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Wonder what that genius product idea that has been knocking around in your head might actually look like in real life? Curious about how to get that product to market?

Learn more about how to take a product from concept to prototype to market and connect with expert help at the Centrepolis Accelerator at Lawrence Technological University at the Tech248 special event on Dec. 3 from 2:00 to 4:00 p.m. Located in the Southfield City Centre, the Centrepolis Accelerator is an entrepreneur and business support asset specifically focused on companies that manufacture and commercialize a physical product.

This event is the first time the newly-opened Centrepolis Accelerator will host Tech248, the series of meetup events organized by Oakland County that brings together tech talent from the more than 2,000 IT and tech companies across Oakland County to network, learn, engage, and share.

The Centrepolis Accelerator, which opened officially on Oct. 4, 2019, is a 6,200 square-foot facility with coworking spaces, conference rooms, a premier manufacturing technology lab, training spaces, and expert support from the brightest minds in the manufacturing industry. Its affiliation with the prestigious Lawrence Technological University allows members access to the very latest in engineering, design, and product development techniques.

December’s Tech248 meetup is a great time to get an inside look at this state-of-the-art workspace, says Dan Radomski, director of the Centrepolis Accelerator.

“This is a great event for people that have a physical product idea and need help prototyping,” says Radomski. “We encourage people to bring their product idea or existing prototypes to the event for one-on-one prototyping and go-to-market advice.”

Oakland County tech businesses will get to see Michigan’s newest accelerator, says Greg Doyle, manager of the Oakland County One Stop Shop at the Oakland County Department of Economic Development & Community Affairs.

“The Centrepolis has a really nice focus on the industrial product, which matches with the technology side and the business demographic in Southeast Michigan, where we have a high concentration of engineers, production and manufacturing,” says Doyle. “I’m excited to have the Centrepolis Accelerator as another major piece of the entrepreneurial support system in Southeast Michigan and particularly in Oakland County.”

In addition to hearing a panel discussion, participating in networking, and touring the development lab, prototyping center, additive manufacturing lab, and virtual reality studio, Tech248 attendees can also bring their ideas and products to the event and get expert advice, says Radomski.

The event is free of charge, but advance registration is required. Click here to register and learn more.

Tech248 Special Event: Centrepolis Accelerator
Tuesday, December 3 from 2 – 4 PM

Centrepolis Accelerator
21415 Civic Center Drive
Suite 100 | Southfield, MI

Agenda

• 2:00 p.m. Arrival & Networking
• 2:15 p.m. Welcome & Opening Remarks
  • Greg Doyle, Tech248
• 2:20 p.m. Overview of Centrepolis Accelerator
  • Dan Radomski, Centrepolis Accelerator
• 2:35 p.m. Panel: Prototyping mistakes to avoid
  • Dan Radomski, Centrepolis Accelerator
  • David Bolognino, Integrated Additive Solutions
  • John Bracknell, Mirari
• 2:55 p.m. Networking & Tour of Centrepolis Product
  • Development Lab, including:
  • Prototyping Center, Additive Manufacturing
  • Lab and Augmented and Virtual Reality Studio

Data breach. Identity theft. Cybercrime. These are all buzzwords individuals and businesses living and operating in the modern world have become familiar with. If you haven’t yet experienced a breach of your personal data, you know someone who has.

Three of the top 15 metropolitan cities for identity theft reports are in Michigan, according to 2017 information from the Federal Trade Commission, as shared by the Michigan Attorney General’s website.

Recognizing October as National Cybersecurity Awareness Month, Lawrence Technological University hosted a special event as part of the WWJ Newsradio 950 Leaders & Innovators Series on the morning of Thursday, Oct. 17 on their Southfield City Centre campus.

WWJ’s business editor Murray Feldman moderated a panel discussion about cybersecurity with Colin Battersby, counsel in the Data Privacy and Cybersecurity Practice Group with McDonald Hopkins in Bingham Farms; Brad Gramlin, director of enterprise sales for Comcast Business; and David Derigiotis, corporate vice president with Farmington Hills-based insurance broker Burns & Wilcox.

