have never focused on the issues causing the flight....zero for everything bad happening in a major...

If Quicken Loans began to lose tens of thousands of customers per year, chances are they wouldn’t wait 50 years until they lost more than half of their customers before they committed to a different business model. Well, in Detroit, we have lost more than half of our population over 50 years because of crime, and the condi-tions of our neighborhoods. And while we have been laser-focused on reviving our downtown we, as a city, have never focused on the issues causing the flight.

Neighborhood revitalization is the key to Detroit’s transformation. Our city will never truly be transformed until we can affirm it as a safe city. Last year in Detroit, there were 411 homicides. This year there has been close to 215 murders through August. We also must look at the more than 2,500 shootings last year to see the total picture. As Detroit Chief of Police, I targeted violent crime and criminals using data. I led a reorganization that de-ployed resources more effectively, and we were able to reduce crime by 34 percent. And, we did this with a balanced budget every year.

When I headed the gang squad unit, we restructured its focus and resources to virtually eradicate gang activity in Detroit in the 1980s. We shut down the BK’s and Errol Flynn gangs.

When the crack cocaine epidemic was on the rise, sending crime further out of control, I reinforced the DPD narcotics unit and took out notorious drug gangs like the Young Boys Inc. and the Chambers Brothers.

As Chief, when shootings of our young people began to rise, I partnered with Detroit Public Schools to imple-ment and enforce truancy and curfews to keep our young people safe. During the last two years as chief, there were no murders of youth under the age of 17.

Now we have a new, passionate and experienced Detroit police chief in James Craig. The day he was hired there were 14 shootings. During an August weekend, after Craig declared that Detroit would be a safe city, there were 20 shootings. The truth is that Craig will never be successful in Detroit until he has a mayor who understands that public safety is a priority and places the resources in his hands to do the job.

We Must Affirm Detroit as a Safe Cityby Benny Napoleon

I know how to reduce crime. As mayor, I will re-duce violent crime in Detroit by 50 percent with my 5-point crime reduction plan, which calls for:

• A data-driven approach to crime fighting – which utilizes data to track crime patterns in order to both resolve and deter incidents.

• Crime prevention – a technique that teaches residents how to reduce the likelihoods of becoming victims to crime.

• Directed enforcement – uses a personnel and resource de-ployment policy to assign officers based on problem areas in order to increase enforcement of laws, further deterring crime. • Problem-oriented policing – that looks at the city and neigh-borhoods’ challenges and implements strategies to address each specific crime-related issue.

• Community policing

My community policing strategy is called the One Square Mile Initiative, which also creates immediate city response to quality of life issues in our neighborhoods. This initiative places a police officer in each square mile of our city. In every square mile:

• Every citizen, every business, every church, every school adminis-trator and teacher, everyone will know the police officer assigned to their square mile.

• The One Square Mile officer will be accountable for crime, blight, code violations, and community support in their assigned one square mile.

• Each officer will work with residents, businesses, schools and clergy to identify problem areas, including drug houses and a pattern of burglaries, to proactively reduce the incidents.

• The One Square Mile officer will be supported by a network of government resources from city departments that will provide tacti-cal support to help reduce crime in our square miles and citywide.

• Residents and other community members will have the One Square Mile officer’s cell phone number, instead of overburdening the 911 system which should be reserved for real emergencies.

Only five percent of the police force will be utilized to implement the One Square Mile Initiative. The other, more than 2,000, police officers will be assigned to patrols, tactical units and support functions utilizing the five-point plan in order to reduce crime in our city by 50 percent.

You may view my plan at www.bennynapoleon.com. It’s part of Detroit’s Neighborhood Growth Strategy that finally puts Detroiters to work to revitalize our neighborhoods.

SEPTEMBER / OCTOBER 2013 I PAGE 4

DETROIT BLACK PAGES


P U B L I S H E R ‘ S M E S S A G E

Question: Sales are down and I am not meeting my profit margin. What do I do?

- Jeremy Kirkland, Detroit

Brenda: Jeremy, this is the perfect time to take a good look at your busi-ness plan and determine if you are do-ing the things you set out to do when you started your business. It may be that you got off track and not follow-ing your marketing plan. Let’s look at a few things you could do to get back on track. If you are in retail sales for ex-ample, these tips may help. First, look at your customer service, your marketing strategies, the quality of your products, the relevance in the market place and your prices. If business is slow, it may be because your competitors are marking down their products. It may be the right time for

you to offer your own sales and promo-tions. Even if demand is low for certain products, putting them on sale can get customers to buy a product they may not have considered otherwise.

1. OfferIng A pAckAge DeAl IS AlwAyS A gOOD IDeA.

If you have a specific product that you just can’t move off the shelves, consider tying it to the sale of another product. For instance, if you have trou-ble selling a particular product, add it as a giveaway to the purchase of another product. You can even raise the price for the package deal, making the pack-age cheaper than buying the two. It’s better to sell both at a discounted price than to not sell a product at all.

2. percentAge Off

If you offer a coupon for 10 or 20 percent off of anything in your store, it encourages people to buy more. Shop-pers have the “buy more, save more” mentality, so this is a great method to generate sales. All of us are living in a highly technical world now and you may not be taking advantage of cyberspace tech-nology to effectively market your busi-ness. For example: Facebook, effective

website, apps, e-mail, mobile texting, niche advertising and more.

3. A frIenDly AnD wOrkABle weBSIte IS key!

If you do business online, your website is your storefront. You would clean up any trash or clutter in a brick-and-mortar store, so shouldn’t you do your best to ensure your web store is clean, dazzling and easy to navigate? Consider E-Commerce. Customers like fast and easy ways to shop. Sell your products on-line. Your website is your second store location. Looks are Ev-erything! Despite what they say, looks matter when it comes to your website. A sleek, simple website will get the buyer 9 times out of 10 over a cluttered page with flashing animation and too much text. The latest is Affiliate Market-ing! Take a look at affiliate marketing. It is changing the way we advertise – from being an expensive, long term commitment, to an affordable, easily updated relationship! Affiliate marketing is designed to get you more exposure of your prod-uct to a wider audience of potential buyers. The affiliate marketing compa-ny advertise your products on multiple websites, and once you’ve made a sale through an affiliate’s channel, they take

a percentage (or fixed fee) of the sale. All you have to do is sit back and let the numbers go up, up, up! Additional-ly, some affiliate marketing companies can advertise your product via email. In these cases, you really have to tell your potential buyers in detail the benefits that your resource information or prod-ucts will provide them, and email is a great format to do that. Know who your target market so you can better market specifically to them.

........................................................

Have a question? Send to:[email protected]

Brenda reeves is the owner of reeves Business Solutions (A virtual office and incubator for Businesses)

243 w. congress - Suite 350313-961-6657

Office Space, Technical Support,Mailboxes, and conference rooms

What Do I Do When Sales Are Down? H A V E A Q U E S T I O N A B O U T B U S I N E S S ? A S K B R E N D A !

by Brenda Reeves

I am so happy to live in a moment of history where I can celebrate the his-toric election of a Black President of

the United States in Barack Obama, the 150th Anniversary of the Emancipation Proclamation, the 50th Anniversary of the historic March down Woodward Avenue in Detroit, Michigan and on Washington when Martin Luther King Jr. gave the infamous “I Have a Dream Speech” and live in a city that is ap-proximately 83% Black. I would say that given the his-toric barometer of inequality in Ameri-ca, reaching these pinnacles in our his-tory and living it in real time is a major result of the struggles and fight for civil rights going back some 400 years. The City of Detroit is ground zero for everything bad happening in a major metropolitan city and at the same time for everything good happening in a city. We are undergoing amazing new development and construction projects, and an increase of new business and

technology startups in downtown and midtown. Doors of Opportunity are opening for Entrepreneurship and Jobs around every corner. At the same time, Detroit’s image has gone viral with the filing of a Chapter 9 Bankruptcy by Kevin Orr, the Emergency Financial Manager ap-pointed by Governor Rick Snyder. Despite the fact that Chicago has been named the murder capital of the world, Detroit is still facing unprecedented crime and killings on street corners in the neighborhoods. Both of these scenarios de-scribe Detroit as a Tale of Two Cities; one where new business and oppor-tunity springs hope and optimism in downtown and midtown and the other where crime and neglect breeds apa-thy and despair in the neighborhoods. There is an obvious disconnect between the residents and what’s going on in the neighborhoods, and the business lead-

ers and what’s going on in downtown and midtown. We must remember that all of the good things happening in our city was happening long before an EFM

was appointed and under the admin-istrations of Black Mayors. Detroit stands at its most critical time in his-tory since the election of the city’s first Black Mayor, Coleman. A. Young in 1974. It really disturbs me to hear some Black residents of Detroit say that since we’ve had a few Black Mayors (5), we need a change and a White Mayor would be better. You would think that we’ve struggled long enough to know that skin color doesn’t make one a bet-ter choice than the other. That is why the words of Con-gressman John Lewis should ring true in Detroit’s Mayoral Election on No-vember 5, 2013. Congressman John Lewis of Georgia, an iconic civil rights leader and only living person who actu-ally spoke at the March on Washington in 1963 said it best at the 50th Anni-versary of the March on Washington in 2013; ” We Must Never, Ever Give Up, We Must Never, Ever Give In.”

How can you even think of giving up the only position of leader-ship in a City that is 83% Black? Are you telling young Black men and women that they don’t have the quali-

fications or the brainpower to become mayor? The only difference between the two candidates for Mayor is that one was given the means and the op-portunity to make changes and the oth-er used the means and opportunity he had to change things. Benny Napoleon is not a De-troiter some of the time, he is a De-troiter all of the time. He didn’t have to come back to Detroit to care about this city and its residents, he never left and has always protected the residents of Detroit. Under his leadership, the Michigan Black Chamber of Com-merce and other diverse organizations wouldn’t have to hold press conferenc-es to bring attention to the exclusion of Black business owners and contractors being at the table when new develop-ment is proposed or discussed. Working with the Police Chief to stop crime and bring jobs to the residents in the neigh-borhoods are his top priorities. The only candidate who cares enough and is passionate about his city to close the gap between the neighborhoods with downtown and midtown is Benny Na-poleon. ..............................................

Send Your Commentsor questions to:

[email protected]...................

call: 313-961-3289

We Must Never, Ever Give Up, We Must Never, Ever Give In

The only difference between the two can-didates for Mayor is that one was given the means and the opportunity to make changes and the other used the means and opportunity he had to change things.

by Beverly Smith


African American and Minority Businesses Report being Systematically Locked out ofCompeting in Redeveloping Projects in the City of Detroit.

Life is a series of lessons; we grow up thinking that we have all the answers, but we do not.

We tend to center our life around questions involving only ourselves; such as how to make our business grow, or what is the best retirement plan for us? These questions are good, but more importantly, have we considered questions about the Who, What, When, Where, How, and Why life - that existed before we ever en-tered into the picture? For instance, who fashioned our physical bodies, placed our hearts within it, and gave us the breath of life? Does he have a name, and if he does, what is his true and only name? Why is the state and mind of men filled with hate, evil, prejudice, and fear, as we hide our frustrations by wearing smiley masks, yet, we are pre-occupied with doubts of illu-

sion versus reality? Why do we live in a world where we must watch our backs every minute of the day? We are not free to just live and enjoy life, because trust and love no longer exist in the hearts of men. Instead, we live in fear of our lives, or being harmfully violated. Ecclesiastes speaks about the sons of men is full of evil, and madness is in their heart while they live. This is because their hearts are

empty without substance, and without love, and the truth. Think about it, though we may have good jobs, and live in nice homes, we are still not happy. We feel disconnected, because there is “something” that our soul is missing. There is only one Heavenly Father of all mankind, who is our only source for receiving a divine, spiritual con-nection. When you are not spiritu-ally connected with a divine under-standing of his purpose and plan for mankind, this is the “something” that your soul is missing.

Life is like a road map of twists and turns; leading us through hills, and valleys; tempting us with hope and dreams of finding our treasure on earth, the missing piece that will give us happiness and rest. However, the treasure we seek is not of this earth. It is a heavenly gift of spiritual understanding about why our Heavenly Father gave his life for us, for he is the only true prize and trea-

sure worthy of praise, as this is your lesson of faith. All he asks of us is to acknowledge him as the only one whom we can trust, and to listen to the small voice within our hearts as he guides us through this wilderness called life, as this is your lesson of trust. Every day you are awak-ened, you are given another moment to learn something for sure about your Heavenly Father. During these moments, pray for divine wisdom, search for truth and substance as food for your souls; and refrain from eating enticing words just to have a

temporary good feeling. Instead, fol-low the small voice as he guides you in the path your heart tells you to go, not in the many ways the world is ac-customed to following. In doing so, you will be clothed with the lessons of faith, trust, patience, and strength in our Heavenly Father, so that you will endure your journey. When you stumble and fall, have confidence that he will pick you up. Do not deny his power because of your pride and van-ity. Swallow your pride, keep looking ahead, and keep your eyes on the prize, which is your spiritual treasurer of true rest, inner peace, joy, and hap-piness.

