Michigan Business Networking Group: Cancer Fundraiser

 The Michigan Business Networking Group is helping to put together a cancer fundraiser in late September.   We are looking for donated items as well as a band that would be willing to donate their time.

If you would like to help please call Ron Dwyer at 248-390-6345  or e-mail rondwyer@roninsureme.com 

Most of the information people take in about their surroundings is visual. When someone is listening to learn more about you and your company, they're also closely observing your body language for even more clues. 

Are you conveying the message you really want to send?

This infographic from Visual.ly and translation service provider Gengo demonstrates how to present yourself--whether you're meeting a potential client for the first time or you're leading a new team. 

Channel 20 Detroit Has New 10pm News Hosted By WXYZ 7 Staff. Merger puts two stations under the same roof.

Detroit area viewers now have a choice for local news at 10 p.m. 

7 Action News at 10 on TV20 Detroit premieres today at 10 p.m. The new 10 p.m. newscast will be anchored Monday-Friday by Glenda Lewis and Malcolm Maddox, with chief meteorologist Dave Rexroth’s 7 First Alert weather forecasts, and 7 sports director Tom Leyden’s up-to-the-minute sports reports.

Weekend editions will be anchored by 7 Action News veteran Dave LewAllen, with meteorologist Hally Vogel and sports anchor David Solano.

According to WXYZ , 7 Action News at 10 on TV20 will be fast-paced and include big interviews, investigative reports and an aggressive “Taking Action for You” attitude.

Cincinnati-based E.W. Scripps Co., the parent company of WXYZ-TV, closed Monday on the purchase of MyNetwork TV affiliate WMYD Channel 20 in a $110 million cash deal that also includes the purchase of WKBW, Buffalo’s ABC affiliate, from New York City-based Granite Broadcasting Corp.

The deal, which has no debt financing and required Federal Communications Commission approval, brings Scripps’ ABC affiliate count to 11, which will reach almost 12 percent of American households, according to a news release.

Scripps now owns 21 stations throughout the country and has a total market share of nearly 14 percent, according to the release.

It creates the second duopoly in the Detroit television market. The other is WWJ-TV Ch. 62, a CBS station, and WKBD-TV Ch. 50, a CW Network affiliate, which are owned and operated by CBS Corp.

“These stations in Detroit and Buffalo will contribute strong cash flow to our core businesses, expand our reach in one of our best markets, and expand our TV footprint in partnership with ABC,” Rich Boehne, Scripps chairman, president and CEO, said in a news release.

Granite bought WMYD in 1997 for $175 million.

WMYD was formed in 2006 when FOX parent News Corp. created the MyNetworkTV network for stations orphaned by the merger of The WB Network and UPN, which resulted in the CBS- and Warner Bros.-owned The CW Network.

WMYD has a studio in Southfield. Its employees will move to the WXYZ headquarters as part of the deal. Some of the station’s content is produced in Fort Wayne.

Scripps has since 1986 owned WXYZ, the broadcaster’s largest television station, reaching nearly 2.7 million households in the Detroit market.

Scripps (NYSE: SSP) in 2012 reported $160 million in profit from its television stations on $903 million in company-wide revenue ($494 million of which was television).

The company’s financial disclosures didn’t break down by station.

The station first went on the air in September 1968 as independently owned WXON-TV Ch. 62, a UHF station. It was WDWB-TV from 1997-2006.

DNR invites public input on forest plans for Antrim, Charlevoix, Cheboygan, Emmet, Mackinac and Otsego counties

The Department of Natural Resources will host open houses on

June 17 in Gaylord and June 18 in Indian River to provide information and receive public comment on proposed forest management treatments for 2016 in the Gaylord management unit, which includes Antrim, Charlevoix, Cheboygan, Emmet, Mackinac and Otsego counties. The open houses are set for:

• Tuesday, June 17, 3-7 p.m.
  Gaylord Field Office, 1732 West M-32, Gaylord
• Wednesday, June 18, 3-7 p.m.
  Indian River Field Office, 6984 Wilson Road, Indian River

Each year, DNR personnel evaluate one-tenth of the state forest. The inventory provides key decision-making information for foresters and wildlife, fisheries and other resource managers. The age, health, quality and quantity of trees and other vegetation are assessed to enable DNR staff to make informed decisions. Timber management, wildlife and fisheries habitat, minerals, archeological sites, recreational use, wildfire potential and social concerns are just some of the topics taken into consideration during this review.

Because the forest is inventoried approximately two years in advance, a year of entry is assigned to indicate when treatments will be prepared. Information currently under review has a 2016 year of entry. This means that treatment activities on lands being reviewed this year will actually begin in 2016.

Proposed treatments, which may include timber harvesting, replanting and other management activities, are designed to ensure the sustainability of all forest resources.

“Open houses are a good way for interested residents, neighbors and stakeholders to learn about the DNR’s proposed treatment plans and to share input with foresters and biologists before any final decisions are made,” said Bill O’Neill, chief of the DNR’s Forest Resources Division.

