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Get Inspired and Connected Through “Working Women Wednesday”
Get Inspired and Connected Through “Working Women Wednesday” southfieldcc_3ik8d2

The Southfield Area Chamber of Commerce is hosting a Women in Business virtual panel discussion on Wednesday, July 22, from 12 noon to 1:30 p.m. The event will feature Regina Hall, a certified John Maxwell speaker, Tisha Hammond, small business “cheerleader” and founder of Ascent Small Business Promotion LLC, and Alyssa Space, founder and CEO of ForHerCosmetics.

This event is designed to meet the needs of women who are seeking selective conversations, says Jasmine Patton, director of communication and events with the Southfield Area Chamber of Commerce.

“Women in particular face unique barriers as a result of working from home,” says Patton. “Many are working full time, homeschooling, and balancing all the needs of their home and family. We are starting this conversation and inviting outside organizations who are already doing great work to come and join our collective conversation.”

With so many options for organization membership and resources, the Southfield Area Chamber seeks to be a hub to support working women.

Join the Women in Business call through Zoom by registering at the Southfield Area Chamber of Commerce website. There is no cost to participate, and a lot of support to gain.

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Southfield CommUNITY Cup Challenge Continues Virtually in 2020
Southfield CommUNITY Cup Challenge Continues Virtually in 2020 southfieldcc_3ik8d2

The Southfield CommUNITY Cup Challenge, an annual summer event that brings businesses in the Southfield City Centre together for some friendly competition and to raise funds and awareness for a good cause, is happening this summer. This year marks the fourth year for the Southfield Community Cup Challenge, but the first year the event has gone online.

“Despite the disruption caused by the coronavirus pandemic, we know that the Southfield CommUNITY Cup Challenge is a much-loved event, and something that really marks the summer for companies that participate, so we worked to make it happen,” says Shelly Freeman, business and economic development director for The City of Southfield. “Now more than ever, we depend upon events that will unite us and encourage us to have fun together.”

Organizations in the Southfield City Centre are encouraged to connect, reconnect, meet new business neighbors and find some fun this summer to build #SouthfieldStrong spirit. In all, 18 organizations are taking part in the virtual one-day event.

Typically, the CommUNITY Cup Challenge brings together businesses, city departments and educational institutions in the Southfield City Centre to compete in a variety of fun challenges, like trivia nights, bingo and scavenger hunt races. This year, the events are compacted down into a one-day competition with two virtual events held on Thursday, July 23.

From 12 noon to 1:30 p.m., players will face off online for “guess the destination” and bingo. From 3 to 4:30 p.m. players will compete in an online trivia and scavenger hunt in teams of five. Due to limited programming, play will be for fun only and a new cup winner will be announced in 2021.

Most importantly, collections and donations for the Stronger Warrior Foundation – this year’s selected charity — are open to all and will be ongoing until August 31. Stronger Warrior is a local nonprofit organization that supports the needs of active men and women in the military as well as veterans. The foundation’s flagship initiative, Mission Resupply, assembles, stocks and ships custom-designed crates to military men and women who are deployed overseas.

“The Stronger Warrior Foundation feels so grateful to be the charity supporting the Southfield Community Cup this year,” says Katelyn Abell, co-executive director of the foundation. “I think there’s a lot of great companies involved and willing to help donate toward our Mission Resupply program.  The biggest thing we would like to do is raise awareness about our organization and how we can help support our military personnel especially during these uncertain times.”

Through partnerships with organizations and individuals, the Stronger Warrior Foundation collects donations, selects platoons and sends crates to each member of the platoon. The organization was founded by sister-brother team Katelyn and Bryan Abell. Katelyn Abell led her team at Southfield City Centre-based IHS Markit to victory in the 2019 CommUNITY Cup Challenge and received the Cup trophy at the Southfield City Council meeting on September 23.

Learn more about the Southfield CommUNITY Cup on the event’s Facebook page. Donate at the GoFundMe page for the event.