..................................................

cOntAct InfO:

Barbara BrazilePresident, Brazile Enterpriseswww.brazileenterprises.com

Email: [email protected]: 248.766.2726

Keep Your Eyes on the Prize

by Barbara Brazile

I N S P I R A T I O N A L C O R N E R

T H E C H A M B E R S P E A K S

A press conference was held on Wednesday, September 18, 2013 on the street where

construction was taking place near the office of the Michigan and De-troit Black Chambers of Commerce to bring attention to the exclusion of African-American, women and other minority owned businesses being leftout of the process or given the oppor-tunity to participate or compete in re-development projects going on in the city of Detroit. The Michigan Black Cham-ber of Commerce has the largest na-tional Black supplier database and membership from diverse industries and sectors in specific technologies as well as retailers, global suppliers, professionalservice companies and general contractors who have the ca-pacity, scope and scale to compete in the country.

Billions of dollars in eco-nomic growth have occurred in De-troit over the last several years limit-ing the inclusion of Black owned and minority firms and circumventing a much needed fairness doctrine used by other successful urban cities in America.

The Detroit Black Chamber and Michigan Black Chamber are advocating on behalf of all minority owned businesses to be given the op-

portunity to be invited to the table at the beginning stages of discussions, proposals and bidding processes of large and small redeveloping projects to reflect the diverse business com-munity in the city of Detroit. This is why membership in your local Black Chamber of Commerce is so impor-tant.

There are over 30,000 Black owned businesses in the city of De-troit. We can’t advocate on your behalf if we don’t have a large por-tion of these numbers reflected in our membership. The Detroit Black Chamber is in the process of devel-oping a Business Training Series to make sure we have identified quali-fied and skilled businesses to be in a position to compete when the op-portunity presents itself. Member-ship is critical, especially now since

hundreds of redevelopment projects as well as new business start-ups are occurring right before our eyes ev-eryday in our city. The Michigan Chamber of Commerce will unveil an economic blueprint and fairness doctrine for the city of Detroit that maps out an aggressive and strategic plan for fair-

ness and inclusion of Black-owned and minority businesses at the MBCC Urban Economic Conference on No-vember 7, 2013 at the Detroit Mar-riott Hotel at the Renaissance Center. Business owners and entre-preneurs, you must make the effort to get involved and become a mem-ber of the Detroit Black Chamber of Commerce. Monthly membership meetings are held on the 3rd Thurs-day of each month from 6:00pm to 7:30pm at the Charles H. Wright Mu-seum of African History located at 315 Warren, St. Detroit, Michigan.

.............................................................

You can join the chamber online atwww.detroitblackchamber.com or by

calling 313-309-3316.Contact the DBCC by email at

[email protected].

by Tony Stovall, President

We are not free to just live and enjoy life, because trust and love no longer exist in the

hearts of men.

There are over 30,000 Black owned businesses in the city of Detroit. We can’t advocate on your behalf if we don’t have a large portion of these numbers reflected in our membership.


P R E P A R I N G F O R C O L L E G E

This city is overflowing with unlimited resources and boundless potential! God has blessed Detroit with abundantly enriched untapped and underused resources. There’s a very long list of extraordinary op-portunities that are available in and around this city. If I were to make a list it would contain thousands of fa-vorable circumstances that just the very discussion of them would excite even the most skeptical person. As I work with the youth of this city, it is undeniably true that they are not only the hope of the future but also this city’s unlimited and most powerful resource. In one of my presentations to a local youth organization, I chal-lenged students with the question, “Why are the majority of businesses in your neighborhood owned by peo-ple who do not live in your neighbor-hood?” My question was not to pro-voke negativity but to explore with the students why do they think this is true. After many answers were given a student made a profound statement and said, “Since we have the facts, why don’t we fix it?!” Wow! Wow! wow! what a proclamation! From

the mind of a teenager is asked a profound ques-tion that Detroit‘s citizens must an-swer. It was at that point we be-gin to discuss ex-actly that - How to fix a problem since we have the facts! My les-sons begin with the myth of a bad economy and the fact that Detroit is not broke but we are being con-ditioned to think that we are broke. I shared with the students how by being consistent-ly told negative stories while at the same time being shown negative images it can cause one to only see things in a negative way. We challenged the idea of a broke city by exploring the unlim-ited opportunities that are available to them right now through creative thinking, hard work and entrepre-neurship. We examined how any stu-dent can create their own streams of income by solving other people’s problems in our community with very little or no money at all to get started. Here’s a perfect example. There was a time when a customer never had to leave their car at the gas station. The attendant would pump the gas, check

the oil, and the tire’s air pressure. What if you created a po-sition for your-self at the local gas station and became a trusted and dependable service attendant? How much money could you make? This is what we discovered. If 50 cars were ser-viced each hour and each person tipped fifty cents that attendant would make $25 per hour. If that attendant worked 8 hours a day they would make $200 a day. If

they became very good at it and the customers liked their service they may tip one dollar. That’s $400 a day. Then what if the attendant hired and trained a crew to provide 1 class pro-fessional service at multiple gas sta-tions, couldn’t that attendant create a franchise and provide this service to gas stations throughout Detroit and beyond? Isn’t this what valet com-panies do? And what if the attendant whose now a business owner in his community begins to take college courses in business management, do you think his story of building a busi-ness from scratch may open the door to receiving a scholarship? You bet-ter believe it!

As we walked through this story, the students were amazed and inspired! One said is that all it takes? Of course, I said YES! The economy is not bad nor is Detroit broken. I ex-plained that life’s opportunities are only limited by the vision we create for ourselves. They were challenged to think outside the box and start their own businesses. They were also challenged and shown the importance of master-ing the skills needed to repair com-puters, design the next generation of smart pads, and business franchis-ing. What I find so interesting is how these students who want to do great things are being led to believe that their future is hopeless simply be-cause someone believes that Detroit is broken. How can anyone say such a thing when we have the greatest of God given resources – young people with untapped potential! Come on Detroit, it’s a time to build!

...........................

Contact info:Certified College Planning Spe-cialist Jeffrey Taylor provides col-lege planning and coaching that focuseson helping parents and stu-dents design a 100% funded col-lege plan. Reserveyour seat at one of the upcoming seminars at www.tuitionreductionplan.com. Speak-ing engagements and community outreach at the local and interna-tional level may be arranged by calling 248-230-9668.

by Jeffrey Taylor

Detroit is NOT Broke! Building the Vision of our Youth is the Solution!

DPS kicks off Second Chance Program for Students who Need Credit Recovery

Detroit Public Schools is still enrolling for its Second Chance Pro-gram, a credit recovery program that kicked off this week for stu-dents 16-19 years of age who are at least one year behind in high

school credits.

“This is another opportunity for Detroit students to earn credits toward a High School diploma,” said Karen Ridge-way, Superintendent of Academics.

Students who meet the criteria are strongly encouraged to register at one of the five High School locations offering the program: East English Village Pre-paratory Academy, Martin Luther King, Jr. Senior High School, Western Interna-tional High School, Frederick Douglass Academy for Young Men and West Side Academy.

The Second Chance Program meets Monday through Friday from 3:30 p.m. until 8:30 p.m. Students receive free meals, bus cards, and supplies. The pro-gram is offered at no cost.


Land… Air… Sea: We Should See Over 10,000 Jobs

Metro Detroit will be embark-ing on a transportation logis-tics movement. Improvement

projects are to include:

♦ A 2nd Bridge linking Canada and the United States

♦ A 2nd Tunnel linking Canada and the United States

♦Improvements to the existing Tunnel and Bridge

♦ Expansion of Willow Run Airport

♦ Expansion of Metro Airport

♦ Expansion of City Airport

♦ Continued expansion of the Port of Detroit

♦ New and Expanded Treaties with Europe

♦ Development of the Detroit Inter-modal Freight Terminal

All totaled these projects exceed 10 billion dollars. The Minority Contractors Association (www.michmca.org) is identifying players and lobbying for real in-volvement at the construction level; along with the National Associa-tion Minority Consulting Engineers (www.namcenational.org) who are continuing to make headway into relationships that heretofore have not happened. The jobs connected to these initiatives include: Nearly 10,000 long-term permanent jobs and 7000 short-term temporary jobs. Are you ready to facilitate the design and construction or even transportation related activities? If not, get ready. It’s happening and “I don’t want to tell you, I told you so”. Detroit is strategically lo-cated between Chicago and To-ronto; two cities with vastly larger

populations and more diverse econ-omies. Detroit has a water port, bridge, rail, and air cargo capabili-ties that can be exploited. Washing-ton, DC, Lansing, MI, and Detroit, are currently working on the legis-lative framework to make this hap-pen. Get plugged into Ameri-can Society of Logistics Trans-portation, (www.aslt.org) or the National Association for Minority Truckers,(www.nafmt.com) to get the latest information for making strategic moves that will create real economic opportunities for you and your family. Get prepared now; do you have a good Driving Record,(2 or less points), a Good Credit Score, (680 or higher), or Good Reading or Math abilities,(10th Grade level). Certifications in logistics and trans-portation skills are a must. The 10,000 long-term jobs that will be created make for small-er and shorter-term opportunities in the residential and retail commer-

cial space. These jobs will be good paying long-term opportunities to have and support a family and cre-ate sustainable households. Soon Detroit will exit its Economic Depression (2016). One of the key drivers of this re-emer-gence into positive economic cli-mate will be the ability to tap into the multi-billion dollar global lo-gistics market. Detroit will spend tremendous amounts of money on transportation projects: MDOT I-94 Rehab (1.5 billion), Detroit Inter-modal Freight Terminal, (800 million), Metro Airport Cargo Im-provements, (300 million), a Pro-posed Second Tunnel, (5 Billion) and a Second Bridge, 3.5 Billion). Don’t be left out of the game, learn the skills and rules and become a player, not a bystander.

..........................................................

Jason A. ColeAuthor Speaker Writer

Michigan Minority ContractorsAssociation

www.michmca.orgReal Estate InvestorsAssociation Detroit

www.reiaofdetroit.com

Contact Jason at 313-384-3337or email: jason.cole@michmca.

org.Visit website: www.michmca.org/programs/education.html

C O L E ’ S C O R N E R

One of the key drivers of this re-emergence intopositive economic climate will be the ability to tap into

the multi-billion dollar global logistics marketJason Cole

Detroit Public Schools launches Go Green ChallengeThe DPS Go Green Challenge

(GGC) was launched in the Fall 2012 as a voluntary opportunity

for schools to reduce their energy costs and share in the savings. In the inau-gural year, 34 schools participated and engaged over 500 students in complet-ing 100 GGC projects – saving DPS $300,000 in electricity and natural gas costs and earning $30,000 in awards and prizes for schools. Recognizing that going green is more than just en-ergy conservation, this year the DPS Go Green Challenge is expanding to include new projects on water conser-vation, recycling, and gardening. The DPS Office of Energy and Sustainability is now accepting ap-plications for the DPS Go Green Chal-lenge. The program challenges schools to compete and win financial and other incentives while making their school greener and more sustainable!

MISSIOn

Through hands-on, project based learning, the DPS Go Green Challenge will educate the next gener-ation to practice sustainability in their homes and communities and become

leaders in the green econ-omy. Students and teach-ers are encouraged to use school facilities as a basis for innovative program-ming and serve as a tool for hands-on lessons that improve student achieve-ment, positively impact the community, and re-duce operating costs.

BenefItS

In addition to providing a great frame-work for engaging stu-dents in green and sustain-able projects, benefits of participation this year include:

• Cash Awards for saving energy and water

• Eligibility for $1,000 teacher grants from the Bosch Community Fund

• After-school paid STEAM positions

• Americorps Green School Coordina-tors assigned to your school

• In-class academic support

• High school workforce de-velopment jobs

• Recycling assemblies

• Field trips, prizes, and more!!

Structure

School Green Teams led by school Sustainability Coordinators (typically a teacher) are challenged to complete projects to earn Award Badges and points

in the GGC. A GGC Poster will be provided for the display of the Award Badges. Teams will be awarded badg-es for completing projects throughout the school year with awards distrib-uted at the Mid-Year and Final Cel-ebrations. Green Teams will be recog-nized for completing projects in each green area and also for the most points earned overall. Green Teams may com-plete projects in one or more areas

and schools may have separate teams working in different areas. Long Term Projects engage schools in year long activities – ideal for an after school program or other club that meets regu-larly. Short Term projects are targeted activities that can be completed by your school’s Green Team or others. Awards and other benefits will support additional activities in each sustain-ability area.

AreAS IncluDe:

1. Energy and Water Conservation

2. Recycling and Resource Manage-ment

3. Gardening and Nutrition

4. Innovation Projects

If your school would like to learn more about the DPS Go Green Challenge and receive the full appli-cation, please call Energy Manager, Emile Lauzzana at 313-578-7135 or email: [email protected].


Back to school also means back to business as usual. If you are anything like the rest of

us, you probably got off track over the summer. It’s time to shift out of neutral and into a higher gear to finish the year strong or at least with a re-spectable showing towards the goals that were set in January. So this year, instead of waiting until January 2014 to start again, start preparing now. Below is a list of things you can do now to jumpstart your finances:

1. Organize your financial paper-work, i.e. mortgage records, will, tax returns, insurance documents, bank records, student loan records, etc.