Your data is out there

The conversation ranged from the prevalence of data breaches in organizations from financial to social media to the danger of intermingling of personal and business passwords, to the “industry” practices of data thieves that hijack files for ransom.

“How many of us have a phone we use for email?” asked Derigiotis, who is also the author of Parental Advisory: How to Protect Your Family in the Digital Age of Identity Theft & Data Breaches. “We all communicate electronically with our corporate or personal email accounts spread across so many sites. Some are critical, like banking, but we use the same email address for Facebook or Instagram.”

Email is a constant target, said Derigiotis, sharing that 2.8 million emails are sent every second of every day, and many are spam. One click or one opened attachment exposes us to ransomware or data theft, he said.

One piece of advice offered is to always use a separate, anonymized email address for functions where security is critical, like banking, rather than having one email address that is used for everything from social media to credit card accounts. And be smart about your passwords, said Battersby.

“The corporate best practice is to change your password every 90 days,” he said. “People are now using pass phrases that are easy to remember and not likely to be guessed. There are different ways to manage your passwords, but keeping them secure is key.”

Once captured, data points are widely available

The discussion included a live demonstration in which an audience member’s personal email address was scrutinized to see if personal data had been accessed without her knowledge. When her address was entered into a site called Have I Been Pwned?, she recognized some companies she has done business with, but many others she has not. “Pwned” is the industry term for being “owned,” or otherwise a victim of data breech.

The exercise, while initially disturbing, highlighted the common business practice of aggregating data and making it available to anyone who can pay for it or steal it. Organizations collect as many different data points on users as possible – including our pet preferences, where we live, if we rent or own our homes – all useful information from a marketing perspective. But once gathered, the information is easily compromised.

Protecting the small business

For small businesses, compromised data can cause big problems, the experts said. When data thieves steal personal and credit information about customers or literally kidnap the data system and render it unusable until ransom is paid, the effects can be devastating.

If this happens to a small business, they have three choices, said Battersby. “They can start over with new data, they can restore from backup, or they can pay the ransom,” he said. Often in the range of $5,000 to $10,000, the ransom demanded could be up to several million dollars.

“We have seen this happen here in Michigan in the healthcare industry,” said Gramlin. “The threat of ransomware is keeping IT professionals up at night. It’s the bogeyman for them. Especially in the small business, the removal of ransomware is not easily negotiated, Often it takes a week or two and there is a huge loss of productivity.”

Businesses of any size can preempt these problems by having a robust incident response plan in the case of data breach, the experts said. Then practice using it, similar to a fire drill. A good place to start is to make sure backups are taking place, and that the data is accessible.

“This is a conversation I have monthly with the reps in the three states I cover. Too frequently, backups don’t happen,” said Gramlin.

Learn about future series events at LTU and listen to the full cybersecurity program as a podcast at WWJ Newsradio 950.

For Josh Jackett, it’s the stairs, every time, because each flight of stairs offers Jackett the opportunity to build fitness and meet his training goals. As a competitive stair climber, Jackett travels the country, participating in as many as 10 events each year. Most benefit one nonprofit organization or another, and all require effort for a great cause.

But the Gift of Adoption Fund Michigan Chapter “Stepping Up to Bring Families Together” climb is dear to Jackett’s heart. In addition to offering a chance for people to gather together on Saturday, Nov. 23 to climb to the top – or just half way – of the iconic 2000 Town Center building in the Southfield City Centre, the event benefits children and the families who adopt them.

“This is a special charity because you don’t see a lot of stair climbs that benefit this type of organization,” Jackett says, who shares that his father was adopted, as well as his maternal grandmother. “People I knew in college have adopted kids and to see what they have gone through, I’m so happy to help out to raise money and awareness.”

A Great Climb for a Great Cause

Specifically designed to challenge participants to fundraise for the Gift of Adoption Fund Michigan Chapter (GOA), the event will engage every fitness level and offer many participation options for people aged 5 and older. The event is a way for coworkers, families, and friends to work together to support a worthy organization that believes that having a family is the basic right of children everywhere and which works to give as many children without families a life they would not have known otherwise. Gift of Adoption is a volunteer-driven nonprofit 501(c)(3) organization.

