20151005-NEWS--0001-NAT-CCI-CD_-- 10/2/2015 6:04 PM Page 1 Readers first for 30 Years For Ambassador Bridge owners, legal options to CRAIN’S fight rival span have slowed DETROIT BUSINESS to a trickle PAGE 3 OCTOBER 5-11, 2015 Lesson from Homecoming: Reinvest in education By Dustin Walsh [email protected] ll other things being equal, rebuilding a city is first and foremost about the talent pool.Detroit A students, who may now be working their way through middle school math, or trying their hand at app MotorCity Sound Board was the setting for Day 3 of Detroit Homecoming, development — or even dreaming big dreams about where expats had a chance to network in between panel discussions. sports success — are at the center of it all. Photos by Aaron Eckels Those students, their big dreams, and the education they will need to get there emerged as the topic that res- onated loudest among the many speakers and 350 atten- 3 pages of coverage inside dees at the 2015 Detroit Homecoming. Ⅲ During event sessions last week, which sought to re-en- Stephen Ross announces the kickoff of the New York City-based Ross Initiative for gage “expats,” many of whom grew up in the city or Detroit Sports and Equality, aimed at combating racism through sports by creating a grass- suburbs, through philanthropy, real estate investment or roots campaign on racial equality and civility for youth, Page 20. For a video on the other tangible contributions to their hometowns, educa- effort and Crain’s interview with Ross on other topics, ranging from football to tion took center stage. philanthropy, see detroithomecoming.com. Detroit Homecoming is convened by Crain’s Detroit Ⅲ News highlights and photos from three days of speakers, panel discussions, tours Business, but local civic and business leaders comprise a and entertainment, Pages 20-22 host committee to organize the event. The Downtown De- Ⅲ More coverage online: Videos of Homecoming sessions; more stories, blogs and troit Partnership is a nonprofit fiduciary partner. photos, detroithomecoming.com During a Friday’s session, Mark Reuss, executive vice Ⅲ president of global product development, purchasing and Twitter: #dethomecoming supply chain for General Motors Co., told attendees that De- troit’s recovery is doomed without a drastically improved Jules Pieri, CEO and Co-founder of The Grommet, and Warren Ligan, CFO of eSilicon Corp., were among the expats who attended the second Detroit Homecoming. SEE EDUCATION, PAGE 20 DDA aims to reclaim Paradise RFP plans test waters for redevelopment of former cultural district By Kirk Pinho right bass guitars, of Duke Ellington ness district. [email protected] and Ella Fitzgerald, were replaced In the 11 years since the Down- Paradise Valley, downtown De- by those of bulldozers clearing land town Development Authority started troit’s lower-east-side jazz hot spot for the construction of I-75. spending $14.4 million on infra- and thriving commercial enclave But the new Paradise Valley, a structure improvements and buy- for the city’s black community, tree-lined pocket of downtown for- ing property in the area — officially played its last notes in the late 1950s merly known as Harmonie Park, known as the Paradise Valley Enter- and early 1960s. could become a fresh cultural hot tainment and Cultural District — in- The sounds of pianos and up- spot in the core of the central busi- vestor and developer interest in Detroit real estate has spiked, par- ticularly in the past three or four NATALIE BRODA © Entire contents copyright 2015 years. Rodrick Miller, CEO of the Detroit Economic Growth Corp., said he was on the job by Crain Communications Inc. All rights reserved. Now, the DDA is putting seven just two weeks last year when he took his first call inquiring about redevelopment in crainsdetroit.com Vol. 31 No 40 $2 a copy. $59 a year. properties — five buildings totaling Paradise Valley; that interest has remained steady. about 94,000 square feet and two surface parking lots — through the Park Studios recording studio; and a exhibits, performing arts, art stu- request-for-proposal process to test pair of architecture firms, Hamilton dios, galleries, etc. sprinkled the waters for mixed-use redevelop- Anderson Associates and Spalding amongst coffee shops, eateries and ment. DeDecker. a mixture of all different kinds of In those buildings already are “It already has a foundation and residential experiences,” said Matt businesses such as La Casa de La Ha- a pulse that can be further en- Lester, founder and CEO of Bloom- NEWSPAPER bana, a cigar and martini bar; the hanced by a variety of additional Arts League of Michigan; the Harmonie artistic venues, including space for SEE PARADISE, PAGE 19 20151005-NEWS--0002-NAT-CCI-CD_-- 10/2/2015 10:55 AM Page 1 2 CRAIN’S DETROIT BUSINESS // OCTOBER 5, 2015 tourism-based businesses. lion in 2014 and has a lifetime con- MICHIGAN According to Experience Grand tribution of $1.2 billion. INSIDE Rapids, the agency that markets the Ⅲ The Montcalm County town of THIS ISSUE region, the greater Grand Rapids Greenville proudly bore the mantle CALENDAR . 