JR Morning ~ June 15, 2026 ~ Full Show

Well, good morning. This is Jeff Donofrio. I am so happy to be here bright and early at the Fisher Building with Lloyd Jackson. Well, I'm glad you're here as well. Yay! Listen, you look at the window of the 8th Florida Fisher Building, but what a beautiful view, huh? You can't beat it. You look at downtown, it is looking bright and sparkling. It is. And it's just great, it's a great morning. I know we had some bad weather over the weekend. It cleared out some of that humidity. So now we have a beautiful day on tap and nice temperatures as well. Over the weekend, me and you were talking off air that it was my birthday on the 4th of June. That's right. But I had a birthday party on Saturday, and it was a 70s, 80s party. So people came dressed in 70s and 80s. gear and uh we played 70s and 80s music and let me tell you it was a good time family friends just celebrating and i don't you know i turned 60 I don't feel 60, but Sunday, I just felt 60. You don't look 60, that's for sure. Thank you. Thank you. But I felt it. I felt every piece of 60 on Sunday, man, you know, recuperating. But it was great, and I enjoyed myself. So it was a fun time. So, okay, everyone was dressed in 70s, 80s. What was your outfit? Well, in my 70s, I had, you know, the bell Scott Bottoms, the vest with the frills, had a big afro with a pick in it. Oh, wow. You know, and I had a... a t-shirt that said Rolling Stones Tour, 1975. And then for my 80s, I had a Dita's track suit. with the Kango hat and Adidas gym shoes. Do you have a big beatbox? Oh, well, I had a one that was blown up. Oh, yeah. Blown up, there you go. But it was fun times. Taking a look at news right now, President Donald Trump says the deal to end the Iran conflict is now complete. More than 100 days after the U.S. launched Operation Epic Fury alongside Israel, which included strikes that killed Iranian Supreme Leader Ali Kohomani. In the post on truth social, Trump said the agreement will allow oil to flow again. and ordered the lifting of the U.S. naval blockade on the Straits of Hermuz calling a global shipping. Calling on global shipping to resume operations, about an hour later, he clarified the straight would reopen Friday after the deal is formally signed in Geneva. Trump framed the agreement as a major diplomatic breakthrough, saying it would bring real peace to the Middle East and criticizing past presidents for failing to reach a similar deal with Iran. The announcement follows weeks of shifting timelines and rising tensions in the region, including a recent exchange involving Israel and Hezbollah that briefly threatened negotiations. Markets reacted.

positively with U.S. stock futures rising following news of the agreement. So at least we have that. Sure. But we still need to talk about the enrichment of the uranium and the nuclear, which they got 60 days after this is signed to kind of make a deal on that. I mean, that's definitely the bigger risk, right, in the area. And I know people are looking forward to gas prices, hopefully, going down. Absolutely. Got to make sure there's long-term stability here, too. Oh, yeah, definitely. Also, a close call in Redford. How many times have we talked about, you know, when it's really warm outside that you don't leave kids in the car? A close call in Redford during Metro Detroit's recent extreme heat after three small children. found alone inside a parked car in a shopping center lot. Police say a passerby spotted the children with the engine off and windows only slightly open and immediately called 911. Officers arrived and located the children, later finding two mothers nearby inside the shopping center. Both women were arrested and are facing child neglect charges. The children were taken to a Garden City Hospital for treatment for heat exposure where they were stabilized and later released to family members. Doctors warned that temperatures inside a vehicle can become dangerous in minutes with experts saying serious heat-related illness can begin and as little as 15 minutes. Child Protective Services now investigating as well. 15 minutes, that's quick. It is. And when it's so hot outside. Oh, my gosh, yeah. And the humidity, everything else, it just gets to you. And pets, too, right? We want to make sure kids and pets both. Absolutely. Because believe me, I've seen that happen as well, definitely. Detroit Mayor Mary Sheffield launching. A new summer initiative aimed at giving teens more structured activities and reducing recent violent teen takeover incidents across the city, the program called Occupy the Summer. It kicked off over the weekend at the Andrew Butzel Recreation Center on Detroit's West Side following several recent disruptive gatherings downtown and in neighborhoods. Mary Sheffield says the effort is based on conversations with teens involved in those events who said they wanted more safe, engaging places to spend time during the summer. Over the next 10 weeks, nine recreation centers will stay open late, offering activities like basketball, arts programs, and community events with hours extending until 11 p.m. on select days. The city will also host weekly Friday activations across city council districts featuring local vendors, cultural programming, and youth-focused events running through mid-August. And, you know, you've got to kind of try to do things on the front end so you don't have to necessarily arrest on the back end. That's right. And Groder Traits Young Talent, the summer youth employment program opening in a couple weeks here. Huge. I mean, kids hopefully will have lots of opportunities. They will have money, have fun. There you go. And shout out to the mayor who midnight basketball on Friday. She threw the ball up. She was throwing the ball up to get the midnight basketball started. Also, Detroit City Council is taking a closer look at a proposed 8 p.m. curfew for minors during. this month's forward fireworks. Public hearing set for this morning 1045 to discuss the restriction which would apply to minors in parts of downtown and the riverfront on June 22nd. The Detroit Police Department caused the earlier curfew and annual ask to prevent violence, noting that two people were shot before last year's event. However, some council members and residents worry.

8 p.m. cutoff is too restrictive for older teens wanting to enjoy the summer tradition. Under current rules, teens can stay out until 10 or 11 p.m. depending on their age. So that'll be discussed and there'll be a public hearing this morning during that meeting at 1045. Well, city council's keeping busy. We're going to hear from Tony Michaels, too, from the parade company later today. So we'll hear about the fireworks plans. Definitely. Also, former Michigan State and NFL star Andre Ryzen spent part of the weekend in the Oakland County Jail. Following an August 2025 arrest for operating while intoxicated, court records show Risen was booked Friday evening. It released on Sunday after being ordered to serve time as part of a sentencing hearing tied to the case. He was also placed on 18 months of probation for the second offense OWI. 59-year-old Risen pleaded guilty to the charge stemming from an August arrest in Troy. A related charge of open intoxicant in the vehicle was dismissed. He still owes more than $2,300 in fines. Risen is a Flint native and Michigan State standout who went on a 10-year NFL career winning a Super Bowl with the Green Bay Packers, later earning a place in both the MSU and Michigan Sports Hall of Fame. You know, I guess no matter, you know, star or not, you got to pay the consequences. You know, you know, there has been talk, Jeff, about the former mayor, possibly being the president of U of M. There's been a lot of scuttle about that. But now there's some talk about another politician possibly. being a president, and that's Gary Peters. His name being floated as the possible next president of Michigan State University. Peters, Bloomfield Township Democrat and MSU alum did not directly address the speculation, saying he is totally focused on serving the state of Michigan in the U.S. Senate right now. The East Lansing School searching for new leadership after President Kevin Guskowitz recently left to take a job at Clemson. MSU trustees have not confirmed whether Peters has his approach, but... Board leaders say they are looking for someone with political awareness who can navigate state funding challenges in university governance. Peters, who is not seeking re-election and is set to leave the Senate in January, has a long public service resume. He holds advanced degrees from multiple Michigan universities, including MSU. If he were to leave the Senate early for the job, Governor Gretchen Whitmer would appoint his replacement. What do you think about that? These are hard jobs. As an MSU alumni, Gary would make a great president. You know, look, we've got some great politicians who are alumni as well. Debbie Stabenow, Governor Gretchen Whitmer. These are hard jobs, and it takes somebody who has political know-how. Coming up, we'll be speaking with Mike Lee. He's the managing editor of Crane's Detroit Business for our weekly Crane's interview. That's next on J.R. Morning.

Good morning and welcome back to J.R. Morning on a Monday, and you know on Monday is when we speak with the folks over at Crane's. This Crane's Detroit interview brought you by the Michigan Economic Development Corporation. Learn more at Michigan Business.org. Let's say good morning to Mike Lee, managing editor of Crane's Detroit Business. Good morning, Mike. Good morning, Lloyd. How are you? Fine. Mike, it's Jeff Donofrio here from Business Leaders from Michigan, too. Thanks for being with us. Absolutely. Hey, you know, I was invited to this ribbon cutting last Friday that was on and then it wasn't on the Gordy Howe Bridge. Tell us what's going on there. It seems like a lot of back and forth the last couple of days. Yeah, it's kind of a little bit of a mystery still exactly where things stand. Obviously, last week there was supposed to be a ribbon cutting that was abruptly canceled. You know, today was at least according to some reports, traffic was supposed to start flowing. The question here now is what's next? And honestly, not many of the players are talking, at least not publicly, in terms of what has to happen, what are Trump's demands in order to allow this bridge to open. One person who was talking last week was Michigan House Speaker Matt Hall, who does not speak for Trump, but certainly is a Trump ally. And he was floating the ideas of... of 50-50 revenue split of tolls as the agreement stands. Canada was supposed to collect the tolls for years until the bridge is paid for because Canada paid for it in the first place. You know, in the end, this is, Hall also talked about, you know, giving U.S. greater say and how the bridge is operated. But do we know exactly what the demand is, what the, what the conversation stands? Right now we don't. You know, the bottom line is this bridge isn't going to open until President Trump agrees to it by all appearances. So now it sits in the traffic, massive commercial traffic that crosses the, crosses the border, especially in Detroit, very busy border crossing, will continue to use the 98-year-old Ambassador Bridge. Mike, we know about fifth-thirds acquisition of Comerica Bank, and it's going to be closing some of those Comerica Bank branches later on this year. By doing that, it's going to be some real estate available. Yeah, all closings create an opportunity. And fifth third is closing 75 bank branches where they had overlap in Michigan. And that's creating opportunities in real estate for new tenants.