All money raised through donations for the GOA Stepping Up to Bring Families Together climb will support adoption assistance grants to connect vulnerable children with families in Michigan. Each climber is encouraged to raise $100 and can create a personal fundraising page after registering for the event.

A Category for Every Ability

While most people balk at the idea of climbing one flight of stairs – much less 28 – Jackett says stair climbing is a great activity for runners and cyclists who want to maintain fitness during the winter months. And for those looking to get into shape or face a pre-Thanksgiving challenge, stair climbing for a good cause ties everything together. Even those who want to take it at a slower pace can find a suitable participation category.

“I think anyone can stair climb. You don’t have to go all out,” says Jackett, who lives near Milwaukee and has family in Metro Detroit. “If your goal is to get faster and you have stairs to train on, you can track your progression. It’s great cross training, and you may hate it because it’s hard, but that doesn’t mean you shouldn’t try it.”

Jackett, who has been climbing competitively since 2013, will be participating in the “Power Hour,” climbing to floor 28 and descending by elevator as many times as he can in 60 minutes. He thinks he’ll probably be able to make it to the top 10 times, or maybe 11.

“Not everyone climbs at this pace, but anyone can do it. I definitely say anyone can do it, and you may even get hooked.”

Learn more about the event and about Gift of Adoption Fund Michigan Chapter.

A freshly-designed collaborative workspace in the heart of the Southfield City Centre has become the new Michigan footprint for RPT Realty, a New York-based organization that owns and operates open-air shopping destinations in metro Detroit and across the country. In August, RPT Realty moved its 60-person Michigan workforce into a newly-designed 11,000-square foot office space in Oakland Commons at 20750 Civic Center Drive in the Southfield City Centre.

The move offers RPT Realty the opportunity to create a more environmentally-friendly office space in a well-supported, amenity-rich urban community.

“Offering a modernized landscape highlighted by an open floor plan, fresh local artwork and natural light, RPT’s new centrally located office in Southfield fosters collaboration and teamwork, both of which are vital in continuing the company’s mission of building on the incredible culture that has evolved over the past year,” says Brian Harper, president and chief executive officer of RPT Realty. “Keeping consistent with RPT’s commitment to good corporate citizenship, the Southfield office’s footprint is 15,300 square feet smaller than the former Farmington Hills location, reducing both cost and environmental impact.”

The Southfield City Centre location capitalizes on plentiful natural light in an open, collaborative design that translates to workplace wellbeing for its associates.

“We universally agree that the large windows and abundant natural light in our new space are an extraordinary benefit,” says Renay Rath, asset management administrative assistant with RPT Realty.

“I cannot express how fantastic it is having exposure to natural light while working,” says Tanya Maglothin, accounts receivable specialist. “I cannot express how thankful I am for this change. It has brought more positivity and energy into my days.”

When RPT Realty associates aren’t soaking up the natural light in their new workplace, they’re gradually getting to know the Southfield City Centre’s many amenities. “There’s so much to do right here in the Southfield City Centre, both within walking distance, via bikeshare, and within a short drive that I haven’t even made it through half of what the area has to offer,” says Heather Roberts, lease transaction coordinator. “I truly appreciate the feeling of community, and I think others moving to the area, whether office or residence, will experience a similar sense of community. We’re not just working in Southfield; we get to be part of something positive and impactful.”

Leveraging and Celebrating Michigan Talent

For its unique workspace, RPT Realty blended elements that inspire and recognize local talent, says Harper. “We tapped several Michigan partners to assist in carrying out our mission to curate a space that would inspire our employees while enabling them to contribute their full talents and thrive,” Harper says. “Every aspect of the Southfield office was designed with intention.”

This commitment aligns with the Southfield City Centre’s mission to recognize art in various formats. One example is an original work called “Big Blue Two” which hangs proudly in RPT’s conference room.

“The piece was commissioned through Friendship Circle’s Soul Studio Program, which empowers special needs artists to create works of art and makes them available for sale in its Bloomfield Hills community,” Harper says. “Big Blue Two” was painted by a 26-year-old woman with autism. “The piece is particularly meaningful to the team, provided our organization volunteers with Friendship Circle.”

