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Find Your Ancestors at the Southfield Public Library’s Genealogy Lock-In
Find Your Ancestors at the Southfield Public Library’s Genealogy Lock-In sccadmin

Tracing your family roots is something you have always wanted to do, but somehow, you can never find the time. Work, kids, phone, house, dog…something always keeps you from doing what it takes to even get started.

Librarians at the Southfield Public Library know just how hard this can be. That’s why they offer an after-hours Genealogy Lock-In.

“We are literally locked in after hours, after the library is closed,” explains Kitty Allen, of the Adult Services Department of the Southfield Public Library. “It’s a peaceful, distraction-free time. At home, good luck! The phone rings, and you are distracted.”

The event, now in its ninth year, encourages participants to put their heads down and get to work building their family tree, or filling branches that take concentrated time and energy to leaf out. Library staff, experts at guiding people through research of all kinds, are on hand during the event to answer questions.

“Sometimes, it’s nice to have a chance to bounce ideas off of someone,” says Allen.

The library also has big tables where participants can spread out with paperwork, to capture their family tree from a big-picture view, which is sometimes enormously helpful when drawing connections from one family member to another. Popular ancestry software programs are also available on the computers, but are special limited-resource library versions.

“You can’t form your own tree on it, but you can search,” says Allen. Participants may be able to print some information to take with them

One of the most important resources for building a family tree is the United States Census, according to Allen. “It’s really fun to see your parent as a 3-year old in the Census. You can track your grandparents, and everywhere they lived in their lifetime. You can stake down who was in the household, and where they were. You may think you know, but sometimes through research, you get a surprise,” she says.

Building a family tree is an exercise in proving information correct or incorrect. Every birth, marriage, and death, and all the information in between, can be clues. “A marriage record or license would tell you who were witnesses at the wedding, and they may be people who are important to the family,” Allen says.

The entire process is like a puzzle, and you are driven by the desire to know more about your family, and to know accurate details. Those who want to get started can use a couple of common ancestry tools.
“You can start with a pedigree chart, and move on to a family group sheet,” Allen says. “You are staking down the facts of the family, and the more you know going in or can estimate, the more accurately you can limit your research.”

What Allen really enjoys about the Genealogy Lock-In is witnessing people learn some really incredible stories about their families. For some, she says, the information is identity-forming.

“You can humanize people who are, up to that point, just a name,” she says. And those who learn about their own families are destined to learn more about history, as well. Sudden deaths from diseases like influenza or cholera can erase entire families, or families experience financial ruin during The Great Depression or other catastrophic loss. Still others lose family members during wartime. These are historical events that can come to life through our own families, and can become poignant and real for the researcher.

Those who put in time and effort, and who really want to know more about their ancestors, can be surprised by the unexpected rewards. But getting results is also a fair amount of work, a reality some just aren’t prepared for.

“The process is not for everybody. It’s tedious. But it is a puzzle and this is your identity. People find out things that are surprising to them, like an ethnicity they weren’t aware of,” Allen says. “But the library offers a beautiful space to do this work. You can rest your eyes, go into a dreamy state, and benefit from the peace and quiet and space.”

The Genealogy Lock-In is on Thursday, June 21, from 7 p.m. – 9:30 p.m., on the second floor of the Southfield Public Library. The event always draws a crowd, so register early.

Registration begins June 1, and is limited by space and resources. Visit the library’s website, or call (248) 796-4200.

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Crohn’s & Colitis Foundation Walk Comes to City Centre
Crohn’s & Colitis Foundation Walk Comes to City Centre sccadmin

Southfield City Centre is the new venue for the Crohn’s & Colitis Foundation Take Steps Walk on June 9, 2018. The family-friendly walk will cover 2.6 miles across the City Centre’s walkable district, with the opportunity of a one-mile shortcut, for those who want a shorter distance.

Walk organizers feel the City Centre is perfectly suited for the event, according to Sarah Arminiak, Take Steps manager for the Crohn’s & Colitis Foundation. “Southfield City Centre is hands-down beautiful, like a park in the middle of an urban city. The walking route is gorgeous, and highlights benches, plants, flowers, art, and wide sidewalks,” Arminiak says.

Participants will travel across metro Detroit and other areas of Michigan to attend the event, and will benefit from the City Centre’s easy freeway access.

The event’s continual growth over the years gave organizers the opportunity to seek a new location for the 2018 tenth anniversary event. “We came and looked at Southfield and were sold within a minute,” says Arminiak. Up to 1,500 participants and 100 volunteers will enjoy the ample space and welcoming vibe of the City Centre district.