All right. Mike Lee, managing editor Crane's Detroit Business. Always a pleasure speaking with you, my friend. We'll talk again next week. Thank you. I wanted to ask you before we go with a break. Did you watch any of the NBA playoffs? The NBA finals? I watched it up until when the Pistons decided. They weren't ready to move on, but that was okay. Okay, yeah. Well, and I think, you know. There's still some things that we need, some tools that we need on the Pistons, and I think we'll get those tools during the offseason. I think we'll be hard to beat next year. This was a great season for the Pistons. And, you know, I think, you know, look a couple years ago at how far they've come. They won like 14 games. Yeah, yeah. So that's a big deal. But I was watching the finals, and I just did not think that. New York could beat any of the top West teams at the time, which was OKC in San Antonio. I just didn't think it was going to happen. But they came about, they fought it, they did it, and I just don't understand after the fact why New York just really kind of went crazy. I mean, they celebrated, but some of the celebrations were like overboard, you know, climbing with polls and fighting police and fighting each other, you know. It was a little crazy. Everybody loves an underdog, right? They do. So, especially when an underdog wins. Absolutely, absolutely. And, you know, but great. They did a great job. I can't, I got to take my hat off to the New York Knicks, man. Had won a championship in 53 years. Yeah. Savor it. Coming up, 635, Rachel Stewart. She is the CEO of Gardner White Furniture. We'll be speaking with her momentarily here on J.R. Morning. Stay tuned. Welcome back to JR Morning. I'm Jeff Donofrio, president and CEO of business leaders from Michigan. Lloyd and I are now being joined by the fabulous Rachel Stewart, CEO of Gardner White Furniture. Rachel, thanks for joining us this early. Of course. I'm always up. We know. You've got busy days. You're probably one of the most active CEOs in the Metro Detroit region. I think more to the point. Mother, six and an eight-year-old, you don't sleep. That too, that too. Hey, Rachel, I mean, you've been active. You've been growing. My gosh, you know, GW Home in downtown Detroit is such a cool place. I, you know, go in there when I'm downtown. You know, you've just crossed the Ohio state border. Hopefully you're secure. You have security when you go down there, but you're opening your first new store. I don't speed, that's for sure. Yes, we all have to watch that. Tell us about the growth of Gardner White, though. I mean, I think the most important thing, one of my mentors always said, you build a team to grow the business, and that's exactly what we did. And now you're saying that, you know, we've in the past, I'd say two years, really recruited a best in class leadership team, many of whom have moved to Michigan for the job, which is, I think, probably get population growth. Thank you for the job. But, yeah, now that we have the team, we're ready to do what we're doing.

And, you know, Rachel, Crane says you're on track to double your store count this year. I mean, there's a lot of work that goes into finding, you know, the right location and, you know, the building and out, all the hiring of the workforce. What do you think could be done to make it easier for a business like yours to grow in Michigan? Well, I mean, I would say first, I mean, we were really lucky in this sense, which is why we jumped on an opportunity. You know, when you're in furniture, it's not like a shoe store. You need 100,000 square feet to really show a depth of assortment. So a lot of these, a lot of these stores were value cities that had gone out of business and bankruptcy. So we took the opportunity because if not, to your point, it's really, really hard. Really expensive to find stores like. like that. And, you know, we'd modeled them out in some of these markets and actually wanted to be in the locations we're in. So, I mean, I think the biggest thing is really it's, we're seeing it in residential use, seen in commercial construction costs are just really cost prohibitive right now. And everything we can do to take costs down, I think is really important. I mean, I think for now the cost, the average cost of permitting a home in the state of Michigan is now, I think, $112,000 before you've. put anything in the ground. Yeah. That's crazy. You talk about, you know, affordability, right? Right. It's top of mind for people and these costs keep going up for folks like you or trying to just serve customers, right? Folks who are trying to build homes. You know, Rachel, you, you of course, are involved in the community beyond your own operations. You're on the parade company board. You're on the business leaders from Michigan board, Detroit Regional Chamber Board. I could probably go on and it would take the rest of the segment. But, you know, How does that, you know, impact your work? I mean, what's, what do you think is, is, or why do you think it's so important to be involved like this? I mean, I think first, you don't do it if you don't like it, right? And I really do like engaging in economic development and education in our state. And I think, you know, what we're seeing now isn't good. And it, you know, for the future health of the state, you better engage. You don't get to complain if you don't, you don't do something. But also, I think it's, you know, it's really important for growing business. You know, we need population growth if our business is going to keep growing. So I think it's really important for all of us. I mean, and it's not just retail. It's pretty much every business. We need to be in a vibrant state, and you have to participate if you want it to be reality. I understand you just did a fireside chat with the Secretary of State Jocelyn Benson. And, you know, those conversations can go in a lot of different directions. What came through for you and what stuck with you afterward? You know, it's funny. I was thinking about that. And it could have been one of those funny drinking games if you focus on how many times she said the word collaboration. But I say that she really means it. I mean, I think this is, it comes off really authentically. And I think.

You know, we need to get past some of the toxic politics where we actually do collaborate. We don't necessarily agree, but we find ways to compromise. And, you know, it's like every negotiation in business. If everyone leaves a little unhappy, it's probably a good outcome. And I think we haven't seen as much of that in politics as maybe we do in a boardroom. And we've got to get there. But that was very clear that that's where her head was at. That's great. And, you know, Rachel, hopefully, I know a lot of my friends sometimes will watch debates from candidates and do drinking games. So hopefully nobody comes way too sloshed, now that they know the code word here. But let's do a lightning round here. So favorite Detroit restaurant? Favorite Detroit restaurant, let's say. You're going to see an Italian theme lately, say Alpino or Medusa. Oh, nice. Okay, what's your go-to dish there? Oh, I mean, I'm a bullionage girl. I have a good meat, red meat, except Elliot pasta bullionage. All right, all right. What about the best place in Michigan for the summer? What's your go to? My backyard. Your backyard. Hey, I get that. All right. Everyone talks about travel plans in the summer. I want to go where. It seems like the summer's the bus yard. All right. Well, what about, okay, Detroit spot that everyone should get to before Labor Day? I have a. It's a curse. My husband and my dad are both cyclists, and somehow I didn't manage to avoid it. But biking the city. Okay. You get to see it in a real way. You know, Rachel, I got to ask you, you know, furniture is personal. And people are buying pieces for their homes and their families, sometimes, you know, major life moments. How has the customer changed over the last few years in your mind? And what are they looking for now that maybe they were not looking for before? I think what they can get now and they're seeing is a lot more functionality, but in beautiful furniture. So my two favorite things in furniture are, first, there's embedded technology and everything, which I think is a holdover from COVID, but like you could have hidden storage, you can have hidden charging, but it doesn't look like help. So I think that's thing one is we're getting a lot more. And then the other thing is with the growth of performance fabrics. It used to be you could never have white. You could never have light colors. You couldn't have patterns. But now you can build anything on them. It'll beat off and still look beautiful. So I think we're seeing a lot more fashion, which is really fun if you're awesome, get to sell it and show it. And I know retail also has changed dramatically. Rachel, you know, you got online shopping analysis, supply chain challenges and changing consumer habits. What's something people misunderstand about running a brick and mortar business today? I mean, I think the biggest thing is, I get asked all the time, like, is ECOM killing you? And the answer is no, because we call our website storefront zero. So no one's going to walk in a door if they haven't pre-shopped you online. So I think it's less as if you come killing you. And it's more how does your website dance with your stores and how do you embed technology through the buying experience, whether through the website or in the store.

And you know, Gardner White has really been a part of Michigan homes for generations. And as CEO, what do you want the company to represent, let's say, five, ten years down the line from now beyond just selling furniture? Sure. I mean, I think I really wanted to always, five, ten years and always be a real active member in the community. And I think it's really important to us that we sort of, even as we grow in these markets, we're spending a lot of time, you know, going in local to really understand the nuance of the market, the important priorities in the community and be an active member wherever we are, which is different. I mean, it's a, it's. It's easy to, not easy, but there's national changes. There's open a store, do the same advertising, have the same merchandising and call today. That's not our model. Rachel Stewart, CEO of Gardner White Furniture, it's always a pleasure speaking with you. You're always so, you know, upbeat, and we love the stores. You're expanding. We love what you do, not only providing the furniture for people in Detroit and the metro area around the state, but also giving back. And that's what I love about what Gartner White is all about. That's right. Thanks so much. Have a good day, guys. You as well. And coming up, we're going to be speaking with Stephen Kirchner. Stephen Kircher, yeah, who is president and CEO of Boyne Resorts. A lot of going on up there. Yes. Both this last winter, which was a great ski season and this summer, of course, too. Well, we'll talk about that coming up. But first, it's eye on engineering brought to you by CSP, rethinking composites for a lighter sustainable future. Learn more at cSP.com. Vehicles are an emerging front in the data wars. Many cars and trucks harvest and profit from data about drivers, including about location and behavior. Some OEMs have landed in hot water as a result. General Motors, for instance, was fined $12.7 million by California when it sold driver data without asking for consent. Troy-based slate, the electric truck startup, is saying no to selling data. A spokesman recently said that, yes, Slate's smartphone app will collect information, but said it will only be used to improve the product. We aren't building the app around data extraction, the company said. We're building it around enabling or improving customer experiences. Slate's data architecture is so unusual that the trucks will not even have a modem. In addition to privacy, it's another cost not incurred in the build of an intentionally Spartan vehicle. Owners will be able to drive the vehicle whether they use the smartphone app or not. For SAE International, I'm Chris Klantz, and that's an eye on engineering.