“This year we’re inviting folks who might not be able to get to a meeting to share their comments via email with unit managers,” he added. “When it comes to the health and sustainability of our state forests, we want the planning process to be as inclusive as possible.”

To more easily and efficiently oversee the forest resources, the DNR divides each management unit into smaller units or "compartments." This year, the compartments under review are in Chestonia and Warner townships (Antrim County); Chandler and Peaine townships (Charlevoix County); Beaugrand, Ellis, Mentor, Mullett and Waverly townships (Cheboygan County); Bliss, Center and Springvale townships (Emmet County); Bois Blanc Township (Mackinac County); and Charlton and Otsego Lake townships (Otsego County).

Maps and information regarding proposed treatments will be available at the open house. The information can also be found at www.michigan.gov/forestry. Compartment review packets for the 2016 year of entry can be found by selecting the shown map and clicking on the “Gaylord” button. Records of decisions, recorded timber harvests and other treatments for past years are available on this page.

On July 17, the DNR will complete its formal compartment review to decide on final treatment plans for these areas. That review will take place:

• Thursday, July 17, 9 a.m.
  Citizens National Bank (basement), 3990 S. Straits Highway, Indian River

Persons with disabilities who need accommodations for either meeting should contact Joyce Angel, 989-732-3541, ext. 5440, a minimum of five business days before each meeting. Anyone unable to attend either meeting may submit comments via email to Joyce Angel. Please use the subject line: Gaylord state forest open house comment. All comments must be received at least three business days before each meeting.

For more information about the state forest planning process, visit www.michigan.gov/forestplan.  

When It Comes To Modern Advertising Those That Think Out Of The Box Succeed

In Tampa Florida one company took advertising into a brand new direction by thinking out of the box.  Along several roads in Tampa people where passing by odd brightly orange painted bikes.  

People wondered what those bikes were about.   Where they to alert drivers of impending construction work or to keep an eye out for children or cyclers?

People's curiosity got the best of them so when they got home what did they do?  They immediately went on to Google and Facebook to find the story of the bikes.

Turns out the bikes were part of a clever campaign to get people talking and "Googling" the orange bikes which brought them to Orangetheory Fitness, a new Florida based fitness center.    The Fitness center was opening up soon along the streets the orange bikes where located.

Because of these unique strategy, Orangetheory Fitness received perhaps as much as $20,000 in free advertising from news paper articles to TV news exposure.  

If you want to stand out from the crowd, you need to think out of the box like Orangetheory Fitness did.
  

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Beaumont, Botsford Heatlh Care and Oakwood Healthcare agree to merge

ROYAL OAK, Mich., DEARBORN, Mich. and FARMINGTON HILLS, Mich., March 21, 2014 /PRNewswire/ -- Beaumont Health System, Botsford Health Care and Oakwood Healthcare have signed a letter of intent and begun exclusive negotiations about combining their operations into a new health care system.

The boards of the three not-for-profit organizations have approved a letter of intent calling for formation of a new, $3.8 billion health system that would combine assets, liabilities and operations under unified executive and board leadership. The new system would integrate their combined eight hospitals and 153 other patient care sites into a comprehensive and collaborative health care network focused on advancing quality of care and access to care for people throughout the region.

The three organizations have begun the negotiation of a definitive agreement and due diligence discussions aimed at creating the new, not-for-profit health system.

"We are three successful health care organizations driven by a shared desire to collectively build upon our success in improving quality, efficiency and value in health care delivery," says Gene Michalski, CEO of Beaumont Health System. "By combining our strengths, resources, experience and capabilities, we'll be well positioned to meet future health care challenges while expanding access to high-quality, high-value care for patients throughout the region."

"This is really all about improving patient care for men, women and children in our respective communities," says Brian Connolly, president and CEO of Oakwood Healthcare. "If we join forces, we can and we will use quality data and standardized best-practice treatment protocols across the continuum of care for improved health and greater value for the families we serve."

"Physician collaboration and integration is a key priority for all three of our organizations," says Paul LaCasse, D.O., MPH, president and CEO, Botsford Health Care. "We will use our combined resources to work collaboratively with our physicians. Employed and private-practice allopathic and osteopathic physicians will be partners in the creation of our new organization."

Goals of the new organization include:

• improving the value of health care services through processes that deliver high quality, well-coordinated patient care at the right time in the right setting at an affordable cost
• improving the health, well-being and outcomes of patient populations
• improving care efficiency and patient safety by integrating patients' medical records for easy access by caregivers across all settings of care
• improving operational efficiency by lowering and spreading costs over a larger system and through group purchasing of supplies and equipment

The new organization will be governed by a single board and executive leadership structure with representation from the three organizations. John Lewis, Oakwood chairman of the board, will serve as the initial board chair. Gene Michalski, Beaumont CEO, will serve as the initial CEO for the new combined organization. Michalski, Oakwood CEO Brian Connolly and Botsford CEO Paul LaCasse will all serve on the CEO Council, overseeing the transition and implementation of the new system. Michalski will chair the CEO Council. Connolly and LaCasse will remain as president and CEO of their respective organizations during the period of transition. Connolly will also serve as transition executive on behalf of the CEO Council.

