business
THE MICHIGAN CHRONICLE
March 24- 30, 2010 Page A-7
President of United Physicians joins DMC management team
Detroit Medical Center (DMC) has appointed Steven D. Grant, M.D., F.A.C.P to Executive Vice President of Physician Partnerships with responsibility for cultivating relationships between private practice physicians and the hospital system.
Dr. Grant founded and has been President and CEO of United Physicians since 2000, the 1,600 member (largely Beaumont-based) group is the largest independent physician group in the state and also serves as President and Medical Director of Premier Physicians Network, a multi-specialty group of 850 physicians who participate in HMO risk contracts which he also founded. .Dr. Grant has also been a private practice, internal medicine physician since 1979.
Steven D. Grant
Charles Allen re-elected to AAA board of directors
Charles E. Allen has been re-elected to a three-year term on the board of directors of the 1.6-million-member Automobile Club of Michigan, provider of travel, insurance and financial services.
Allen is chairman, president, chief executive officer and co-founder of Graimark Realty Advi- sors. He has been a director of AAA Michigan since 1987 and is a past chairman of the club. He also serves on the board of ACG and is a past chairman of AAA’s national board.
Charles E. Allen
He currently serves on the mutual fund board of Nationwide Funds and the board of Hartford Head Start Agency. He is past chairman of National Bankers Association, the nation’s trade association for African-American and women-owned commercial banks.
Rod Gillum joins Jackson Lewis
Jackson Lewis, one of the country’s largest and fastest-growing workplace law firms, an- nounced that Rod Gillum has joined its Detroit office as Partner. Gillum most recently served as vice president of corporate responsibility and diversity for General Motors and chairman of the GM Foundation, where he helped shape GM into a global corporate social responsibility leader.
A prominent figure in the Detroit metro area and nationally recognized labor and employment attorney and leader in corporate compliance and diversity strategies, Gillum retired in Octo- ber after more than 30 years with GM. He will play a key role in helping lead the expansion of the firm’s presence and client service capabilities in Detroit and beyond.
Rod Gillum
Mr. Gillum joined GM in 1979 from the National Labor Relations Board, where he had been an attorney in its Detroit regional office. At GM, he served as the first vice president and
general counsel of GM’s Saturn Corporation, where he led and coordinated all legal matters for the new GM subsid- iary. Mr. Gillum also held a variety of leadership positions for the GM Legal Staff, where he ultimately served as Chief Personnel, Labor Relations and Benefits Attorney for the corporation before assuming the role of Vice President, Corporate Responsibility and Diversity, in 1997. He also served as secretary to the GM board of directors.
Dr. Richard Holcomb named OCC’s vice chancellor of academic and student affairs
Oakland Community College (OCC) Board of Trustees appointed Dr. Richard Holcomb vice chancellor of academic and student affairs. Holcomb will serve as the college’s chief academic and student affairs officer responsible for leading OCC’s academic master plan, student and support services, in addition to the Higher Learning Commission accreditation process, in addition to identifying emerging opportunities and needs.
Holcomb has held roles as Interim President and Vice President of Learning at Wyoming’s Eastern Wyoming College in Torrington, in addition to serving as assoicatie dean and a divi- sion chair at Palm Beach Community College in Lake Worth, Florida, and an assistant profes- sor post at the University of North Texas in Denton.
Richard Holcomb
Karmanos Cancer Institute names Gerold Bepler, M.D., Ph.D., as CEO
Gerold Bepler, M.D., Ph.D., has been named the new president and chief executive officer of the Barbara Ann Karmanos Cancer Institute.
Dr. Bepler, A thoracic oncologist, will serve as principal investigator ofKarmanos’ National Cancer Institute Comprehensive Cancer Center Support Grant; associate dean, Cancer Pro- grams, Wayne State University School of Medicine (WSU SOM); director, Cancer Institute,WSU School of Medicine; and chair of the soon to be created Department of Oncology of the WSU School of Medicine, in addition to his administrative duties.
Gerold Bepler
Dr. Bepler most recently was director of the Comprehensive Lung Cancer Research Center; department chair of Thoracic Oncology; and program leader of the Tampa, FL-based Lung Cancer Program at the Moffitt Cancer. He also served as professor of Medicine and Oncol- ogy at the University of South Florida.
Bepler’s clinical and research oncology experience is expected to help propel Karmanos mission as one of nation’s top cancer centers, according to Karmanos Board of Directors Chariman Alan S. Schwartz.
Wayne State University President Jay Noren welcomed Bepler, noting his experience and credentials as a scientist, researcher and clinician are a perfect match for both Karmanos and Wayne State University.
Coined a triple-threat oncologist, by Valerie Parisi, M.D., M.P.H., M.B.A., interim dean of the School of Medicine, Be- pler’s experience as a well-funded nvestigator, an internationally recognized thoracic oncology clinician make him a leader worth watching.
Start-up business conference
Current and aspiring African-American
entrepreneurs can learn how to start a busi- ness – and find their own road to economic recovery – at the 2010 Black Business Con- ference on Wednesday, March 31. It is from 8 a.m. to 1:30 p.m. at Greater Grace Temple, 23500 W. Seven Mile Rd.
Detroit Mayor Dave
Bing will deliver open- ing remarks and Sandy K. Baruah, incom- ing Detroit Regional Chamber President and CEO, will deliver the luncheon keynote address.
Co-sponsored by
Chase, the U.S. Small Business Administra- tion and the Alpha Phi Alpha Fraternity Inc., the ninth annual Black Business Conference will offer five workshops between 9:30 a.m. and noon. A $30 conference fee includes the workshops as well as continental breakfast and lunch. Space is limited, so call (313) 256- 0576 to register or for more information.