Welcome back to J.R. Morning Show. I'm Jeff Donofrio, president and CEO of business leaders for Michigan, co-hosting today with Lloyd, sitting in for Chris Renwick. We have got a beautiful day here in Michigan, and it reminds us that tourism is one of Michigan's top industries. And with summer here, it's about to hit full throttle. Here to preview the season is Stephen Kircher, who is the president and CEO, Boyne Resorts, a company founded up in Boyne Falls back in 1947. But that's really grown to one of the largest operators of resorts in North America. Stephen, thank you so much for calling in today. Well, good morning, Jeff. How are things in your neck of the woods? Well, summer, as you said, is kicking in and the grass is green and the water's starting to warm up and people are coming into town and the area. The whole region is certainly. you know, doing what it does in the summertime, which becomes a national destination in tourism for many reasons. And we're seeing a really strong... set up, especially with all the nonstop flights coming into Trevor City that have been added. And it's pretty impressive how Northern Michigan has become almost a national destination, not just a regional. That's fantastic. And, you know, we know Memorial Day kind of usually kicks off the summer here. But at Boyne, you were still skiing in Memorial Day. And you just racked up really the longest ski season in Boyne's history. What made that possible? How did you accomplish skiing in May? Well, we've had a long history trying to open first and stay open the latest. And with our friends from SMI in Midland, who are one of the world's foremost manufacturers of snowmaking machines, believe it or not, in Michigan. With them, we upgraded our capability at Boyne. We've been doing it for many years, but this last round gave us the capability to create something never imagined, which... We came up with what was, the team came up with the Victor, which we made some 21 feet of snow on Victor, which is one of the main runs down the middle of Boyne Mountain. And because of that, we're able to keep the resort going, you know, way past any historical markers. So we were skiing into Memorial and we had snow until last week, which was probably a month longer than what we used to do 20, 30 years ago. Stephen, let's look ahead to the season. What can we expect this summer and fall up at Boeing? Well, as I said, we're seeing really interesting shift and building demand from outside of the region. Texas, California, New York. The nonstop flights have really opened up the possibility of people looking at easy access. And it's also driving second home sales. So we're seeing many more people buying second homes in the Traverse City, Potoski, all the way up to Mackinac, area. And that's...

you know, build tax base. It's building customer base that we didn't have before. And to be some, be honest, I think some of these folks are less price sensitive than maybe some of our regional folks. So it's added to mention that is making it healthier for all the resorts. And I think the resort communities in general are benefiting from it. What about, you know, Stephen, when these gas prices climb? Do people travel less or do they just swap the flight for the road trip? I mean, could that actually be? Good news for Michigan with more folks driving in from neighboring states? Without a doubt, there's certainly demographics that do drive, and they may keep their, instead of doing a cross-country drive, they may do a more regional. That happens. I don't think it's as sensitive as it once was, at least the demographics, I think, that some of the resorts. and the resort towns catered to. I think it's got less impact than maybe we give it credit to. I think maybe. I don't know what the booking trends in the Michigan campsites are, but I assume there's probably more demand there from regional folks that are not going to maybe national parks, like going to Yolstone or something, driving out west that people do those big trips. I think that's, people will tend to stay more regional in this environment if they're contemplating those kind of trips. That makes sense. You know. Golf has become a huge destination for Michigan as well, or Michigan has become a huge destination for golf. And, you know, you're a big part of that story. So my first question is really, were people skiing and golfing at the same time Memorial Day weekend? And, you know, how does that play out for Boyne from a golf perspective? Well, yeah, I mean, America's summer golf capital, which is what Michigan has been coined for several decades. We were playing golf and skiing for well over a month, which was unprecedented. We used to try to make it happen in April, but this was a, we made it. So it was, I mean, we were full summer green grass next to a big glacier. It was crazy. People were just blown away with the contrast in the colors, just that alone. has had a real, I hate to say a renaissance, but it was growing pre-COVID and it's continued to grow. And there's just so much momentum in the golf sector across North America. And to the extent that we're kind of the go-to place in the summertime, we have been benefiting. There's been two-digit gains in golf. for most of the region for or close to double digit for a better part of five, six, seven years. We're seeing significant increases. And again, that fly two opportunity that is much easier to happen now is making the ability to get America's summer golf capital promoted to the coast to coast. Texas folks are coming.

Stephen Kircher, new demand. Stephen Kircher, President, CEO, Boeing Resorts. Thank you so much for calling in this morning. And, boy, looking forward to all the great things happening up at Boyne this summer. Coming up in the 7 o'clock hour, Sandy Barua, President CEO of the Detroit Regional Chamber. Also, Tony Michaels will join us. And Jen Flood, State Budget Director, all coming up next in the 7 o'clock hour on 760. WJR. Welcome back. I'm Jeff Donofrio, President and CEO of Business Leaders for Michigan. Lloyd and I are now being joined by Sandy Barua, President and CEO of the Detroit Regional Chamber. The organization behind the McAnaw Policy Conference that wrapped just a couple of weeks ago, Sandy, thanks for being on. Well, good morning, Jeff and Lloyd. Well, Sandy, you had a couple thousand of your closest friends on McAnne Island for about a week. And everybody's back on the mainland now. So, you know, tell our listeners, what was the conference really about this year? What do you think people carried home with them on the ferry ride? Well, I think the message that we were really trying to get across, especially in such a transformative election year, is that Michigan, despite all of its tremendous assets, we have some significant issues that we need to deal very openly and honestly with, things like our educational attainment, like our population growth, like our stagnant incomes. And when you compare us to the rest of the country, we have really taken a fall in the last generation, the last 25 years. Sandy, you know, I want to ask you about the Gordy Howe Bridge because, you know, there's been all this back and forth, you know, it was going to be a ribbon cutting, then it was going to be open, and it's not going to be, I mean, you know, set aside the day-to-day headlines for a second. When that bridge finally opens, what does it actually mean for this region and what do you hope it unlocks for us next? Well, it will be an economic driver, no doubt. You know, time is money, especially in the manufacturing world, and we're obviously a, you know, a binational manufacturing region, and the easier parts and equipment can get between Ontario and Michigan and beyond, the more efficient our companies will be and the more profitable they can be. So it will be an economic driver, no doubt. And it was a pretty good deal for the state of Michigan, too, right? Well, yeah, the Canadians paid for everything, and this was a deal that was in the works for, geez, I mean, 15 years over multiple Michigan governors, Democrats and Republicans. It was finally Governor Rick Snyder that got it over the finish line, and we were really proud to be partnered with him and working on this. But the Canadians paid for every bit of it.

Half of the materials such as the steel and concrete came from the U.S. side. Half of the labor came from the U.S. side. The Canadians even paid for the Customs Plaza on the Detroit side of the bridge to U.S. Customs Service specification. So, yeah, when you talk about a good deal, this one is a good deal. You've got tens of thousands of members of the chamber, too, and you're talking to businesses across the region, across the state. Every single day, what do you think the biggest myth is that people still have about Michigan's economy? What would you want to make sure that you could correct or dispel? So when we pull Michiganders across the state, and we do this frequently, just like your organization does, Jeff, and we use the same poster, our friend Richard Shuba, but when we pull our fellow citizens and ask them, hey, how do you think Michigan is doing on things like educational attainment, population, growth, per capita, income, et cetera, et cetera, they generally think we're about average. They think we're kind of in the 20s. But when in reality, most of these metrics, we're actually in the 40s. So while our neighbors think we are dead even, in lots of cases, we're actually dead last. Sandy, if you had 60 seconds with every policymaker, every business leader, voter in the state as well, what's the one message you want them to walk away with about WTF? And I mean, what's the fix? Yeah, what we need more than anything in Michigan are policy prescriptions that can stand the test of time. They don't have to be perfect. I'm not looking for a complete Republican agenda or a complete Democrat agenda, but we need something that when we do switch legislatures or when we do switch who's sitting in the governor's chair, that these policies can play out and we can actually see if they work. Because right now, you know, the Michigan U is not just a traffic pattern. It's actually how we conduct policy in the state of Michigan, and this inconsistency is killing us. And Sandy, I know you've seen this region through the highs and the lows. Are you more optimistic about Detroit in Michigan today than you were, let's say, 10 years ago? Well, I'm super optimistic about Detroit. I really do think that it is on such a positive trajectory that that will continue. Obviously, you know, the city and the region, you know, we need to work on some of the same things that the state needs to work on, such as improving our educational scores, like our math scores, our reading scores. We need to do a better job funding higher education.

