contracts
Goodwill Industries of Greater Detroit, Detroit, is assembling about half a million valve-spring kits a month for Associated Spring Mexico S.A. The finished products are being shipped to the DaimlerChrysler AG engine plant in Trenton. The contract began this year and will last a minimum of three years. The trainees in Goodwill's industrial division who are fulfilling the contract have disabilities and other barriers to employment and are receiving skills through work experience.
ForeSee Results, Ann Arbor, was selected by Forbes.com to measure customer satisfaction with the business magazine's Web site.
Signature Associates-Oncor International, Southfield, was awarded the exclusive representation of the two floors available for sublease in the Columbia Center Building, totaling about 40,000 square feet. Kirco Management Co. manages the Troy property.
Hass MS&L, Troy and Ann Arbor, has signed The Cohousing Development Co. of Ann Arbor as a client.
Arbortext Inc., Ann Arbor, has had its Arbortext product suite of XML-based software chosen by the Canadian Pharmacists Association to create and deliver the Compendium of Pharmaceuticals and Specialties. The compendium is a reference guide for health care professionals in Canada.
Brio Advertising, Livonia, was named agency of record by The Volcano Automotive Group to help the company with its expansion in the United States. Volcano recently opened an office in Northville.
RBS Cos. Inc., Brighton, celebrated the completion of construction of the ITT Technical Institute in Canton Township with a ribbon-cutting Sept. 18. RBS was retained to develop the site and manage the construction of the project. Dorchen/Martin Architects of Southfield provided architectural services. The new school, on South Haggerty Road, is the third ITT Technical Institute in Michigan.
PRMi Marketing and Public Relations, Northville, was retained for marketing and public relations by Vertex Innovation Inc.
Rand Construction Engineering Inc., Brighton, has completed construction of an 11,000-square-foot National Kidney Foundation of Michigan program center in Ann Arbor. Rand also was awarded a contract by Signature Press for the construction of its 18,000-square-foot office, warehouse and printing building in Rochester Hills.
Medstat, Ann Arbor, signed a multiyear contract to provide health care information services to the California Public Employees' Retirement System.
Above All Inc., Birmingham, will handle all marketing communications for Northern Jet Management, a Grand Rapids corporate aviation management company.
MR1, a building services company based in Berkley, signed a contract with Sika Corp. of Madison Heights to design and carry out a preventive-maintenance program for both of its buildings.
VisionIT, Detroit, was selected by SDE Business Partnering, Southfield, to provide information-technology staffing services for its clients. VisionIT is the sole teaming partner for SDE in this area.
International Extrusions, Garden City, entered into a supply agreement with Certainteed Corp. of Valley Forge, Pa., for 1.8 million pounds of aluminum extruded profiles to be used for the construction industry nationally.
The Office of Admission of Concordia University-Ann Arbor selected DesignHub L.L.C. of Saline to plan, write, design and produce the school's student recruiting materials for 2002-2003.
MCC Productions, Rochester, announced the following new clients and projects: Eastern Winds, Farmington Hills, for publicity, promotion and booking services for this Armenian-World Music band led by Ara Topouzian; Happenstance, for additional booking service for this metro Detroit rock band; Hold-Up Suspender Co., Southfield, for promotion and creative services for a new-product introduction; Holiday Helpers of Rochester Hills, for assistance with fund-raiser promotion, planning and management; Jef Brannan, Rochester, for Web site design, hosting and maintenance for a standup comedian; Fritts Pub, Mt. Clemens, for production, promotion and management of Knock Knocks Comedy Club; Van Gilder Farms, Fowlerville, for promotion and advertising design services for the annual Grand River Corn Maze and Slaughterhouse Haunted House; and Sports Advantage, Rochester Hills, for Web site hosting and maintenance for this physical fitness and sports training facility.
MCC Publishing Consultants Inc., Rochester, will convert and customize The Washington Post's dictionaries and related programs to be used with The Post's CCI publishing system. MCC is using The Post's TextStream products in this project.
Insite Commercial Group/TCN Worldwide, Southfield, signed a 14,000-square-foot lease with XTreme Fitness on behalf of the landlord at The Village of Shelby in Shelby Township.
Neumann/Smith & Associates a Southfield architecture firm, and Walbridge Aldinger a Detroit construction management firm, were selected by Oakland County to remodel the former Oakland Schools Administrative Building in Waterford Township.
moves
The Chandler Group of Cos. to 22600 Hall Road, Suite 101, Clinton Township. Telephone: (586) 783-7019.