2. Review and file your bank and credit union account statements

3. Purge and organize your wallet/purse

4. Balance bank account registers

5. File receipts

6. Create a folder to save and orga-nize tax records

7. Review your tax withholdings

8. Track your expenses for 30 days using a small notebook, app, or com-puter program

9. Create a monthly budget

10. Review and reduce your cable/internet/phone cost

11. Donate or sell unused items

12. Order and review FREE credit annual reports (www.annualcreditre-port.com)

13. Make a list of all of your creditors (amount owed, due date, interest rate)

14. Research refinancing your home to get a lower interest rate

15. Call your creditors to negotiate a lower interest rate

16. Set up an automatic savings plan

17. Make a list of repairs that need to be done to your home or vehicle

18. Review your insurance needs (life, disability, home, long-term care, etc)

19. Start/Increase your 401k/403b re-tirement savings contributions

20. Schedule an appointment with your advisor to review your invest-ment portfolio

21. Update your beneficiaries

22. Update your resume

23. Ask for a raise

24. Research starting a business

25. Get your annual physical checkup

Challenge yourself to focus on one or two of these items per week or at least per month. You will close out this year with a greater sense of accomplishment and gain momentum going into 2014. It isn’t over!

PUT YOUR PLAN IN MOTION!

\**********************

Samirian Hill, The MoneyWise Teacher, is Founder and President of BudgetWise Financial Solutions, LLC, where they teach people to man-age money wisely. For workshops, seminars or individual consultations, contact her at [email protected] or 1-248-905-1625.

It’s Game Time: 25 Ways to Jumpstart Your Finances S M A R T M O N E Y M A N A G E M E N T

by Samirian Hill

Business Breakthrough: Bust That Clutter!

As we get back to business most business owners are looking at the things they want to do to fin-

ish out the year and many are playing catch up after the summer fun. As you step back into business mode are you stepping back into the same old thing and the same old routine or are you making a shift and taking things up a notch? Has it been your intent to take things to the next level or to get certain things done but you just can’t seem to make that happen? If so, take a look around your office. What do you see? Is your work-space well organized or are things in disarray and cluttered? If it’s the lat-ter, consider that your workspace is part of what’s holding you back. Over the years as I’ve worked with clients one of the things that I learned early on is that clutter is a product of what’s going on

with you physically, emotionally, men-tally and spiritually. In essence, you are your clutter and your clutter is you and it can be keeping you from making that breakthrough to the next level. If your workspace is cluttered you may have noticed how it makes you feel when you’re in it. You can’t think clearly or focus, you may not feel like sitting in the area with the clutter or you might even feel heavy when you’re in the space. All of these things are caused by the clutter in the space. When you have physical, emo-tional, mental and spiritual clutter, it produces a cluttered space. This means that the thoughts, relationships, beliefs, and yes, even excess weight each con-tribute to holding you back. It keeps you moving at a snail’s pace or allows you to stay right where you are, stag-nant and unable to move forward even

though that’s not where you want to be. Your breakthrough and the things you just can’t seem to get done are placed on hold due to your internal clutter. To get rid of the clutter in your space, you have to address the internal clutter in your life. Doing so is what keeps the clutter in your space from coming back after you clear it.When these internal connections are addressed it’s possible to get rid of the clutter and keep it away for good. In addition to looking around your office to see what’s there, look inside to see where your internal clut-ter resides, then take the steps to figure out why it’s there and resolve those is-sues. As you do, you will find that it becomes easy to rid your space of clut-ter and keep it away instead of clearing it and having it come back again. Get to the root of your clutter and clear it so that you can have that business break-

through. If clutter is a real challenge for you, visit: www.ItsNotAbout-ThePaper.com.

....................................................

©Sheila Hawkins, Third Eye Group. All Rights reserved. Sheila Hawkins Is Presi-dent/CEO of Third Eye Group based in Detroit, Michigan. The company pro-vides customized professional organizing services for women solopreneurs to help them increase their productivity. Services are tailored to the needs and personal-ity of the client helping them transform environments and behaviors to create order and peace in their lives via hands-on organizing,coaching and consulting.Learn more about Third Eye Group by visiting www.thirdeyegroup.net www.time-andspaceblog.com or connecting via email at [email protected].

T I M E M A N A G E M E N T


by Sheila Hawkins

The Art of Saving: Part II of a Three Part Series F I N A N C I A L P L A N N I N G

• Savings Principle #3: The Power of persistency

In the book, “The Richest Man in Babylon” by George S. Clason, we are introduced to a fictional char-acter that figured out how to save and became the richest man in Babylon. Just like many of us, saving was not in-stinctive. With billions of dollars spent on advertisements each day, it’s no wonder it’s hard to keep your money in your pocket. Embrace your current situation so that you can build for to-morrow. My challenge to you is to commit to saving something every day. If you can only save your change each day, you would be surprised at how quickly it adds up. For those of you who have the potential to earn a greater income, here is my challenge to you. There are 365 days in most years. For each day, save an amount of money equivalent to that day. On day 1, save $1, on day 56, save $56, on day 267,

save $267, etc. On the 365 can per-sonally congratulate you on saving $66,795.

• Savings Principle #4: Always have goals

The strangest secret in life is that if you have no goals, you have al-ready accomplished them. In the book, “The Essence of Success” Earl Night-ingale talks about the principles of goal setting, the importance of having goals and visiting them on a daily basis. You may not acomplish every goal that you set, but I will assure you that you will accomplish more in life by having goals than by not having them.

• Savings Principle #5: Moving on is not failing

If you are willing to sacrifice today in a way that others aren’t, you will live tomorrow in a way that oth-ers can’t. Each of us at some point has set aside money and declared it was for “emergencies only”. Then we had, at the time, what seemed like a major emergency. So we borrowed money from ourselves and never paid it back. Today is the start of the rest of your life. Start over and move on. Financial-ly speaking it’s never too late, there’s still time for you to become great.

• Savings Principle #6: Creating your own reality

Life happens if you let it or you can choose to direct it. Imag-ine coaching you, 20 years ago. Your choices would have been oh so differ-ent. You probably would have saved more, spent less, exercised more, pos-sibly chosen a different career path or even married someone different. What-ever your past choices were, they cre-ated your current reality. So use your current choices to create your future reality.

• Savings Principle #7: The advan-tage of keeping calm

In Rudyard Kipling’s poem “If…” there are a few stanzas that stand out to me. “If you can keep your head when all about you are losing theirs and blaming it on you, If you can trust yourself when all men doubt you, But make allowance for their doubting too; If you can dream and not make dreams your master; If you can think and not make thoughts your aim; If you can meet with Triumph and Disaster and treat those two impostors just the same… If you can fill the unforgiv-ing minute with sixty seconds’ worth of distance run -Yours is the Earth and everything that’s in it, And - which is more - you’ll be a Man my son!” This poem embodies the essence of keeping calm.

part I is in the July/August 2013issue of Detroit Black pages. look for part III in the nov/Dec 2013 is-

sue of Detroit Black pages.

...............................................

Ellis Liddell is the President of ELE Wealth Management, LLC in

Southfield, MI. He is also the author of “Wealth Management: Merging Faith with Finance”. Mr. Liddell can be reached at (248) 356-6555

or through his website:

www.elewealth.com

Advisory services offered through ELE Advisory Services, LLC.

By Ellis Liddell


Affordable Care Act (Obamacare) Basics: What you need to know

Signed into law by President Barack Obama on March 23, 2010, you may know the Patient Protection

and Affordable Care Act (PPACA) as simply the Affordable Care Act, or by the term coined by Mitt Romney, “Obamacare”. However, you may not know how the 906-page federal statute benefits individuals and business own-ers. These Affordable Care Act Basics offer a brief overview of some of the significant elements of the law.

HeAltH InSurAnceMArketplAceS

Also known as health insur-ance exchanges, the health insurance marketplace is an arena for individuals to find health care coverage. Most citi-zens of each state will be able to shop and compare between several cover-age options, learn about lower cost options based on income and actually enroll. The 3-page application may be completed online, in-person, by mail or by phone. The application will not ask questions about pre-existing condi-tions, yet there may be price differences based on age. Although coverage will begin on January 1, 2014, open enroll-ment begins October 1, 2013. In addition to creating a Health

Insurance Marketplace and prohibiting insur-ance companies from asking question about pre-existing conditions, the Affordable Care Act provides preventive care for free, covers adults under age 26 and pro-vides individuals with a choice of doctors. The Act also provides protec-tion against poor health insurance practices by holding them account-able for increased rates, making it illegal to ca-priciously cancel your coverage when you are sick, and by giving you a right to appeal. By October 1, 2013, employ-ers with at least one employee and $500,000 in annual business must pro-vide notification to current employees regarding the Health Insurance Market-place as well as part-time and full-time new hires employed after this date. This notification must inform employ-ees that participation in the Market-place may make employees eligible for a premium tax credit, yet the employer may waive their contribution to the em-ployee’s health benefit plan. The De-partment of Labor provides samples of these notifications.

SMAll BuSIneSS HeAltHOPTiOnS PrOgrAMS (SHOP)

SHOP is a health insurance marketplace (not offered until 2014) to small companies in efforts to maximize their buying power. Small companies are considered those who employ up

to 50 employees, yet the marketplace will expanded its coverage to include companies that employ up to 100 employees in 2016. To qualify, companies must reside in the SHOP ser-vice area and offer the marketplace to all full-time employees. For more information on the SHOP marketplace, con-tact the Department of Health and Human Ser-vices (HHS) Call Center at 1-800-706-7893 (TTY users: 1-800-706-7915), Monday through Friday, 9a-5p EST.

SMAll BuSIneSS HeAltHcAre tAx creDItS

Small business owners are being incentivized to offer health in-surance coverage for its employees. A small business tax credit (up to 35%) is available for small businesses that pay average annual salaries of less than $50,000 to less than 25 FTEs and con-tribute at least 50% towards employ-ees’ health insurance premiums. The tax credit will be increased to 50% in 2014 for those employers who are SHOP participants.

wOrkplAce wellneSSprOgrAMS

The Affordable Care Act (ACA) intends to promote a wealth of preventive care activities through incentivizing companies to maintain a healthy workplace and develop em-

ployer wellness programs. Partici-patory wellness programs, including reimbursement for smoking cessation programs, fitness center reimbursement or participation in health seminars, are not rewards based programs. How-ever, health-contingent wellness pro-grams, including activity-only wellness programs and outcome-based well-ness programs, reward employees who achieve a health factor related standard. On January 1, 2014, ACA increases the permissible maximum reward to 30% of the cost of health coverage. In addition, the permissible maximum reward for health-contingent wellness programs is 50% of the cost of health coverage for programs that specifically address the reduction or prevention of tobacco use.

penAltIeS

There may be penalties (which may be thought of as a tax) for those who do not enroll in coverage. In 2014, individuals will be charged an annual penalty of the greater of either $95 or 1% of income over the filing minimum. By 2016, individuals will be charged an annual penalty of the greater of either $695 ($2,085 for families) or 2.5% of income over the filing minimum.

...................................................

Nina Abubakari, MPH, MBA, JD, FACHE is the owner/Managing Part-ner of Fern Health Solutions, a sub-sidiary of Abubakari and Associates, Inc., a healthcare consulting firm. Please email questions to nina1@

fernhealth.com, or call 313-823-2326. Website: www.fernhealth.com

By Nina Abubakari

The majority of my colleagues in the field of conservation and sus-tainability are white. Many come

from rural backgrounds, love nature and share an open mind. Most are even cool with racial discussions which led to a recent conversation about water - culturally speaking. The urban experience in gen-eral and the African American experi-ence more specifically fostered a differ-ent affinity for and attraction to water. As an urban youth, it was not uncom-mon to watch public waterways be mis-treated for economic gain. Only later did we discover that the Detroit River and the Great Lakes were not as resil-ient as they looked. In fact, they were and remain fragile in nature. Culturally, city folks tended to drink water, fish in it, cooked, cleaned

and gardened with it, ran through it when the water hose or fire hydrant was on and got baptized in it. The girls were not allowed to get our hair wet, all were chastised for allowing water to simply run and most noted; we rarely if ever entered a large body of water.

That included pools, lakes, rivers or oceans. Whether due to income, fear of drowning, beauty standards or a history of segregated access, water was to be respected, not played with. In professional settings for example, water access is discussed in reference to proximity or distance to a body of water for residents. Translation in communities of color - water access includes city infrastructure, water qual-ity, privatization, shutoffs, transporta-

tion and affordability. Urban water ac-cess is also impeded by landlord tenant disputes, limited income, inefficient us-age, credit challenges and insufficient verifications for service (employment history, previous outstanding balances, or required deposits).

Back at work our discussion moved to climate change and sustained rains. The same heavy rain that proves beneficial for farmland and crops has proven detrimental to urban centers. From fertilizer run off that pollutes the ecological system to combined sewer overflows, flooded basements, intersec-tions and freeways. Cities suffer high heat indexes (induced by large amounts of concrete), power loss, water main

breaks (manifestations of aged infra-structure), sink holes and gas leaks. Not to mention the hazardous water impacts from piles of petroleum coke runoff (solid crystalline compound left from the oil refining process – dubbed pet-coke) sitting on the Detroit riverbanks. Our discussion around water and cul-ture acknowledged that for some, boat-ing and swimming are a rite of passage while others remain on shore fishing or admiring water from afar. But all agreed that deliberate cultural aware-ness certainly helps efforts to enlist, educate and propel urban conservation and preservation of our water.

