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When breaking into the Southfield property market, Foster Financial Company, Inc. considered different properties in various business districts of the city. The properties they viewed weren’t always the right fit for Foster Financial’s business model, but the experience opened their eyes to what Southfield has to offer.

They got to know Central Park Plaza, a 6-story, 130,000 square foot office building at 26211 Central Park Boulevard, near Arbor Lofts. Pretty soon, they knew they had found their sweet spot. The building was at 50 percent occupancy and badly needed updates, but that didn’t deter Brad Foster, owner of Foster Financial, and his business partner Doug Noble. They purchased the building in September 2017, and in just 16 months, have increased occupancy to 93 percent.

“It had been foreclosed on a couple of times. It was 50 percent vacant. It was a cursed building that no one could ever make work,” says Noble. “We knew it was perfect. Right up our alley.”

With an improvement mindset, Foster Financial’s ownership style is unique. The first thing they did was renovate both lobbies, and met with current tenants to discuss their individual plans. They created their own construction company to outfit more space when tenants wanted to expand, and selected standard finishes that are of a higher quality that most office owners.

“We have full-glass conference rooms, chandeliers, and subway tiles in the kitchens, LVT and hardwood flooring, and creative reception spaces,” says Noble.

The diverse tenant mix at Central Park Plaza includes government agency, medical administrative, legal, insurance, automotive supply, security, charter school management, and home healthcare.

Detroit gets a lot of credit for making a comeback, but Foster and Noble are impressed with the accessibility of the Southfield City Centre and the significant improvements and added amenities throughout the district. Foster, in particular, likes the ease of traffic movement that the dual traffic circles on Evergreen Road provide.

“You never get congestion on Evergreen because there are no lights to get stuck at,” he says.

Central Park Plaza was Foster Financial’s first investment in Southfield, but it is not the company’s last. In January Foster acquired Lahser Center, a 175,000 square-foot building at Lahser Road and the Lodge Freeway. Since closing, the company has signed $35,000 in new leases in the building.

“We are big fans of the Southfield story, and it doesn’t get enough publicity,” says Foster. “Everything you hear is about Detroit and new developments. But there is a strong demand for people to have beautiful offices with half the rent [of Detroit].”

Through Rebuilding Together Southeast Michigan, Eaton Employee-Volunteers “Paws” to Help Southfield Animal Rescue Organization

For 10 years, Eaton Corporation, a Southfield City Centre-based power management company, has teamed up with nonprofit service organization Rebuilding Together Oakland County to maintain, clean, and improve parks in Southfield.

In addition to providing funding support for Rebuilding Together, each year Eaton chooses a couple of days in April or May and gathers 30 to 60 employee volunteers at one of the city’s public parks to groom trails, install trailhead signs, paint trash receptacles and picnic tables, and spread mulch. This effort leaves Southfield’s parks that much more pleasant for everyone.

This year, changes are afoot. Or maybe the changes are a-paw.

On May 9 and 10, Eaton employees will dedicate their efforts to the Southfield-based Almost Home Animal Rescue, a nonprofit no-kill pet rescue organization. Eaton volunteers were offered three choices for their project, and they chose to work on the rescue, according to Halie Black, executive director of Rebuilding Together. Black met with Eaton volunteer coordinators, walked the site, and discussed what repair needs the rescue had that could be completed during the two-day project.

“Eaton volunteers will do some exterior work that the organization needs, and also next door at a training course for police dogs,” says Black. “It’s run down, so they will fix it up and waterproof the obstacles. It’s definitely a great before and after shot.”

Oakland County, Wayne County, and Macomb County police use the course to for dog training, according to Black.

For Eaton, the opportunity to do productive work in the community is a chance for employee volunteers to interact with Southfield on a new level.

“Eaton is all about giving back to the communities where we work and live. The relationship and history with Rebuilding Together is a great example of the responsibility Eaton accepts as a member of the Southfield community. Our employees look forward to this event every year and are very much looking forward to helping out at the Southfield Animal Rescue Organization,” says Larry Bennett, director of vehicle technologies and innovation for Eaton’s Vehicle Group.

Rebuilding Together has undergone its own changes in the past year. The organization, which once solely supported Oakland County, has expanded to include the Jefferson Chalmers neighborhood of Detroit, and has joined up with the Macomb County branch to form Rebuilding Together Southeast Michigan.

Rebuilding Together is preparing for its National Rebuild Day on Saturday, April 27, when it will join sister organizations across the country to revitalize neighborhoods and make homes safer and more functional. This important work allows homeowners to stay in their homes to maintain stable, affordable housing for those in need.

This year, Rebuilding Together Southeast Michigan will put teams of volunteers to work to provide repairs to three homes in Southfield on April 27, plus work on an additional four or five Southfield homes in May and June.

The coordinated effort is a boon to neighborhoods, according to Rick Lampi, operations specialist with the City of Southfield. The work that helps income-challenged homeowners take care of their residences often beautifies the whole street, lifting the spirits of everyone in the neighborhood.

“It’s a win-win. At the end of the day, the homeowner is happy and the volunteers feel good about doing something good for others. Sometimes volunteers even get a kick out of having a reason to buy a new tool for volunteer day,” he says.

Rebuilding Together Southeast Michigan is always seeking corporate sponsors and individual volunteers, as well as homeowner applications for repairs and improvements that will keep homes safe and healthy for families.

