Neighborhood Investment for Sustainability

Northwest Detroit is a thriving part of the city and is a staple in the Motor City.  It’s home to beautiful homes, longstanding residents and many small businesses.  It’s also home to the famed “Avenue of Fashion”, Livernois. City resources and plans have been targeted, developed and implemented across many of the city’s neighborhoods, including…

Balancing the Playing Field

As companies talk about diversity, equity and inclusion, three recent incidents demonstrate there’s still a wide gap between words and actions. I recently received an email from a company expressing its commitment to diversity.  It highlighted the value and importance of recruiting people with diverse backgrounds, why it’s important to their organization and ultimately, its business.Upon…

What Will it Take?

It was recently noted that a major company headquartered in Detroit hired forty-two marketing summer interns, and boasted these hires in a group picture as shared on social media by one of its leaders.  While it’s great that these students will gain real-life experiences in their field of study and interest, there was a blatant…

Making Tough Businesses Choices During COVID-19

While the city and state are entering in Phase 5 of its reopening, it’s not a secret one of the unfortunate side-effects of COVID-19 is the negative impact on the economy – especially small businesses. According to published reports, 100,000 small business permanently closed in the eight weeks beginning in mid-March. Many businesses have been…

Navigating the Headwinds of Crisis

By Mark S. Lee and David Girodat The COVID-19 crisis has created both health and financial challenges for many families and businesses. Unlike past economic downturns, the tumult occurred abruptly, bringing hardship to many industries simultaneously. For example, recent reports indicate 100,000 small business have permanently closed since the pandemic hit in March while others…

Keeping Students Engaged During COVID-19

COVID-19 has wreaked havoc on the remaining weeks of this school year. As each municipality across Michigan rolls out localized plans for their students, the challenge is maximizing learning opportunities for everyone. And effectively preparing them for the upcoming academic year becomes paramount during these unprecedented times. With emphasis now on online learning, the need is…

Changing the Way Loved Ones Say Goodbye

The rapid spread of Covid-19 is affecting the way funeral homes must operate and how families adjust to new rules restricting the number of family members and friends that can attend services for the deceased. Michigan Governor Gretchen Whitmer issued an executive order limiting all gatherings to no more than 10 people, including clergy and…

Small Business Resources

We are living in unprecedented times where the new normal now includes social distancing, staying and working from home. These headwinds have changed all aspects of our lives, and we are still adjusting to the new normal. Small businesses are no different, and the cataclysmic changes we’re still working through threaten to change their landscape…

Civility in Business & Politics

We are living in unprecedented times where the divide widens, lack of civility threatens relationships and the ability to make thoughtful decisions based on facts is increasing. As evidenced by the recent impeachment proceedings and the State of the State address, the political divide runs deep along partisan lines and threatens the very premise on…

CBD Ads Go Mainstream, Propelling Small Business Growth

A rising number of Detroiters may be trying something new this holiday thanks to growing acceptance of CBD among consumers and advertisers alike. And that’s a good thing for the local economy and many small businesses fueling CBD growth. The market for CBD products has exploded in recent years and is expected to exceed $24…