......................................................Visit the National Wildlife Federation’

Great Lakes Regional Center athttp://www.nwf.org/Regional-Centers/

Great-Lakes.aspx

Simone Lightfootheads up Regional Urban Initiatives for the National Wildlife Federation (NWF) Great Lakes Region. She integrates the work of the NWF with municipal urban green ef-forts. Her territory includes Chicago, IL; Indianapolis and Gary, IN; Milwaukee, WI, Cincinnati, Toledo, Columbus and Cleveland, OH, Detroit, MI and Buffalo, NY. She can be reached at 313.585.1052

or [email protected]

Water, Culturally Speaking

By Simone Lightfoot

whether due to income, fear of drowning, beauty standards or a history of segregated access, water was

to be respected, not played with.


Vegas in the “D”

Detroit-area non-profit or-ganizations, Joint Cit-ies Development and the

Jazz Network Foundation have paired up again to present, “Ve-gas In The D, - The Holiday Par-ty Experience” on Friday, No-vember 8, 2013, 6PM to 2AM at the beautiful Virgil Carr Cul-tural Center 311 E. Grand River in Harmony Park Downtown Detroit. Proceeds from the event will benefit: Joint Cities’ Youth Entrepreneur Shadow (YES) Program as well as the Jazz Net-work Foundation, a recent win-ner of the Detroit Knight Foun-dation Arts Challenge.

“Vegas in the D” was so well received the first time around, event organizers decided to ex-tend the evening’s festivities. The now annual, Vegas in the D, features: live jazz, DJ, compli-mentary cuisine, artwork, exotic showgirls and “charitable” gam-ing. From 6:00 p.m. to 8:00 p.m. presents VIPs, host chari-ties, sponsors and lives jazz. After 8:00 p.m. until 2:00 a.m. the event turns into a full-fledge Vegas-style party complete with gaming and live showgirls. Busi-ness owners, professionals and their respective customers are invited to kick-off and celebrate the holiday season. The evening’s entertain-ment also provides patrons the opportunity to win at games such as Blackjack, Poker and others. Guest participation serves to generate sizable proceeds for the charities. “Our combined database includes a network of thousands of names of Michigan consum-

ers, entrepreneurs and corporate executives who have completed our online surveys and/or attend-ed our events,” said Joint Cities Development Executive Direc-tor, Tenay Hankins. “Still, the event is in-vitation-only. We intend to ac-commodate no more than 300 guests. Therefore, it is advisable to reserve your tickets early,” she said.

“Vegas in the D” is sup-ported by the new Non-Profit Support Consortium and the Knight Foundation.

Tickets are available for $25 in advance. For tax-deductible do-nations or to reserve tickets and/or sponsorships contact: Joint Cities Development: [email protected], or 313-961-1141 or Bill Foster, Director of the Jazz Network Foundation at the Virgil Carr Cultural Center, 313-715-0170.


F E A T U R E A R T I C L E S

Kimmie Horne Mixes Entertainment with Business Jazz Recording Artist Expands Portfolio Beyond Music

Native Detroiter, jazz vocalist Kimmie Horne was born to sing. The versatile record-

ing artist is the grandniece of the legendary Lena Horne. With both legacy and talent to her credit, Ms. Horne has made a name for her-self in the music industry; both in the U.S. and in Europe. She has performed one-woman shows in Las Vegas and numerous other lo-cations.Japan has been one of her most successful concert venues where her popularity is exploding. She is preparing to make her annual trip there for a series of concerts, along with several other bookings across the globe. While music is her passion, this multi-tal-ented lady with her stunning looks and vibrant personality is embark-ing on new ventures that are ex-panding her range of talents. One of those new projects is the introduc-tion of a tasty snack called Kimmie Horne Carmel Corne. .Her second project is positioning herself as a celebrity spokesperson for luxury products. Kimmie Horne Carmel Corne which is being sold in 5 ounce bags for $3.00 is beingmarketed as “The World’s Jazziest Treat”. It is manufactured in Michigan, and the

two major ingredients, popcorn and sugar are from Michigan. With a shelf life of 3 weeks, the munchable snack contains wholesome natural ingredients in-cluding coconut oil, molasses, and vanilla. The product is currently being sold in several party stores in Metro Detroit, as well as the Starbucks shop inside Southfield’s Westin Hotel. Horne’s agent Michael L. Cash is working to expand production and distri-bution. He says they are using the product to help stimulate CD sales and to offer fans a unique experi-ence with a tasty snack that matches the Kimmie Horne brand. Bulk or-ders for special events are available with advance notice. Ms. Horne’s second venture that she cultivated over the summer is her role as celebrity spokesperson for Bricker Tunis Furs, a premier fur retailer celebrating its 97th year doing business in Metro Detroit. Her radio commercials have aired on Radio One WCHB AM 1200 and Clear Channel’s WMXD 92.3 FM.

The retailer notes that the response to the ads has been extremely positive and has re-sulted in an increase in his customer base. A major televi-sion production was recently completed at Detroit’s Jazz Café inside the Music Hall downtown. The lav-ish set included 40 of the furrier’s actual customers draped in a variety of fur coats,

jackets and wraps. The mock con-cert featured Kimmie Horne on stage belting out the new Bricker Tunis jingle “Jazz it up at Bricker Tunis Furs…Wrap Yourself in Lux-ury”. The unique concept is col-laboration between local marketing pros, Media Consultants and Gerald McBride’s company, Voice Over & Video Productions. The finished commercials will air on local TV beginning in November. Kimmie is excited about her successful music career and the added opportunities that it has allowed her to embrace.

“I am so excited about all the blessings in my career. My main love is my music and performing, however the new opportunities are allowing me to interact in the business world outside of the music industry. I’m looking forward to Kimmie Horne’s Carmel Corne really taking off here in Detroit and beyond. As far as my commercials with Brisker Tunis Furs, I had so much fun.Arthur Bricker has a long-standing reputation in the De-troit community. He has made custom furs for Motown Stars and Hollywood movie stars. His selection of furs is outstanding and the service is impec-cable. Bricker Tunis is great retailer to be associated with. People all over the city are telling me that they heard the commercials on the radio. Life is good!”

For more information visit: www.KimmieHorne.com.

By Charlene Mitchell-Rodgers

Maxine Powell, the First Lady of Eti-quette was honored by her Motown family on August 27, 2013 at the former

Hitsville, U.S.A., studio in Detroit that now serves as the Motown Historical Museum. Smokey Rob-inson paid a special tribute to Ms. Powell at the event. “She was such an impor-tant, integral part of what we were doing here at Motown,” said Robinson. Motown founder Berry Gordy Jr., paid tribute to her via vid-eotape. Gordy joked that he still remembers many of Powell’s apho-risms, including “Do not protrude the buttocks,” and “Do not con-fuse me with your parents – they’re stuck with you. I’m not.” Maxine Powell was a dancer, manicurist, model, fashion coordinator/designer, entrepre-neur, mentor, instructor, finishing consultant and more. She brought refinement and sophistication

to many of the most gifted and popular music artists of the 1960’s. Founder of the first black modeling agency in Detroit, she was a pioneer in opening the doors for black models. Maxine taught the values of beauty, discipline, and posi-tive self-image.

She was a founding member of Motown’s Artist De-velopment Depart-ment and became finishing instructor as well as fashion de-signer and consultant for Motown Records.Some of her students included Martha Reeves, Smokey Rob-inson, Marvin Gaye, Stevie Wonder, the Temptations, Jack-son Five and the Su-premes. Some of the stage clothing worn by the artists was made by Ms. Powell from de-

partment store sale items. Ms. Powell offers her expertise to Martha Reeves and Mary Wilson to this day. Ms. Powell is an honarary member of the Women’s Informal Network, a 501c3 non-profit organization.

Tribute to A Motown Legend

Beverly Bantom, Maxine Powell and Robin Terry

F E A T U R E D A R T I C L E S

Waste Management Awards Keep Detroit Beautifulwith Think Green Grant

Ten Communities Receive Grants of $10,000 to Support Local Projects

National nonprofit Keep America Beautiful (KAB) and Waste Management (NYSE:WM)awarded Keep Detroit Beautiful a $10,000

Think Green® Grant. Keep Detroit Beautiful Think Green® Grant is one of 10 awarded to KAB affiliates across the country. The Waste Management Think Green® Grants are part of the company’s commitment to encourage the development and sustainability of environmental solutions that improve community environments. These merit-based grants support projects that KAB affiliates implement locally, such as increased recycling, environmental education and community greening programs. The City of Detroit – Keep Detroit Beau-tiful– Think Green Grant will provide funding for Green Living Science (GLS)to expand recycling edu-cation from the current 23 schools, to reach ten new Detroit schools. GLS will coordinate the Recycle Bowl for 10 specified schools who have already been recycling and provide information and resources on the competition to all schools within the Detroit Pub-lic School system. In coordination with the Recycle Bowl, Green Living Science will provide environ-mental education to the 10 schools. This program will include a mixture of teacher training, all school as-semblies, after school clubs, in-class science lessons and field trips to the city of Detroit’s recycling center. “Keep Detroit Beautiful is proud of “Green Living Science” in their efforts to support community partnerships engaging clean, safe, green and beauti-ful environment. We are also grateful to Waste Man-agement for their donation to support environmental, educational, recycling, and beautification programs for local Community improvement projects”. ~ An-gela Ireland, Director Waste Management has supported KAB pro-grams for several years and is active in KAB’s signa-ture programs such as the Great American Cleanup™ and America Recycles Day. This year, Waste Manage-ment also supported the KAB/Ad Council public ser-vice advertising campaign – I Want To Be Recycled – that is helping educate people about the importance of recycling and motivating the occasional recycler to become an everyday recycler. “We are so pleased to be working with Keep Detroit Beautiful and Green Living Science as we each share the mutual goal of making educating our children and making Detroit a cleaner, greener city for all to enjoy,” said Brian Conaway, Public Sector Representative with Waste Management. “Keep America Beautiful affiliates are sin-gularly focused on getting members of their com-munities to ‘think green’ all throughout the year,” said Becky Lyons, COO of Keep America Beautiful. “Our longstanding partnership with Waste Manage-ment has been a critical component of KAB’s effort to build and sustain vibrant communities throughout the country.” “Waste Management, KAB and its affiliates share the common goal of providing sustainable envi-ronmental, educational, recycling and beautification programs to enhance the quality of life of the com-munities we serve. We are pleased to support KAB’s affiliate network and the vital work they do,” said Barry Caldwell, WM senior vice president and chief communications officer and past KAB chairman of the board. About Keep Detroit Beautiful The City of Detroit ~Keep Detroit Beautiful (KDB)was founded in 1955 and celebrated 20 years of service in 1975

and became an effective educational arm of City gov-ernment. KDB was revitalized in 2001 and became a Certified Affiliate of Keep America Beautiful (KAB)on April 24, 2012. KDB’s mission is to improve the quality of life in the city of Detroit through communi-ty partnerships, city services and individual participa-tion with a focus on local community improvements

as well as litter prevention, education, recycling and clean-up efforts for a safe, green and beautiful envi-ronment. About Green Living Science Green Living Science, originally an off-shoot of Recycle Here!, Detroit’s drop-off recycling center, began environ-mental education in the Detroit Public Schools in 2007 and became a separate nonprofit organization in 2011. GLS has taught the importance of waste reduc-tion, reuse and recycling to 40,000 Detroit students, giving them the tools to improve their neighborhoods and transform Detroit.

ABOut keepAMerIcA BeAutIful

Keep America Beautiful is the nation’s lead-ing nonprofit that brings people together to build and sustain vibrant communities. With a network of more than 1,200 affiliate and participating organizations in-cluding state recycling organizations, we work with millions of volunteers to take action in their commu-nities. Keep America Beautiful offers solutions that create clean, beautiful public places, reduce waste and increase recycling, generate positive impact on local economies and inspire generations of environmental stewards. Through our programs and public-private partnerships, we engage individuals to take greater responsibility for improving their community’s envi-ronment. For more information, visit www.kab.org.

ABOut wASteMAnAgeMent

Waste Management, based in Houston, Texas, is the leading provider of comprehensive waste management services in North America. Our subsidiaries provide collection, transfer, recycling and resource recovery, and disposal services. We are the largest residential recycler and also a leading de-veloper, operator and owner of waste-to-energy and landfill-gas-to-energy facilities in the United States. Our customers include residential, commercial, in-dustrial and municipal customers throughout North America. To learn more visit www.wm.com

keep MIcHIgAn BeAutIful Inc.A statewide organization is seeking a candidatefor the part-time position of Executive Director

The Executive Director supervises the generaloperations of KMB and is the public face and

spokesperson for 51 year old the nonprofitorganization. Modest stipend and expenses providedSome knowledge of Beautification, Environmental and Green Initiatives record keeping, some travel

and monthly meetings throughout theState of Michigan.

