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This article presents the mid-year economic report for Detroit, Michigan. For auto suppliers, results were better, but high steel prices loomed. In real estate, demand is still high, but rising interest rates threaten to slow things down. First-quarter results were good, in general, and second-quarter expectations also are high, though not as high as the first quarter. Small metal-stampers and steel-dependent system suppliers, such as Intermet Corp., were hammered by steel price increases of up to 50 percent and surcharges of $30 per ton. Energy prices also were a concern and will remain so for the rest of the year.

The article focuses on Dan Gilbert, chairman and founder of Quicken Loans/Rock Financial Inc. in Livonia, Michigan, who is planning to start Bizdom University, a two-year entrepreneurial institute, to generate the next generation of businessmen in the state. Gilbert, who is a self-made businessman, views that entrepreneurism can be best taught by entrepreneurs. He has invested $10 million of his own money in the institute.

The article reports that the Lansing, Michigan-based Small Business Association of Michigan (SBAM) is teaming up with the Michigan Municipal League and the Michigan State Housing Development Authority (MSHDA) to find out how to bolster a sense of community and make the state more entrepreneur-friendly. The two groups have contributed $5,000 each to the SBAM, which will allow it to survey small businesses and determine community attractions that are likely to keep them in Michigan.

The article reports on Leon & Lulu's furniture store in Clawson, Michigan. It is reported that the company's co-owners Stephen Scannell and Mary Liz Curtin opened the store in April 2006 after spending nearly $200,000 to renovate the former Ambassador Roller Rink in the area. It is further reported that the store, which had sales of $700,000 in its first 12 months, is expected to exceed $1 million sales in 2007.

The article reports that Dan Carmody, president and chief executive officer (CEO) of the Eastern Market Corp., is hopeful that the company will be able to deliver substantial growth in times to come. He hopes that the company will take benefit from the potential of the grocery market in Detroit, Michigan.

The article presents information on how automobile dealer Mike Riehl restored the sales of his Roseville, Michigan-based company Chrysler Jeeps with vintage parts. Through Riehl's dealership, people find parts as large as engines and as small as authentic nameplates. He started selling Mopar restoration parts about a year and a half ago, and now the sales have reached $20,000 a month. The parts are sold in his showroom at Roseville and on the Web at www.roseville moparts.com.

The article reports that an analysis by Anderson Economic Group LLC shows that Detroit metropolitan area will be a shopping hot spot for the Canadian shoppers seeking deals on their holiday gifts in 2007. The declining value of the U.S. dollar and the increasing value of the Canadian dollar have made goods and services cheaper.

The article presents information on the business growth of Allen Park, Michigan-based Belle Tire Distributors Inc. It is stated that the firm has gained a new subsidiary by entering the automobile glass repair and replacement business. It is also mentioned that Belle began offering the service through its 80 Michigan stores and 20 mobile repair vans recently. INSET: GROWTH PLANS.

The article presents information on a new shop opened by the owners of 6 Salon inside the new MGM Grand Detroit LLC casino in Detroit, Michigan. 6 Salon shares space inside MGM's Immerse Spa, a 20,000-square-foot facility that includes cosmetology and massage services. It is stated that MGM chose 6 Salon after it won a North American Hairstyling Award for salon design in July 2007.

The article reports that Derrick Coleman, former player of the basketball team Detroit Pistons, is planning to open Snyx Sneaker Studio, a retail store for sporting goods in Detroit, Michigan. The store sells exclusive Nike Inc.'s products. Snyx sells Nike clothes and shoes ranging from $75 to $280, including designs that aren't available in most sporting goods stores. According to Coleman, the project involves a cost of $1 million.

The article reports on Saline, Michigan-based consulting firm, Menawat & Co. Inc. The company provides profit-mapping consulting, which helps companies cut costs and increase profit margins. In 2006, the company decided to start pursuing business outside the U.S. According to the owner of the company, Anil Menawat, while the bulk of Menawat & Co.'s business is domestic, his company began looking at international growth in order to help diversify the client base.

