Judge Files to Claim Riverwalk Trademark Conservancy Officials Surprised at Move; Name Is Not Protected
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20160104-NEWS--0001-NAT-CCI-CD_-- 12/30/2015 4:19 PM Page 1 Model citizens: Couple’s creations display city’s present, future, PAGE 18 JANUARY 4-10, 2016 Judge files to claim RiverWalk trademark Conservancy officials surprised at move; name is not protected By Robert Snell [email protected] A Wayne County judge privately aims to snatch the Detroit RiverWalk name from the nonprofit group that built one of Detroit’s premier recreational spots and plans to profit off the brand name by peddling T- shirts, hats and hoodies. Judge Terrance Keith of Wayne County Pro- bate Court filed two trademark applications last month for the names “The Detroit River- Walk” and “RiverWalk Detroit,” according to the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office. The move surprised Detroit RiverFront Conservancy officials, who admit they failed to trademark the name after the RiverWalk debuted in 2007. The move to sell merchan- dise stamped with the RiverWalk name could mean, if unchallenged, the nonprofit loses a potential revenue stream at a time when the riverfront is poised for expansion. “I’d like to give a portion of the proceeds to them, but not all,” Keith said. “If I can use this to further benefit agencies, OK, and still make some money for myself, that is what I would like to do.” The conservancy, launched in 2003 to SEE RIVERWALK, PAGE 19 Million-dollar deals: Market for high-end homes sees best year in a decade By Vickie Elmer of $1.7 million nor icy roads slowed Dozens of homes in Birming- Special to Crain’s Detroit Business them down. The luxury-home mar- ham, Bloomfield Hills, Rochester, By the numbers On a cold, blustery day in late ket in metro Detroit shows no signs Grosse Pointe and elsewhere in Average days on market: December, Kay Agney drove an out- of slipping, according to sales data metro Detroit have sold for $1 mil- Homes priced in the $1 million-to- of-state buyer to see a few homes and agents such as Agney. lion or more in the past 12 months $2 million range in metro Detroit along Lakeshore Drive and else- “It’s been an incredible year for — so many that the high-end home were on the market an average of where in Grosse Pointe. the upper end of the market,” said market is on track to have its best 76 days, steady with 2014’s sales The buyers were eager to land a Agney, owner and broker at Higbie year in at least a decade, according pace of 76 days. luxury home, and neither price tags Maxon Agney Inc. to multiple listings service Realcomp II Ltd. Active listings: The number of Through October, 229 homes homes for sale in the $1 million- © Entire contents copyright 2016 sold at or above the $1 million mark and-up range totaled 597 in 2015, by Crain Communications Inc. All rights reserved. in metro Detroit, up from the 217 in up from 478 in 2014. The increase crainsdetroit.com Vol. 31 No 1 $2 a copy. $59 a year. all of 2014 and 211 in 2013, accord- is considered a barometer of an This home at 1990 Oak Pointe Drive in ing to Realcomp data pulled for improving market as more Rochester Hills is for sale for $1.3 million. Crain’s Detroit Business. optimistic sellers list properties. A record year for luxury homes New construction: Of the 106 permits issued in Oakland County from occurred in 2004, when 254 million- January 2012 through November 2015, the top three communities for new dollar abodes changed hands $1 million-plus construction are Bloomfield Township (37), Bloomfield through Realcomp. But marketing Hills(20) and Franklin Village (16). manager Francine Green noted that NEWSPAPER SEE HOMES, PAGE 20 Sources: Realcomp II Ltd., Homebuilders Association of Southeastern Michigan 20160104-NEWS--0002-NAT-CCI-CD_-- 12/30/2015 3:15 PM Page 1 2 CRAIN’S DETROIT BUSINESS // JANUARY 4, 2016 long as the industry adds 1,000 jobs. sonal-care products will be phased MICHIGAN Switch, which has mega-data cen- out starting in 2017 under federal INSIDE ters in Las Vegas and Reno, will legislation co-sponsored by a THIS ISSUE make Michigan the site of its first fa- Michigan lawmaker and newly BANKRUPTCIES . 19 CALENDAR . 17 cility in the eastern U.S. instead of signed by President Barack CAPITOL BRIEFINGS . 4 other states considered, including Obama, The AP reported. Lawmak- CLASSIFIED ADS . 17 New York and Ohio. Switch’s 1,000 ers said the bill — co-sponsored by DEALS & DETAILS . 17 BRIEFS clients include eBay and Amazon. Reps. Fred Upton, the St. Joseph OPINION . 6 Republican who heads the House PEOPLE . 16 Latest on Flint water crisis: edged that drinking water officials MIne’s future questioned Energy and Commerce Commit- RUMBLINGS . 22 MDEQ director resigns misinterpreted a federal rule gov- after iron ore shipment drop tee, and Frank Pallone, D-N.J. — WEEK ON THE WEB . 