Interested candidates may contact Don GrahamC-313.719.2541 [email protected]

............................................Contact:

Angela IrelandKeep Detroit Beautiful

313.876.0140

Beth SchmuckerWaste Management

Beverly Smith, Board Member, Keep Michigan Beautiful and Keep Detroit Beautiful, Rachel Klegon, Director, Green Living Science, Brian

conaway, Waste Management and Angela Ireland, Executive Director, Keep Detroit Beautiful


Kenedi Cain and Christopher Spicer, both 4th graders at Ronald Brown Academy, Ms. Snapp

Teacher. Prize Winning DPS Green School.Mr. Sewell, Principal

F E A T U R E A R T I C L E

Grand Circus, LLC: Cutting Edge Technology Training InstituteLaunches in Downtown Detroit

An explosion of new de-velopment, entrepreneur-ship, and optimism is tak-

ing shape in Detroit and forming a foundation for opportunities abound. Grand Circus, LLC, a new technology training insti-tute founded by Bradley Hoos and Damien Rocchiwill offer students and local businesses cutting-edge training in technol-ogy, business and design starting in September. The curriculum will have 3 format options – courses (10-12 weeks), workshops (1-3 days) and seminars (1-3 hours). Grand Circus rejects traditional think-ing where lectures are the fo-cal point of a student’s learning experience. Students at Grand Circus will learn by doing, with help from real developers, entre-preneurs, and designers. Their mission is to elevate the tech community focusing on project based training that delivers real world expertise. Grand Circus has partnered with the best and brightest and their instructors are real practitioners who are at the top of their fields and committed to the success of their students. Grand Circus calls it “training with a purpose”. Grand Circus is conve-niently located in Historic Grand Circus Parkwhich was part of Augustus Woodward’s plan to rebuild the city after the fire of 1805.The park was established in 1850 and contains 5-acresthat connect the theatre district with the financial district in down-town Detroit. It is bisected by Woodward Avenue, four blocks north of Campus Martius Park, and is bounded by Clifford, John R. and Adams Streets. The dis-trict was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1983. The building at 25 West Elizabeth Street was added to the district in 2000, and additional structures located within the dis-trict, but built between 1932 and 1960, were approved for inclu-sion in 2012. The Detroit Opera House faces Grand Circus Park. The grounds include antique statu-ary and old-fashioned water fountains. Near this historic

site, General George Armstrong Custer delivered a eulogy for thousands gathered to mourn the death of President Abraham Lincoln. Architect Henry Bacon designed the Russell Alger Me-morial Fountain (1921) in Grand Circus Park. Grand Circus was kick-started when founders Damien Rocchi and Bradley Hoos met while working at Detroit’s col-laborative tech space in the Madison building. “We saw the opportunity and quickly con-verged on a mission to create an amazing home for technology training in Detroit, a city with immeasurable talent that is just starting to reach its full poten-tial,” said Rocchi, adding that the company took its name from the Park that sits outside the Broderick Tower’s front door. Located in the historic Broderick Tower, Grand Circus joins Detroit Venture Partners’ (DVP) portfolio, a venture capi-tal firm formed by Detroit busi-ness leaders Dan Gilbert, Josh Linkner, and Brian Hermelin. DVP invests in seed and early-stage technology companies. “As Detroit continues to grow and evolve its technology core, developing creative and talented technology profession-als is critical. We are excited about the important role Grand Circus will play in the city’s continued revolution,” said Josh Linkner, Managing Partner of DVP. The institute will also offer collaborative co-working and event space, with stunning views of Comerica Park, the Fox Theatre and Grand Circus Park. Grand Circus’ placement pro-gram offers employers looking for world-class talent first dibs on trained Grand Circus gradu-ates. “Detroit’s tech scene is dy-

namic and there’s a certain vibe and feel that exists here that you just have to experience,” said Hoos, COO and Co-Founder of Grand Circus. “We’re excited to be at the epicenter of Detroit’s tech earthquake just as its mak-ing waves.” The training institute’s flexible curriculum includes more than 30 different classes to choose from, including Build an iPhone App, The Design Pro-cess, and Digital Marketing. “We teach the latest in mobile and web development, but we don’t stop there,” said Damien Rocchi, CEO and Co-Founder of Grand Circus. “We also teach innovation, entre-preneurship, and design. We’re an ecosystem for Detroit’s tech community, a new home for learning, co-working, and events.”

....................................................

to sign-up for classes, visit grand circus at www.grandcircus.co<http://www.grandcircus.co.

...........................................

pArt Of grAnD cIrcuScurrIculuM IncluDeS:

Build a website/create a VideoSeptember 25th / Seminar

the nuts and bolts of what makes the world wide web work.

- Build an Android AppBegins September 30th / Course

plan, design, build, and deploy an Android app.

- Build a Dynamic WebsiteBegins September 30th / Course

learn HtMl, cSS, and JavaS-cript to build the sleekest website.

- Build an iPhone AppBegins October 1st / Course

plan, design, build, and deploy an iphone or ipad App.

- Digital Marketing, Become a Sales force Developer

Begins October 1st / CourseFully leverage both the structured

(clicks) and custom (code) aspects of Sales force development.

Build a website withword pressOctober 12th / Workshop

Build your business’s website using Word Press.

the life of a DeveloperOctober 16th / Seminar

The good, the bad, and the ugly ofbeing a developer.

Ins and Outs of App Store Submis-sion

November 5th / SeminarDispel the myths and learn tips for

successful app submission.

ruby programmingBegins November 9th / Workshop

Master the different dimensions of the ultra-dynamic Ruby language

.....................................................

ADVertISIng/SpOnSOrS

Training with a Purpose


WWW.DETROITBLACKPAGES.BIZ I SEPTEMBER / OCTOBER 2011 I PAGE 14WWW.DETROITBLACKPAGES.COM I SEPTEMBER / OCTOBER 2012 I PAGE 16SEPTEMBER / OCTOBER 2013 I PAGE 18

Michigan Black Caucus of Local Elected Officials: Affiliate Spotlight “One Hand Won’t Clap, but Together We Can Make Lots of Noise”

American history has always been filled with tales of small voices that grew loud enough

to be heard when joined together, and groups who made a difference through the strength and unity of a shared vi-sion. That is exactly the driving force behind the Michigan Black Cau-cus of Local Elected Officials (MBC-LEO), established in 2004 as a forum for its members to collaborate, net-work, share information, and provide support to one another throughout the state. “One hand won’t clap, but to-gether we can make lots of noise,” said MBC-LEO President Lois Richardson, who is also Mayor Pro Tem of Ypsilan-ti. “When you’re a member of MBC-LEO, you’re not alone. Our mission is to help others in their role as elected officials. As we work together, we can make a difference and bring about the changes we desire.” Although they are separate entities, the spirit of MBC-LEO goes back more than three decades, when a small group of African-Americans in the U.S. House of Representatives de-

cided they had a responsibility to make sure the nation’s legislative process was inclusive of all people, regardless of race, color or creed. Throughout the years, the Congressional Black Caucus has played a crucial role in national affairs as both a legislative and socio-economic champion for all underrepre-sented people. That example has helped guide MBC-LEO’s own path toward building a fellowship of elected offi-cials with a shared belief in the com-

mon good. Through its affiliation with the Michigan Municipal League, MBC-LEO advises, comments, and advocates policy positions that reflect the interests

of the African American community. Benefits of membership include leader-ship development, networking, forums, and information dissemination Among the group’s proud-est achievements is a scholarship pro-gram to help students achieve their academic goals. Thanks to fundraising efforts over the last two years, MBC-LEO has been able to establish a book scholarship fund that will grant $500 to a deserving student each summer. The students are chosen based on their po-

litical participation, academic achieve-ment, school and community activities, and a personal essay. The first scholar-ship recipients were Shellis Hampton

of Grand Rapids and Lawrence Dupree of Harper Woods. Hampton entered Hampton University in the fall of 2012, while Dupree will use his scholarship to continue his studies at Oakland Uni-versity. The scholarship application can be found on the MBC-LEO website. The deadline for submission is June 1 of each year. MBC-LEO will host its 9 Dinner in Ypsilanti on November 1, 2013. Tickets are $40 per person and $25 for students. Visit www.mbc-leo.org to register. In addition to the annual fun-draiser, the group meets twice a year in conjunction with the League’s Capital Conference and Annual Convention. It also hosts membership conference calls to keep in touch throughout the year. Membership is open to anyone who believes in the mission of the group. A membership application is available on the MBC-LEO website, www.mbc-leo.org. This article is reprinted by permis-sion of the Michigan Municipal Re-view.

Source: Michigan Municipal Review

Optimist Youth Foundation Awards Scholarships toDeserving Detroit Area Students

The Optimist Youth Foundation of Detroit held its AnnualScholarship Reception on July 20th, 2013 in the East Room at 1300

E. LafayetteAve. in Downtown Detroit. The Optimist Youth Foundation of Detroit (OYF) has targeted students from theMetropolitan De-troit Area that need help the most. These are stu-dents whodon’t have a high grade point average and are financially challenged. Applicants must have a 2.5 GPA or better and show financialneed. In 2012 the Foundation awarded six Scholarships of a $1,000.00 each to Metropoli-tan Detroit areastudents. This year due to eco-nomic conditions and a largenumber of appli-cants, we decided to help as many students as possible. Four of the six recipients from last year re-applied for help again this year and were also awarded a Scholarship along with eight new ap-plicants.

The 12 students were selected by Board Members George Adams, a retired Detroit Pub-lic School Teacher andVice President of the De-troit Federation of Teachers, along with Charles Green, Ph.D. who retired as Director of the Higher Education Opportunities Committee at Wayne State University. This year each student was awarded a $500 scholarship. Mr. Adams and Dr. Green indicated that even thoughthe amount had been reduced this year, the students were very appreciative. Eight of the Scholarships are in Memory of Past Presidents of The Northwest Detroit Op-timist Club: Gloria Johnson, Calvin Williams,Jr., Melvin France, Sr. and John Huff. Two are in Memory of Lucille Green-Bryson and two for the OYF, which was founded by the Northwest Detroit Optimist Club.

The students receiving their 2nd Schol-arship are Fidel Garcia, (Eastern Mich. Univ.), John Worthington, II, (Macomb. Comm. Col-lege), MiShay Jefferson, (Saginaw Valley Comm. College) and Chiara Woods, (Wayne St. Univ.) The other 8 recipients are: Dawnantoni Riley, (Cass Tech. H.S.-Western Mich.Univ.), Desiraye Harris, (Highland Park H.S.-Mich. St. Univ.), Charles Hurt, (Cass Tech. H.S.- DePaul Univ.), Ashlee Jackson, (Mumford H.S.-Oak-land Univ.), Griffin Lee, (Chandler Park Acad-emy-Adrian College), Ogechukwa Onwudine, (Renaissance H.S.-Fisk Univ.), Lorin Wilkins, (Renaissance H.S.-Western Mich.Univ.), and Anthony Zander, (Chandler Park Academy-Univ. of Detroit Mercy).

The scholarship application can be found on the MBC-LEO website. The deadline

for submission is June 1 of each year. MBC-LEO will host its 9th Annual FundraisingDinner in Ypsilanti on November 1, 2013.

Tickets are $40 per person and $25 for students.Visit www.mbc-leo.org to register.

C O M M U N I T Y N E W S


He served in the U.S. Army; battled in the Korean War. The proud Wayne State Uni-

vesity aluma is a family man, a member of Tabernacle Missionary Baptist Church, the Masons, numer-ous organizations and regularly vis-its a plethora of places of worship. When you call on him, he sincerely believes you deserve a response. In a complex politcal climate, many times he is the firtst public official to speak out; when the issue is obviouslly un-comfortable and seems insurmount-able. It’s a theme his constituents know well. On the outside of political streams, it’s a theme I have witnessed him partake for decades. Serving in the U.S. House of Representatives since 1965, Attorney John James Conyers, Jr. has proudly and relentlessly represented the citi-zens of Michigan. Assuming his win in 2013 meant he would represent the 13 as a result of redistricting in ef-fect during the 2012 election. The 13 western half of Detroit, all of Dear-born, Highland Park, Hamtramck, and downriver communities, Wyan-dotte, Romulus, Melvindale, Allen Park, Southgate, Riverview, Trenton, Gibraltar and Grosse Ile Township. Born May 16, 1929, and graduated from Northwestern Senior High School, a Detroit Public School in the ‘40s, does make him a senior citizen all right, but it’s the seamless work in Michigan Districts 1, 14, and now 13 that places him as the second most senior member of the entire U.S. Congress and Michigan House of Representatives. Amazingly, early in his career, Conyers was employed as chief of staff for Congressman John Dingell -- the number one, longest running U.S. member of Congress and Michigan House of Representa-tives.

