Our roundup of the latest business news from metro Detroit and Michigan, as well as announcements from government agencies. To share a business or nonprofit story, send us a message.
Ram and Dodge Brands Win 2024 Kelley Blue Book Consumer Choice Awards
Two Stellantis brands in Auburn Hills, Ram and Dodge, receive awards from the Kelley Blue Book Consumer Choice Awards.
Ram won the Kelley Blue Book Consumer Choice Award for Best Overall Truck Brand. The logo has a new feature this year, adding the new 2025 Ram 1500 and Ram 1500 REV.
The Dodge logo won the 2024 Kelley Blue Book Consumer Choice Award for Best Automotive Styling Brand. This honor marks the sixth consecutive year that Dodge has won the Kelley Blue Book Brand Image Award.
The 2024 Consumer Choice Awards are based on data on consumers’ automotive beliefs from Kelley Blue Book’s Brand Watch study. Kelley Blue Book’s Brand Watch is an online brand and style belief tracking study that identifies more than 12,000 new vehicle buyers in the KBB. com market annually. The in-depth examination provides insight into how buyers understand the vital points that drive their purchasing decisions and captures the logo/style familiarity and loyalty of new car buyers.
Oakland County Installs New Public Safety Radio System
Oakland County has effectively implemented its new P25 radio system, a step forward in strengthening public protection and emergency response functions in the region.
Integrated with the Michigan Public Safety Communications System (MPSCS), this radio formula ensures seamless communication for first responders in the county and beyond, particularly enhancing their ability to protect and serve communities.
“This milestone highlights our commitment to public safety in Oakland County,” said Dave Coulter, Oakland County Administrator. “With improved radio coverage, we are now better equipped to keep all of our citizens safe.
The limitations of the previous OpenSky radio system, which began operating in 2005, posed significant demanding situations for first responders, with policy loopholes appearing shortly after crossing county lines, as well as leak points in Oakland County itself. The P25 radio system, however, marks a “transformative” moment in public protection communication and ensures that citizens get the right public protection services.
“Communications are key, whether it’s on a day-to-day basis or when major emergencies occur,” says Oakland County Sheriff Michael Bouchard. “One of the key findings of the 9/11 Commission was that public protection needed an interoperable communications formula that would allow other agencies to speak at a large-scale event. I have personally reacted to such events, such as 9/11 at Ground Zero and in New Orleans after Katrina. Lack of communication has increased the loss of life.
The Oakland County Board of County Commissioners has allocated $61 million to convert more than 6,000 Motorola radios into Oakland County first aid kits and upgrade 20 dispatch centers to accommodate the new radio formula. Features include a GPS locator for the emergency button, a recording formula that records all radio traffic, and two additional channels that allow agency responders to connect more efficiently.
Detroit’s BasBlue Foundation Awards Grants to Three Entrepreneurs
It has been decided that three female marketing professionals will get a total of $17,500 from the BasBlue Foundation to grow their businesses.
A total of five founders participated in BasBlue’s Fund and Founder Launch Day on March 26, where they gave a five-minute presentation about their company to a panel of local angel investors, serial entrepreneurs, and business leaders.
This year’s recipients include:
“At BasBlue, we are committed to leveling the playing field for entrepreneurs,” says Nancy Tellem, co-founder of Bas Blue. “It’s vital to provide women founders, especially women of color, with more than just monetary support. Provide them with the resources, mentorship, and a support network so they can personally thrive and ensure they leave a transformative legacy for themselves and future generations.
For more information, click here.
Spirit of Detroit Dons NFL Draft 2024 Jersey
Visit Detroit and the Detroit Sports Commission, along with the Detroit-Wayne Joint Building Authority, Prop Art Studio and Display Group, today unveiled a 2024 NFL Draft jersey at the iconic Marshall Fredericks Spirit of Detroit outdoor Coleman A statue. Municipal Youth Center.