Before the walk begins, a festival on the Civic Center lawn will provide entertainment and information. Hosted booths will share latest medical treatments and common challenges faced by those with inflammatory bowel disease. Attendees can “ask the doctor” with staff from Henry Ford Health System’s IBD center, and get nutritional information from Medical Weight Loss Clinic. Face painting, crafts, inflatables, and a photo booth will be available for families to enjoy.

In addition to raising funds, the event will spread awareness of inflammatory bowel disease. “We encourage people to come and learn more about how IBD is a skin issue, a fatigue issue, and an autoimmune issue,” Arminiak says.

Event info:
Crohn’s & Coitis Foundation Take Steps Walk, June 9, 9:00 a.m. check in, 10:30 a.m. walk. Southfield Civic Center Complex. More info here, or call 248-737-0900 ext.6.

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Westin Southfield Detroit is a Landmark with a Whole New Look
Westin Southfield Detroit is a Landmark with a Whole New Look sccadmin

Checking in to a hotel used to feel like a combination of making a bank transaction and ordering cold cuts at a deli counter.

But no more.

At the Westin Southfield Detroit hotel in the Southfield City Centre, the traditional tall, imposing reception desk has been sent to pasture, and has been replaced by four clean, minimalist pods, greatly increasing the personal connection each reception associate can offer guests.

It’s kind of like a truly personal welcoming home for friends and family.

This reimagined space is just one highlight of the fresh new look at the Westin Southfield Detroit. On April 26, the 12-floor Southfield Town Center hotel opened its doors to city officials, community leaders, first responders, and top customers to celebrate the completion of its $14 million renovation.

“Because of its central location, the hotel is appealing to people at companies that do business around the area. The hotel continues to be a landmark here. This warranted the reinvestment into the hotel by ownership group Atrium Hospitality,” says Bryan Best, regional director of sales and marketing for the Westin Southfield.

Included in the renovation were guest corridors and rooms, plus public and meeting spaces. The hotel has 338 guest rooms and 47,000 square feet of meeting space, the largest of which is the Algonquin Ballroom, which seats 400 for dinner within its 4,628 square feet.

“Westin is a lifestyle company that likes to provide natural, uncluttered spaces, with nature brought right into the hotel,” says Best. His favorite update is the “living wall” in the lobby.

“It’s a very unique piece, like living art,” he says, adding that it’s a favored selfie spot for guests and wedding parties alike.

This art is a great complement to the various art installations strategically scattered around the walkable Southfield City Centre district, offering aesthetically-pleasing experiences from every perspective.

“With the Southfield City Centre making investments in public art, we feel what we offer here is a great contribution to the community, and our guests are within walking distance to those amenities as well,” says Best. “The development of the Evergreen Road corridor is something we are proud to show off to people who visit from all over the world.”

Regardless of season, hotel guests, visitors, and tenants of the Town Center buildings can walk through bright, open spaces, indoors and out, says Best. With plenty of amenities within walking distance, guests get the best of a walkable district with a welcoming feel.

“Those who live in the condominiums and townhomes near the hotel, and those who visit the restaurants close by, have a lot of very nice walking space which wasn’t there before.”

Guests are also welcome to take advantage of the Zagster bike share program to travel further afield within the City Centre district.

Part of the Town Center since 1987, the Westin Southfield Detroit was among the first phases of the then-Prudential Town Center Complex. It was originally a Radisson, and was purchased by Starwood in the late 1990s and unveiled as a Westin.

With the extensive renovation, the Westin Southfield Detroit is making a statement that it’s here to stay.

“Whether we are accommodating guests from across the country, or welcoming local residents to Easter brunch or Mother’s Day brunch, at the end of the day, we are part of the Southfield community,” says Best. “We’re proud to be here.”

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Northwestern Highway Project Means New Road, Lots of Other Extras
Northwestern Highway Project Means New Road, Lots of Other Extras sccadmin

The optimistic among us see road construction as a temporary inconvenience that is soon forgotten when we experience the silky-smooth ride of a freshly repaved roadway.

In the case of the Northwestern Highway project that begins late May, Southfield City Centre residents, visitors, and workers are getting a lot more than filled potholes. Following a “complete streets” philosophy, city planners and engineers are making the roadways more accessible for all users. Cyclists, pedestrians, and vehicle users will benefit from the many improvements in this plan.