Stronger Warrior Foundation has Roots and Support in the Southfield City Centre
Stronger Warrior Foundation has Roots and Support in the Southfield City Centre southfieldcc_3ik8d2

Katelyn Abell has a passion for nonprofit organizations. Always looking to make a positive difference in the world, she has long supported causes that she believes in, and imagined founding her own charitable organization one day. In 2018, Abell, who works at Southfield City Centre’s IHS Markit, dragged her brother Bryan Abell to an event for local nonprofit Fleece & Thank You, which provides colorful fleece blankets to children undergoing hospital treatments.

She said he loved the feeling of giving back and recognized the power of helping others.

“My brother was really encouraged to establish his own nonprofit,” says Abell, adding that he had been participating in athletic challenges to raise money for the Wounded Warrior Project. “He wanted to do something to help military men and women and he asked me to be a co-founder for a 501(c)(3).” In January 2019, Abell and her brother officially founded the Stronger Warrior Foundation.

The foundation’s flagship initiative is called Mission Resupply. “The program is centered around sending care packages to deployed men and women overseas. They could go to Italy or Afghanistan or Iraq,” Abell says. Each member of the designated platoon will receive a hand-built wood crate filled with wish list items.

Prior to the pandemic, the Stronger Warrior Foundation partnered with companies to get raw supplies to build the crates, and with schools and scouting organizations to decorate and fill the crates with toiletries, hygiene products, photos and other items. As a special item, the Stronger Warrior Foundation adds in a dry fit shirt with its foundation logo. Each crate costs about $40 to create, and individuals can sponsor crates or participate in fundraisers to help fund crates for a platoon.

“The shirts are really nice, and they are the same color as their uniform, so we know they will get good use out of it. It’s one of the small tricks my brother knows from being part of the Army,” Abell says.

A second program of the Stronger Warrior Foundation provides support to disabled veterans right in their own homes. Called the Adaptive Warrior program, this effort focuses on financial support for adaptive living additions to homes or vehicles. “We might put in a wheelchair lift, for example,” Abell says.

In addition, the Stronger Warrior Foundation supports a Health & Wellness program, which provides community members with all the tools needed to live a healthy and active lifestyle. Through exercise and nutritional instruction, the Health & Wellness program serves to support individuals and help them meet their fitness goals.

Even the Stronger Warrior Foundation’s website has supportive resources through its Warrior Journal. This section of the website has inspirational stories and tips for living a healthier life, emotionally, mentally and physically.

Most recently, In response to the coronavirus pandemic, the Stronger Warrior Foundation held a targeted campaign to donate more than 500 face shields to frontline medical workers in local hospitals.

Like many nonprofit organizations, the Stronger Warrior Foundation is able to fulfill its mission through the support of partners and donors. In 2020, the single largest donor to the Stronger Warrior Foundation has been Iknowvate, an IT outsourcing service provider located at One Towne Square in the Southfield City Centre.

“Our organization is so thankful to have local companies like Iknowvate give corporate sponsorships to the organization. Their generous donation has helped us send warrior crates overseas to deployed men and women,” Abell says, adding that a portion of Iknowvate’s  donation helped the Adaptive Warrior Program.

“When a member of the Southfield City Centre business community can fulfill a dream of helping others and then partner with a nearby business for financial support to help make that happen, that’s a testament to the value of leveraging community resources and relationships to build a better world,” says Shelly Freeman, business & economic development director for The City of Southfield. “We’re continually amazed by the great things that come out of the Southfield City Centre business community. We are just looking to see what’s next.”

Learn more about the Stronger Warrior Foundation at strongerwarriorfoundation.org.

Small Business Restart Recovery Grant Applications Open
Small Business Restart Recovery Grant Applications Open southfieldcc_3ik8d2

The Michigan Small Business Restart Program application will be live starting Wednesday, July 15 at michiganbusiness.org/restart and run through Wednesday, August 5. Funds can be used as working capital to support payroll expenses, rent, mortgage payments, utility expenses or other similar expenses.