The article reports on Bloomfield Hills, Michigan-based Taubman Centers Inc. which is about to open two retail projects in Southeast Michigan. According to Robert Taubman, chairman, president and CEO of Taubman Centers, the redeveloped and expanded Twelve Oaks Mall in Novi and the new Mall at Partridge Creek in Clinton Township will perform well, despite the down economy.

The article presents information on how to bring expertise in family-owned business with reference to the experience of certain businesspeople in Michigan. Citing the experience of businesswoman Sally Myers, who changed her career to run the family business, the article suggests that outside experience will help to improve the business. According to Don Levitt, president of Levitt Consulting Inc., working for other companies before working at the family firm is a best practice.

The article reports on an ongoing tussle between the Northville township and developers over the contaminated Northville Psychiatric Hospital site in Michigan. It is informed that the state of Michigan put the site for sale five years ago. The site complexities, as well as personality conflicts between competing developers and government officials, have placed redevelopment in a stalemate.

The article reports on the plans of Wal-Mart Stores Inc. to build 17 supercenters by the end of 2009 in the southeast are of Michigan. The company has planned to convert up to six existing retail-only stores, while the rest are new developments throughout metro Detroit. The Wal-Mart Supercenters are combination of full-service grocery and general merchandise stores. INSET: Wal-Mart has no plans yet for a Detroit supercenter.

The article reports that the purchase of 20 Farmer Jack stores by Cincinnati-based Kroger Co. to increase its sales revenues, has made it more competitive for market share in Detroit, Michigan. Grocery chains like Meijer Inc., will fight the company in its bid to become a leader in local market share. Kroger has also become the competitor of grocery chains that have gourmet goods and loyal customers.

The article reports on the plan of Social Compact Inc. to work with the Detroit Economic Growth Corp. to study spending power in Detroit, Michigan. The study includes six areas outlined in the city's Next Detroit Neighborhoods Initiative. The plan is aimed to create a business case for attracting retail to the city. Social Compact bases its reports on market information that is not used in typical demographic or Census projections.

The article features Engineering Reproduction Inc., a family owned-business which does digital printing for architects, engineers and construction companies in Detroit, Michigan. The company invested $2 million to switch from doing photographic reprints of blueprints and renderings to use digital reproduction machines that allowed them to send and receive information via the Internet. The new technology has helped the firm in increasing its annual revenue.

The article focuses on the issues outlined by labor leaders at the 2007 Mackinac Policy Conference by the Detroit Regional Chamber on Mackinac Island, Michigan. James Hoffa of Teamsters and Ron Gettelfinger of the United Auto Workers International called for business and labor to look at issues in which they can find common ground. Chamber President and Chief Executive Officer (CEO) Richard Blouse Jr. and Doug Rothwell of Detroit Renaissance Inc. plan to move the business-labor dialogue forward.

The article reports on the decline of sales of residential firms in Detroit. It states that gross sales for top residential brokers have reached $10 billion in 2006, dropping 22.5 percent from $12.9 billion in 2005. Real Estate One Inc., leading brokerage in Southfield, reportedly have 1,732 brokers in 2006, down from 1,949 in 2005. In order to cope up with the downturn, the firm has cut down its operational costs and offer additional financing options to customers.

The article presents results of a survey conducted by research firm EPIC-MRA of small to midsize companies in Michigan. Despite a growing discontent with the state's economy, most Michigan businesses say they are planning to hire or maintain their staffing levels in the next six months. 28 percent of businesses plan to increase wages in the next six months, and 29 percent expect to add or increase employee benefits. 54 percent of businesses plan to spend money on employee training. INSET: SURVEY: SPEND TAXES TO LURE BUSINESSES.

The article reports on Louis Green, who is the head of the Michigan Minority Business Development Council's 26th annual Michigan Minority Procurement Conference and Trade Fair that will be held in Detroit, Michigan on May 1-2, 2007. It has been stated that Green's steadfast belief in the value of entrepreneurism is the backdrop for the conference. INSET: Green has mix of business, government experience.

