WSU Schoolcraft Center is a hit with Livonia leaders

Members of the Livonia business and education community packed the WSU Schoolcraft Center Jan.

28 to learn more about economic development in the city that is home to the university’s new extension center on 7 Mile at Haggerty.

Cohosted by the School of Business, Educational Outreach and the Livonia Chamber of Commerce, the event featured an update from Mark Taormina, director of planning and economic development for Livonia. He provided a brief history of how the city’s economic centers developed and discussed changing population trends in this inner-ring suburb.

Business Dean Robert Forsythe said that, since he’s only been at Wayne State for about six months, he couldn’t take much credit for our efforts in Livonia, and thanked Associate Vice President Ahmad Ezzeddine for bringing the new Schoolcraft to U partnership to fruition. Schoolcraft President Conway Jeffress shared his pleasure with the year-old partnership, through which WSU offers coursework in accounting, management, finance, global supply chain, business information systems and engineering technology at a new building on the Schoolcraft campus.

The event was designed to introduce the site to business representatives and city leaders, which include Livonia Mayor Jack Kirksey, a three-time WSU alum. 

- Carol Baldwin, Wayne State University

Event participants included keynoter Mark Taormina (left), Livonia City Councilman Brandon Kritzman, Livonia Mayor Jack Kirksey, School of Business Dean Robert Forsythe, School of Business Assistant Dean Linda Zaddach, Schoolcraft President Conway Jeffress, WSU Associate Vice President Ahmad Ezzeddine and Livonia Chamber President and WSU alum Dan West.

State of the City delayed until September

FROM THE OFFICE OF MAYOR JACK E. KIRKSEY – FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE 

January 27, 2015

Mayor Jack Kirksey addresses the crowd at the 2014 State of the City.

Residents and community leaders used to hearing Mayor Jack Kirksey’s State of the City address in March are going to have to wait a few months this year.

In an effort to make the report as comprehensive as possible, the mayor worked in conjunction with the Livonia Chamber of Commerce, which sponsors the event, to delay the speech until Wednesday, Sept. 16.

“We anticipate a lot of exciting things happening in Livonia in 2015,” said Kirksey, in his 16th and final year as mayor of the state’s ninth-largest city. “Moving the State of the City to a later date will allow us to report on as much positive and up-to-date news as possible.”

Final details for the event, as usual scheduled for Laurel Manor on Schoolcraft Road in Livonia, are still in the planning stages.

The speech, in which the mayor reports on progress the city has made in the past year, is traditionally the Livonia Chamber of Commerce’s biggest draw. Last year’s State of the City luncheon drew 570 people.

“The State of the City luncheon is one of the chamber’s most-popular events,” said Livonia Chamber of Commerce President Dan West. “Regardless of the date, many of our members will want to be a part of the mayor’s final report to our business community.”

TEN-HUT! PLYMOUTH WHALERS MILITARY APPRECIATION WEEKEND COMING

Whalers, VA Ann Arbor Healthcare Systems join forces to aide veterans January 30-31

 Above photo by Rena Laverty – Military veteran Frank Rogers drops the puck during last season’s Military Appreciation Weekend.

PLYMOUTH – The Ontario Hockey League’s Plymouth Whalers have supported the military in a big way over the years and continue the tradition on Friday, January 30 and Saturday, January 31 in the team’s second annual Military Appreciation Weekend at Compuware Arena.

The Whalers will be wearing specially designed jerseys with a military theme against the Belleville Bulls on Fri. Jan. 30 and the Windsor Spitfires on Sat. Jan. 31.  The proceeds of the jerseys will be auctioned off, with Whalers ticket sales over the weekend and 50/50 fundraisers to be donated to VA Ann Arbor Healthcare System.

On Friday, Jan. 30, the Whalers are teaming up with VA Ann Arbor Healthcare System for a pre-game celebration highlighting benefits veterans can receive at VA Ann Arbor Healthcare System, including healthcare information, benefits information and community resources.  The program also offers food and entertainment.  The celebration and resource fair begins at Compuware Arena at 5 pm.

“We’ll have information outlining VA Healthcare benefits,” said Derek Atkinson, public affairs officer with the VA Ann Arbor Healthcare System, who is also a veteran. “The VA Ann Arbor Healthcare System is affiliated with the University of Michigan, so when you come to the Ann Arbor VA, you know you are getting high-quality healthcare.   If a veteran doesn’t have healthcare, (then) we encourage them to enroll for VA healthcare benefits.

“We’d love the opportunity to be able to serve them.”

  

Veterans participating in the pre-game program receive a free ticket to the Plymouth-Belleville game later that evening. The event is free for the first 250 Veterans and family members to RSVP.  To RSVP, please call Mignon Sizemore at (734) 845-3429 or email her at Mignon.Sizemore@va.gov.