I duly note that out of 24 elec-tions, the sum of Con-gressman Conyers overall average voter support tallied in at 91 percent, based on published election numbers. This kind of longevity offers citizenry a clear path as to where you can turn when you have a concern – and about anything good, bad or indifferent. Polled constituents said he’s a good listener; and you will often observe him in meetings and events writing his own notes, wanting to solve a problem, chal-lenge a law, fight for a civil right and against voter suppression or suffo-cate urban America’s prison pipeline and so much more. Partially due to things men-tioned above, Rev. Dr. Jim Holley and Judge Damon Keith are the co-chairs, and a planning committee has been laboring to plan a special trib-ute in honor of Congressman Cony-ers extensive history of contribution to society; a man who recognizes the need to fight for fairness here in the U.S. and beyond. A man who has travelled the globe to enter into a fight that seemingly wasn’t even his to fight, some would say. He oper-ates from a sphere of fairness and jus-tice for ALL. It’s not just a cliché for this dedicated elected public official. The Tribute will celebrate his five decades of dedication and service to improve the lives of all people. Lo-cal, regional and national politicians and entertainers, civil rights and la-bor, faith-based and community lead-ers, constituents and supporters will

be in attendance to acknowledge the es-teemed congressman. Congressman Conyers was involved in the Civil Rights Move-ment and worked closely with Martin Luther King, Jr., Rosa Parks, and many oth-ers.

A Tribute Gala for Congressman John Conyers Jr., schedule:

Sunday, Sept. 29, 2013 at Greater Grace

Temple, 23500 W. Seven Mile Rd, Detroit, MI 48219. [4:00 p.m. V.I.P. Reception requires paid in advance tickets]

5:00 p.m: Tribute – Free and Open to the public.

Confirmed participants in-clude event keynote speaker, Rev. Jesse Jackson, Rainbow Push Coali-tion; Michigan U.S. Congress Mem-bers John Dingell, Carl Levin, Gary Peters; Michigan U.S. Senators Sand-er Levin and Deborah Stabenow; De-troit City Council Member JoAnn Watson. Entertainment will be pro-vided by the legendary Four Tops, world-renown jazz master Marcus and Jean Belgrave Jazz Ensemble, anointed Clark Sisters; and outstand-ing musical director, John Thorne (Sacred Heart) of the 150-member John Conyers Jr. Tribute Choir, and others.

“Congressman Conyers has a written solid record of achievement on the Capitol Hills of Michigan and Washington DC; and he continues to gain progress and earn respect from both sides of the aisle. The commit-tee agreed with me that we should stop for a moment; allow time to say thanks to a man whose journey speaks for itself,” said Rev. Dr. Hol-ley. “Every citizen in some way is enjoying the fruits of his labor and that’s why we want everyone to join us as we celebrate him for the great work he has done. Congressman Conyers is married to Monica Esters Conyers. Together, they have raised two sons, John III and Carl Edward. Event sponsors include: DMC (Sinai Grace), DTE Energy, UAW International, UAWFord, Clark Hill PLC, Henry Ford Health Systems, Wayne County Community College District, Providence Hospital and First Independence Bank. Proceeds will be donated for scholarships to be awarded to Wayne State University Law School stu-dents.

.......................................................

For more information about the tribute and ticket informa-tion, please call 313.212.2887 or visit the tribute Facebook page: h t t p s : / / w w w. f a c e b o o k . c o m /events/629181490446337/?ref=2

Carmen Carter, [email protected].

Tribute Gala Honoring Congressman John Conyers Jr.by Carmen Carter

IYANLA VANZANT,Keynote Speaker

Transforming Love Commu-nity (TLC), celebrates 16th Anniversary on Saturday, Oc-

tober 12, 2013 at the Athena Ban-quet Center, 25650 Gratiot Avenue, Roseville, MI 48118. The luncheon and workshop, “ How Sweet It Is” begins at 12:00 noon and features

Iyanla Vanzant, the award winning author, spiritual life coach and host of the OWN network’s Iyanla Fix My Life program. Founded by the Rev. Dr. Shaheerah Stephens, Transforming Love Community (TLC), a trans-denominational community where love transforms lives is dedicated to uplifting, inspiring and engaging the community through informa-tional workshops, lecture series and Sunday worship service. Rev. Ste-phens, an ordained Unity Minister, is a teacher, facilitator, author and motivational speaker with an in-ternational and national following. Transforming Love Community applies the teachings of Jesus and other spiritual masters, in a com-fortable, nurturing environment. Marianne Williamson said “Sha-

heerah is a bright star on the spiri-tual horizon, her truth hits the bulls eye” and Yahoo says Iyanla Fix My life is ground breaking television. Entertainment will be pro-vided by the Voices of Transfor-mation, led by Brian Holt and Jalil Johnson, with special guest Monica Blair. Sponsorship opportunities, advertising in the program book-let and tickets are available. Please call at 313-270-2325 or visit www.transforminglovecommunity.com. The anniversary planning committee is being chaired by Faith Jassey, Dr. Velonda Thompson and Denice Wilson. To inquire about interview opportunities with Rev. Dr. Stephens and Iyanla Vanzant, please contact The Green Group at [email protected] or 313-443-2635.

Tickets for the event are $55.00 and are on sale at the following loca-tions:

Eric’s I’ve been Framed 16527 Liv-ernois Ave. Detroit, MI (313-861-9263)

Detroit Wholistic Center, 20944 Grand River Ave. Detroit, MI (313-538-5433)

Source Booksellers, 4240 Cass Ave Suite 105, Detroit, MI (313-832-1152)

Ears Financial Services, 2140 Hol-brook Hamtramck MI (877-8830)

For Vendor and sponsorship and ad book information please contact 313-270-2325.

Transforming Love Community (TLC) Celebrates 16th Anniversary

C O M M U N I T Y N E W S


E Y E O N M E D I A

It has been an interesting few weeks at the Cinema and on television as the history of Af-

rican Americans has taken center stage at a time when racial tensions and political turmoil seem to be di-viding our nation along party, eco-nomic and ethnic lines. The 50th Anniversary of Dr. Martin Luther King’s famous March on Washington reminded us of the positive impact the civil rights movement had on the nation. The debut of the movie, “The Butler” took us on a jour-ney through history starting with slavery. For Detroiters, the crazi-ness surrounding the local primary election brought to light the split between two opposing factions of citizens. No one wants to say that there are racial overtones, but it’s very clear that race is a factor for many voters who are pushing hard to get their favorite candidate elect-ed. Detroit’s bankruptcy woes along with political turmoil is at-tracting national media attention; some good and some detrimental to the city’s image.

BeSt MeDIAcOVerAge Of

nAtIOnAl newS eVent: MSnBc

All of the major networks showed excerpts of the 50th An-niversary of the famous March on Washington and Dr. King’s famous I Have a Dream Speech, but it was MSNBC that devoted an extraor-dinary amount of Live airtime and meaningful commentary. Showing King’s speech in its entirety helps us to put in per-spective the then and now. Listen-ing to veterans of the civil rights movement like Congressman John

Lewis, Al Sharpton reminded us of how far we’ve come. The large crowd gathered at the Lincoln Memorial to listen to the numer-ous speeches is a reflection of the American citizen’s quest to move forward to make America the coun-try that Dr. King dreamed of.

President Barack Obama, along with former Presidents Jim-my Carter and Bill Clinton brought invigorating messages implying that the struggle for freedom and equality has still not been fully re-alized. If you missed any of this, do yourself a favor and Google it.

BeSt MOVIe:tHe Butler

.......................................

The film stars Oscar win-ning actor Forest Whitaker, Oprah Winfrey, Cuba Gooding Jr., Ter-rence Howard and Octavia Spen-cer. Produced by Lee Daniels, it is a fictionalized account of a White House butler who served Presidents from Eisenhower to Reagan. There are poignant scenes in the film that will rock your emotions. From shedding tears, to having a good laugh, the well-written script and superb casting makes this a must see movie for families to see. Even older children can learn something from it.

MOSt cOnfuSIng newS MeDIAcOVerAge:

All lOcAl tV, rADIO.....................................

The unusual write-in campaign and subsequent hash mark versus numbers controversy through a wringer into the Detroit primary election for Mayor, City Council and City Clerk. Needless

to say, many voters feel that some-thing stinks. While reporters scram-bled to get the facts straight, City Clerk Janice Winfrey and Wayne County Clerk Cathy Garrett openly disagreed as to who was responsi-ble for the perceived voting snafus and irregular ballot count. Candidate Mike Duggan, who moved into Detroit less than the required one year before he was legally eligible to run for of-

fice, managed to forge a successful write-in campaign, but not without causing a cloud of doubt hanging over the reported count. Thousands of voters felt that some of the votes were questionable, and that Wayne County Sherriff Benny Napoleon was the actually first place winner, instead of second behind Duggan. And that’s not the only wrench in the election ordeal. A reporter from WXYZ Channel 7 even said in his report that some of the ballots may have been counted twice or even three times! Kind of

reminds me of the old saying they used to have in Chicago; “Vote ear-ly and vote often”. No real proof of cheat-ing here, but with so many rumors running rampant, the media has to keep contradicting itself as the facts keep changing. As the TV, Radio and Newspaper reporters try to get it right, it is the political process and disorganization of the Depart-ment of Elections that keep the cha-os brewing.

BeSt nAtIOnAl tV cOVerAge Of

DetrOIt: MSnBc

“MOrning JOE”.........................................

What a joy it was to see the great city of Detroit showcased in a very positive and fair way for all to see across the country and around the world. We should commend MSNBC’s Joe Scarborough and Mika Brezeninski for their out-

standing coverage of Detroit’s cur-rent situation as it relates to pos-sible bankruptcy and the business community’s commitment to bring-ing the city back to its former glory. For a change, the mood was upbeat, the visuals were pretty, and the beauty that Detroit has to offer was shown. References to Detroit’s blight and violent crime problem were referenced, but in such a man-ner that conveyed the fact that De-troit is just one of many urban cities facing similar woes. The main broadcast set at Ford’s Flat Rock plant was the per-fect venue for viewers to see the progress of the auto industry. The beautiful new Ford Fusion along with the men and women who build it were the stars. Interviews with Ford CEO Alan Mulally, along with cameo appearances with Detroit Li-ons President Tom Lewand and De-troit Tigers pitcher Justin Verlander added true Detroit flavor. A secondary set at Campus Martius was used for remote inter-views with Wayne County Sheriff & Mayoral Candidate Benny Na-poleon; Quicken Loans founder Dan Gilbert and others. They both did the city justice with their upbeat comments. Just seeing the beautiful settingwith the gorgeous fountain in the background reminded view-ers that the city is alive and vibrant. As Napoleon said, “Detroit is not helpless nor is it hopeless”.

.....................................

What are your Favorite TV and Radio Shows? Send an email to detroitblackpages@

yahoo.com. Include your name & we might publish it in

our next edition.

Honoring Dr. King’s Legacy, Oprah Returns to theBig Screen & News Media Mayhem


Long Marches, Short Marches, Rallies and Reality

First, let me thank you, the reader, for tak-ing your time to consider my presentation about social action in ourcommunity. I of-

fer my work for your consideration, critique and perhaps discussion, and not as a prescription for implementation. Recently, in June and August, two commemorative long marches were held, one in Detroit and one in Washington, D. C. They served to remind us of similar marches led by Martin Luther King, Jr. held 50 years ago in both cities. Those 1963 events were staged at the height of the Civil Rights Move-ment back in the day. The two held in June and August 2013 were designed to remind us of our journey and ask for a continuation of our social action process. For the thousands who participated in these marches they signified something vital and worthwhile. They also demonstrated a particular level of awareness and involvement. They repre-sented social and personal choices, that is, if you were involved in anyof these, what I call long marches, you likely weren’t involved in some-thing else. For example, I wasn’t involved in any of these long marches. During the first one in De-troit in 1963, I was at a picnicon Belle Isle with other members of Project BAIT. We listened to a live radio broadcast of the march. During the secondone in Detroit in June, I was at the Con-cept East Theater Black Theater Conference we were producing at the International Institute. Most black folk who live in either city, Detroit or D.C., also weren’t at these marches. They too, were doing something else. We all have choices. Mind you, I’m not against marches, long or short, so let me get to the short marches. I have ten short marches to offer for your consideration. None of them in-volve traveling far to participate in them; none will involve listening to long speeches in the hot sun. None will involve expending any burden-some travel fees or require donations for ‘’the cause’’. They will require some personal con-sciousness and commitment.

1. The first march I suggest is to your local pub-lic library to obtain a library card, and after that, your use of the card and your library on a regular basis. While there you might also decide to use the computer lab and access the Internet to ex-plore the world, if not the universe, and several of its challenges. There’s no direct charge for a library card, though you will be charged if you-have overdue books or DVDs, or need to make copies of documents.

2. Your next march is to the Secretary of State’s office to obtain an official photo ID card, usually a driver’s license, not so you may drive your car, but so you can register to vote. The photo ID will cost you, but you probably need one when the police intercept you to perform a ‘’Stop and Frisk’’, so it’s an investment that has multiple benefits.

3. Next, you should march to the city clerk’s of-fice or the election commission and register to vote. A significant number of Detroiters have

registered to vote, but an insignificant number (18% in the primary election) actually voted. Maybe 50% will march to vote in the general election in November. That’s obviously better than 18%, but I’m still not impressed with the increase. Are you? I use the evaluative chart in general use in school systems to evaluate the election turnout. If 90% turnout, it’s an A; 80%, a B, 70%, a C, and so forth. You don’t have to guess what I think about our turnout in the pri-mary.