The article presents information on the presence of women in the venture-capital industry in Michigan. The top women say that despite their successes, there are still few women among their ranks, or among the ranks of companies that attract investment dollars. According to Mary Campbell, founder of EDF Ventures, there tend to be fewer women in the hard sciences, which is often the background of a founding entrepreneur.

The article informs that public-private partnerships are paving the way for wetland conservation along the Detroit River International Wildlife Refuge in Michigan. About 780 acres of wetlands and habitats inside the Lake Erie Metropark were added to the Detroit River in February 2007. By adding the property to the refuge, the Lake Erie retains ownership, but gains the assistance of the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service in managing its ecology.

The article presents views of Dan Gilbert, chairman and founder of Quicken Loans/Rock Financial Inc., on the development of Southeast Michigan. Gilbert said the region has assets such as a strong work ethic, strong research universities and sparks of entrepreneurs. But Southeast Michigan has many more liabilities including bureaucracy that prevents new ideas from taking shape, lack of risk-taking and "brain drain" of young professionals.

The article reports that according to the Michigan Tooling Association (MTA), the National Association of Manufacturers' (NAM) executive committee is not protecting the interests of domestic tool manufacturers in Michigan. The NAM did not vote in favor of the Hunter-Ryan Chinese Currency Act during the year 2006. Herb Trute, the chairman of the board of the MTA, says that NAM has promoted the interests of large, multinational manufacturers while ignoring the interests of smaller firms.

The article presents information on entrepreneur Dan Gilbert, who has been chosen as the newsmaker for the year 2006 by this journal. No one is doing more than Gilbert to foster entrepreneurship in Southeast Michigan, which has been hit hard by plant closings and bankruptcy filings by major auto suppliers. He believes in creating a culture of entrepreneurship.

The article presents information on the decision of the University of Detroit Mercy, Detroit, Michigan to move its dental school and clinic near the downtown area of Detroit. The university hopes that the move can provide additional momentum to Detroit's Core City neighborhood, an area that is already seeing some growth and redevelopment.

The article focuses on small business groups responding to gender equality law in Michigan. After the passage of Proposal 2, women's business groups are pursuing new ways to keep companies competitive. Organizations that assist woman-owned businesses are looking at ways to help their members compete for state and local contracts. Proposal 2, will be effective from December 22, 2006, prohibits public entities from using race or gender preferences in hiring, contracting and university admissions.

The article reports that health care, business services and tourism industries all are projected to continue a hiring trend in Michigan despite the region's recession. The University of Michigan Health System plans to fill 1,500 existing positions next year. St. John Health Macomb expects to hire 50 at a new $20 million urgent-care and surgical center expected to open next year in Macomb Township. Henry Ford Health System Inc. plans to hire about 1,200 workers in 2007.

The article reports on Anthony Kellum, President and owner of Southfield, Michigan-based Kellum Mortgage Financial Services Inc. Kellum started his company in 1994 with a $10,000 loan from his father. Kellum expanded his business on providing loans to people who often were buying their first homes. He started the Kellum Community Housing in 1999 to rehabilitate affordable homes and move local low-to-moderate-income families into them.

The article informs that Sterling Heights, Michigan-based General Dynamics Land Systems Inc. is getting ready to compete for a $15 billion deal from a military program to develop a replacement vehicle for some of the 150,000 Humvees now used by the U.S. forces. General Dynamics is one of the major defense contractors in the U.S. to help develop specifications for a tactical vehicle.

The article presents information on an initiative to attract and promote Gateway Park, a proposed retail center near Michigan State Fairground in Detroit, Michigan. Several business executives have written letters to help convince a national retailer to look at the site. Governor Jennifer Granholm has asked a retailer to take consider Gateway Park and also persuade the company.

The article reports on the conversion of a two-mile strip of Livernois Avenue in Detroit, Michigan into a boulevard to avoid traffic accidents. But some of the retailers of the area have complained that the one way street has hurt their businesses. Dismissing the complain, Jerry Rowe, manager of the Southeast Michigan Council of Governments has stated that boulevards do provide a safer movement of vehicles.