because it's, you know, we used to do it really well in Michigan, and now we frankly don't in population growth. So we need to work on the same things. Sandy, we've got about 20 seconds left. What's your go-to for a Michigan summer destination? Home. I'll be honest. We love it here. Michigan has such beautiful summers, and we're fortunate enough to have a pool, so we're staying home. Sandy Baru, a president, CEO, of Detroit Regional Chamber. Always a pleasure of having you on. Thank you so much. Have a great week. Great. Thanks for working the morning shift, guys. Thanks. Thank you for being up with us. Well, pool party at Sandy's house, too. Hey, that's what I say. Listen, Sandy's probably traveling a lot. He's out so much. I mean, be at home for a little while. That's right. That's right. It probably works. Coming up, we'll be speaking with Representative Van Bolin, and also Jen Flut will come our way at 735. But first, it's time for WJR's Business Beat. It's brought to you by shelving.com. We rack your world. Here is Jeff Sloan, founder and CEO of Startup Nation to spotlight the Entrepreneurial Tech and Startup Community on WJR. Good morning. So many options available to us when it comes to engaging new and existing customers as a small business, but here's a good old standby that just flat out works. For years, newsletter advertising set on the edges of most media plans. It was seen as niche and hard to scale, but all of that is changing, according to the latest newsletter ad performance report compiled after review of millions of dollars in spend and insights for more than 1,500 advertisers. And the data shows it's clear that newsletter advertising has crossed an important threshold. It's no longer a test channel. It's now an operating channel, and marketers are beginning to treat it just that way. What stands out most is that in a market where volatility has become the norm, newsletters are doing something increasingly rare. That is, they are delivering predictable results. The data shows a 30% year-over-year increase in newsletter revenue and a 40% increase in total newsletter ad campaigns, alongside an 80% expansion in reachable subscriber pools and rebooking intent grew more than 60% year-over-year. And that's a leading indicator of trust. Marketers don't rebook unless it's working. So why is newsletter advertising working so well? Well, audiences are tired of interruptions. Platforms are less transparent. Targeting is more constrained. and performance marketers are under pressure to show real outcomes instead of modeled assumptions. And newsletters, it's newsletters that offer a rare combination. Direct access to an opted-in, engaged, and interested audience delivered in a predictable format with minimal signal loss. There's no feed or algorithm to fight, no scrolling competition, no ambiguity about whether the messes was actually seen, and that simplicity turns out to be a major competitive advantage. So look,

If you're looking for a channel that delivers with a high degree of confidence, consider newsletter advertising or even perhaps establishing a newsletter of your own, you issue directly from your business to your customer base. Data now shows it's working. I'm Jeff Sloan, founder and CEO of StartupNation.com, the source for everything you need to start and grow your own business. And that's today's business beat on the great voice of the Great Lakes, WJR. Hi, welcome back. I'm Jeff Donafrio, president and CEO of business leaders from Michigan. Lloyd and I are now being joined by State Representative Ann Bolin, who chairs the House Appropriations Committee. Rep. Bolin has the heavy task. of completing Michigan's annual budget. And Ann, I know it's a busy time. So thanks for being here. Yep, thanks for having me. Good morning. So you're in the thick of negotiations. We know that the budget is due by July 1st. Tell us about the prospects of getting it done. And, you know, what's your North Star in this process? What helps guide you in terms of making sure we're spending our tax dollars wisely? Well, number one, it's driven by my obligation to protect the taxpayers and deliver a fiscally responsible and sustainable budget. I think we can do it by July 1st if people are willing to get around the table and really make tough decisions and what's better for people across the state of Michigan. Representative, when you look at Michigan's biggest challenges, I mean, growing our population and competitive economy, kids who can read. Where can a budget actually move that needle? What are you prioritizing this year? Well, there are a lot of things to prioritize. Number one is we have to cut the waste and make room for continued investments in education, jobs in the economy, or infrastructure. You know, we have a lot of challenges ahead of us. You mentioned one, and that's the population shift. Not only are we losing population, but we have an aging population. So what can we do to secure our future? Make sure our kids can be educated here. Strong business climate to make sure people are attracted to working here. And that includes making life more affordable, rolling back the regulations, reducing property taxes, income tax, all these things strengthen the economy. And when people are working, we know that everything is better. Our states are safer. Streets are safer. Our kids are learning. Families are together and we can deliver. You know, it's, you talk about education, you talk about job creation, you talk about income, and we know that other states have been growing faster in those things than Michigan. You know, Michigan's fall into 44th in fourth grade reading. We do a lot of benchmarking at business leaders from Michigan of what's working in other states. When you look at policies across the country, you know, what do you say, gosh, this should be done here, and we're going to use the budget to help get there.

Well, I think number one is I like benchmarks too, but we don't have a lot of accountability here in the state of Michigan. You know, we've pretty much eliminated the accountability measures in education, third grade reading, a through up grade scale. Those are the things that work across the nation. That's going to make us more competitive in holding ourselves accountable. We do it in our own homes with our own budgets with, you know, we're raising our kids. There are rules and guidelines to follow, and the state shouldn't be any different. Representative, and next segment, we'll be talking with Jen Flood, the governor's budget director, who's on the other side of this negotiation from you. Michigan's a purple state, and we talk a lot about finding common ground. When it actually comes to landing a budget, where do you find that common ground with the other side, and where does it sometimes get hard? Well, it gets difficulty when we have different priorities, but I will say that we delivered a bipartisan budget with resounding support, both in the House and the Senate last year. Partner at the table was Jen Flood as a state budget director, and I think we'll do that again. This is my eighth year in the legislature, only two of those years. Did we not work on a bipartisan manner in those two years when there was a Democratic trifecta, we blew through a $9 billion surplus? So I think the reality is that we have to come together at the table and produce a responsible budget. You know, find that common ground is so important. And, you know, certainly I think whenever I talk to someone, state representative, a state senator, governor, you know, they oftentimes start with the belief that everybody on the other side of the aisle, they want the same things. We just have maybe different ideas. And so, you know, appreciate that ability for you to find common ground together. And has it gotten harder or has it gotten easier? Well, I think that, you know, last year was a challenge, and so I would think that this year be a little bit easier. You know, we found a couple of things in the budget as we went combed through it last year, line by line. And, you know, we came to the table, and it was recognized that we had a surplus of funded employees or ghost employees. We found that the work projects were getting out of control. This year we took an approach where we actually looked at actual spends. over the last three years, and we found that if we actually budgeted based on actual spends, we could save the state $2 billion. So those are the areas that I think that we'll find common ground on. I don't think we have to gut it to cut it. We just have to reset our priorities. You know, Michigan has been dealing with population stagnation for years. And from your perspective, Representative, what are the most, you think, overlooked reasons people are choosing to leave or stay in the state? Well, I think affordability is a big factor in people leave for that reason. And I think that people return or stay here because, you know, we're in the Midwest. People like to be with their families. And keeping families close together is, I think, a real strength of ours here in Michigan and a real desire for people to stay with their families. And so I think that's important. But we're not going to keep people here if we don't have a strong...

job climate. We aren't training our workers properly. You know, we have to rebuild our education system. As you mentioned, we dropped continue investments in infrastructure. We have a beautiful state that has a lot to offer. And we need to climb to the top again. We've got to get to that top 10 status. And, you know, before you were in Lansing, you were a township clerk. And those local elected officials are so important to our communities. You know, you started this contest for an I-voted sticker. How did that come about? Well, that came about because, you know, when people vote, they love their I-voted sticker. And people who will vote by absentee vote or ballot, you know, they're always like, I didn't get my I-voted sticker. So this is an opportunity. And so the Department, the Bureau of Elections through the Department of State has been doing this I-voted sticker contest for students across the state of Michigan to participate in. So they submit their... artistic drawings for the I voted sticker, how they feel, you know, what represents Michigan. And so there's a committee that selects, narrows it down to, I think, 20. And then the people vote on it. And so we'll have a winner. I have posted this. I hope people will participate in it because it's a great challenge. It's a great way to bring people together. Representative Van Boland, who chairs the House Appropriations Committee, we appreciate it coming on this morning. Thank you so much. Thank you. Have a great day. You as well. And coming up next, we're going to talk to her counterpart in the budget process. Jen Flood, who is the state budget director that's up next here on 760. W.J.R. It's J.R. Morning. Well, here's your chance to win a trip to see Lionel Richie and Earthwind and Fire in the city of your choice. We've got your flights, hotel, concert tickets, premium VIP lounge access, everything. We got it all for you. It's your chance to sing along all night long with... Lionel Richie and Earth Win and Fire. The prize is provided by Live Nation. Text this hour's national keyword, Reasons to 95819. That's Reasons, R-E-A-S-O-N-S to 958-1-9. We'll text you back to confirm your entry. Data and messaging rates may apply. Please don't text and drive. Play four times each weekday for four chances to win, official rules, and more information at WJR.com. And we're back with Jen Flood, someone who would love a getaway, I'm sure, after the intense negotiations as state budget director. She is responsible both for creating that state budget every year for the governor and then helping it steer across the finish line. Jen, thanks for being here. We know you're in the thick of things. Thanks so much for having me. So we were just on with House Appropriations Chair Ann Bolin a bit earlier, who's on the other side of the negotiating table from you on this budget. From your seat, how is the process shaping up this year? And how do you build working relationship with someone like Ann?