4. The fourth march I suggest to you is to a food co-op or buyer’s co-op for the purchase of your groceries on a cooperative basis. Food purchases are generic with few brand loyalties, so I’m not suggesting you break any or many brand attach-ments. I am suggesting that you change your consumption consciousness. I know that that is difficult, but who said short marches would be easy.

5. Your next march, if you have children in the school system, is to parent-teacher meetings. Simple, right? Wrong. Most PT meetings have more teachers than parents in attendance. No wonder our graduation rates at all levels of edu-cation are so low. We haven’t learned how to do short marches. You’ve got to practice, practice, and practice. Long marches may come only once every 50 years, but short marches need to be tak-en on a weekly or on a regular basis depending on the circumstances. We’re halfway there.

6. Your next march is to a local bank or cred-it union. Some marches are political; some marches are economic.They all can produce so-cial change, but they can’t if you don’t partici-pate. They’re not down the middle of the street; they’re on the sidewalk. They don’t require mass numbers; they do require aggregates to make a difference. And make a difference they surely do.

7. Another food march is to your yard, back or front, or to the vacant lot nearby, or to any avail-able space to plant a garden and compost waste products. How vital are these? Not only do these marches solve the food crisis in our com-munity, they also solve the waste crisis. For the record, half the residents in Detroit suffer from food insecurity. That’s what food stamps are all about--- insecurity. Three-fourths of pub-lic school children are food insecure. If young people aren’t in school many, too many, have the “missed meal”colic. Ready, set,march.Fortunately, many residents participate in the next march.

8. That’s the neighborhood clean-up march. This one happens every spring in Detroit. I hope you participate. Builds community spirit as well as cleans up the city. I wish one was held every week for the Filthy-McNasty Boarding Area at the Rosa Parks Transit Center downtown. At-tendants clean up the building. Somehow they don’t get to the boarding area. To call the board-ing area dirty would be offering a compliment. Check it out. D-i-r-t-y! Needs a clean-upmarch.

9. Another community march is the neighborhood watch. A number of stalwart souls participate in this. They don’t usually march, as such,but they do travel around their neighborhood in their cars. They don’t get enough recognition, so let me of-fer kudos to them for their work. I wish we had more citizen patrol marches. This kind of march/patrol might have stopped the recent assault and robbery of two elderly women on the Westside. We have too many home invasions in Detroit. We need more neighborhood marches to inter-ruptwhat seems to be a pattern of misbehavior.

10. And finally, the tenth march--to the Detroit Institute of Arts for their Friday evening chess sessions for young people and adults. Does my heart good to see all of these bright young people playing chess. When I see them I see students graduating from high school and college, be-coming leaders and followers in the future. I see mannerly and disciplined youngsters making our community more civil. I see participants in short-marches and maybe long ones too, if they choose to do so. I see hope. And you will too.

*********************CONTACT INFO:

David Rambeau is a free-lance writer, the long-timeproducer/host of the television program, For My People,which airs Saturday mornings on WKBD-TV, Ch. 50 andTikiLive.com.He is also the publisher of the Urban Theater Maga-zine.For more information, access him through youtube.com/projectbaitdet, his websites: Con-cept East Theater on f/b, or projectbait.blak-gold.readyportal.net. His writing archivemay be accessed at timbooktu.com. Comments may besent to: David Rambeau - facebook.com or [email protected]

by David Rambeau

U R B A N J O U R N E Y S

We have too many home invasions in Detroit. We need more neighbor-hood marches to inter-rupt what seems to be a pattern of misbehavior.


An abandoned home or a weed infested lot is all in a day’s work for Yvonne Sebree,

owner and founder of Two Ladies & A Plan (TLAP). The veteran contrac-tor and restoration specialist has an eye for renovation projects. Yvonne states, “I can take something that is totally a disaster and make it HGTV – (Home & Gardens TV).” She pur-chased a home in Detroit that had a tree growing up out of the front porch. She further states, “I have a vision for property restoration, I can see where others can’t see.” Yvonne has over 20 years of experience in the construction indus-try and has restored homes through-out the City of Detroit. She states, “Some would think being a female in a male dominated industry would be a challenge. I find it rewarding, as I can stand toe-to-toe with an edge of being detailed oriented.” Two Ladies & A Plan (TLAP) was established in 2004 along with her daughter, Nicole Sebree, out of the need to renovate her investment properties in Detroit. Yvonne states, “I started purchasing investment properties and soon realized that the cost for renovation work was out of my budget. So, I got with other con-tractors and learned to do the work myself.” She is skilled in plaster-ing, painting, landscaping, carpentry and project management. Her atten-tion to detail and high quality work

caught the eyes of others. Soon she was being requested to renovate prop-erties owned by others. Yvonne worked 20 years in the airline industry as a ticket agent and supervisor prior to her work in cons t ruc t ion . Her service and corporate back-ground trained her to be cus-tomer-oriented. She states, “My goal is to make the customer happy and sat-isfied. I give 100% of myself to my clients.” Giving is a major part of Yvonne’s life. As a natural giver, Yvonne found the endeavor of caring for her late husband, mother and brother an honor and a privilege. She cared for her family while running a success-ful business. She states, “The only challenge is I give so much to others and leave very little for myself.” She also mentors teenagers in Detroit. Yvonne trains them in the construc-tion trades and hires them to work on her properties. She states, “We have to reach out beyond our own children and help others. One child that comes from a destructive home can cause others so much destruction.” Two Ladies & A Plan (TLAP) specializes in project man-agement, fire and water damage resto-ration, commercial renovation, graf-fiti removal, property preservation,

l a n d s c a p i n g and construc-tion cleanup. The company also provides emergency ser-vices project management to insurance c o m p a n i e s , cons t ruc t ion companies and disaster resto-ration firms to renovate prop-erties damaged by fire and wa-ter. Y v o n n e states, “The most challeng-ing projects are the fire and water resto-rations. “It is

devastating to a family when their home and

personal belongings are destroyed by a fire and/or water. My heart goes out to them, but I remain calm and confi-dent to give the client peace of mind. “ Beyond A LOGO, LLC. a business development consult-ing firm and fellow Propel Project member, assisted Yvonne to secure contracts with the Detroit Land Bank Authority (DLBA), Performance Di-saster Restoration, Clarks Construc-tion and Michigan Department of Transportation (MDOT). Yvonne also collaborated on the contracts with It’s A Plan, LLC, a turnkey prop-erty solutions firm owned by Briggett Binns. In 2012, the company con-struction projects were very lucra-tive. Her largest contract to date is MDOT’s Bagley Street Pedestrian

Bridge in Detroit. Her one year con-tract ensures the maintenance of a clean and attractive bridge, parking lot and surrounding areas. The beau-tification of the bridge is done mostly with a female team of TLWP, which supports the mission statement, “The Difference is in the Detail.” Work includes keeping the huge project clean of debris, landscaping multiple flower beds and lawns, weeding, pruning and monitoring the bridge for damages from skateboarding and new graffiti. Yvonne’s excellent work has opened doors for her to offer new ser-vices and her second company, Two Ladies With A Plan (TLWAP) was es-tablished in April of this year due to the demand for turn-key residential properties in Detroit. The company recently formed a strategic partner-ship with Performance Disaster Res-toration (PDR), one of the largest mi-nority-owned insurance and disaster repair specialists in Michigan. The company offers 24-hour emergency restoration throughout Michigan, Texas, Florida and Loui-siana. Yvonne’s words of wisdom –“You never know the direction God will take you. Never turn anything down, especially if God brings it to you. It could be a revenue generator to help someone else.”

Two Ladies With A Plan, LLCTelephone: 313 618-2066Email: [email protected]

Contact info:Angeline Lawrence is Founder of

www.EntrepreneurExchangeGroup.com a business blog, online resource and content development firm. She is a writer and speaker that profiles

entrepreneurs and provides edu-cational workshops to help small

businesses.

by Angeline Lawrence

Yvonne Sebree: Miracle worker with an eyefor beauty in the midst of tragedy

Briggett Binns, Yvonne Sebree, Nicole Sebree

Digital Services and Websites: How to Grow Your Business

RADIO ONE WILL HELP YOU HAVEA HIGHLY FUNCTIONAL AND

WELL SERVICED WEBSITEcAll MArk SMItH

Senior AccountExecutive, Radio One, Inc.

313-259-4008Email: [email protected]

B U S I N E S S P R O F I L E


T H E A R T O F L I V I N G I N D E T R O I T

Bursting at the seams with en-thusiasm for travel but down in the dumps due to econom-

ics? Your Economics? Let’s channel that energy because there are hun-dreds of awesome opportunities for serial-travel addicts and new-pass-port-holders alike to blend beach-sitting and soaking up sunshine with chances to help communities, and deepen their knowledge of what it means to study, volunteer, teach, in-tern, or spend a year abroad. Why not experience life in a foreign coun-try! And take it to yet another level by creating a career opportunity! Everyone knows Volunteer-ing can lead to job placement. Why not think outside the box? Volun-touring! Here are two couples, polar opposites, taking advantage of these opportunities but in different ways: Bob and Carol spent a much-anticipated vacation on the ro-mantic garden island of Kauai in Ha-waii. This afternoon they are in work clothes and heavy gloves cutting back blackberry bushes and other in-vasive plants in a local park. Femeon and Tasha would rather exercise dif-ferent options, free labor takes them to a place they’d rather not be. They voluntoured by teaching English to the locals. Femeon especially en-joyed it because students abroad are so respectful and appreciative of teachers, and the experience he gains goes on his resume. He’s in a posi-tion to teach in any beautiful country he applies for, from Africa to Russia. His father is from Africa and I have an inkling of where he may assist next. Many beautiful countries offer these voluntourism opportuni-ties because of the demand. Approx-imately one billion people globally want to learn English, and there is a real demand for native English-speaking teachers. It’s so high that thousands of schools in dozens of countries routinely hire foreign Eng-lish teachers who do not hold a de-gree and pay them very well. Recently, I spoke with Femeon who taught English in China. He gave me his first-hand knowledge of what it’s actually like in China, “The students there take school very seriously be-cause opportunities that are available are quite sparse in comparison to the USA and the students want to make it to our colleges, and they consider our colleges to be of very high stan-dards.”

Some volunteer programs also provide room and/or board, but voluntouring abroad offers greater opportunities than pay. Touring around the globe, enjoying fantastic international experiences and hav-ing the chance to make a difference in the lives of others, thereby mak-ing the world a better place has to be eye-opening challenge and experi-ence. In addition, voluntour-ing is one of five ways individuals can teach English abroad without a TEFL Certification (acronym for “Teaching English as a Foreign Lan-guage”); to students whose first lan-guage is not English. and who live in a region where English is not the official language. Not to be confused with TESL: Teaching English as a Second Language or TESOL: Teach-ing English to Speakers of Other Languages. If you’re touring for em-ployment, just be flexible and patient

in your job search. Be aware that without a degree, it may take you a bit longer to line up teaching jobs and many schools that may be will-ing to hire English teachers without a degree may not be located in the best known cities. Know that receiving training and holding a recognized credential will immensely enhance your chances of gaining employment teaching English abroad. Language schools and institutes will not typi-cally hire you off the street simply because you speak English. They want to hire teachers who have been trained in teaching methodologies, lesson planning and classroom man-agement. Yes you read me right, with some hard work and dedication, “it’s completely possible to teach English abroad even if you don’t have a col-lege degree.” The most important thing to remember is to never let lim-itations or obstacles stop you from pursuing your dreams. Just because

Dubai and Paris may not be realistic options, that shouldn’t stop you from reaching your goal of voluntouring abroad and enjoying the interna-tional experience of a lifetime. From China and Costa Rica to Cambodia and Russia, you have options! “Go Overseas” is an orga-nization now accepting applications for the Writing Corps! Go Overseas has published hundreds of awesome articles and is now in need of writers. If you don’t care to change your citizenship and just want to en-joy another country for a bit. Travel suppliers are delivering more com-plex, sophisticated travel excursions. These might not sound like typical tropical vacations but Gapforce can get you away for a 10-week expedi-tion to work with the Bahamas Na-tional Trust on a marine survey that includes dive training, followed by 11 dives each week to take a census of the reefs in three new protected areas; or be the volunteer sent into

local schools to drum up support for conservation efforts. How would that look on your resume? Or for a long week-end, join Earthwatch to track the

winter migration of Pacific gray whales where you’ll photograph the whales, watch their behavior, and record the rates of their blow-holes. If you’d rather stay out of the water or try yet an even shorter program; Earthwatch also offers an eight-day trip that lets volunteers collect data on plants in the state’s protected mountain ranges, and the Pacific Crest Trail Association organizes crews to keep the trails maintained throughout the states or a week or two tracking whales and dolphins off the Bahamas; Great Abaco Islands. Combining a traditional tour with voluntouring opportunities is proving very popular with indi-viduals as well as with families, as parents look for culturally enriching programs for their children. Let’s face it, soon we’ll be pounded with snow, slammed by wind, and chilled with freezing temperatures for more than two months. Escaping snow and ice with a trip to the Caribbean is a no-brainer--trade your beach sitting for do-gooding even while soaking up the sunshine.