Here’s what to expect:

  • Quality resurfacing. “The most important thing people want to know is if the Northwestern service drive will be resurfaced. Yes. There will be no more potholes,” says Leigh Schultz, P.E., engineer with the City of Southfield. “The existing concrete will stay in place, with a slab replacement, and a double layer of new asphalt overlay. That means a longer life than just a thin overlay would provide.”
  • Repaved driveway approaches. “Because we are coming up four inches on the road, the driveway approaches will be repaved for the businesses,” Schultz says.
  • Road diet. The segment between Mt. Vernon and Civic Center Drive will be reduced from three lanes to two, and a bike lane will be added. “With the traffic volumes this segment gets, we do not need three lanes, so we are striping it as a bike lane to get some non-motorized benefit,” says Schultz. The curbs here will remain the same, since this is not a total reconstruction.
  • Sidewalk gaps filled. This is the final corridor in the Southfield City Centre to have a major road project, and the bonus benefit will be continuous sidewalks for cyclists and pedestrians throughout. In total, 1,000 feet of gap will be filled.
    All sidewalks will be wide. Narrower existing sidewalks on Northwestern to Lahser will be replaced with 10-foot wide shared-use sidewalks.
  • Pedestrian improvements on the Mt. Vernon bridge. “What we are doing is making this bridge ADA-compliant by putting in ramps and filling in gaps,” Schultz explains. During construction, the bridge will be closed, and there will be detours posted.
  • At last, the Lawrence Tech campus will be connected to the City Centre. “There will be 150 lineal feet of sidewalk added to the north side of the 10 Mile Road bridge over Northwestern Highway, including the associated sidewalk ramps, to provide an accessible crossing of the freeway.  This provides much need connectivity from the LTU campus to the south part of the City Centre district,” says Schultz.
  • Intersection improvements. At Evergreen Rd., steel mast arms will replace the older-style wire spans for the traffic lights. Where steel mast arms are not installed, the traffic lights will be configured as a box span, rather than a diagonal span.
  • Forward-planning for connected vehicle technology. New signals will have the capability to proceed with emerging connected technology, as monitored and maintained by the Road Commission for Oakland County.

Expect this construction to impact travel, even though the Northwestern service drive will not be completely closed, there will be one to two lanes open. “The first week or two are hectic, as people try it to see how congested it is,” says Schultz. “It’s always best to avoid construction areas, and there are many good alternatives in the Southfield area.”

Overall, the project’s price tag is about $6 million, with the City Centre’s expected contribution being $60,000 toward the pedestrian improvements. “Federal dollars are what make these projects move forward,” says Schultz. “$1.7 million of this total amount is from federal funds.”

Check back in November for an update, when the project is complete. Soon after that, the inconvenience will be a distant memory.

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LTU Football Returns September 1
LTU Football Returns September 1 sccadmin

Lawrence Technological University will return to the gridiron for the first time in 72 years on Saturday, September 1, when LTU’s new football team takes on Oakland University’s club team.

LTU’s 2018 schedule features four home games that will be played on-campus in Southfield at the LTU Athletic Field, along 10 Mile Road west of Evergreen Road.

Following the Blue Devils’ opening rumble with the 2014 National Club Football Association Champions, the Golden Grizzlies, the Blue and White cross state lines for a trip to Milwaukee, Wis., to face off with Wisconsin Lutheran on Sept. 8.

Season tickets to all four home games, plus the spring Blue vs. White game on April 22, are available for only $40 on LTUAthletics.com.

In addition to access through the gate, season ticket holders will receive an exclusive gift from the Lawrence Tech football program.

Current LTU students will have free admission to home games. Students wishing to purchase the season pass, however, will receive full ticket holder benefits as well as the official 2018 Blue Devil Football student section shirt.

LTU will play a full schedule in the fall of 2019 as a member of the Mid- States Football Association of the NAIA.

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Crohn’s & Colitis Foundation Walk Moves to City Centre!
Crohn’s & Colitis Foundation Walk Moves to City Centre! sccadmin

Southfield City Centre is the new venue for the Crohn’s & Colitis Foundation Take Steps Walk on June 9, 2018. The family-friendly walk will cover 2.6 miles across the City Centre’s walkable district, with an available one-mile shortcut.