Learn more at Rebuilding Together Southeast Michigan, or call 248-482-8061.

Problem solving through collaboration and exploration along the edge of creativity is, in a nutshell, what the design team at Airea does in an average working day. This Southfield City Centre-based interiors dealership is dedicated to designing and bringing to life innovative and inspiring workspaces for a variety of enterprise, automotive, educational clients and more.

Erica Kimber, director of design at Airea, spends her days meeting with clients, brainstorming creative projects, and reimagining spaces—but mentorship is a big part of her role, too.

As a student at the College for Creative Studies, she interned at Airea for a couple of years before graduating with a degree in interior design in 2011. She remembers the value of her real-life experience for building a broader understanding of the working world, and she enjoys paying it forward to emerging design professionals.

That’s why Airea has worked to develop a strong relationship with Lawrence Technological University. In addition to being a good neighbor, LTU’s strong graphic and architectural design programs cultivate students who are eager to gain practical work experience in their industries.

Aside from traditional internship opportunities, Airea partnered with LTU to help students recognize their close physical proximity in the City Centre district and to establish projects to augment on-campus learning. Because the company is an interiors dealer, Airea has active partnerships with architecture and design firms, as well as business interiors manufacturer Haworth. In addition to the nut-and-bolts of interior design, there is much for a budding designer to learn about the roles that all of these different entities play in providing services to clients.

“It’s important to us to make sure students and new batches of designers are familiar with what the contract furniture world is all about,” says Kimber. Airea conducts student day events to help these young professionals learn more about products made by Haworth.

These connection opportunities allow students and companies to size one another up and develop a deeper understanding of what they can each bring to the table.

“Everyone is looking for the next batch of the most talented designers in the industry. Having this real-life experience and seeing who stands out is appealing to these firms,” says Kimber.

Double-layered education

Through cultivated partnerships, LTU offers a double-layered educational experience for students, says Christopher Stefani, adjunct faculty in interior architecture and associate director for the LTU’s Detroit Center for Design + Technology. The college’s studio course is a one-semester deep dive into the practice of design.

“Academically, we are pushing rigor and simultaneously working with the real end-users and clients to understand limitations in the professional world,” says Stefani. Through professional collaborations, students develop the skills to pull together a design, and partners can leverage fresh ideas, emerging technologies, and things that have a high cost to implement inside a company.

For companies, collaborating with an LTU studio make a lot of sense.

“It’s more cost effective to sponsor a studio and get the brain-share of 10 to 12 young emerging professionals than it is to pay a quarter of the salary of a new professional,” he says.

At Airea, for example, the studio course challenged each student to design their own version of a 4,000 square foot office space. “For students, the beauty of this is they get access to real-world resources and really build an understanding of the concept of costing and variables of design. It’s an opportunity for practicality, so we aren’t putting students into the real world with pie-in-the-sky ideas,” says Stefani.

“Our goal is to release professionals, who are able to be leaders, carry on conversations at a high level, and think holistically past the surface.”

In 1958, Dwight D. Eisenhower sat in the Oval Office and Soapy Williams was Michigan’s governor. A ‘58 Chevy Bel Air cost about $2,500 brand new, and gas to fill its tank was 30 cents a gallon.

As Detroit’s car culture was revving up, so too was the city of Southfield, the 26-square mile inner-ring suburb that in 2018 celebrated its 60th anniversary.

And while Southfield boasts more than 800 acres of parks and green spaces, its reputation is vehicle-centric, thanks to its vast network of roads.

Read the full article here…

Visit the Southfield Public Library and say hello to the City Centre’s latest art installation. “The Peacock,” a fanciful, minimalist sculpture by Arthur Kraft, was installed this fall on the circular drive at the library’s main entrance.

Like other pieces acquired by Southfield after the close of Northland Mall, The Peacock was discovered in a sealed room of the basement tunnel system. “The Peacock was found on its side, on the floor, with construction around it. It was broken, but all of the pieces were there,” says Jeffrey Ligan of the Southfield Public Arts Commission.

Made of varying lengths of bronze rod stock and enameled panels, the sculpture is unique among Kraft’s work, who is largely known for his painting. “We are almost 100 percent sure this was a collaboration with another artist named Gwen Lux, who was noted for her enamel work,” Ligan says, adding that as a sculpter, Lux was recognized for her expertise in stone carving.

A study in minimalism with a distinct Midcentury look, The Peacock is unique among Kraft’s sculpture work, which is more often solid, concrete animal figures.  

The piece is considered a windfall for the city’s collection for its unique value, and for its contribution to the art world. The chosen location at the library, where it will be enjoyed by many, is also a perfect match, says Ligan.

“Selecting the location is a collaborative process, and all of us on the Commission voted to choose that particular location,” Ligan says. “The ring of trees behind it form a background, and the current positioning on a high pole lends itself to the space.”

Planned landscaping at the base of the pole will give an impression that The Peacock is taking flight. 

“I have to credit Mayor Siver. It was through his impetus that we were able to get the shopping center under control for development, and if not for that we would not have known about The Peacock. If the mall had been sold to another developer, they would have scrapped it.”

Be sure to spend some time with The Peacock on your next visit to the Southfield Public Library. You can’t miss it!