Other Michigan companies and artisans involved in the office design and development include Interior Environments Furniture, Capricorn Diversified Systems, Inc., 123Net, LogicalisUS, PLAYGROUND DETROIT, Kaiser Sudan, Scott Reeder, and Matt Wolcott.

Expressing an Evolved Corporate Culture

In tandem with a new workplace came a corporate “change in narrative” that touches many aspects of the business, according to Rath. “The move to Southfield is significant in that it represents more than just a change in our physical location but a major shift in our corporate culture as well,” Rath says. “It finally feels as though all the pieces fit together.”

Their new office environment helps associates live the company’s core values on a daily basis, says Roberts. “There are many thoughtful collaborative spaces throughout the office, allowing us to be bold in our creativity while pursuing excellence together,” she says. “We’re committed to improving ourselves, both personally and professionally, individually and collectively, and this new space provides us with the tools and the environment to be successful in such pursuits. All of these things lead to us enjoying what we do.”

Deanna Cain, head of human resources, agrees with her colleagues’ assessments, and she’s excited about the future here in Southfield.

“The RPT Southfield office will continue to have a positive culture where people can thrive. It is a place where ideas are cultivated, and creativity and teamwork are encouraged.”

Ask Katelyn Abell from IHS Markit what she thinks catapulted her team to the top of the charts in the Southfield CommUNITY Cup this summer, and she will probably shout that it was her team’s performance in the Amazing Race that sealed the win.

Abell, along with other IHS Markit team members, received the coveted Southfield CommUNITY Cup trophy at the Southfield City Council meeting on September 23.

As a first-time team chair and as a first-time participant in the Southfield CommUNITY Cup challenge, Abell is thrilled that her team performed so well. But she’s even more excited about sharing community involvement with other Southfield City Centre teams during the summer-long event.

“What really helped me was finding a person at IHS Markit to chair each individual event, and they got their teams together,” says Abell. “I was worried that people wouldn’t be able to attend after work events, but everyone was really excited to mingle with their coworkers and network and get to know people from other companies.”

IHS Markit, a global data management company, was one of 21 teams to participate this year. Teams competed to earn top points in events like goofy golf, kickball, trivia night, and bowling.

But Abell elected to chair the Amazing Race competition herself, and together with three IHS Markit colleagues, Abell worked hard to beat out competitors.

“We were all women on our team and we joked that it was girl power that helped us win,” she says. Twenty trivia questions led the team to various historical landmarks or challenged them to run with a random individual along the Southfield City Centre Trail while capturing the antics on video. “They probably thought we were crazy,” Abell laughs.

Strategic planning and physical fitness helped the team climb from sixth place to first place through the Amazing Race category, and they carried the No.1 score to the final kickball event.

“We knew that if we didn’t do well in kickball, that we would lose. But we kept winning and winning. We thought we would go home early, but we were there at 6:30, still playing,” says Abell.

While the DENSO North America team ultimately won the kickball event, IHS Markit had earned enough points to take home the cup.

In addition to being a fun team-building event, the Southfield CommUNITY Cup also works to support a local cause. This year, the teams worked together to beautify Southfield’s Bedford Woods Park. The centerpiece of the effort was a mural that adds color and excitement to the public park.

“Planning and painting the mural was a really nice way to give back,” Abell says. IHS Markit joined team members from The Mars Agency, Comau, Moncur and City of Southfield to design, prepare, and implement the plan. It was a true team effort.

Energized for next year’s event, Abell looks forward to further strengthening the community inside IHS Markit and in the wider Southfield City Centre.

“The people I work with a great, and it’s a united community, which you don’t always get to have,” she says. “Southfield is a larger city, but I feel the City Centre tries to do a lot with their community, and that’s huge. Everyone I have met here is really nice.”

When Heidi Morano was a mechanical engineering undergrad, she attended classes and completed assignments. Today, as director of the Entrepreneurial Engineering Design Curriculum at Lawrence Technological University, she can offer her students something even more relevant: a shot at solving a real-world engineering problem through a program called LTU Innovation Encounter.