Stout Risius Ross from Southfield to 32255 Northwestern Highway, Suite 201, Farmington Hills. Telephone number remains (248) 208-8800.
name changes
Corporate Video Services Inc., Southfield, to CVMedia.
KPMG Consulting Inc., Southfield, to BearingPoint Inc.
New products
Global ET, Southfield, announces the newest version of its SIM Assembly Error Proofing system. The system includes interactive operator assistance, process control, data collection and parts traceability for complex automotive assembly processes.
Motor Information Systems, Troy, has released an Air Bag Systems Diagnosis three-CD set. The CDs are part of the Motor e-tec-Service Information Library on CD and cover model years 1997-2001.
Sealant Equipment & Engineering Inc., Plymouth, introduced the Servo-Flo 302 dispensing system, which meters, mixes and dispenses potting compounds for electronics applications.
new services
Grace & Wild Inc., Farmington Hills, has installed telecine systems at Hdstudios in Farmington Hills and at Postique in Southfield. The video studios are divisions of the broadcast-advertising group at Grace & Wild.
startups
Prophecy Body Scanning Inc., Southfield, is a self-referral spiral CT and ultrasound scanning service for early detection of heart disease, cancer and more than 40 other illnesses and abnormalities. Each client meets with a trained radiologist to review images and receives a written report. Telephone: (248) 663-4043. Web site: www. prophecybodyscanning.com.
Choc By U, a confectionery shop, opened in Southfield. Choc By U allows customers to create chocolate treats. The shop is an expansion of Scher Delites, a bakery and confectionery shop. Address: 29209B Northwestern Highway in the Franklin Plaza. Telephone: (248) 354-3500.
Nu-Nique Gift Baskets & More, Detroit, offers gift baskets with products ranging from fruits and plants to honeymoon gift baskets and nonalcoholic wines. A ``Send a Gift'' service also is available. Address: 3011 W. Grand Blvd., Suite 113, Fisher Building, Detroit. Telephone: (313) 870-7777.
Waxedfruit Studio L.L.C., Royal Oak, is a full-service Web and multimedia design studio. Waxedfruit specializes in Web site and application interface design and produces Flash, digital audio and video, and 3D graphics projects. Telephone: (248) 840-6060. Web site: www.waxedfruit.com.
Critical Mass Inc. opened a design site in Wixom. This is a full-service preproduction design and prototype operation specializing in clay models, urethane and hard plastic tooling and parts, mockups and metal-fabrication capabilities. Telephone: (248) 960-0800.
Behind-The-Scene Inc., Southfield, is an errand and concierge company for both personal and corporate services. Some of its services: errand and personal-assistant services, pickup and dropoff services, shopping and secretarial services, production and entertainment services, party-in-a-box and seasonal decorating. Telephone: (866) 937-2871.
other
The Medstat Group, an Ann Arbor health care information service, and Hewitt Associates, an out-sourcing and consulting firm based in Lincolnshire, Ill., will share client health care databases.
AIA Detroit chapter Honor Awards
Rozsa Center for the Performing Arts, Houghton
Category: Building
DiClemente Siegel Design Inc., architect
Gunnar Birkerts, FAIA, design architect
David Chasco, AIA, design counsel
The center, designed to serve as a cultural hub for the western Upper Peninsula and northern Wisconsin, has flexibility built in. The 60,000-square-foot building also encompasses a 5,800-square-foot lobby and includes a walkway to a classroom building. The shape of the building is a symbolic representation of a vertical mineshaft and provides a physical link with the area's copper-mining history.
Amtrak Station and Transit Hub, Bakersfield, Calif.
Category: Building
Rossetti
Architects approached the project as a prime opportunity to create a vital city heart where no 'downtown core' previously existed. The
asymmetrical roof was arrived at to reflect the angle of the train tracks to the city's street grid. Mindful of California's energy and conservation issues, the use of natural daylight was carefully orchestrated to allow all areas of the building to function without artificial light under normal conditions.
Prefabricated Control Center for Power Plants,
Vera Cruz, Mexico
Category: 25-year
Luckenbach/Ziegelman Architects, P.L.L.C.
These transportable modules for computers are both building enclosures and shipping enclosures, housing electronic apparatus and human
operators for the automated control centers of varying-size power plants. The assembled modules were tested in Pittsburgh before being shipped to the power-plant site in Vera Cruz. The modules are designed to withstand the effects of earthquakes and hurricanes.