The City Centre is perfectly suited for the event, says Sarah Arminiak, Take Steps manager for the Crohn’s & Colitis Foundation. “Southfield City Centre is hands-down beautiful, like a park in the middle of an urban city. The walking route is gorgeous, and highlights benches, plants, flowers, art, and wide sidewalks,” Arminiak says. Up to 1,500 participants and 100 volunteers will enjoy the ample space and welcoming vibe of the City Centre district.

A pre-walk festival on the Civic Center lawn will provide entertainment and information, including booths from Henry Ford Health System’s IBD center and Medical Weight Loss Clinic, plus face painting, crafts, inflatables, and a photo booth.

Event info:
Crohn’s & Colitis Foundation Take Steps Walk, June 9
9:00 a.m. check in, 10:30 a.m. walk.
Southfield Civic Center Complex.
contact: 248-737-0900 ext.6

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Beaumont Health Welcomes Employees “Home” to New Service Center
Beaumont Health Welcomes Employees “Home” to New Service Center sccadmin

It’s always cause for celebration when a new home is perfect in every way. This year, 3,000 Beaumont administrative employees from 16 buildings across Metro Detroit will move into the former First Center building, selected for its generous glass atrium, easy accessibility to major highways, and the vibrant work-life environment available here in the district. The new location has been named Beaumont Service Center.

Early this year, 550 members of Beaumont Health’s financial services team moved in, and so far, they’re thrilled, says Beaumont Health executive VP and COO Carolyn Wilson. Initial feedback is very positive.”Our teams have found Southfield easy to get to, and they love the common areas of the building,” Wilson says. A fitness center and sunshine-filled atrium provide places for employees to connect.

As a health organization, Beaumont values the Southfield City Centre’s pedestrian-friendly sidewalks, green spaces, and, of course, the Zagster bike share. As employees move in throughout the year, they will join their colleagues as active members of the Southfield City Centre community.

“We are really excited,” says Wilson. “We believe we have picked the right community for Beaumont Health and want to be a good neighbor. We feel really good about the decision we have made, and want to give back to the community as well.”

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Cybernoor Corporation moves in on Northwestern Highway
Cybernoor Corporation moves in on Northwestern Highway sccadmin

When Ahmed Alomari decided to expand Cybernoor, the global software support and solutions corporation he leads, he knew that a Midwest location made the most sense for clients located across various time zones.

“With Detroit regenerating, and with business incentives, Michigan seemed to be a good location,” says Alomari, Cybernoor Corporation president and CEO. “We searched for office space and knew we wanted to acquire a building. Southfield seemed to be a good location for an up-and-coming business.”

In October 2017, Alomari and his colleagues selected a building on Northwestern Highway, between Southfield Road and Evergreen Road. They knew they wanted extensive renovation, a prospect that requires permits and approvals that, in most cities, can take months. But Alomari says the whole process was smooth and simple, thanks in large part to support from the City of Southfield.

“We were new to the permitting process, but once the City learned what we wanted to do, they expedited everything for us, and made things happen in days that normally take months,” he says. Cybernoor purchased their building on October 16, and the bulk of the renovations were completed before the end of December.

As a One Stop Ready community, the City of Southfield is focused on economic development by following a set of best practice guidelines to provide cohesive support to businesses that invest in the community. Cybernoor’s positive experience illustrates the depth of resources available through Oakland County’s One Stop Ready designation.

As a small- to mid-sized business, Cybernoor management made a conscious choice to join  Southfield, because it believes in the value of variety and diversity for a robust business climate. When other similar-sized companies have chosen to locate in other suburban Detroit areas, Cybernoor selected Southfield, and Alomari says this was a smart choice.

He was correct. The City of Southfield is an engaged Redevelopment Ready Community, as designated by the Michigan Economic Development Corporation. Because Southfield has invested time and effort into building a community-driven approach to development, prospective businesses can expect to benefit from effective, forward-thinking strategies designed to help the entire community prosper.

As Alomari continues to settle Cybernoor into its new home on Northwestern Highway, he will be looking to grow the Southfield location by hiring sales executives, a marketing manager, an office administrator, as well as technical staff. Alomari says he also plans to work with local schools and universities to seek out interns and offer training opportunities to help build a talent pipeline.

Overall, Cybernoor is looking to join an active and growing business community.

“We’re looking for good networking opportunities with other small- and medium-sized businesses, and to connect with other software and IT companies in Southfield,” says Alomari.

For companies that have yet to locate in Southfield, Alomari wants to share the message that the City of Southfield actively works to make new companies feel welcome and valued. A streamlined permit process, coupled with consistent and rigorous due diligence helped Cybernoor make the best choices when hiring contractors.