Participating partners with the Whalers in supporting Military Appreciation Night include Xfinity, Foundations for American Veterans, Atlas Oil Company, 99.5 WYCD Detroit’s Country, Farmers Insurance, Pepsi and Bill & Rod’s Appliances.

LOCAL DOCTOR TREATING CHRONIC PAIN, NON-SURGICALLY, WITH INNOVATIVE TREATMENTS AND ACUPUNCTURE

When it comes to pain, sometimes comfort isn’t easy to find and it can lead to strong medications, surgery or a life of pain. The doctors of Michigan Sports & Spine Center understand pain and are dedicated to helping patients who are injured or living in pain get back to the life they deserve.

Mark Juska, MD specializes in acute and chronic pain management, occupational injuries, nerve and muscle injury, back injury, and now acupuncture. In a continued effort to find even more effective, non-surgical pain relief options for patients, Dr. Juska is now one of a few physicians that is also an Acupuncture Practitioner.

Acupuncture can be used with regular medical treatments to help alleviate many conditions. Given the evidence of its effectiveness, acupuncture is increasingly being incorporated into mainstream health care as a complementary therapy to alleviate chronic pain issues.

Acupuncture can be effective in treating a variety of conditions including  neck pain, back pain, sciatica, frozen shoulder, bursitis and tendonitis, arthritis, sprains, fibromyalgia, chronic fatigue syndrome, tennis elbow, headaches, carpel tunnel syndrome, vertigo, pain from shingles, and so much more.

If you have been suffering from any of these conditions, Dr. Juska can help. He is currently accepting new patients in Livonia and Troy. Call to make an appointment at 248-680-9000 or get more information at www.MichiganSportsandSpine.com.

McGraw Wentworth and Cambridge Property & Casualty Combine Under One Brand, Forming Marsh & McLennan Agency Michigan

Contact:

Ryan Bowers

248 822 6231

rbowers@mcgrawwentworth.com

Michigan-based Marsh & McLennan Agency offices to operate under one name, two locations.

Troy, Michigan, January 5, 2015 - McGraw Wentworth and Cambridge Property & Casualty, both
Marsh & McLennan Agency LLC companies, announced that they are now operating under one
name: Marsh & McLennan Agency Michigan. The two insurance consulting firms maintained
separate identities for a time after being acquired by Marsh & McLennan Agency (MMA). The two
offices will now operate under the single brand to reflect the collaborative relationship that has
developed, as well as the resulting growth in expertise and resources available in Michigan and
nationally.

MMA established its presence in Michigan with the acquisition of employee group benefits firm
McGraw Wentworth in December 2012. Troy-based Great Lakes Employee Benefit Services
joined MMA in February 2014, combining resources with and becoming a part of McGraw
Wentworth shortly after. MMA acquired Cambridge Property & Casualty in November 2013.
Marsh & McLennan Agency Michigan now has 132 employees and serves more than 250 midsize
organizations headquartered in Michigan and nationwide. MMA Michigan continues to
operate out of two locations: the Health & Benefits team is based in Troy and the Property &
Casualty team in Livonia. All leadership remains in place but some executives’ titles have
changed to reflect broader organizational responsibilities.

“Changing our name to Marsh & McLennan Agency Michigan is the natural next step for our
respective agencies. We are taking the same path forward in providing new resources and
expertise for our clients, while building on our history of and continued commitment to providing
thoughtful, thorough and proactive service,” said Thomas P. McGraw, CEO, Marsh & McLennan
Agency | Michigan, formerly president of McGraw Wentworth.

To learn more about the name change, visit www.mma-mi.com.

About Marsh & McLennan Agency- Marsh & McLennan Agency LLC, a subsidiary of Marsh,
was established in 2008 to meet the needs of midsize businesses in the United States. MMA
operates autonomously from Marsh to offer employee benefits, executive benefits, retirement,
commercial property & casualty, and personal lines to clients across the United States.

About Marsh- Marsh is a global leader in insurance broking and risk management. Marsh helps
clients succeed by defining, designing, and delivering innovative industry-specific solutions that
help them effectively manage risk. Marsh’s approximately 26,000 colleagues work together to
serve clients in more than 130 countries. Marsh is a wholly owned subsidiary of Marsh &
McLennan Companies (NYSE: MMC), a global professional services firm offering clients advice
and solutions in the areas of risk, strategy, and human capital. With 55,000 employees worldwide
and annual revenue exceeding $12 billion, Marsh & McLennan Companies is also the parent
company of Guy Carpenter, a global leader in providing risk and reinsurance intermediary
services; Mercer, a global leader in talent, health, retirement, and investment consulting; and
Oliver Wyman, a global leader in management consulting. Follow Marsh on Twitter
@MarshGlobal, or on LinkedIn, Facebook, and YouTube.