The article reports that there will be a rise of nearly 15 percent in 2006 in the number of loans backed by the United States Small Business Administration. According to Lee Pollock, state director for business banking of Charter One Bank NA, which is currently the Michigan state's No. 1 small-business lender, the bank created a team of 35 lenders in 2004 to work specifically with small businesses and deals under $500,000.

The article presents information related to the Hispanic Business Expo. The expo is scheduled to take place from September 6 to September 7 at the Detroit Marriott at the Renaissance Center, Detroit, Michigan. The Hispanic Business Alliance (HBA) is said to be on track for the expo. Frederick Feliciano, president and chairman of the HBA, the organization had secured $250,000 in monetary and in-kind sponsorships to cover the event's $230,000 budget.

The article focuses on the plans of Ace Hardware Corp. to nearly double its number of stores in metro Detroit, Michigan, during the next several years. It is reported that there are 52 Ace stores in Southeast Michigan, and according to Ace, the market can sustain up to 40 more. By offering grants of $195,000 to help people opening their first store and $215,000 for current store owners who open additional locations, Ace is hoping to attract store owners.

The article reports on the planning of car dealers regarding the selling of cars in Michigan in summer 2006. It is reported that the car dealers are imploring for heavy discounts and low-interest loans to sell their cars in this summer. On this issue, David Butler, general manager of the Suburban Collection in Troy, Michigan, said that the buying habits of the consumers are certainly changing and hence the car dealers are watching more and more consumers that are price-conscious and demanding more fuel-efficient cars.

This article presents information on the business planning at Wesley Berry Florist Inc. It represents both the old and new guard of local flower shops. The West Bloomfield Township-based company opened in 1946. Wesley Berry's policy includes buying flowers directly from growers in order to cut costs and provide fresher produce. The florist also has changed over time. Technology has helped Wesley Berry Florist save costs by becoming more efficient. The company has spent nearly $200,000 to upgrade its computer systems to create faster orders.

The article reports that managers of older malls are looking fop a little New York retail magic, when Marshall Field's stores in Southeast Michigan will take on the Macy's name on September 9, 2006. Cincinnati-based Federated Department Stores Inc. announced in the fall of 2005 that all Marshall Field's stores, including the 11 in metro Detroit, would convert to Macy's. Jennifer McNamara, spokeswoman for Macy's North, which operates Macy's stores in seven states including Michigan, said the name change officially will be unveiled in September 2006, though Macy's will start putting its exclusive brands into Marshall Field's stores in July and August 2006.

This article focuses on a survey conducted for Detroit Renaissance Inc. and the periodical "Crain's Detroit Business," by New Economy Strategies LLC of Washington. The results of the survey revealed that Southeast Michigan's large-company culture discourages entrepreneurship and the region should do more to encourage innovation, particularly in alternative energy, life sciences and health care. The conclusions came from more than 350 executives, entrepreneurs, venture capitalists, real estate developers and board members of corporations, nonprofits and academic institutions. The vast majority of respondents represent small businesses.

The article reports on Ann Arbor, Michigan developers saying that the city is defeating its own goal of creating more affordable housing by increasing the fee it charges for an affordable housing trust by nearly 50 percent, to $89,000 a unit. Business advocates such as the Ann Arbor Area Chamber of Commerce say the increase will make market-rate units more expensive and discourage developers from creating housing of any kind in the city, including affordable units. Ann Arbor's affordable housing trust was established in 1992 and is used to build, preserve or rehabilitate affordable housing in the city, usually by giving money to nonprofits that work toward that goal. According to Ann Arbor City Administrator Roger Fraser, the fee needed to be raised because it didn't cover the cost of building a housing unit in the city.

The article discusses issues related to minimum wages regulations in Michigan. Arnold Andrews, president of Tiffany's Building Services Inc. is unsure about how an increase in Michigan's minimum wage would affect his cleaning business. But Andrews supports an increase because he believes it's difficult to support a family on the current minimum wage of $5.15 an hour. Although Joseph Fontana, CEO of Detroit-based Michigan Box Co. Inc., is equally ambiguous about the effects of a wage increase, he probably would vote against one if the issue appears on the November ballot.