Yeah, Chair Bolin and I have worked together closely in our current capacities and before that, her entire time in the state legislature. So I deeply respect Chair Bolin and the energy that she brings to the work. And I'll say throughout my time working for Governor Gretchen Whitmer, it's clear to me of that at the same day, lawmakers, policymakers. Usually we care about the same things, whether you have a Democrat or Republican behind your name. We all care about making sure that our kids have access to high quality education, that we have an economy that's strong and that we're competing for jobs. Our roads are smooth and safe and our communities are thriving. So we've worked together. We're working on the governor's eighth budget. All seven of the previous budgets have been bipartisan, and I know that we'll get another one done soon in the weeks ahead. All right, well, we're looking forward to it. Let's move, you talk to schools a bit. You know, Michigan ranks 44th in the country in fourth grade reading. You know, we've fallen in the rankings and overall K-12 performance over the last number of decades. It's a number or numbers that should stop us in our tracks. You know, we've heard a lot about this Mississippi miracle. What's been happening in other states to really, you know, implement the science of reading, early literacy coaching. How can this budget start helping us turn those outcomes around in Michigan? I'll say this, the governor believes every child deserves a strong foundation and strong literacy skills are one of the clearest predictors of long-term success in school, in the workforce, and in life beyond. The governor's budget focuses on helping students read proficiently by the end of third grade and stay on track from there. To accomplish that on top of increasing our per pupil funding for the classroom, our budget also continues expanding Michigan's literacy coaching network. It provides districts. the opportunity to adopt high-quality research-back literacy curriculum that's aligned with the science of reading. So classroom materials reflect proven strategies. This is something we've been focused on. Over the last seven years, we're able to work with the legislature to pass bipartisan bills related to the science of reading, and there's been some important momentum growing around. evidence-based solutions to the reading crisis here in Michigan. And we appreciate the partnership with business leaders for Michigan on getting it done. Madam Budget Director, besides education, what do you see as the top priorities in the budget for you and the governor? This year and last year, we're talking a lot about health care. Last July, President Trump signed into law, the One Big Beautiful Bill Act. And that bill made... huge changes to Medicaid, which is a program that provides access to health care for nearly one in four Michiganders. So at the same time that health care costs are rising for families, small businesses, and the state, the federal government sort of pulled the rug out from underneath us on this longstanding program that's a lifeline, including for our rural communities where hospitals are supported by Medicaid and are often one of the biggest employers. So in addition to...

education and making sure all kids receive a quality education and the skills they need to learn to read, we are going to be focused on Medicaid and making sure that the program is sustainable long into the future. Jen, you know, this is the last budget negotiation you're going to lead for the Gretchen Whitmer administration. And I'm sure, you know, you never want to quite get to the end and look back before it's done. But years from now, maybe when you're talking to your kids and you're saying, you know, gosh, I was proud I got that done. I'm proud that this has changed some of the trajectory of Michigan or protected folks. What are you going to tell them about? What are you going to point out? Well, I've got a two- and a four-year-old at home, so I'm thinking about kids in our future every single day. And last fall, when we had a drawn-out long negotiation that produced a roads deal and record education funding. My husband told my kids that Mama was working on a really big project that was going to help kids in our state. And that's why I was missing a lot of dinners and wasn't home on the weekends. And my four-year-old told him, well, it doesn't help me. Boy, those kids will tell you the truth, man. So that's humbling. But one day, I hope that he does come around to appreciate all the investments that we've made in kids. When you think about it, we've expanded universal high quality free pre-K to every four-year-old in the state. We're seeing record enrollment. Once kids stop the end of kindergarten, we've got historic investment in our kids, including making sure that... students that need additional support get those dollars into the classroom so that we can get them what they need to learn. We've got free school meals, which saves parents about $1,000 a year and precious time in the morning from packing lunches. After graduation, every high school of Michigan has access to a free community college degree. We've got the reconnect program, which is helping adults skill up with a new certificate or associate's degree, and you can save 40. excuse me, over the course of a four-year degree, $27,000 towards college. So when you add all of that up, it's about $50,000 per kid. And we know in this time of rising costs doing what we can at the state level to. make life more affordable is really important. And so I know that those investments in our kids are going to pay dividends in the long term. And, you know, as we wrap up the interview, Madam Budget Director, one of the biggest long-term concerns we hear from business leaders is talent in keeping young people in Michigan. How much can state budgeting actually influence that issue?

I know a lot of times people think about budgets as spreadsheets, but really they're a statement of values and priorities. And when the governor came in, she set a goal of making sure that 60% of Michiganers had credential associates or bachelor's degree by the year 2030 because we know that access to that training increases wages and it helps small businesses fill the critical roles that they need on the ground to make sure that we. are competing and successful. So through the state budget, we've created and funded the reconnect program, as well as wrap around supports to help first-time college students be successful. As a first generation college student, I know that access to a bachelor's degree can have an incredible impact and really change your lifelong trajectory in terms of earnings and opportunities. So through the budget, we've created some of those programs to help up skill our state's workforce and help employers fill those critical roles. And we'll get another one done this year that continues those great programs. We're looking forward to it. Jen Flood, State Budget Director. Appreciate you coming on this morning on J.R. Morning. Thank you so much. Have a great week. Thanks for having you. Coming up, we'll be hearing Jeff from Tony Michaels, president and CEO of the parade company. The fireworks coming up next Monday. So we'll talk about the preparations for that and more. We're just talking to people who are so busy. Budget, fireworks, everything else. But they take a little time to be here on J.R. Morning. That's next. All right, well, welcome back. This is Jeff Donofrio, president and CEO of business leaders from Michigan. It's filling in here for the J.R. Morning Show. Lloyd and I are welcoming now Tony Michaels, who runs the parade company, the folks behind the Ford Fireworks and America's Thanksgiving Day parade, the best parade, I think, in all of the United States. Tony, great to have you on this morning. No, thanks so much for having me. And don't forget that parade is presented by our dear friends at Gardner White, right? Rachel Stewart and the old team, I mean, I cannot thank them enough also. Yeah, we're just so fortunate. We're just so fortunate. We had Rachel on this morning, and we talked a little about that and how she really, you know, is a community person and gives back. And that's one of the ways that Gardner White does by sponsoring the America's Thanksgiving parade. Yeah, they really do. And we're just so fortunate. We really are. And, you know, I'll tell you, the way we look at all of these things is these things are owned by the people. And it's up to the parade company to make them bigger and better than ever. And it's much like the Ford fireworks next Monday. And thank you to Mary Cullor, right, president of Ford Philanthropy, the Ford family. We don't do any of this without these great people. But it's our job to make them bigger and better every single year. You know, and those fireworks are always a showstopper. And it isn't just really any year. It's America's 250th. So how is that milestone really going to change the show? What are we going to see over the river that we may not have seen before?

Well, we added touches. We did not take on, you know, the job of, you know, celebrating the 250th, you know, in Detroit. But because we really kick off summer. But I knew we've got to have little pieces. So again, we're going to have the copters flying down the riverfront to the both anthems, Canadian and our anthem, you know, in the U.S. And those flags are going down the river. And then you're going to have bits and pieces in the show where you're going to go, okay. I get this. I do the music, and then I work with Patrick Barrow at Zambelly, and, you know, with the choreography and all of that. So you're going to see certain things, and I can't give away too much, but I can tell you at the end, you're going to cry, and then you're going to have a heart attack. Oh, oh, wow. I don't know how else to say it. Okay, I really don't. It's going to be pretty special. It really is. Tony, you know, here's something I think a lot of people don't realize. You know, this tradition goes all the way back to 1959. When Detroit and Windsor started celebrating together, you got the Fourth of July and Canada Day. You know, two countries sharing one river. Hundreds of thousands of people still watch from both sides of the Detroit River. What does it mean to you to keep that cross-border tradition going strong, especially at a time where there's a bit of tension between the two countries? Yeah, look, it's no longer called the international fireworks, but they have upwards of 800,000 people lining the river on the other side. They have their big carnival, and we run the Canadian flag through. We are friends. This is a friendship that will last forever. There is no doubt in my mind. It's our job, and I said this earlier, but we really take this serious, that we've got to make sure that we do the right things for the people. And when you look at the other part of it is the economic impact that the parade company brings to our market and our state with all the events that we do. Because not only do we do this, but think about the S3 Turkey Trot Thanksgiving morning. Hobnobble Gobble presented by Ford. We build all the floats. We hire artists from the community. We just try to do the right thing 100% of the time for everybody. So 800,000 on the Canadian side, you know, we love numbers at business leaders from Michigan. Now, how many folks do you expect on the U.S. side? And then, you know, you talk about that economic impact. Are there some quantifiable numbers to say this is what's being added to the economy by this event? Well, for starters, on our side, on the Detroit side, the Michigan side, it's millions. It goes from Belle Isle, Hart Plaza. Throughout the city, people forget that you can watch these fireworks from rooftops. You can watch them from everywhere. So there's actually people go down Michigan Avenue and set up chairs to watch the fireworks up above. It's incredible. The last... report that we had done, Jeff, was quite a few years ago. And visit Detroit, we're talking them about another. But this, the fireworks alone, we're in the $13 million range. Wow. And we think it's much higher than that now. We really do because this event has gone through a resurgence. Heart Plaza filling up so fast and Belle Isle filling up so fast. We can watch that happen.