On October 18-19, six collegiate teams with up to six team members each will gather at LTU’s campus in Southfield to experience a four-hour creativity and innovation workshop with LTU’s award-winning mechanical engineering professor Andrew Gerhart, followed by the unveiling of the problem by corporate sponsor Eaton. Teams will then work, likely into the wee hours, before meeting with their coaches to gain feedback, iterate, and strategize their final pitches to a panel of judges.

After two full days of competition, the winning team will walk away with $1,500, a trophy, and some serious bragging rights. Second and third place teams win $1,000 and $500, respectively.

As the coach and advisor for the LTU team that will compete in the Innovation Encounter, and as an engineer herself, Morano recognizes the value this competition can offer students. “I never experienced anything like this in school,” Morano says, adding that today’s engineers need knowledge that is both deep and broad to be most successful in today’s career marketplace.

Every problem has a solution

At this stage, Eaton’s selected challenge is strictly confidential, but it involves a pain point that the students quite possibly have experienced themselves, says Larry Bennett, director of vehicle technologies and innovation in the Vehicle Group at Eaton. It’s no spoiler to reveal that the problem is automotive related.

“This is a problem we have been looking at for years. It seems simple, but we are hoping to get a non-Eaton viewpoint from a population that is younger and has a different perspective,” says Bennett. Because Eaton will retain the intellectual property from the Innovation Encounter, students will learn the legalities of corporate IP. “They will learn what is confidential, and how to protect it,” Bennett says.

The competition is not limited to engineering students; in fact, teams benefit from a broader perspective, Morano and Bennett say.

“Business students are a valuable asset, because there must be some commercial viability to the solution,” says Bennett, adding that value to the end user is a critical component of the solution. “If it’s a $20,000 solution, the end user might not buy it, but they will if it’s a $20 solution. This is all part of the value proposition of problem solving.”

Students from just about any discipline could add value to a team, says Morano. “In the past we had a nursing student participate. It’s that variety of perspectives that different students can bring to the problem that offer great input to the solution process,” she says.

Keeping it local

In its 10th year, the Innovation Encounter has connected Detroit-area companies with teams of students from LTU and five other colleges who are ready to innovate with the latest classroom knowledge and available technology, says Morano.

“Every year the problem statements are incredible,” she says. “Carhartt last year provided a fantastic problem related to worker safety and wearables that can alert supervisors when workers are walking into dangerous situations or have experienced a fall.” Past participating sponsors include Durr Systems, Ford Motor Co., Visteon, Masco, Faurecia North America, and Reverie, Leon Speakers, Inc., and ElringKlinger Automotive Manufacturing.

For Eaton, the opportunity to work with students in its own neighborhood is a big bonus.

“We’re not just getting a potential solution, but we are neighbors and we use LTU for recruiting and internships and co-ops,” says Bennett, who also serves as a chair for the Mechanical Engineering Industrial Advisory Board at LTU.

“Giving back to the community is a core Eaton belief, and this is a great opportunity to do that. It’s certainly an opportunity for Eaton’s name to be better known in the community, and for Eaton to introduce itself to different universities,” says Bennett. “I’m looking forward to it. I think it will be fun.”

This year, LTU’s team will compete with teams from Ohio Northern University and the University of Toledo. Up to three additional teams can participate; those interested can contact Heidi Morano or visit LTU Innovation Encounter for more information.

A million-dollar idea that never makes its way to market is worth quite a bit less than a million dollars. To help product entrepreneurs in southeast Michigan get their innovations into the hands of their customers, the Southfield Centrepolis Accelerator at Lawrence Technological University provides all the resources necessary. And beginning in October, entrepreneurs can interact with the Centrepolis Accelerator in a whole new way.

On October 4, the Centrepolis Accelerator will open a 6,300 square-foot center on the campus of Lawrence Technological University. In addition to coworking desks, gathering spaces, and conference rooms, the center will feature something many accelerators lack.

“We are unique in that we will have a product development and prototyping lab,” says Dan Radomski, director of the Centrepolis Accelerator. “In that lab we will have product design tools, computer-aided design, engineering and analysis, plus the ability to prototype products using traditional metalworking tools to 3D printing machines.”

A state-of-the-art augmented reality/virtual reality studio will help clients conceptualize design and make important changes, which can eliminate time-consuming and costly redesigns of physical products or manufacturing processes.