The installation comes after preparations for the 2024 NFL Draft have already begun downtown, with NFL team banners on 700 light poles and NFL Draft posters at Detroit People Mover and QLINE.
The jersey will remain on the sculpture until after the 2024 NFL Draft, which will take place in downtown Detroit from April 25-27.
For more facts on the 2024 NFL Draft, click here and download the NFL OnePass app.
Related: The City of Pontiac and Visit Detroit, in collaboration with the Detroit Sports Commission and its partners, in addition to Oakland County Sheriff PAL and Project Play of Southeast Michigan, will host an NFL Draft community event “On The Clock Tour. “School from 5:30 p. m. to 7:30 p. m. on April 2.
All of the events on the “On The Clock Tour” feature a mobile or Detroit hub, the D-Rover. Temporarily rebranded as the Draft Rover, the flexible shipping truck will feature a 2024 NFL Draft design as well as video and audio capabilities, adding two 43-inch TV monitors and a plug-in microphone for messaging, as well as a retractable canopy.
The event at Pontiac High School will feature music, food concessions, vendors, games, arts and crafts, inflatables, hustle lessons, entertainment and much more, adding appearances from former Detroit Lions legends.
In addition, Oakland County Sheriff PAL and Project Play of Southeast Michigan will host a 6 p. m. youth loose flag football clinic. at 7 p. m. Youth interested in participating in the Flag Football Clinic should register at www. sheriffpal. com.
Boys
NFL legend and local Detroit native Jerome Bettis is partnering with the Boys and Girls Clubs of Southeast Michigan (BGCSM) to host the BGCSM 3C Sports Conference, in collaboration with Jerome Bettis’ “Bus Stops Here Foundation,” April 24-26.
The event kicks off with a VIP reception on April 24, followed by two days of workshops focused on classic and generation sports. VIP tickets are now available to purchase here.
The convention offers avenues for young coaches, players and parents and provides them with the wisdom and equipment to “take back the youth games. “The topics of the workshop resemble the call symbol (NIL), the intellectual health of athletes and coaches, and more—monetizing youth games.
Held in conjunction with the NFL Draft in Detroit, the convention will host prominent coaches, players and sports professionals, offering attendees a nightly draft viewing experience. About 1000 participants are expected, the inaugural occasion will enrich the workshops and activities.
“It is an honor for my Bus Stops Here Foundation and me to be a part of the BGCSM 3C Sports Conference. Together, we don’t just communicate about change – we actively seek it,” says Bettis. “As a unified team, we are able to motivate the next generation of athletes, coaches and sports professionals, making a positive impact in our communities. I couldn’t be prouder or more excited to be a part of this, especially in the midst of the NFL Draft. festivities in my hometown of Detroit, Michigan.
The convention’s opening event will take place at the Garden Theatre on April 24 from 6 to 9 p. m. m. , and the next one at the Diehl Boys.
For more information and to purchase tickets, click here.
ACG Detroit to Honor M Winners
ACG Detroit, an organization of mid-market M&A professionals, has announced the winners of its ninth annual M Awards.
“In the face of continued economic headwinds such as high interest rates and persistent inflation, Detroit negotiators were challenged to think more strategically and creatively than ever before,” said Danielle Bass, president of ACG Detroit.
“Year after year, the M community
The winners of the M
All-Star Deal of the Year with Revenue Over $50 Million
Duro-Last Inc. Sale to Holcim Ltd.
All-Star Deal of the Year with $50 Million Earnings
Acquisition of VES through Wasèyabek Development Co.
All Star Advisor of the Year
Linda Paullin-Hebden, Partner, Warner Norcross Judd
Star Negotiator of the Year
Peninsula Capital Partners
Star Investment Banker of the Year
Andrew Dickow, Managing Director, Greenwich Capital Group
Rising Star
Evan Haigh, Vice President, Blue River Financial Group Inc.