Tony, I got to ask you, too, you were talking about the floats and how you guys build the floats and stuff. And you want to make sure those floats are in a place that's safe, that, you know, doesn't, you know, leak or whatever like that. So you're trying to also get a new headquarters for the parade company on the waterfront. How is that going? Well, it's going well, but it can go better. We've raised 10 million. We are right now still in the running in the budget in the state of Michigan. We have representations from both sides of the aisle from the Republican and Democratic side. Just a week and a half ago, I got to speak in front of the appropriations group for limited time, but I got to do it. And the project is loved. We just got to get it in. We've got to get that $10 million. And what I tell everybody, and this is a fact, not one penny that we raise for this new home goes to the parade company. Every single penny goes to this new building, which will house artists. It will house a veterans office. There will be the largest summer camp in the state of Michigan. It will be a tourist attraction, and it will clean up blight. The Broadhead Armory is a disaster. sitting right on Woodward, on Jefferson, on Jefferson, right across in Belle Isle. And this checks every box. So we've worked years on this. And right now, this is kind of that moment where we need to get that $10 million from the state. You know, I drive past that armory every day on my way to and from work. And I tell you, it'll look a lot better with you there. And I can't wait to see it happen. You know, beyond the fireworks, what are you most looking forward to in Detroit or Michigan this summer? I'm looking for people to really come together and take in all of the events and take in our state, take in our city, the restaurants. Everything that our state has to offer is as good or better than anywhere in America. And I just want people to understand that. And I really truly, the tourism in our state is amazing. And it's time that we tout the positives and not the negatives because we have so many positives. It is really time that everything out of our mouth now is, hey, we've got this going and let's make it better. That's where I stand. Tony Michaels, president, CEO of the parade company. Always a pleasure having you on, my friend. And we hope things continue to go well for the armory and get that changed around to become headquarters for the parade company. And we're looking forward to the fireworks show. I mean, we're going to cry and then have a heart attack. Okay? I don't have so much the heart attack, but you know where I'm going. I know where you're going. Thank you so much, Tony. Appreciate your time. All right. Coming up in the 8 o'clock hour, Ryan Dan Sullivan, CEO of the Riverfront Conservancy. Boy, we do have like the best riverfront. Number one in America. In America. Yeah. And so we're going to talk to him. And Monday Monty's as well. We'll have Hamilton's Brooktown in here. So that's all next here on J.R. Morning.

Well, good morning again. It's Jeff Donofrio here with Lloyd, filling in for Chris on this wonderful, beautiful Detroit morning. We are joined by Ryan Dan Sullivan, CEO of the Detroit Riverfront Conservancy, one of the best assets in the city of Detroit and something that even just a couple of years ago probably wouldn't have been, you know, something we bragged about. But Ryan, thanks for joining us. Absolutely good morning. Thanks for having me. So, you know, when you think about the work that the rearfront Conservancy has done and, you know, 50 years ago, if somebody had, you know, been pulled forward in time and dropped in to today, what do you think the starkest changes they would see would be? Yeah, I think they'd be rubbing their eyes and blinking, you know, because they wouldn't be able to believe what they were seeing. You know, 50 years ago, the mid-1970s, you know, all along the Detroit River was heavy industry. I mean, think about it, the uniroil plant was still operating until 1980. So you would have seen a lot of industrial activity. not to mention a lot of material storage, piles of aggregate and other materials with, you know, freighters coming in and out each day, cement silos and whatnot. Not to mention that the water itself and the Detroit River was heavily polluted because of, you know, all that industrial activity. So they may not have even known there was a riverfront to be seen. Exactly. There was really no way to even access it, even if someone would want to get down there. So the public access was really non-existent. And fast forward to today, it's truly been an incredible transformation, the work of so many leaders throughout our community over the decades. But now we have more than eight miles of connected riverwalk and greenways. five different parks from, you know, the Bell Isle Bridge all the way down to the new Ralph Wilson Park. That's contiguous public access and, you know, we have many millions of visits per year to these spaces and all of our visitors, you know, represent a big cross-section of our entire region. So it's a, it's been an incredible transformation. Ryan, and it's just not the locals who have noticed. You know, the Riverwalk keeps landing these national best-up lists. What do you think outsiders see in it that tells this bigger story about where Detroit is headed? Yeah, that's a great question. I think a lot of people, when they come to Detroit, they are genuinely, you know, shocked by the riverwalk and the public access that we have to our waterfront. And I think a lot of other communities and cities, you know, wish that they had something like this. I mean, to hear that all the time, even places that are proud of their waterfronts and riverfronts really can't believe that we have, you know, this eight mile plus connected trailways. So I think the way that.

that our network connects people to the water and the natural environment and recreational opportunities at scale is something that's incredibly unique, not just on the national, but also the international landscape. You got a lot of different users, you know, families, seniors, runners like yourself, you know, dog walkers like myself, cyclists, tourists, all, you know, coming in and trying to access the riverfront and the conservancies work. How do you make sure that everybody finds something to enjoy? How do you strike that balance? Yeah, it really goes back to the core philosophy when the riverfront was created and it's been really intentionally designed into all of our spaces for the last, you know, 23 years or so. And that is that the riverfront is for everyone. And when we say for everyone, you know, we really mean it. It's not just a tagline or a slogan. So it's in the way that the spaces are designed. It's in the way that our different programming and activations that we do. are designed and curated. It's also in the way that we do community outreach and reach out to folks from all different parts of our community to make sure that they know that they're welcomed and, you know, not only welcome, but that we invite them to the water's edge to enjoy these incredible spaces altogether. And doing that work consistently year over year is, I think, what has resulted in what you're observing there and that it truly is a cross-section of our entire region at the riverfront each and every single day. Speaking with Ryan Dan Sullivan, CEO of the Riverfront Conservancy, and Ryan, you talked a little bit about it, but last fall you officially opened that brand new Ralph Wilson Centennial Park. How are you activating that space in its first summer season? Yeah, and for those listening, if you have not been down to see Wilson Park, I highly encourage you to put that on your summer bucket list. It's truly spectacular, 22-acre park on the west side of the city. And it's designed by an internationally recognized landscape architecture firm, MVA. And there's something in this park for everyone. And whether it's on the eastern edge closer to downtown, very designed for families with kids, whether that's a special playground for younger kids, it's hot lot. to the incredible bear slide. All the kids, you know, 10 and under called us the bear park because of the iconic slide there. And then we have the Gilbert Family Water Wonderland, which we just turned on. around Memorial Day. And this is not just a splash pad, but it is a place where kids and families can come and play with water. They can dam up the water and release it. There's sand involved, rocks, all kinds of features. Then as you go to the rest of the park, you know, there's incredible basketball courts, the best basketball courts in the city, and the William Davidson Sport House with the Pistons logo on them. It's the best place to play hoops in the city.

But if you're looking for something a little more calm or more serene or just want to connect with nature, we have the here in Clinton Metro Park's water garden, which has real Detroit River water in there that you can touch and play. And field trips come in and do water quality testing at that space, which is very cool. And then, of course, the DTE Foundation Summit on the far western side of the park, which has incredible views of downtown. you know, from the west side, which is a view that we don't often, you know, see depicted in the pictures of our skyline, but is beautiful. So there's really something for everyone, and we have a full schedule programming that people can see on our website, or you can just come down and enjoy it for yourself. Well, and this week, shimmer on the river is something that folks can come down to what's in store for that event and how to folks make sure they make their way down? Yeah, thanks, Jeff. Shimmer on the River is our annual fundraiser, and it's really a welcome to the summer. So it's held at Valade Park, which is on the east side at Joseph Campo and the river. This year we have a nautical theme failing into the summer, so there's a lot of food, some incredible entertainment and music. It's very family-friendly, so there's a lot of different games and activities for people with kids. And this year, we also have a sunset boat cruise, which is going to be very cool. So we would love if anyone could join us and celebrate the work of the Riverfront Conservancy and really just be together as a Riverfront community. People can find tickets at our website, www. www.Detrivateriverfront.org. And we've got about 30 seconds left, Ryan, but I've got to ask you, you know, if you look down the road 10, 20 years, what's the next big chapter for the Riverfront? I mean, what does mission accomplish even look like for you? Look, I think the story of the last 50 years, you know, how we started is going to continue in the next 20 in the sense that the riverfront and our spaces need to continue evolving with the city and serve the city into this next chapter. So when you think about some of these developments that have been announced, whether it's the Renaissance Center redevelopment, the WNBA project, all the work happening down at Huntington Place in that area. you know, how does the riverfront continue to work and collaborate with and grow its impact alongside these other development projects is something that we're focused on in the next 20 years. Ryan Dan Sullivan, CEO of the Riverfront Conservancy. Appreciate you coming on this morning, giving us an update on all that's great down on that riverfront this summer. Thank you so much. Thank you for having me. And Jeff Tell us was coming up at 819. 819 will have Evan Lyle, CEO of Roush Industries. And I think a lot of folks may know Roush from racing, but you might be surprised at some of the other things they do. Well, let's find out about it next at 819 on J.R. Morning. Welcome back to WJR Mornings. This is Jeff Donofrio, president and CEO of business leaders from Michigan, sitting in and co-hosting here with my good friend Lloyd. Lloyd, we are joined by a tremendous leader in Michigan. Yes. Evan Lyle, who is CEO of Rauch, a Michigan company that has been celebrating its 50th anniversary this year. Evan, thanks for being on this morning. Hey, guys. Thanks for having me. I appreciate it. Much.