To qualify for grant support, businesses must meet the following criteria, based on statutory requirements for the program:

  • Is a business or nonprofit that can demonstrate it is affected by the COVID-19 emergency
  • Needs working capital to support eligible expenses
  • Demonstrates an income loss as result of the COVID-19 emergency
  • Has not received a grant through the Michigan Strategic Fund’s Michigan Small Business Relief Program. Businesses who have received support through other COVID-19 relief programs, including the Michigan Small Business Relief Program loans, are eligible to apply for Restart grants.

Additionally, at least 30 percent of the funds awarded under the program must be provided to women-owned, minority-owned or veteran-owned eligible businesses. The MEDC anticipates that more than 5,000 businesses across the state will benefit from this program.

Read more at MichiganBusiness.org

Join Eat to the Beat’s July Program Virtually
Join Eat to the Beat’s July Program Virtually southfieldcc_3ik8d2

Following our first-ever Eat To The Beat VIRTUAL program in June, the Southfield City Centre is pleased to announce the July event, which will debut on Thursday, July 9, 2020.

This month’s virtual event will feature Larry Lee & The Back In The Day Band, and Skye Island (with Mike Talley).

Larry Lee & The Back In The Day Band is a collection of professional musicians from The Temptations, The Four Tops, The Spinners and many more. The band plays an upbeat mix of original music and cover versions spanning the genres of soul, blues, hip-hop, disco, rock, pop, R&B and funk. Their website calls the Larry Lee & The Back In The Day Band “Detroit’s hottest Party Band.”

Skye Island (with Mike Talley) plays music with a “relaxed, positive and energetic vibe” that is influenced by George Benson, Sting, Dizzy Gillespie, Herbie Hancock, Stevie Wonder and many more.

Eat To The Beat, the Southfield City Centre’s signature summer food truck and live music monthly event looks a little different this summer, in response to COVID-19. This creative effort was pulled together as a safer alternative to the traditional Southfield City Centre gathering.

Grab your lunch and a cool beverage and enjoy Eat To The Beat VIRTUAL on one of these platforms:

The Southfield City Centre Facebook page (on demand, any time) or the Cable 15 live page on the City of Southfield website (broadcast at 11:30 a.m. on Thursday, July 9 with a special rebroadcast on Thursday, July 16 at 11:30 a.m.

Planning is in the works for a summer drive-through food truck event, so watch for additional information to follow.

Double the Fun: A Second Chance to Watch June’s Eat to the Beat Virtual Event
Double the Fun: A Second Chance to Watch June’s Eat to the Beat Virtual Event southfieldcc_3ik8d2

The Southfield City Centre’s Eat To The Beat Events this summer are going virtual in response to COVID-19. On Thursday, June 11, the very first Eat To The Beat event of 2020 was aired on Cable 15 through the City of Southfield website.

The virtual event was an hour-long concert featuring singer-songwriter Angela Davis “up close and personal,” and Alise King & the Pure Nastiness Band, recorded live at Aretha’s Jazz Café in Detroit.

If you missed the first event, you can watch it on demand at the Southfield City Centre Facebook page.

“We recognize that everybody wants to enjoy themselves outside, listening to great music and sharing some great food with friends, family and coworkers. That’s why we are making our Eat To The Beat events virtual for the summer schedule,” says Terry Croad, director of planning for the City of Southfield, in a recorded introduction to the virtual Eat To The Beat events.

If you missed the first event, please tune in for a special rebroadcast, whenever and wherever you might be. It’s available right now at the Southfield City Centre Facebook page.

Mark your calendar for the next Eat To The Beat VIRTUAL event with all new bands for lunchtime enjoyment: July 9, 2020 at 11:30 a.m.

Planning is in the works for a summer drive-through food truck event, so watch for additional information to follow.

Eat to the Beat is Virtual in the Southfield City Centre
Eat to the Beat is Virtual in the Southfield City Centre southfieldcc_3ik8d2

Eat To The Beat, the Southfield City Centre’s signature summer food truck and live music monthly event will take on a different look this summer, in response to COVID-19.

On Thursday, June 11, everyone can tune in to the first virtual Eat To The Beat in the Southfield City Centre.