......................................................\Share your thoughtsQuestions or Comments: our-

[email protected] (313) 909-2838

Contact info: Ginger TansilCosmetology Teacher,

Founder of Looking Good Mat-ters; healthy non-profit empower-ment workshop for women held at New Mt. Zion Baptist Church for personal growth/women of all ages, discussions of best products to use to promote healthy hair growth and elimination of harsh cancer causing ingredients like sodium laurel sulfate (or at least how to manage it). Volunteer

models are needed of all ages.Call (313) 909-2838 with ques-tions concerning hair care dilem-mas or to set up a workshop for

your or your group.

By Ginger Tansil

Voluntourism Leading to Employment - Adventure with Purpose

Why not experience life in a foreign country! And take it to yet another level by creating a

career opportunity! Everyone knows Volunteer-ing can lead to job placement. Why not think

outside the box? Voluntouring!

There are many considerations when starting a business. Your business needs a name. You’ll

need enough money to get started. And a steady flow of cash is probably only going to happen after several months. As you work through these initial de-tails, keep the five following legal con-siderations in mind:

1. licensesDepending on the type of business, you may be required to obtain a license. Generally, a business license permits and authorizes a prospective owner to operate a business. Obtaining a busi-ness license can be as easy as filling out a few papers, or as difficult as maneu-vering through a complicated applic-tion process. Either way, you may incur fines, or worse, if you operate a busi-

ness without a license or permit where one is required.

2. Business formation Don’t confuse a business license with formal business formation. A business license grants authority and permission to operate the business. Business for-mation, on the other hand, establishes your business as a legal entity with certain rights. There are four common business formations: sole proprietor-ships, partnerships, corporations and a limited liability company. By choos-ing the proper business form, you can protect your personal assets (e.g. bank accounts, homes, vehicles, etc.) in the event of a lawsuit. For this rea-son, corporations and limited liability companies are a popular choice. Filing the required papers with the State of Michigan to start a corporation or lim-ited liability company is very easy. Put-ting together such items as Articles of Incorporation, Operating Agreements and Buy-Sell Agreements can be more complicated.

3. liability InsuranceEven if you insulate yourself from per-sonal liability by forming the proper business entity, you still need to protect the business itself. A single lawsuit, for instance, could completely wipe out an uninsured business. By obtain-ing the right insurance policy, includ-ing comprehensive general liability and automobile liability coverage, you can protect your business’s assets.

4. OrdinancesMost cities or towns have ordinances related to land use. An ordinance is a set of local laws that govern a city in conjunction with state and federal laws. Many ordinances designate areas with-in the city for business operation. If you conduct business in an area not desig-nated for business operations, you risk being fined or even having your busi-ness shut down.

5. taxesYour business may be subject to specif-ic state and federal tax regulations. For instance, business entities are required to obtain a federal tax identification

number (commonly known as, “EIN”). Your business may also be subject to federal and state income taxes. If you form a business entity (e.g. corporation or limited liability company), your cho-sen form will determine which income tax documents you must prepare. There may also be tax benefits available to you depending on your type of busi-ness.

conclusionAs you move forward with your busi-ness plans, you should consider the legal aspects of starting a business. Doing so will help you avoid serious problems down the road. While this ar-ticle does not offer a complete list of legal considerations, it should provide you with a good starting point. Finally, please look out for the next issue of the Detroit Black Pages, where my discus-sion might further help you avoid some of the legal pitfalls of owning and oper-ating a business.

Contact info: Email:[email protected]


F E A T U R E A R T I C L E

Quality Home Health Care Services of Michigan has been in the business of pro-

viding home health care services for residents of Wayne, Oakland and Macomb counties for 12 years, since 2001. Quality Home Health Care is a black owned company that strives to provide a quality of care that should be expected from all homecare agencies. Your loved ones maynot know that they have options when it comes to their homecare deci-sions. Physicians can recommend the agency of their choice but ulti-mately it is the patient’s choice. There are a lot of home health care agencies whose staff is not willing to treat patients in Detroit. QHHC is committed to servicing the Detroit community and provides the majority of their patient care services to patients living in Detroit. As a good cor-porate citizen QHHC has provided free health screenings on a weekly basis at Northwest Activities Cen-ter located on Meyers near 7 mile road since 2007. QHHC provides free health screening for the City of Detroit Senior Citizens Depart-ment, Wayne State University’s Institute of Gerontology Healthier Black Elders group and a variety of churches and auxiliaries. These free health screenings have contributed to the saving of lives of individuals who were unaware that their medi-cal conditions had deteriorated to a dangerous level.

QHHc IS cOMMItteDtO QuAlIty SerVIce

In 2007, 2008 and 2009, QHHC received the Award of Ex-cellent from HomeCare Elite™ a division of Decision Health, Inc. for being with in the top 10% of Home Healthcare Agencies in the United States. This award was given based on home healthcare agency’s scores within the four HomeCare Elite™ performance measures: Quality of Care, Quality Improvement, Pro-cess of Care Measures, and Fi-nancial Performance. “We are ex-tremely excited about our quality rankings which have been consis-tently above the national and state averages for years,” said Michael Gilliam, President of QHHC.

QHHc prOVIDeS tHefOllOwIng SerVIceS:

- Skilled Nursing- Personal Injury Care- Psychiatric Nursing- Physical, Occupational, and Speech Therapy- Medical Social Worker assistance

- Home Health Aide Care- Dietitian Consultation You should choose Qual-ity Home Health Care Services of Michigan for the following reasons:

▪ Homebound seniors who are un-able to leave their home for regular office visits can have a visiting phy-sician without leaving the comfort of their primary care physician

▪ QHHC has saved lives and has helped to reduce hospital re-admis-sions.

▪ QHHC has equipment that allows their nurses to monitor patients re-motely resulting in the following benefits:▪ Provides timely information to the patient’s physician

▪ Improves clinical decision making and better outcomes

▪ Increases patient/family satisfac-tion

▪ Maximizes nurse’s time and effi-ciency

You should be encouraged to place your loved ones in the best home healthcare possible. Please call QHHC toll free, 1-866- 270-2558 or visit their website at www.qualityhomehealthcare.net

..............................

Contact us if you or someone you know is in need of QHHC’s

services. Our staff will work with you in contacting your doctor for a

referral. You can reach us toll free at 866-270-2558.

Visit our web site @www.qualityhomehealthcare.net

It is the Patient’s Right to Choose their own Home Health Care ProviderQuality Home Health Care of Michigan is the Right Choice

By Sharde’ Gilliam

So You Are Starting A Business? Great! Here Are 5 Legal Considerations To Keep In Mind

Daimeon Cotton,Associate Attorney with Williams Acosta Law Firm


One of the most complex and misinterpreted words in a civ-il society is the word “law”.

It’s such asmall word but it has a huge and imperative impact on our lives from inception to death. What does it actually mean? How many times do you hear, “Well, what does the law say?” Is that against the law? Is that within the law? or, You should consult with a lawyer. The meaning of the word itself has so many variables and en-compasses such a broad range of ac-tivities and situations. Some defini-tions of “law” include:

1. All the rules of conduct estab-lished and enforced by authority, legislation, or custom of a commu-nity, state, or other group.

2. the principles and regulations established in a community by some authority and applicable to its people, whether in the form of legislation or of custom and poli-cies recognized and enforced by judicial decision.

3. Any written or positive rule or collection of rules prescribed un-der the authority of the state or nation, as by the people in its con-stitution.

4. The controlling influence of such rules; the condition of soci-ety brought about by their obser-vance: maintaining law and order.

5. A system or collection of rules or the branch of knowledge dealing with such rules.

Attorneys or lawyers are trained in this branch of knowledge (jurisprudence) to represent and ad-vise others in matters pertaining to the law. In many instances they are legally empowered to act on their client’s behalf to resolve issues in the practice of law, to explain the law and the rights of their clients as it relates to the law through the court system or through mediation. Attorneys form the back-bone of society and are indispensable when it comes to legal matters and act as a shield for their clients when they are faced with the consequences of breaking the law or standing up for them when unjust laws are enacted upon them. When he or she enters law school, all aspects of law has to be learned and you must pass with good marks in all subjects. It is only after a student passes the bar examina-tion that he or she finally becomes a lawyer and then chooses what type of lawyer they want to become. Be-

ing a lawyer is a continuous learning profession.

After graduating magna cum laude of Michigan State Uni-versity in 1979 and a 1982 graduate of the University of Michigan Law School, Avery Williams knew he didn’t want to be a traditional lawyer. Avery always had the desire to be in a courtroom and litigate live cases. After hearing T.D. Jakes speak on being true to your own gifts, Avery realized his pas-sion for live the-ater and knew that litigation was his love. He is a com-mercial and real estate litigator first and a coun-selor and busi-ness lawyer second. Avery Williams and Reuben Acosta founded Detroit-based Wil-liams Acosta, PLLC, a diverse busi-ness law firm in 2002. The firm’s goal was to provide better legal services and rates particularly for clients of color. As a business coun-selor and litigator, Mr. Acosta coun-

seled and represented clients in a broad array of complex commercial and litigation matters and disputes. Born in Cuba and fluent in Spanish, Ruben’s professional re-sponsibilities included representing Latin American companies and citi-zens involved in transnational com-mercial disputes in the United States and abroad. As a litigator, Ruben Acosta successfully prosecuted and de-fended cases in jury and bench tri-als and through summary judgment motion practice. Ruben graduated with distinction from the University of Michigan in 1982 and cum laude from the University of Detroit-Mer-cy School of Law in 1988. Reuben Acosta passed in 2012. Mr. Williams concentrates his practice in commercial and gen-eral business litigation, environmen-tal law and litigation, and eminent domain law. Avery Williams is a na-

tionally recognized expert and has established himself as one of the country’s top litigators in the area of eminent domain. He has successfully represented the City of Detroit, the Detroit/Wayne County Stadium Au-thority, International Transmission Company d/b/a ITC Transmission, as well as,several other large nation-al corporations in various eminent domain-related cases. Other attorneys that make up Williams Acosta Law firm and work hand in hand with Mr. Wil-liams are: Victor J. Torres, David A. Domzal, Teri Whitehead, Alan Was-serman, Lisa Gardner, Daimeon Cot-ton and Scott J. Ciraulo. Mr. Williams has provided condemnation and land acquisition expertise on some of the capital improvements projects to public infrastructure to increase the City of Detroit’s economic growth and redevelopment. The dual stadia project – Comerica Park and Ford Field; Detroit Riverwalk a 1.35-mile greenway, features a 20-foot-wide paved pathway, which includes sepa-rate lanes for pedestrian and bicycle traffic; and the Waterfront Reclama-

tion and Casino Development Project, which brought casinos to Detroit, are just a few of the major projects he has represented the City as lead counsel. He has taken his expertise to the neighborhoods in community growth and development. The NDC implemented a residential project on the southeast side of Detroit com-monly known as Jefferson Village. He provided NDC with the experi-ence and expertise necessary in land acquisition, real estate law and envi-ronmental consultation to bring this community redevelopment vision to fruition. This project would include acquiring 40 acres of property, re-locating residents, demolition, site preparation and rehabilitation of public infrastructure. Also, the re-vival of Brush Park which is a small but historically significant commu-nity would become a vibrant active neighborhood again due to Mr. Wil-liams’ expertise. Mr. Williams has been lead counsel in the representation of the Detroit Water & Sewerage Depart-ment (DWSD) and at the forefront of the department’s efforts, successes and accomplishments in the environ-mental arena involving the reduction of water pollution in Southeastern Michigan. He has also actively par-ticipated in rewriting the Depart-ment’s pretreatment program and the City’s Wastewater Discharge Ordi-nance (No. 34-96). The pretreatment program is now functioning from positions of strength and direction rather than reaction and stagnation. Mr. Williams’ practice has involved unique experience under the Federal Clean Water Act, CERCLA, MERA and the Michigan Uniform Condem-nation Procedures Act. On an ongoing basis, Mr. Williams provides advice on a va-riety of critical environmental is-sues facing DWSD, under the Clean Water Act and other laws, including exempting the City Airport and other facilities within the City from the new storm water regulations. These issues involve potentially multi-mil-lion dollar savings to the City.

..........................................................

Mr. Williams is also a fre-quent author and speaker on devel-opment, eminent domain, business law and litigation matters. Williams Acosta Law firm is located at 535 Griswold St. Suite 1000, Detroit, MI 48226. Call: 313.963.3873. .

Avery K. Williams

Avery Williams of Williams Acosta Law FirmHelping to Pave the way for Detroit Growth and Development

Avery Williams is a nationally recognized expert and has established himself as one of the coun-

try’s top litigators in the area of eminent do-main. He has successfully represented the City of Detroit, the Detroit/Wayne County Stadium

Authority, International Transmission Company d/b/a ITCTransmission, as well as, several other large national corporations in various eminent

domain-related cases.

Reuben Acosta

B U S I N E S S P R O F I L E

have never focused on the issues causing the flight....zero for everything bad happening in a major...

Documents

Transcript of have never focused on the issues causing the flight....zero for everything bad happening in a major...