Delta,
Commercial Lawnmower, Marycrest Manor earn 2012 business awards
Ambassador,
teachers of year will also be honored next week
(LIVONIA; January 11, 2012) - The Livonia Chamber of Commerce will honor Delta
Research-Delta Gear, Commercial Lawnmower, and Marycrest Manor for business
excellence and contributions to the Livonia community at the eighth annual
Leadership and Awards Celebration at Laurel Manor on Thursday, Jan. 19.
The
honored businesses were announced this week by Chamber President Dan West.
“Each
of these companies built a decades-long reputation as great businesses while devoutly
giving back to the community with efforts that benefit many people in and
around Livonia,” West said.
The
2012 Large Business of the Year Award goes to Delta Research-Delta Gear, a three-generation family company that
dates back to 1952. Over the past two years, the company invested some $13
million into purchasing buildings and completing significant renovations to the
former Livonia Observer building for it growing production of high-precision
parts and gears for automotive and aeronautical vehicles.
“Success
only comes from good employees,” said Bob Sakuta, the company’s president and
managing partner. “If you don’t have good employees, a company is not
sustainable. We benefit from their hard work.”
Sakuta’s
father, Alex, created Delta Research in Dearborn Heights in 1952 and moved the
operation to Capital Avenue in Livonia with eight employees in 1966. The
company grew on the design and prototype production of parts and machines. Bob
and his late-brother, Dennis, continued to grow the company after their father
died in 1986.
In
2004, the company purchased Tifco Gage and Gear in Wixom, brought it to Livonia
as Delta Gear. Today, the companies have grown to employ 107 workers at three
Livonia buildings. Today, Bob’s son, Scott, and son-in-law, Tony Werschky, are
partners as the companies pursue future growth in their gear-making operations
and roll out two new enterprises in the coming years.
“I
want to make Livonia the gear capital of the world,” said Sakuta, a Livonia
resident for 35 years. “I love to build things, and we are grateful because for
how Livonia has allowed us to grow at such phenomenal rates.”
Delta
Gear and Delta Research have contributed to the Livonia Police Department,
military veterans, and a number of professional development causes. Sakuta said
he was “surprised” and “honored” to receive the large business honor.
The 2012 Small Business of the
Year winner is Commercial Lawnmower,
a sales, parts and service center for lawn care and snow removal equipment
located on Plymouth Road since 1978. Owner John Murphy moved out of his
original location near Wayne Road 12 years ago to a larger building just west
of Merriman Road.
Murphy, a Livonia resident for
47 years, cut grass for one of his school teachers at LaForest Lawn Maintenance
for 12 years before going into business for himself. Also during this time, he
attended evening classes at the University of Detroit and earned a bachelor’s
degree. He continues to work long days, driven by visible satisfaction from his
customers.
“I enjoy people,” he said. “I
enjoy selling good products and seeing the smiles on their faces when they use
those products.”
The mild-mannered Murphy’s
attention to customer service has always been his primary focus. His office
features a document, Ten Commandments of Good Business, which is printed on an
aging sheet of paper that’s turned yellow but the document remains relevant. He
also credits his 14 employees, who average 15 years of service to the company,
for sustaining the business for 34 years.
Murphy’s company has long
supported a number of community causes including the Livonia Hockey
Association, St. Michael’s church and school, Livonia high school sports
boosters, Livonia Goodfellows, and Livonia Kiwanis.
“We just like working hard,
running an honest business and staying involved in the community,” Murphy said.
“Livonia and the other neighboring communities have been so good to us, so we
want to be good to them.”
Murphy said he was “surprised”
and “thankful” for the small business honor. Along with wife, Helene, he has
two children in college.
The 2012 Community Enhancement Award goes to Marycrest Manor, a skilled-nursing and
rehabilitation center located on Middlebelt Road since 1962. The facility
employs some 100 people who tend to 600-700 patients each year.
Marycrest Manor recently invested $8.1 million into its
campus by constructing a 60-unit apartment complex for independent seniors. The
new 88,000-square-foot building is known as Marycrest Heights.
“We have a lot of competition for skilled nursing and
rehabilitation service, so with this project, we aimed to create multiple
levels of service while making better use of our 10 acres,” said Jim Butler,
the administrator and president of Marycrest Manor. He added that most of the
new tenants moved in from another Livonia home.
The three-story complex is built on top of a heated
garage. The apartments range from 925- to 1,280 square feet. Common areas in
the building include a community room, media room with fireplace, multipurpose
room and fitness room. Butler made a controversial decision in the planning
phase by authorizing the bright, yellow siding.
“That was a tough decision because there were some who didn’t
like the idea, but I thought the bright siding to bring attention to this
building,” Butler said. “Since the building was completed, we have had plenty
of positive feedback from people. It grabs their eye.”
While he said he was “thrilled” and “humbled” to community
enhancement award, Butler added he hopes to expand and renovate the original
Marycrest Manor building in the coming years. His goal: To serve more patients
and match the exterior look of Marycrest Heights.
The Livonia Chamber will also honor Jeff Brindley as its Ambassador of the Year, which is awarded to
the chamber’s most-active volunteer over the past year. In addition to helping
recruit new members, welcome new business owners at grand openings, and provide
support at chamber events, Brindley has been the leader of the chamber’s
largest peer networking group for several years.
“I am surprised by this honor,” Brindley said. “The
Livonia Chamber and the chamber ambassadors are great assets to my business. I
have met some wonderful business people and lifelong friends through the
chamber.”
Brindley is a financial advisor for Foresters Financial
Partners. He has been an active member of the chamber and an ambassador for
seven years. Aside from work, Brindley is active with the Livonia Rotary Club,
Livonia Stevenson Booster Club, and other charities in Livonia. For 20 years,
he has lived in Livonia where he raised his two teenage children.
The business award winners
were nominated by Livonia Chamber of Commerce members and community leaders
throughout December and January. The honorees were selected by an anonymous
committee who evaluates the nominations.
At the Leadership and
Awards Celebration, the Livonia Chamber will also honor
the teachers of the year for Livonia Public Schools and Clarenceville School
District. At LPS, the teachers of the year are Buchanan Elementary’s Christine Wojcik, Frost Middle School’s
Carim Calkins, and Churchill High
School’s Kelly Eddy. At
Clarenceville, the teachers of the year are Clarenceville High School’s Judy Bargerstock, Clarenceville Middle
School’s Kendal Lamarand and
Botsford Elementary School’s Dawn
Monson.
The Leadership and Awards,
sponsored by UPS, Huntington Bank, St. Mary Mercy Hospital and Madonna
University, is coordinated by the Livonia Chamber of Commerce and the
Livonia Observer newspaper. Tickets are still available at $25 each. Admission
includes a light dinner and soft drinks. A cash bar will be available. To
reserve tickets, call the Livonia Chamber office at 734.427.2122, or via e-mail
at sweeney@livonia.org.
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