“We recognize that everybody wants to enjoy themselves outside, listening to great music and sharing some great food with friends, family and coworkers. That’s why we are making our Eat To The Beat events virtual for the summer schedule,” says Terry Croad, director of planning for the City of Southfield, in a recorded introduction to the virtual Eat To The Beat events.

This creative effort was pulled together in record time in response to the rapidly changing environment surrounding stay-at-home orders in Southfield and across the state of Michigan.

“With the stay at home order, we have been trying to figure out a way to bring music to residents and those who work in the City Centre. Originally, we didn’t want to promote live gatherings so we came up with the idea to do a virtual Eat To The Beat experience and premier it on Facebook as if it is live, without it being live,” explains Samantha Jenkins, recreation programmer for Southfield Parks and Recreation.

Eat To The Beat VIRTUAL on June 11 will feature Alise King & the Pure Nastiness Band, recorded live at Aretha’s Jazz Cafe in Detroit and Angela Davis, recorded “up close and personal,” from her studio.

Here’s how it works:

Between 11:30 a.m. and 12:30 p.m. on Thursday, June 11, grab some lunch or snacks and tune in to Eat To The Beat VIRTUAL through one of these methods:

Take advantage of beautiful almost-summer weather while working at home or wherever you might be, and join in June’s Eat To The Beat VIRTUAL in the Southfield City Centre.

Planning is in the works for a summer drive-through food truck event, so watch for additional information to follow.

Southfield City Centre Restaurants Can Now Expand Outside – Personal Service Businesses Soon to Follow
Southfield City Centre Restaurants Can Now Expand Outside – Personal Service Businesses Soon to Follow southfieldcc_3ik8d2

Planning ahead for the date when Governor Whitmer’s Executive Orders allow for restaurant barbers, hairstylists, nail salons to once again serve customers, the Southfield City Council passed a resolution that will allow these businesses to expand their services outside.

To streamline the process for businesses, the Southfield Planning and Building Departments are expediting approvals and reducing fees.

“The City of Southfield continually strives to assist local and international businesses by cutting red tape and rolling out the red carpet,” says Terry Croad, Director of Planning for Southfield. “During this difficult time, we are making every effort to support both our businesses and residents while doing so as safely and quickly as possible. This resolution provides residents with much needed services while also helping businesses to get back in operation as soon as is feasible.”

Southfield City Centre businesses that apply for Administrative Site Plan review and approval to expand their businesses outdoor must adhere to specific conditions that will permit social distancing and protect the health, safety and welfare of the public. Eligible businesses will already have an existing business operating on the same property and will comply with all existing state and county Department of Health regulations, as well as the Michigan Building Code. At the time of application, businesses must possess a valid Certificate of Occupancy from the Building Department.

For dining establishments, the provision will allow a 25 to 50% increase in table capacity to be located outside on a hard surface, such as a parking area. For personal services businesses, the provision allows for a 25 to 50% increase in chair or station capacity. The outdoor provision will allow businesses to maintain at minimum six feet between patrons at all times and should be adhered to unless otherwise specified by the State of Michigan. All businesses must comply with Governor Whitmer’s Executive Orders relating to social distancing, party size and occupancy requirements. In addition, operating hours must be consistent with current business operating hours, unless further restricted by state orders.

“The Southfield Chamber welcomes the expansion of the City Centre outside operations,” says Jason Blanks, executive director of the Southfield Area Chamber of Commerce. “During these difficult times, it’s uplifting to see the City of Southfield and City Council coming together to develop changes to local policies and legislation to help support our local businesses in the Southfield community. The COVID-19 pandemic has created many hardships for restaurant and small business owners, and this is a great step forward.”

Here are some additional COVID-19 safety requirements:

  • All tables, chairs and stations must be sanitized or disinfected between customer use.
  • Face coverings or masks must be worn by patrons, where feasible, and employees within outdoor dining.
  • Hand sanitation stations are encouraged and should be made available by the business operators in or near outdoor dining spaces and personal service stations, as feasible.
  • Outdoor seating must not occupy any portion of any city sidewalk or right-of-way.

For more information, please call the Southfield Planning Department at 248-796-4150 or visit www.cityofsouthfield.com.