15 CAPITOL BRIEFINGS . 6 area witnessed record levels of visi- of “Refrigerator Capital of the CLASSIFIED ADS . 17 tors this summer, the sixth in a row World” before globalization trends DEALS & DETAILS . 15 that summer tourism has been up. brought economic decline. But a MARY KRAMER . 8 BRIEFS Hotel occupancy in July stood at a new addition to an aluminum OPINION . 8 record 81.2 percent and was on wheel factory of Chinese auto sup- OTHER VOICES . 9 Kellogg swallows Egypt veloper is raising $18 million from pace to be nearly 13 percent ahead plier Dicastal North America has resi- PEOPLE . 16 cereal maker for $50M investors in China and India for a of 2014, officials told MiBiz. Gerald R. dents buzzing again, MLive.com re- RUMBLINGS . 23 $30 million waterfront resort and Ford International Airport reported ported. The addition is part of a WEEK ON THE WEB . 23 Not content to fill cereal bowls golf course project. that July was its busiest month ever. $140 million investment by Dicastal with Frosted Flakes and Special K in Edgewater Resources LLC in St. in new equipment to manufacture COMPANY INDEX: much of the world, Kellogg Co. Joseph sought to turn a former MICH-CELLANEOUS and finish aluminum wheels for boosted its presence in Africa with Whirlpool Corp. factory in Benton Har- U.S. automakers. Dicastal plans to SEE PAGE 22 its purchase last week of Egyptian bor into the resort and golf course, Ⅲ Nearly three years after being hire 300 or more workers in the next company Mass Food Group for $50 resulting in the unusual mode of named the youngest company three years and fire up a foundry to million, The Associated Press re- funding, MiBiz reported. In return president at Walker-based retail cast lightweight wheels in 2016. in demand between the first halves ported. Founded in 1996, Cairo- for their investment, the foreign na- chain Meijer Inc., James Kevin “J.K.” Cadillac-based AAR Mobility of 2014 and ’15. based Mass Food has annual sales tionals used a federal program to Symancyk is leaving to take the Systems has been awarded a maxi- Ⅲ Pigeon Hill Brewing Co.’s LMFAO of $18 million and 600 employees. seek a permanent U.S. green card. helm of Katy, Texas-based retailer mum $372.5 million contract by the Stout is here to stay. The ownership Battle Creek-based Kellogg is The challenge for Edgewater Academy Sports + Outdoors. Syman- U.S. Department of Defense for com- group of the Muskegon brewery an- seeking growth in emerging mar- principal Ron Schults and partners: cyk, 43, officially becomes Acade- pletion of specialized shipping and nounced it has reached an agree- kets as demand for its breakfast Many potential overseas investors my’s CEO Nov. 2. storage containers, shelters and ac- ment with attorneys representing foods in the U.S. and elsewhere see Michigan as flyover country. But Ⅲ Mercy Health Muskegon received cessories by Oct. 30, 2016. the music duo LMFAO to keep the weakens. Last month, Kellogg said it that lack of awareness was a plus for the green light from Livonia-based Ⅲ The vacation rental market- name of its beer, MLive.com report- was starting a joint venture with Edgewater, which sold its project as corporate parent Trinity Health to pro- place Flipkey.com has recognized the ed. An attorney representing the act food company Tolaram Africa to cre- being in a Chicago outgrowth. “At ceed with a $271.2 million expansion allure of the Lake Michigan shore by sent a cease-and-desist letter to the ate snacks and breakfast foods to least people know about Chicago, and renovation that would consoli- listing Ludington amid the nation’s brewery in August over possible sell in West Africa. It also has paid even though it’s still in the Midwest date inpatient medical care at a sin- “32 Top Trending Vacation Rental trademark issues. Pigeon Hill’s beer $450 million to buy a 50 percent … so that helped us a lot,” Schults gle campus, MiBiz reported. Mercy Destinations.” The website cited the is named as a derivative for “Let Me stake in Multipro, which distributes said. Health Muskegon will begin seeking Ludington area’s 500 percent growth Fetch an Oatmeal.” Ⅲ food in Nigeria and Ghana, and state certificate-of-need approval. bought a majority stake in Bisco Record-breaking summer Construction is to start in 2016. OMISSIONS Misr, an Egyptian biscuit maker. for Grand Rapids tourism The foundations headed by the family of Grand Rapids-based In the Sept.