What else do entrepreneurs need to know about the Centrepolis Accelerator? We’ve gathered five must-know details.

1. The Centrepolis Accelerator is laser focused on manufacturing and commercializing the physical product.

“We are unique in that we provide support in product development as well as business development,” says Radomski. “We are all about getting to manufacturing readiness.”

In short, the Centrepolis Accelerator is the go-to place for anyone who is developing hardware or another physical product using advanced manufacturing technology.

“No one else in the state focuses on that,” says Radomski.

Through hands-on events and programming, businesses can learn valuable lessons for scaling, design thinking, CleanTech, smart hardware, lean design, and more. Experts at the Centrepolis Accelerator can also help startups leverage funding through state and local business development programs.

2. Support is available to service providers, too.

Companies that specialize in product design, engineering, and prototyping can work with the Centrepolis Accelerator, says Radomski. “We want them to design, manufacture, and test their products in the Detroit area and utilize the expertise here to grow their businesses as well as the companies they are helping to build,” he says. “That economic multiplier supports the client and the extended group of product development services in the southeast Michigan area.”

3. The Centrepolis Accelerator isn’t just for startups. Big companies can benefit, too.

“These are the companies that recognize we are nurturing next-generation technology,” Radomski says. A company that is innovating a new automotive battery technology, for example, can prototype, design, and explore manufacturing techniques at the Centrepolis Accelerator.

An additional benefit for the large company working on-site is the opportunity to collide with entrepreneurs in the coworking space to network, collaborate, and spark new ideas and technologies.

4. The Centrepolis Accelerator taps into the wealth of Michigan’s manufacturing expertise – something that exists in very few cities across the country.

“When people speak about our manufacturing strength, they say that this is something Michigan is best at. We are still best-in-class in what I call the product development part of manufacturing,” Radomski says. “The automotive industry drove the discipline into our supply chain and we are best-in-class at it.”

The Centrepolis Accelerator deploys industry expertise in a deliberate way with the innovators it serves. “They don’t know where to go for design, testing, development, and validating, or they don’t have that skill set themselves. We bring that to the client, and where we don’t have the expertise, we get it from the wider industry.”

5. Talent from Lawrence Tech can improve your design and manufacturing processes.

Lawrence Technological University’s engineering focus produces research, labs, faculty, and students that can investigate the latest manufacturing and product technologies available. Radomski offers the example of smart devices. “One of the areas we are an expert in is embedded sensors in automation, and the movement toward smart devices, from the Fit Bit to the autonomous vehicle,” he says.

As part of LTU, the Centrepolis Accelerator is capable of nurturing industry 4.0 technologies that include smart hardware systems. “We’re teaching companies how to pick the right sensors, wireless systems, and custom designs of this technology. Companies interface with our faculty to develop proofs-of-concept of their products and get the students involved, too.”

Find the Centrepolis Accelerator at 21415 Civic Center Drive, in the Southfield City Centre. The Centrepolis Accelerator opens October 4. Public open house is 12-4 p.m.

On October 4, industries across Michigan will celebrate Manufacturing Day, when factories open their doors to students interested in pursuing a career in the manufacturing industry.

Here in the Southfield City Centre, all eyes will be on the grand opening of a one-of-a-kind workspace dedicated to supporting businesses that manufacture physical products.

The Centrepolis Accelerator will open its coworking and prototype workspace on the campus of Lawrence Technological University on October 4 with a public open house from 12 to 4 p.m.

The center is located at 21415 Civic Centre Drive. In addition to collaborative workspaces and meeting rooms, the 6.300 square-foot center features a prototype lab with wood and metal millworking machines, bench grinders, mitre saws, 3D printing, and an augmented/virtual reality studio.

As a collaborative effort between LTU and the City of Southfield, the Centrepolis Accelerator supports businesses by providing resources to help clients conceptualize and refine viable product designs, establish mentor relationships, recognize consumer markets, scale product-based businesses, connect with leading industry professionals, and leverage student engineering and design talent.

Learn more about the Southfield Centrepolis Accelerator at Lawrence Technological University and register to attend the October 4th open house by clicking here.