Southeast Michigan canceled elective surgeries and prepared to operate on emergency power through the weekend. With municipal pumps inoperable, water was being trucked in to Detroit hospitals. ...
Blackout causes surge in demand for generators.(News)(businesses require emergency power supplies)
Aug 18, 2003 ... Byline: Brent Snavely Within a few hours of Thursday's power outage, more than 60 generators that Michigan CAT had on hand had been rented by businesses needing emergency power. "By (4:45 p.m.) we had restaurant owners walking in our door,'' said Mark Oehmke, vice ...
Auto suppliers shut HQs, plants hit by blackout.(News)(Detroit area parts suppliers lose power)(Brief Article)
Aug 18, 2003 ... Byline: Julie Armstrong Most Detroit area parts suppliers closed their offices Friday, following the lead of General Motors Corp., Ford Motor Co. and the Chrysler Group, which closed their respective world headquarters in Detroit. The electric-power outage that ...
Consumers' systems worked to help halt blackout.(Consumers Energy Co. loses power)
Aug 18, 2003 ... Byline: Terry Kosdrosky, Jennette Smith While most utilities are trying to figure out what went wrong last week, Consumers Energy Co. will spend just as much time figuring out what went right. Only about 100,000 of Consumers Energy's 1.6 million electricity customers ...
Blackout briefs.(briefs)(Power failures hit Michigan)
Aug 18, 2003 ... Corktown pops with power There was a preferred sort of beer at Nemo's Bar in Detroit's Corktown neighborhood on Friday: cold. Co-owner Tim Springstead said word appeared to spread about the bar's having electricity, so Friday brought a steady business for those ...
Gale, ProQuest hope to find new money in old documents.(News)(Gale Group launches new Eighteenth Century Collections Online)
Aug 18, 2003 ... Byline: Jennette Smith Two local information companies are looking to boost revenue by offering researchers digitized books, documents and articles published more than two centuries ago. The Farmington Hills-based Gale Group is rolling out its Eighteenth Century ...