There are some who believe that "we become what we do." With that mantra in mind, Metromode's Jon Zemke asked six local entrepreneurs about the good habits they've developed on their path to success.
Patrick Peteet knows a bit about reinvention. Just as his father left the line at Ford to start the family's real estate business, Patrick, after a series of tragic setbacks, convinced the family to leave real estate behind to become cheesecake entrepreneurs. The result is Peteet's Cheesecakes in Oak Park, where they sell 60-80 cakes a day... and have an eye on franchising.
How does a company's sole owner and founder transition to the power-sharing structure of executive leadership? That's the challenge that faces Billhighway, a Troy-based firm that's looking to enter its second stage of development. Metromode's Jon Zemke looks for lessons from successful (and less-than-successful) local businesses.
If you're looking for a local company that represents what's next in renewable energy innovation, Zerobase is probably your best bet. The firm specializes in off-the-grid power logistics for inhospitable environments. Luckily, it has found its new digs in downtown Ferndale to be just the opposite - a perfect community for its high tech employees.
When an old firehouse becomes the new home of eyeWyre Software Studios, you know things are evolving. That's the story of downtown Mt. Clemens, which is increasingly becoming a cool, affordable waterfront downtown for high-tech firms.
From restoration to creation to innovation, Rocky Martina's life is centered around glass. If you've been to the Fox Theatre, you've seen his stained glass work. And like many self-made entrepreneurs, this Oakland County artisan is expanding his interests by helping to launch a new masonry coating start-up.
Jim Geary set out to change a neighborhood in Detroit. He began with homes in the Woodbridge neighborhood, but things really started to swell when he finished rehabbing a commercial building and opened the Woodbridge Pub, the new center for community in the neighborhood.
GraviKor, Plex and Patriot Services are firms that are expanding business in the defense and aerospace industry sectors. In this Metromode and Model D Special Edition, Jon Zemke shows us how this business gets done in Metro Detroit.
Gravikor's Jim Richter is also the president of the Michigan Research Institute, a non-profit research incubator based in Ann Arbor that is working to help bring more cutting-edge technology into the marketplace. Jon Zemke asks the questions.
Paul Jacobs, CEO of Southfield-based mobile apps firm jacApps, thinks that talent rather than experience is critical to building success in today's ever-evolving mobile technology industry. Jon Zemke chats with Jacobs about the challenges of and strategies for attracting the best and brightest to his growing company.
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