“In general, dealing with city permits can be a pain, but in this case Southfield was welcoming,” Alomari says. “This can really help other small businesses who are moving in and investing in the city.”

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It’s spring! Hop on a bike and cruise the Southfield City Centre
It’s spring! Hop on a bike and cruise the Southfield City Centre sccadmin

No matter how beautiful and vibrant the Michigan winter, a Michigan spring feels pretty good, too.

This year, plan to spend time taking in the many sights of the Southfield City Centre…from the seat of your Zagster bike.

Zagster is the Southfield City Centre’s bike share program, an inexpensive, fun, healthy way to get around the district.

And right now, you can save $10 on an annual Zagster membership, riding all season long for a special membership price of just $15. (For members, first hour is free, $2 per additional hour, up to a maximum cost per ride of $20.)

A lunchtime ride perfectly shakes off the stagnant feeling of sitting at a desk or behind a computer. A weekend ride gets the heart pumping, and allows you to further explore the many pleasures of the Southfield City Centre.

Cruise down the Evergreen Road corridor and breathe in air that you are helping make fresher by pedaling instead of driving. Stop for a sandwich or a beverage at the south end. Fly up to the Southfield Public Library and the Mary Thompson Farm.

Meet up with friends for a game of volleyball or to walk a nature trail. Ride to the nearby Lawrence Tech campus. Don’t forget to stop and get a close-up view of the many art installations along the way, or just rest on a bench and take in the sights. Spring is a beautiful time to enjoy the Southfield City Centre.

Register now and get ready to ride the City Centre spring through fall. But hurry! This special offer expires May 1, 2018.

The Spring Bike Share promotion is a $10 discount on the annual membership. 

Annual memberships are $15 using promo code spring18. 

Special code expires May 1, 2018.

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The 2018 Southfield Corporate CommUNITY Cup Challenge – it’s almost time!
The 2018 Southfield Corporate CommUNITY Cup Challenge – it’s almost time! sccadmin

There’s an important reason why the word “unity” is so prominent in the Southfield Corporate CommUNITY Cup Challenge branding. This is an event that brings people together.

This friendly competition between Southfield City Centre businesses and community partners fosters team spirit, forges connections, and creates friendships. It raises donations for a great cause, too.

This year, 19 teams are registered (with room for 20), and the competition kicks off on July 12 with a kickball tournament at Inglenook Park. The challenge will wrap up on August 9, and teams will be building up donations of school supplies for Southfield Public Schools, to help teachers who so often need plenty of extra supplies to use throughout the school year.

The 2017 CommUNITY Cup brought 16 teams—more than 500 participants and volunteers in all—together for weekly challenges from June to July. Throughout the challenge, teams collected canned and packaged foods to donate to Gleaners Community Food Bank.

By the end of the six-week event, Sandy Schmidt and Wendy Dyrda of MSX International felt more connected to their coworkers as they pulled together to earn bragging rights over fellow Southfield City Centre businesses. “The best benefit was team building within the company, and also getting to know other companies within Southfield,” they said.

From the corn hole tournament, to the quiz bowl competition, to the golf scramble, and the kickball game, participants built strategies, supported each other, and had a lot of fun. At the very end, all 16 participating teams built displays using the 9,600 pounds of canned and packaged food they collected. In the final event, dubbed “canstruction,” creativity ruled, as companies showed off their colors, logos, and corporate pride—all with packaged food.

Schmidt and Dyrda were especially proud of their company’s generosity in supporting Gleaners, and their collaboration during all of the weekly events.

What made the challenge fun was a community spirit that rewarded effort alongside victory. “There was a friendliness among everyone that participated in this event, even though we went head-to-head with each other,” said Schmidt. “It wasn’t cut-throat. It was actually fun.”

This year, Schmidt is looking forward to reconnecting with 2017 participants, and welcoming new companies and their employees to the competition.

“The CommUNITY Cup just makes you aware of what other companies are around you that sometimes you don’t even know about,” Schmidt said. “Just knowing what some of these companies do might help us in our business.”

Registered teams should be sure to watch for announcements about the 2018 CommUNITY Cup. It’s never too early to begin team training for trivia, sand volleyball, and “Race Around Southfield” events. Not part of a registered team? Get swept up in the fun by volunteering during any or all of the events this summer. There are so many ways to connect with your community right here in the Southfield City Centre.

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