Wine Tasting Event to Benefit Mans Best Friends

The Kiwanis Club of Mount Clemens will host a Wine Tasting on Thursday, August 26, 2010, to benefit area organizations and Hayes & Friends, a nonprofit that provides aid to homeless pets.

The Wine Tasting will be held at the historic Packard Proving Grounds in Shelby Township. This beautiful setting is on the National Historic Registry, and several vintage Packards will be on hand for the event.

The event runs from 6:30 8:30 p.m. and includes hors doeuvres. A selection of well-chosen wines will be presented by Filipo Marc Winery. Attendees must be 21 or older.

Tickets are $35 in advance, $40 at the door. Tickets are now available at Printing by Johnson, 1430 South Gratiot, Mount Clemens, or by calling 586-469-3555.


Lawrence Tech offers companies low-risk approach to product development

Companies can take advantage of the engineering expertise of college students to help develop, investigate or test new products through the Industry-Sponsored Projects Lab that starts this fall at Lawrence Technological University.

All Lawrence Tech engineering students are required to complete a capstone project in their senior year in order to graduate, and many of these projects have involved challenges faced by companies where students have worked or interned.

The new Industry-Sponsored Projects Lab assigns a team of students to do research that can positively impact a company’s bottom line. Working with a faculty mentor, three to five engineering students will tackle a research project for a semester, although some projects may last longer. The Industry Advisory Board of Lawrence Tech’s A. Leon Linton Department of Mechanical Engineering will provide guidance.

Two companies that have worked with Lawrence Tech students on previous projects applauded the introduction of the project lab.

 “We appreciate the enthusiasm, fresh thinking and commitment we get from students at Lawrence Tech, and our company has benefitted from the level of technical expertise they bring to projects,” said Tom Watson, vice president of R&D, Technology & Innovation, for Johnson Controls Power Solutions in Milwaukee.

“A relationship with Lawrence Tech is a real benefit for a company our size because of the access we gain to the students and research resources,” said Mathew DeMars, president and chief operating officer of The Vehicle Production Group LLC in Troy.

Under a master agreement to be signed with the university, each participating company retains ownership of any technology that is developed and sets confidentiality requirements.

The senior capstone projects could involve product design, manufacturing, ergonomics, structures, materials research, mechatronics computer systems and control systems.

By the time they are seniors, engineering students at Lawrence Tech have the technical expertise to work on such projects, and many also have practical experience working as interns or employees of manufacturing companies. The project lab formalizes a process that has taken place at Lawrence Tech for almost 80 years.

The client company will pay a nominal fee to cover laboratory use, faculty guidance, administrative expenses and some local travel. The company will also provide a mentor and materials for its design project.

Students will deliver a conceptualization of the project, the supporting engineering computations and test results, a final design, and a prototype. The team will give weekly status reports, three presentations during the semester, and a confidential final report.

Cultivating the entrepreneurial mindset has become a major goal for undergraduate engineering programs at Lawrence Tech thanks in large part to a five-year, $1.1 million grant from the Kern Family Foundation.

In addition, Lawrence Tech students are actively engaged in one or more of the six centers of excellence that have been identified by the College of Engineering.

“Our students are engaged in solving real-world problems, and these industry-sponsored projects demonstrate our ‘theory and practice’ methodology,” said Dean of Engineering Nabil Grace.

A student team can provide in-depth research capabilities along with access to Lawrence Tech’s high-tech testing and diagnostic facilities, according to Vernon Fernandez, associate professor of mechanical engineering, who is directing the project lab.  

“We think this type of research could be of tremendous value in the supply chain inside the company. There may be a technological hurdle that is preventing a company from moving ahead on a new product,” Fernandez said. “This can be a low-risk way to create a prototype or validate a process.”

Companies interested in participating in the Industry-Sponsored Projects Lab should contact Fernandez at vfernande@ltu.edu or (248) 204-2571.

Genisys Partners With FamilyMint For Financial Literacy Program

Genisys Credit Union is the first credit union to take financial responsibility to a new level by partnering with FamilyMint, a hands-on budgeting tool that provides parents and grandparents with an interactive resource to teach their children about financial literacy and the importance of saving. This online money management application is free and engages Genisys members as young as six years old in a fun way. Under adult supervision, children learn to track their money by allocating savings, setting goals and making transactions. Parents and grandparents can also automate allowance, encourage savings with motivating interest rates and reward deposits for achieving goals.