Lifetime Achievement Award
Thomas S. Vaughn, through Dykema Gossett
Foley
For more information about the M event
To read DBusiness magazine’s exclusive on the M winners
Mike Morse Law Firm Partners with Buddy’s Pizza to Raise Awareness of Distracted Driving
Southfield-based law firm Mike Morse Law has partnered with Buddy’s Pizza to host an occasion to raise awareness about the risks of distracted driving.
As part of Distracted Driving Awareness Month in April, Morse and his company will give away 1,000 cell phone holders at Buddy’s Pizza, 1565 Broadway, across from Comerica Park, on April 14, starting at 11 a. m. m.
Distracted driving is a serious challenge both in Michigan and across the country. In Michigan alone, according to the Michigan State Police Office of Highway Safety Planning, distracted driving contributed to 19,510 crashes in 2021 and a total of 15,441 crashes occurred in Michigan involving a distracted motive. strength of a motor vehicle in 2022.
Event attendees will only get a loose mobile phone holder, but also a voucher for a loose four-square pizza with any purchase, courtesy of Buddy’s Pizza. Coupon valid only from April 15 to June 30, for takeout or dinner at any Buddy’s Pizza Restaurant.
Detroit Historical Museum Offers Free Admission to City of Champions Day on April 20
The Detroit Historical Society will have free access to the Detroit Historical Museum on April 20 in honor of the annual commemoration of City of Champions Day.
The birthday party will come with a full day of activities at the museum, adding 3 Detroit icons resting their hands on the cement. Their names and handprints will be added (from 2 p. M. A. 2:30 p. m. ) at Legends Plaza for a permanent exhibition. . This year’s titles are:
City of Champions Day commemorates the 1934-1935 sports seasons, which were a special time for Detroit’s athletes, groups, and especially sports fans. The Detroit Tigers won the World Series, Joe Louis the heavyweight boxing world champion, the Detroit Red Wings won their first Stanley Cup, and the Detroit Lions won their first national championship.
The governor of Michigan declared Detroit a “City of Champions” with an official proclamation later that year. The Detroit Historical Society, which had been around for more than a decade at the time of the governor’s proclamation, has been celebrating City of Champions Day ever since. .
Activities included:
11:00-12:30
The Detroit Hitale Podcast presents: He Screamed. He spewed fire. And The Sheik ruled wrestling in Detroit dominance in the 1960s. The Detroit Hitale Podcast kicks off its sixth season with an account of his life and its impact on popular culture. Watch videos and photographs of the Sheikh as you listen to the Sheikh’s story at this podcast launch party.
13:00-13:45
Jeremy Dimick, director of collections and conservation for the Detroit Historical Society, will share the history of the sport from the 1935-36 season, as well as artifacts.
Rema tops Afro Nation Detroit 2024
Afro Nation has announced the lineup for Afro Nation Detroit 2024, a roster of notable names from Afrobeats, Amapiano, Hip-Hop, and more. Nigerian megastar Rema is making headlines, bringing his catalog of world-famous Afrobeat improvisations to Motor City.
The second annual Afro Nation Detroit has an enviable lineup featuring some of the artists in the industry today. North American names such as Toronto-based titan PartyNextDoor and Detroit’s Kash Doll will perform, as well as African giants such as Adekunle Gold and Ayra Starr.
“Bringing Afro Nation back to Detroit, the birthplace of Motown and techno music, is a simple decision,” says Smade, co-discoverer of Afro Nation. “Detroit is the embodiment of culture, creativity and pride. The power here is electric, the heartbeat of the Afro Nation spirit resonates. In Detroit, we discovered a network that welcomed us with open arms, sharing our passion for unity and celebration, giving us a home away from home. Afro Nation Detroit 2024 will be even bigger than last year. , and we can’t wait to celebrate with you.
The only Afro Nation event scheduled in the U. S. in 2024, Afro Nation Detroit returns to the Douglass in Bedrock on August 17 and 18.
Tickets can be purchased here from nine o’clock in the morning on April 3.