So 50 years for Rausch, 25 at the helm for you. When you look back, what makes you most proud? You know, it's hard to imagine. It's been 50 years. I actually... I guess I started working for Jack when I was 19 years old. So I've got 45 years in this field now. And there's so many things that make me proud. But first and foremost, as we talk about being 50 years old, I think the thing that makes us the most proud is that we're here. I mean, we're a 50-year-old Michigan-based privately held business. And there just aren't that many of them, you know, that exists for that long. And there's good reasons for it. But the first thing is probably just the accomplishment of being here for 50 years and the foundation that we have to keep building on. And then the second thing that really makes you proud is to be part of this for as long as I have been to work alongside people that are really my brothers and sisters. for all these years and so many great people have come through the doors of Rauch. Made living here have contributed to the foundation that the company is today and to watch them and their families and even to see what the families and the kids are doing that are all part of, you know, because this little business started in Lobonia, Michigan so many years ago and it's still here today. That just gives you a great sense of pride. But pretty exciting times here at Rausch for sure. Evan, you know, when people hear Roush, you know, a lot of them, the first thing comes to mind, NASCAR, fast Mustangs, but that's just like a little sliver of what you guys actually do. What would surprise people about, you know, most about the work that's going on inside of Roush? It doesn't matter where I go. And if you say the name, we do have a great brand recognition that you probably don't take as much advantage of as we should, I suppose. But because of the things that Jack's done on Sundays, quite honestly, the motor sports activity and the brand that he built by, you know, being a guy that was going to work seven days a week and do the most that he could. But what people didn't realize is that while he was out winning all those races, the most winningest, you know, team owner in NASCAR history, quite honestly, in all the different national series that they run. But while he was doing that, of course, you know, he was building this other business along with the rest of us back here in Michigan that was really set on doing product development in the automotive industry in the beginning and more mundane than the things we were doing on the weekend. We get great brand recognition. We get the sense of urgency for motorsports, the competitiveness, all the things that are there. But the reality is that we went into motorsports based on the technical technical capabilities that we had. in the base business. And so today, what we really have, 50 years later, is probably one of the most complete set of product development capabilities that you can find anywhere. And not only do we have the tools, we have the brain power. And that's a little different than a lot of engineering competitors we have where they don't have the actual tools as well. But we're in the mobility space for sure, you know, in the revolution that's going on in mobility across the board.

aerospace, defense. We participate in the entertainment space where we're doing ride development for people like Disney and Universal. We're in the ag space, which is becoming quite technically advanced as time moves on. We do things in energy. I mean, there's really a lot more going on here than anyone realizes, and it's mostly about product integration. We help people turn their ideas into products. So they come to us with a problem or an idea. And we work hand at hand with them to help them really commercialize their product generally. So serving those customer needs, obviously, has kept you in business. But, you know, for five decades, you talked about it, staying competitive in a hyper competitive environment has to be tough. It has to be tough with skill shortages, skill trades, you know, other talent and disruptions. How do you keep reinventing yourself and staying competitive without losing what makes your roush? That's a great question. And something we talk about a lot, you know, that I like to say, I mean, Jack Rauch, you know, has started this thing in 1976. He still, Jack still shows up every day. His days aren't quite the same as they used to be. I used to joke that if all you had to do is stand next to him all day, you know, most people couldn't do the job. But for sure. But sure, he didn't start this business to say, I'm going to have the biggest business or I'm going to have one that's going to be here 50 years from now or whatever. He really started it based on his own technical curiosities. He was interested in doing things that were about technical excellence. That's the foundation of our motorsports activity. It's the foundation of our business. And I think that that idea of, you know, getting up to solve hard problems, to do things that are technically excellent, to add to that a competitive spirit that was just within the guy and a work ethic that was amazing and really second to none, if we can hold on to those things and we talk about all the time. So we start from a technical perspective first. We work on, you know, being competitive, which isn't necessarily just always on the racetrack. That can show up at customer satisfaction scores too, right? And then the work ethic, you know, making sure that we're doing the best we can to provide for our customers. I mean, we just continue to build upon that foundation that Jack gave us. And if we do that and we look for opportunities to grow our business, to diversify it, to look for new verticals and new places within the industries that we serve to go to work. And we work on building a sustainable route, meaning we're here for 50 years, but we want to be here for another 50 years. And if we hold on to those things, we seem to attract people that, you know, like it. And they want to be here and they want to help us. And Evan, you talked about competition and being competitive as you look at the next generation of talent. I mean, talk about the skills you're hunting for now that maybe you weren't looking for 10 years ago. You know, interestingly. We talk about this a lot. In the BLM group, we talk about a lot, you know, and people and the labor force and the different types of skills that we need to be competitive here in the state and in our business. And for us, I don't think the formula has changed a lot. You know, it goes back to those. It's really simple. People are going to be attracted to the diverse things that we do. They're going to be attracted to the technical excellence. People are attracted to the brand. And so.

What we end up looking for in our skilled trades and in our engineering workforce is really the same type of attitude that we started with in the beginning. And, you know, the institutions that people train at, the skills that they get today in the workplace, you know, the advanced technologies that are coming, that kind of comes along with the package when you're hiring people today. changed a little bit you know an engineer today can do design work whereas before you just had specific designers and engineers you know you still have designers but you know they overlap more than they used to and that just comes with the way people are trained in school but really for us it's about attitude and And we've never wavered from that. We always look for people that have the right attitude. And I think that's one of the reasons why we're here this many years later, too. Evan, we got about a minute left. And Detroit and Michigan has deep automotive routes, but mobility is changing pretty fast. What role do you see companies like Rouse playing and, you know, defining what the next era of transportation looks like? You know, for us, the good news is that what we do is product development. So I feel for the auto industry that's had to make giant capital bets, you know, based upon the way they think the industry is going to go. And what we, the role we play is to help people integrate technology and move quickly to try and adapt to changing needs and mobility. So whether it be electrification or autonomy, you know, over the road, trucks, whatever, whatever is going on. For us, we have the opportunity to help people make that come to life quicker and to prove it and to test it and to get data to understand that it's going to work and to re to reinvent it as they move along and so i think our role is to really help people move as quickly as they can in a in a technically excellent way in a way that ensures that we have you know we have a quality product that goes on the road And that's a great niche for Rauch. And a lot of this transformation is going on in the business has been really good for us. Evan Lyon, CEO of Roush Enterprises. Thanks so much for coming on this morning. Appreciate your time. I appreciate you having me, guys. Coming up at 835, what do you see? Who do we have coming up at 835, Jeff? We have Jared Fletcher, who is CEO of Bedrock and probably can tell us a lot about what Detroit's going to look like in the next 25 years. Let's talk to him next at 835 on J.R. morning. Well, good morning again. You know, Lloyd, that Mitch album show, fun fact, I've won two contests on that show as a call-in. Did you? Yeah, yeah, a t-shirt, a couple other good things. It's a fun time. So definitely check it out this afternoon. Yes. Well, hey, we're back in the studio. It's a beautiful day in Detroit, and we're welcoming in somebody who's got a lot to do with Detroit's future. Jared Fleischer, who's the CEO of Bedrock. And you've got a lot going on, Jared. Thanks so much for taking the time and being here this morning. I want to know what my prize is, Jeff. You got to win a contest. We'll see how the questions go here. Okay. So, you know, you've been talking a lot about tax reform in the last couple of months. And for some folks, you know, their eyes might glaze over. But for someone who's trying to buy a home, open a business, invest in a neighborhood, these policies can have real impact. From your perspective, if Michigan were to take on tax reform and get it right, what would it mean?

It's a great question. And, you know, I hope folks' eyes don't glaze over because, you know, we talk every day about, you know, cost of living and the affordability agenda. And one of the ways that, you know, Michigan is least affordable is our very high property tax rates. We are, you know, one of the 10 highest property tax states in the country. And not only is that, you know, an issue for folks, you know, trying to make ends meet, it's definitely an issue for folks, you know, trying to buy a home. But, you know, we all want to see our state grow, right? We've been losing population, you know, losing influence to states. around us and uh you know um the cost of a home is one of the you know um focal point calculations that people make when they're deciding you know do i do i move to michigan do i come back to michigan and uh so there's a lot of reasons that uh folks their eyes should be uh you know we hope wide open about the importance of property tax reform and um you know we think um the answer the question of what does it look like we think two things are actually uh achievable right now if we folks can come together and in the coming months or whatever focus on it the first is the way michigan's property tax system works if you've been in your home for a long time your property taxes are are capped they only go off did we lose them I think we may have lost yet. We'll get it back on. Somebody who doesn't want tax reform may have been. We've got a little bug in there. Yeah, but that's something that I know that they're talking about in Lansing about the property taxes. The other part of that, though, Jeff, is, you know, if you do that and you get rid of that money that's coming in from property taxes, what do you replace it with? Right. Our schools have to be funded. You know, you've got to have basic city services. But I can tell you, as a city of Detroit resident, you know, we're paying some of the highest property taxes in the country, let alone the state. And so it's a real challenge. It's a real challenge to help a business grow. And on the flip side of that. how do you make sure you don't have to have a lobbyist and a lawyer to open up a business? Oh, boy. We're easing those processes. Absolutely, absolutely. And, you know, there's, we see this investment that's been happening in the city. Okay, he's, he's back. Jared is back. So, Jerry, I'm sorry, we got cut off some kind of way, but, you know, my question to you, uh, is like, you know, Detroit has really seen a lot of investment over the past decade. And there's still really a lot of opportunities still ahead. But what kinds of tax or policy changes would make it easier for like a company or developer to keep coming here, bringing their business here and creating more jobs?