According to The Hartford Financial Services Group, Inc., nearly 72% of the parents surveyed acknowledged that they are their children’s primary source of personal finance education, although 44% admit to needing more guidance on how to best teach their children the skills necessary to become financially responsible and successful adults.
This is where FamilyMint can help. The idea was created by two dads, Jeff Eusebio and Bob Masterson, who were frustrated with the existing tools in the marketplace for teaching sound money management skills earlier in life and helping kids appreciate money.

"Many of our users experienced the same frustrations and one expressed it best when she wrote to us that after years of preaching to ‘spend your money wisely, don't buy that junk and think about where you are spending your money,’ FamilyMint SHOWED the boys exactly all those things in the matter of a few weeks,” Masterson stated.  "We are excited to be partnering with Genisys Credit Union because of their extensive community focus, and we know FamilyMint will be a great enhancement to Genisys' youth programs."
There are two versions including the FamilyMint Free and the FamilyMint Premium that families can choose. The Premium version has extra features and is available to Genisys members at a 20% discount ($39.50/year) through the Genisys website at www.genisyscu.org/familymint.

“This program is a great way to discuss finances with the entire family,” said Jackie Buchanan, CEO. “It educates consumers of all ages about proper money management and sets the foundation of saving that members will benefit from for the rest of their lives.”
Genisys Credit Union is glad to be part of your community, and we truly believe that Genisys is “where you come first.” We are locally owned, locally controlled and continue to be an award-winning organization for financial safety and soundness. Follow our community involvement on Facebook at www.facebook.com/genisyscu and Twitter at www.twitter.com/genisyscu to find out what’s going on in your neighborhood. A calendar of events can also be found on our Web site at www.genisyscu.org.

Twilight in the Tropics: ArtParty Goes Hawaiian

Put on your Hawaiian shirts and dresses and join ArtParty Co-Chairs Ann-Marie Anton and Sharon Gwizdowski at this years ArtParty, 5:30 to 8 pm, Thursday September 23, 2010. Tickets are now on sale at the Anton Art Center!

Now in its 19^th year, ArtParty is the centers largest annual fundraiser. Last years event attracted over 500 guests and raised over $28,000 to support the centers programs and operations.

ArtParty features a taste of Macomb County, with over thirty area restaurants and caterers gathered under large tents along Macomb Place, just outside the art center building. ArtParty attendees roam the tents sampling appetizers, desserts, wine & champagne and more.

In celebration of this years Hawaiian theme, Mount Clemens eating and drinking establishment Orleans will host a Tiki Bar in the center of the tents.

Other participating restaurants include Bath City Bistro, the Grand Traverse Pie Company, Luigis Downtown, MacRay, Zuccaros and more. ArtParty guests will vote for two Peoples Choice Awards for Best Dish and Best Presentation and Peoples Choice awards, which will be presented that evening.

New this year is a Live Auction with spectacular art, golf packages and a ride-along with Macomb County Sheriff Mark Hackel. There will also be live entertainment, a silent auction and an art & cash raffle.

The featured exhibition is Figure/Ground in the Main Galleries, a new group exhibition that takes a deeper look at the people, places and things represented in works of art. Select artifacts from Meadow Brook Halls extensive collection will be exhibited in the centers Boll History Gallery, creating an additional layer of figure/ground interaction for visitors to the exhibition.

ArtParty event and raffle tickets are available by calling the Anton Art Center at 586-469-8666. Event tickets are $50 each ($60 the week of ArtParty); $28 is tax deductible. Raffle tickets are $5 each or $20 for a book of five tickets. You need not be present to win (State of Michigan raffle license #R07885).

This years event sponsors include Gabe Anton, Baker College, Fifth Third Bank, Petitpren Inc. and Printing by Johnson. Additional sponsors are welcome; contact Dr. Jennifer Callans at jcallans@theartcenter.org for details.

For more information about the Anton Art Center, or to make a donation or become a member, call the center at 586-469-8666 or visit www.theartcenter.org. The Anton Art Center is open Tuesday, Wednesday, Thursday and Saturday, 10 am to 5 pm; Friday, 10 am to 6 pm; and Sunday, 12 noon to 4 pm. The center is closed on Mondays. The Anton Art Center is free and open to the public.

The Anton Art Center, the hub for the arts in Macomb County, is located in historic downtown Mount Clemens on the southeast corner of Southbound Gratiot Avenue (M-3) and Macomb Place. Convenient public parking is located in the adjacent Roskopp Parking Lot. For more information please visit www.theartcenter.org.

The centers 2010 exhibition season is supported in part by funding from the Michigan Council for Arts and Cultural Affairs and the National Endowment for the Arts.