This article reports that after 31 years in Warren, Michigan, Schlitter Tool Co. is thinking about leaving town. President of the company David Schlitter hoped that his company could participate in the state's tool-and-die recovery zone program, which would help the company pay fewer taxes and become more competitive. But when Warren declined last year to grant necessary tax abatements that would let Schlitter Tool participate, Schlitter said that he needed to consider other options. Few Southeast Michigan communities are granting the tax breaks needed for companies to participate in the program. Only 10 of the 125 companies approved for the program are in the Detroit area because local governments say they can't afford the tax breaks.

This article reports that Colliers International Inc. has acquired Insite Commercial Group, a Southfield, Michigan-based real estate brokerage, for an undisclosed sum. Insite was formed in 2001 by President and CEO Randall Thomas in partnership with Schostak Bros. & Co. The company will move its 30 employees into Colliers' Southfield offices by January 31, 2006. Thomas said that although Insite was never up for sale, it had been approached by several companies over the last 18 months. Colliers Managing Director Leo Tosto said that Insite has specialized in retail brokerage and land acquisitions, areas where Colliers has been planning to expand.

This article reports that Michigan-based Jadi Inc., believes it is on the fast track to creating new navigation systems for military robots after moving into the SmartZone Business Incubator at Oakland University in Rochester, Michigan, this month. Vice President and CFO Jerry Atkinson said that the company expects to receive at least $3 million in grants and federal funding this year, up from $1 million in 2005. Jadi employs four and plans to hire up to six new employees this year. Part of the anticipated growth comes from the perks Jadi will receive since moving part of its operations last Thursday into an office in the incubator on Oakland's campus in Rochester Hills. The benefits include help with securing funding and venture capital, a volunteer advisory board that meets quarterly, and access to Oakland's Shotwell-Gustafson Pavilion, which has more than 20,000 square feet of indoor space where Jadi can test its military technology year-round.

This article focuses on the Michigan Civil Rights Initiative, a proposal that would end affirmative action in the public sector, could hurt procurement initiatives for woman-owned businesses if it passes next November. Jennifer Gratz, executive director of the Michigan Civil Rights Initiative in Southgate, Michigan, was one of the plaintiffs in the 1997 Gratz v. Bollinger case that claimed racial discrimination against non-minority applicants in the University of Michigan's undergraduate admissions process. Procurement programs that benefit woman-owned businesses are "extremely offensive" because they imply women can't compete without special assistance, Gratz said.

This article presents news briefs related to business enterprises in Michigan. Sidney Krandall and Sons Co.'s decision this month to close its stores in Troy and Auburn Hills is a sign of the times for local, family-owned jewelers. Valente Jewelers Inc. and Haffner Jewelry Co. also are getting of the retail jewelry business. New York-based Tourneau Inc. opened a 3,000-square-foot specialty watch store at Somerset Collection that will compete with local jewelry retailers for the luxury watch market.

The article reports that Delphi Corp. faces the prospect of dramatically cutting its global workforce. One of the company's business units plans to hire workers and fill additional office space, likely in Troy, Michigan. Delphi Medical Systems Corp. is looking for space to accommodate employees that would relocate from its Troy headquarters, plus new hires. Mary McCahon, manager of communications at Delphi Medical Systems, said the company is looking for space that would fit about 100 employees. McCahon said there are 30 medical systems employees at the company's Troy headquarters, but there is no room for growth there.

The article reports that Troy-based Automation Alley and newly formed Ann Arbor Spark separately are reorganizing, evaluating operations and working to keep and lure technology companies and jobs to Southeast Michigan. Automation Alley has reorganized its top management and is spending $25,000 on a study of Southeast Michigan's technology sector. Ann Arbor Spark is the brainchild of a group of Ann Arbor-based businesses, government and University of Michigan, Ann Arbor officials. Automation Alley's budget was $2.1 million for the 2004-05 fiscal year, which ended August 31.