DBusiness Magazine
DBusiness Daily Update: Amazon Hiring 3,200 for Jobs in Metro Detroit, PNC Bank Gives $7.5M to Future Detroit Housing Fund, and More
Our roundup of the latest news from metro Detroit and Michigan businesses as well as announcements from government agencies, including updates about the COVID-19 pandemic. To share a business or nonprofit story, please send us a message.
Courtesy of Bridge, as of May 13
Our roundup of the latest news from metro Detroit and Michigan businesses as well as announcements from government agencies, including updates about the COVID-19 pandemic. To share a business or nonprofit story, please send us a message.
A fundraising campaign to bring new playground equipment to Douglas s Beery Field and Schultz Park qualifies for matching dollars from a state organization.
HOUGHTON Houghton’s pier project will move ahead without needing to be scaled down.
At a special meeting Wednesday, the City Council approved additional matching funds of $408,550 to go with the Michigan Economic Development Corp.’s extra $1,225,650 of grant money. That brings the total project cost close to $5 million.
“I think it’s a tremendous opportunity for us,” said Mayor Bob Backon. “They’re increasing that amount and letting us match that at 25%, I don’t see how we can go wrong.”
The amount is based on the difference between the already authorized funds and the low bid. Skyrocketing steel prices during the pandemic resulted in bids for the piling on the pier coming in at twice the expected budget.
Genemarkers has seen a surge in business due to COVID-19 testing.
KALAMAZOO, Mich. The expansion of COVID-19 testing, while playing a large part in pandemic mitigation strategies across Michigan, also fueled genomics research company Genemarkers exponential growth. It s an accomplishment being celebrated by the Biosciences Research and Commercialization Center (BRCC) of Western Michigan University a nonprofit that invests in early stage life science startups across the state.
Genemarkers, which applies state-of-the-art genomics technologies to research and development, initially formed a solid foundation in the skin care industry before diversifying into clinical genetic testing. The company found itself uniquely positioned to make a pandemic pivot when novel coronavirus cases began surging in the spring of 2020.
Michigan House votes unanimously to curb separation deals
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Lansing The Michigan House voted unanimously Tuesday to place new limits on separation agreements between agencies and departing state employees two months after revelations of secret deals roiled the Capitol.
Most notably, Robert Gordon, the former state health director, received nine months of pay after he resigned on Jan. 22, and Steve Gray, the former unemployment director, got nearly seven months of pay when he left on Nov. 5. Both deals required Gov. Gretchen Whitmer s administration and the ex-officials to maintain confidentiality about the circumstances of the departures.
Representatives voted 110-0 in favor of a bill that would generally cap severance pay at 12 weeks of a person s normal wages for individual employees in the executive and legislative branches. The proposal would also usually bar contracts with state officers that provide severance pay or include nondisclosure or confidentiality ag