Crohn’s & Colitis Foundation Take Steps Goes Virtual
Crohn’s & Colitis Foundation Take Steps Goes Virtual southfieldcc_3ik8d2

While the Crohn’s & Colitis Foundation can’t conduct its signature fundraising Take Steps walk live in the Southfield City Centre this summer, it is reserving June 20 for a fun virtual walk with everyone invited to participate.

On June 20 at 12 noon, 53 communities across the country will combine efforts in a virtual walk to raise awareness and funds to support research into the causes, treatments and cures of Crohn’s disease, ulcerative colitis and other inflammatory bowel diseases (IBD). This virtual walk event will take place on Facebook Live, with no Facebook account necessary to participate.

All participants can access the Take Steps Facebook page to connect with fellow walkers, learn more about events and get tips for fundraising. Or connect directly with the Southeast Michigan Take Steps event by searching “Southeast Michigan Take Steps + Virtual 2020” on Facebook. No matter where you are, you can help the Southeast Michigan Chapter of the Crohn’s & Colitis Foundation reach its fundraising goal of $185,000.

“We know that IBD doesn’t quit, especially during this time when it’s even more challenging. We are here to serve our Michigan communities,” says Sarah Arminiak, manager for fundraising campaigns & volunteer engagement at the Crohn’s & Colitis Foundation Michigan Chapter.

“Now is the time to come together to support one another and focus on a time filled with positivity and community and now more than ever we need the continued support of our volunteers and community to keep moving forward! We sincerely hope that our supporters will walk virtually with us, from wherever they are. We’re all in the this fight together, and only together can we find cures for IBD!”

The 2019 event was the second year Take Steps was held in the Southfield City Centre. The 2.6 mile loop made good use of Southfield’s City Centre Trail, a larger shared-use path that makes getting around the City Centre enjoyable and safe. The extra-wide path encourages event participants to walk side-by-side, even include a wagon or stroller, and the placement of benches allows walkers to take a rest when they need to. The Southfield City Centre is pleased to support the event, even if it won’t take place live on the City Centre Trail this year.

Locally, the Southeast Michigan Chapter of the Crohn’s & Colitis Foundation will host a kickoff event just prior to the official virtual walk on June 20. Starting at 11:30, participants can hear from local honored heroes and local medical experts about the critical importance of supporting research and raising awareness about ulcerative colitis and Crohn’s disease.

Want to know more?

Art on the Move in the Southfield City Centre
Art on the Move in the Southfield City Centre southfieldcc_3ik8d2

Two pieces of public art will find new homes in the City Centre this year, says Southfield Mayor Kenson Siver. “The City of Southfield,” a steel sculpture by Melvin Leiserowitz and commissioned for the city’s 25th anniversary in 1983, has been tucked away toward the rear of the Southfield Municipal Campus and is ready for a move.

“For years it sat on a hill at the rear of the Civic Center. Recently the piece, which is in need of restoration, had to be moved to storage because a water main break occurred under it,” says Mayor Siver.

Following restoration, the sculpture will have a visible home in a more prominent location. “Our plan is to place ‘The City of Southfield’ to the south of the main entrance circle in front of City Hall,” he says.

A second sculpture is new to the growing collection of public art in the Southfield City Centre.

“Yin Yang,” a steel sculpture by Michigan Modernist sculptor David Barr, was purchased from the private collection of Southfield resident Skip Davis by the Friends of Southfield Public Arts. Davis recently sold his home to downsize and move to another location within the Southfield City Centre. “Obviously, he could not take the piece with him. Rather than see it leave Southfield, the Friends of Southfield Public Arts purchased it,” explains Mayor Siver.

A recommendation to restore and place the unique sculpture in a new location in the Southfield City Centre was proposed to the Southfield City Council by the Southfield Public Arts Commission and the Friends of Southfield Public Arts. This recommendation was approved by the Council and when restoration is complete, the piece will be installed in the large traffic triangle bounded by Evergreen Road, 10 Mile Road and the Northwestern Highway northbound service drive.

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