Sandy K. Baruah
Participants can attend two of the five workshops:
■ Small-business funding through U.S. Small Business Administration guaranteed loans and the American Recovery Act
■ Professional advice on how to start a small business
■ Minority business certification guidelines for government or corporate supplier con- tracts
■ Non-traditional funding sources for small businesses
■ Social media marketing tips “Chase plans to increase our lending to
qualified small businesses by $4 billion na- tionally this year, bringing the 2010 total to
$10 billion,” said Robert Rummel, who man- ages Business Banking for Chase in Michi- gan.
“We recognize the importance of this vital
segment of the economy and know it’s easier to succeed when the right resources are available,” he said. “Through the Black Busi- ness Conference, Chase can help small busi- nesses connect with business specialists in our 300 Michigan branches and across the community.”
The SBA has been a cosponsor of the con-
ference since its inception in 2002. “Now more than ever, Michigan is depen-
dent upon its small businesses to revitalize our economy,” said Richard Temkin, district director of SBA’s Michigan district office. “SBA is pleased to support the Black Busi- ness Conference again this year. We will pro- vide information on the programs SBA has in place, including the Recovery Act, to help conference attendees.”
Community service and advocacy are part
of the mission of the Alpha Phi Alpha Fra- ternity.
“The Black Business Conference is a cat-
alyst for current and future development of Business and Entrepreneurship for the city of Detroit,” said Dr. Richard C. James Jr., president of the Detroit-based Gamma Lambda alumni chapter of Alpha Phi Alpha Fraternity Inc. “Through diverse partner- ships within Metro Detroit, a rebirth of the city will be created by bringing new ideas, resources and relationships together in the business community, whereby new seeds of economic growth will occur.”
Alpha Phi Alpha Fraternity Inc. is the
nation’s oldest traditionally black fraternity. Chase operates and network of 300 branch- es and 466 ATMs in Michigan. The SBA’s mission is to maintain and strengthen the nation’s economy by aiding, counseling, as- sisting and protecting the interests of small business.
Clifford Wallace Insurance Agency staff, recognized for providing stellar customer service, have helped Entrepreneurial Agent Cliff Wallace become the number one membership seller nationally.
Great customer service propels AAA Agent to the top
AAA Agent Clifford Wallace, the largest
membership producer for AAA Michigan and its 4.1 million member parent company the Auto Club Group (ACG) nationwide, has enjoyed a successive stream of accomplish- ments in his 31 year career.
Wallace, who began his AAA Michigan
career as an insurance agent in 1978, selling auto, home, boat, motorcycle and life prod- ucts, quickly discovered that he had a knack for the business.
Logging more than 1,000 membership
sales annually helped Wallace ascend from commission agent, sales manager and gen- eral agent roles to his Entrepreneural Agent position in 2009. Wallace was one of the first agents to join the Entrepreneurial Agent pro- gram at AAA and his company, Clifford Wal- lace Insurance Agency LLC, now employs five.
The industry has changed, according to
Wallace. “The industry is going from selling Tort
Insurance to No Fault,” notes Wallace, who predicts increased online sales in the future.
The move toward web-based transactions,
will never replace the personalized agent ser- vice customers demand, according to Wal- lace, who notes that customers still want first-hand explanations about things they don’t understand in their policies and stellar customer service.
Operating with a high level of integrity
is Wallace’s hallmark and the number one reason his clients stay with him and refer others, according to AAA Michigan spokes- person Nancy Cain.
“I am empathetic to the needs of the cus-
tomer,” he explains. “I believe that’s why they trust me and choose to do business with me.”
Wallace has also attained the Award of
Excellence in Life Insurance and achieved President’s Elite status – top ranking at AAA -- numerous times during his time with ACG. In fact, he was named “Agent of the Year”
Cliff and Shelia Wallace.
across ACG last year for being tops in selling AAA memberships, auto, home and life insur- ance. He has held that title five times in the last six years.
For those interested in talking with Wal-
lace, he says, “My doors are always open and I am just a phone call away from anyone who needs information or advice on insurance.”
Away from his business life, Wallace
spends time with his wife, Sheila, four chil- dren and four grandchildren. He also is an avid reader and golfer, which takes him to two of his favorite vacation spots – Florida and Palm Springs, California.
The Clifford Wallace Insurance Agency LLC
is located at 25001 Michigan Avenue, Suite 1 in Dearborn.
Cooley assistant dean honored for community contributions
Cooley Law School
Professor and Assis- tant Dean Martha Moore will be honored by the Detroit Renaissance Alumni Chapter of Ala- bama A&M University Alumni Association with their “Most Distin- guished Mark of Excel- lence Award.” The honor is given out each year to recognize “outstanding citizens in the metro- politan Detroit area who have made countless contributions to improve the quality of life for our citizens.” Moore will be honored at the association’s Founder’s Day
Martha Moore
Luncheon March 27 in Livonia. Moore mentors young girls at her church
and in school; makes meals for the ill and be- reaved, as well as for new mothers; provides home-cooked holiday meals for senior citizens at her church; decorates halls for families’ spe- cial events; and provided pro bono legal servic- es to many.
She and her husband regularly visit nurs-
ing homes with gift bags, participate in Angel Tree (providing gifts to children of incarcerated parents) and canned food drives, invited needy people to their home for holiday and regular meals, purchase food for the need, counsel couples with marital difficulties, and provided a ready and willing ear to their friends and friends’ children.
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