A system-wide Clinical Leadership Council, including physicians, nurses and other health providers, led by physicians, will develop and drive physician alignment and integration. This group will advise the CEO Council for all medical matters. The organizations' medical staffs will remain separate.

All three organizations will also maintain their existing medical school relationships.

A letter of intent is an agreement that signals the desire of the organizations to enter into a new partnership. It begins the process of negotiating a definitive agreement and conducting "due diligence," during which representatives from the systems work closely together to explore how best to bring the organizations together.

The new health system will not be final until due diligence is completed, the boards of the three organizations approve a definitive agreement and after appropriate regulatory approvals.

Beaumont Health System

Beaumont Health System is a three-hospital regional health system with 1,778 licensed beds, more than 14,000 full-time equivalent employees and nearly 3,100 physicians, including 500 employed physicians in the Beaumont Medical Group and more than 2,600 private-practice physicians. In addition to its hospitals in Royal Oak, Troy and Grosse Pointe, Beaumont has numerous community-based medical centers in Oakland, Macomband Wayne counties, family practice and internal medicine practices, five nursing centers, a research institute, home care services and hospice.  Beaumont is the exclusive clinical teaching site for the new Oakland University William Beaumont School of Medicine. Visit Beaumont on the web at www.beaumont.edu.

Botsford Health Care

Botsford Health Care is an integrated health care system including Botsford Hospital,Botsford Commons Senior Community and Community Emergency Medical Service. Botsford Hospital is a 330-bed hospital and verified trauma center located in Farmington Hills. Each year Botsford cares for more than 16,000 inpatients and 60,000 emergency trauma patients with 2,500 employees, 300 volunteers and more than 600 physicians.  The hospital is home to an extensive medical education program affiliated with Michigan State University's College of Osteopathic Medicine. Botsford Commons Senior Community, located in Farmington Hills, provides a variety of residential choices for the elderly: independent living in condominiums and apartments, a senior assisted living center and a rehabilitation and continuing care center. Community Emergency Medical Service provides ambulance transportation, emergency and non-emergency treatment along with educational services to healthcare organizations, municipalities and communities throughout Southeastern Michigan. Visit botsford.org, facebook.com/botsford hospital.

Oakwood Healthcare

Oakwood Healthcare is an independent, not-for-profit health care organization committed to improving the health and well-being of the individuals and communities in Wayne County. As one of the largest employers in the county, Oakwood provides acute, specialty, primary and preventative care services backed by excellence in research and education. With four acute care hospitals and more than 50 outpatient facilities, Oakwood's 9,000 employees and 1,300 physicians represent nearly every medical and surgical specialty and subspecialty. Oakwood was also a finalist for the 2011 Malcolm Baldrige National Quality Award.

SOURCE Beaumont Health System; Oakwood Healthcare; Botsford Health Care

Hollywood in Grand Rapids,Michigan

 GRAND RAPIDS, Mich. Filming for a movie could cause some traffic headaches along I-196 in Grand Rapids Thursday.

A crew for “The End of the Tour” will be filming along the highway between Fuller Avenue and Lake Michigan Drive between 9 a.m. and 3 p.m. There will not be lane closures, according to the Michigan Department of Transportation, traffic will be moving slower.

The upside is that drivers may catch a glimpse of “The End of the Tour” actors Jesse Eisenberg and Jason Segel performing a scene from the movie.

“They are using a film truck and car,” West Michigan Film Office Film Commissioner Rick Hert said. “So the car will be on a trailer and be pulled shooting through.”

A location scout advised the moviemakers will use a process they call “turn arounds” in which the crew will head westbound from Fuller to Lake Michigan Drive, and then turn around and drive from Lake Michigan Drive to Fuller. They’ll continue driving back and forth until they are finished filming for the day.

The shoot has been months in the planning.

MDOT says drivers should consider the traffic disruption as more of a wide load than a lane closure.

“The moving operation will be going about 40 MPH and they will make that loop until they get the shot. There will be concerns with traffic going that much slower than the posted speed limits, but that’s why we have police assistance on hand to help with safety,” MDOT spokesman John Richard said.

He said that stretch of I-196, which services about 70,000 vehicles each day, is ready for a closeup.

“It’s a newly reconstructed stretch, so it looks nice,” Richard said. “It’s gorgeous. Look at it.”

But 24 Hour News 8 learned the stretch was chosen because of the s skyline visible from it. In the movie, Grand Rapids will be playing the part of a Chicago suburb.

Both Grand Rapids police and Michigan State Police will be escorting and monitoring the shoot, and will bill the production company for costs incurred.