Yeah, you know, I'm truly sorry that we got cut off there, not sure what happened. But I was talking about how we fix our tax system. And the first one is there's, there are things we can do to eliminate this so-called pop-up tax so that when you're trying to sell your home. The new homeowner doesn't get whacked with a giant pop-up tax bill, which makes it harder to sell your home, and which often surprises new homeowners and puts them in a real bad position. So there's things that we can do, smart policy for working families to smooth that pop-up, help people sell their homes, help new homeowners get into new homes. The next thing that we can do is we should move some of the burdens away from property taxes. on to smarter ways to raise revenue. So we're also kind of an outlier here in Michigan in that, you know, you go to the big entertainment centers and tourist centers of a lot of cities and they raise a lot of revenue through visitors and tourists. It's a really smart thing to do so you can, you know, lower the property tax burden on, you know, grandma and grandpa who've been living in their house for a long time. We should really look at letting local governments. impose very modest revenue raisers on kind of the visitor and tourist economy in order to lower property taxes for everyday working folks. If we do a couple of those things, you know, systematically we can put our state on a better path to growth. Yeah, there's ways to make sure we have the funding we need, but also be smart and competitive, right, to help encourage growth rather than stunt it. You know, so we appreciate your work on that, Jared. You know, you've worked on some of the most transformational projects in the city. You know, we're looking out the window right now, the skyline, the beautiful Hudson's building that, of course, is gleaming in this wonderful sun this morning. You know, when you're evaluating whether a project moves forward, how much do taxes factor into that equation? What's the biggest cost challenges for a developer today? Yeah, so when you're trying to develop in a lot of our, you know, kind of legacy cities, you know, Detroit, Sagina, Flint, Pontiac, Kalamazoo, even Grand Rapids, these are cities that, you know, were first built, you know, over a century ago. They were built kind of in a very different, you know, manufacturing era. And a lot of our sites and buildings are, you know, run down historic buildings or brownfield sites. And when you just do the simple math of what it costs to kind of overcome, you know, the hangover of the past and redevelop these sites for the future, it's just simple math. The numbers don't work. And that's why, you know, Michigan has been so slow to rebuild itself for the 21st century. So again, you can use smart tax policy to help fill that gap. If you've got a property that's abandoned and is producing no tax revenue for nobody.

Imagine if a developer comes in, turns it into something great. It's producing all kinds of new tax revenue. And the deal is the government then sends back some portion of that new tax revenue to make the math work, to make all of that possible. Everybody wins. The community gets a great outcome instead of an abandoned site. The government still gets money that we're getting before. We do what we need to do to grow the state. It's that kind of brownfield incentives that are. are really smart they work our program here in michigan has worked extremely well it's worked so well in fact that it's reached its cap and we've been trying for a couple years to get our legislature to focus on uh on raising that cap keeping this program going it's a very popular bipartisan program unfortunately our legislature kind of is tied up and knots on on everything we need them to untie themselves and give our communities the tools that we need to build our state for the future. And obviously, this tool is critical to the future of the Renaissance Center and the Detroit Riverfront. Just as today, it's being used to rebuild Grand Rapids Riverfront into something really special. Darren Fleischer, CEO of Bedrock. We appreciate you coming on, giving us an update and letting us know what it's going to take to keep the momentum moving here in the city of Detroit. Thank you so much. Yeah, I'm sorry. I hung up on you guys. I was mad for not getting a prize. T-shirts in the mail. There you go. All right. Take care, guys. Thank you. Coming up, it is a Monday, and on Monday we give you Monday Monty's. We're going to highlight Hamilton's in Corktown. That's next on J.R. Morning. Welcome back to J.R. Morning on a Monday, and you know that it's time for Monday Monty's. And we have in studio with us this morning, Hamilton's Corktown. And with us is Chef Cortez Ryan Hart and Andrew McInnis, who is the director of food and beverage. Lady and gentlemen, thank you so much for being here this morning. Thank you for having us. So Hamilton sits inside the Godfrey Hotel in the heart of Corktown, but it isn't just... you know, another hotel restaurant because we know there are a lot of hotels with restaurants inside. But it's built on the site where Hamilton Carhart opened the factory in 1905. So when you're cooking in a space that kind of, you know, has that kind of industrial and labor history, how does that story kind of show up on the plate if it does at all? I would say I think our menu is very centric around community. So our restaurant is a big open floor concept. A lot of our tables are bigger tables for larger parties and families. So I think just the thought of like the working class being of the working class, keeping that in mind, everything we put on a plate, we keep the idea of can this be shared with multiple people or if you're by yourself, enjoy a nice time out. You know, Corktown is really having a moment right now. They really are. The train station opening up, restaurants, hotels, other businesses. Talk about the energy that you feel in the neighborhood and the ability to serve customers there.

Yeah, so our view is of the brick road, classic in Cortown, so it's a beautiful view. Kind of floor to ceiling window, so you get that natural light when the sunset hits. We can see the sunset actually reflect off the MGM Grand building, so it's a great view. And then also our rooftop on the top seven floor overlooks the downtown area as well as behind Cortown on the rear side. So you get kind of like a 360 view. Sounds pretty perfect for a day like this. Oh, absolutely. Andrea, you're director of food and beverage. Tell us exactly what you do. So basically, I oversee the whole department. I work side by side, I would say, with the chefs and really develop the concept and, you know, figure out what it is we're trying to bring to our guests and to Detroit in general. Like Cortez was saying, we definitely look, when I think of Detroit, it's the manufacturing, right? It's the hardworking blue collar person. And that's really who we are, we're, you know, trying to appeal to because that's who we are at the end of the day. Yeah. When I think of food and beverage, I think of it, it's a trade. Right? Just like working in automotive or, you know, plumbing or anything like that. Food and beverage is a true trade. And it keeps everybody fed. You know, when you present food to people now, how has that changed over the years? Because, you know, a lot of people now are wanting smaller. portions. So talk about how that has changed over the years or people, you know, eating better and wanting smaller ingredients. So that's one thing. Our new menu is definitely geared towards and focusing is that healthier options and smaller portions. We're still going to offer that family style. Sure. If that's what our guest is looking for, but we also want our guests to feel. You know, like they can come there and have a nice small salad or, you know, a smaller dish of a chicken meal rather than these big old portions that you're normally finding out at restaurants. And really trying to stay away from fried food. Okay, great. And just really fresh ingredients. As you commented, no tomatoes in the refrigerator. That's true. We definitely don't keep through. The tomatoes in the refrigerator. It is very fresh. We get fresh ingredients in every day. Indeed. You know, you're also welcoming a lot of folks as a restaurant and a hotel to the city, right? As rolling out the red carpet for the world, how is that played out? I mean, are you seeing a lot more people coming to Detroit? How are they interacting with you and the menu? I think, yeah, being a hotel, you get a lot of traffic, a lot of different events happening as well as, like, we host weddings in our banquet hall. So there's a lot of different activations going on. So I think the community gets that different, like, view of things happening in one space, which you typically don't get into like a standalone restaurant. So it's just a lot of fun things going on, especially when we have things like when the business were in the playoffs, people coming in from out of town.

big games, teams traveling. So a lot going on, a lot of moving pieces. We want more celebrations like they just had in New York. Oh, yes. Yeah, exactly. Exactly. Andrea, you know, there's this growing expectation now that restaurants are more than just places to eat, you know. And so their experiences and spaces and even storytelling types of platforms, how intentional are you about creating that kind of sense of narrative about Hamilton? So we thrive on the homage of, you know, Hamilton Carhart. So our team members are dressed in Carhart bibs, right? We're trying to express that this is, you know, where... the blue collar came from and continues to be. And, you know, we want to appease to everybody, but at the same time, we're a neighborhood. We're a local Corktown neighborhood place. And we look to really inviting our locals and having it be a place that, you know, you want to come once a week. We do on a... Tuesday nights, we do a sip and spin where down in Hamilton's, you can bring in your own records, you know, to listen to, you know, and have some drinks and some food. And, you know, if people don't bring records, we have some there. Sure. Yeah. So it's really, you know, wanting to get that, you know, hometown place feeling and, you know, just a nice vibe to it. That's it. Yeah, real chill. Yeah. So what percentage of those records are Motown is my question? It's got to be pretty high, right? You know, I will say we definitely have a couple of followers that definitely have brought in some great, great music, which is a lot of fun. But you definitely get the mix. You get the Motown, you get the rock and roll. Get a little rap or something. Yeah. A little hip-hop. Yeah. You know, surprisingly enough, you do. You know, those vinals are out. And yeah. It's open and welcome to everybody. I think the, you know, we should make sure that every Michigan artist out there, like Madonna who just dropped her new album. That's right. Now where to come to debut that. There you go. That's the place. Tell people where you are and how they can get more information. So we are right downtown Corktown. We oversee, we look at the brick road and right across from us as McShane's. And to find out about us, our website is always a good place. We have a great Instagram page that is full of our fun activations and soon our upcoming menu that goes out this Thursday on the 18th. You'll see pictures of that posted on there and any activations that we are having. Yesterday we did our first brunch above the city. Okay. So that's up in our I.O. rooftop lounge and we served brunch up there and we had our house DJ that we just brought on. She was, you know, mixing up some music up there for us. So we're looking to start that once a month. Okay.

So we're really excited about that, trying to, you know, have a great view and some great vibes while you, you know, have that nice breakfast and sip on some drinks. Well, listen, we appreciate you coming in. Chef Cortez, Rinehart, Andrea McKinnis, Director of Food and Beverage for Hamilton's in Corktown. Thank you so much for coming in this morning. Thank you for having you this morning, my friend. Thanks for letting me sit in, Lloyd. I'm glad you got up early this morning. Hey, you know, I've got a whole day ahead of me now. You do. I mean, the day is still long. And thank you for joining us this morning here on JR Morning. All Talk is next with Kevin Deetz on WJR.