22 erning a switch in a large water sys- was needed to protect fish and Michigan’s top environmental tem’s source. A Flint water task Iron ore shipments out of Mar- wildlife that are ingesting the tiny regulator stepped down last week force appointed by Snyder recently quette’s Upper Harbor are down beads after they are rinsed down COMPANY INDEX: in the wake of Flint’s drinking water raised concerns about a lack of or- dramatically, prompting fears about drains and discharged into lakes SEE PAGE 20 crisis. The resignation of Depart- ganization in the response effort, the future of that area’s Empire and rivers. ment of Environmental Quality Direc- and early last week the state auditor Mine. According to the Lake Carriers’ Ⅲ Small grants are available to tor Dan Wyant was accepted by Gov. concluded mistakes were made. Association, roughly 460,000 tons of local governments that want to arenas, camps and other venues to Rick Snyder, who said he plans other Keith Creagh, head of the state iron ore shipped out of Marquette help clean up Michigan’s rivers, stock epinephrine injectors to personnel changes for the agency. Department of Natural Resources, will in November, compared with about streams and creeks, The AP report- treat allergic reactions, The AP re- In a written statement Dec. 29, lead the DEQ on an interim basis, 732,000 tons in the same month in ed. The state Department of Environ- ported. The newly signed measure Snyder apologized for what oc- Snyder said. Wyant’s spokesman, 2014. The average monthly ship- mental Quality and the Great Lakes permits doctors to prescribe and curred in Flint, where elevated Brad Wurfel, also resigned. ment between 2010 and 2014 was Commission plan to divide $25,000 pharmacists to dispense EpiPens blood-lead levels have been found about 791,000 tons. The Mining among selected applicants who are to youth sports leagues, amuse- in children, The Associated Press re- All Michigan data centers Journal in Marquette reported that expected to match at least 25 per- ment parks, religious institutions ported. The crisis began when the can get Switch tax break a similar downward trend was seen cent of the money. The local agen- and other places. The proposed city switched its supply but was not throughout the Great Lakes, ac- cies can team up with nonprofit or- law also establishes storage and required to immediately keep corro- Gov. Rick Snyder signed into law cording to the association’s report. ganizations or other volunteer training requirements, and limits sive river water from leaching lead tax breaks designed to ensure that a “It’s been a rough, brutal year, groups. Application deadline is Jan. liability from lawsuits. The state from service pipes into residents’ data center developer expands into and our customer demand is 25; winners will be announced in action follows a 2013 law requiring homes. Exposure to lead can cause West Michigan, The AP reported. down,” said a spokesman for Cliffs April. every public school to have behavior problems and learning dis- The bills also apply to roughly 40 ex- Natural Resources, which operates Ⅲ A new Michigan law permits EpiPens. abilities in young children. isting data centers in Michigan, so the Empire and Tilden mines in “I want the Flint community to Nevada-based Switch has no com- Marquette County. Meanwhile, Correction know how very sorry I am that this petitive advantage when it opens a shipments from Canadian seaway has happened,” Snyder said. “And I massive data center near Grand ports totaled 710,000 tons in No- A story on Page 3 of the Dec. 14 issue about development in want all Michigan citizens to know Rapids. vember, up 29.3 percent from 2014. Detroit’s Eastern Market should have attributed information from that we will learn from this experi- Under the laws, data centers and Boydell Development Corp. to Senior Project Manager Eric Novack. An ence, because Flint is not the only their “co-located” clients will be ex- MICH-CELLANEOUS incorrect name was used. Also, a $550,000 grant from the Kresge city that has an aging infrastructure.” empt from paying sales and use Foundation will help support Eastern Market Corp. operations, not just Wyant’s resignation came more taxes on computers, servers and Ⅲ Plastic microbeads used in those of a new development-oriented entity. than two months after he acknowl- other equipment for 20 years as soaps, body washes and other per- Crainsdetroit.com/blogs TWEET @Crainsdetroit Big City, BIG DEALS with Kirk Pinho Kirk covers real estate, Oakland and Macomb counties. TWEET @KIRKPINHOCDB 20160104-NEWS--0003-NAT-CCI-CD_-- 12/30/2015 4:07 PM Page 1 CRAIN’S DETROIT BUSINESS // JANUARY 4, 2016 3 Saline firm finds the money’s where the mouths are Akervall Technologies takes bite of mouthguard market By Tom Henderson SISUGUARD.COM [email protected] The Aero Guard, made by If you build a better Akervall, is an athlete’s mouthguard, the world will mouthguard designed beat a path to your door.