Crain's Detroit Business - July 2009 Holiday Edition - (Page 1)

® www.crainsdetroit.com ©Entire contents copyright 2009 by Crain Communications Inc. All rights reserved JULY 2009 HOLIDAY EDITION $2 a copy; $59 a year Page 3 Historic black-owned bank holds off federal takeover New York investor builds major stake in radio’s Saga Cell phone chain gains ground in metro Detroit Inside Bill would nix occupancy as a factor in setting buildings’ taxable value, Page 8 Federal funds to overhaul unemployment insurance computers, Page 10 IT company made most of dot-com bust, Page 10 Isotope in short supply Hospitals already feel effect on medical imaging BY JAY GREENE CRAIN’S DETROIT BUSINESS Focus: Power Sellers Meet the four members of Crain’s 2009 class of Power Sellers, Page 13 An expected shortage of the nuclear medical isotope technetium99 this summer may lead area hospitals to temporarily cut back or delay diagnostic imaging tests on patients, say physicians and hospital officials. Such tests help physicians detect a variety of heart problems in patients and to see whether cancers have spread to other parts of the body. By mid-July, the two largest isotope-producing reactors in Canada and the Netherlands, which produce nearly 65 percent of the world’s supply, will both be out of commission. The other three reactors — in South Africa, Belgium and France — have ramped up production but will not be able to make up the difference. “This is a very serious problem. We have had intermittent issues already that have reduced our (diagnostic) schedule by 40 percent on some days,” said Bob Ackermann, chief nuclear medical technologist at the University of Michigan Health System in Ann Arbor. UM typically tests 50 patients a day using nuclear medicine, but because of the growing Ackermann shortage of technetium-99 often has enough to test only 35 patients a day, Ackermann said. “When we can’t service all our patients, we move to studies using different isotopes,” said Ackermann. “We have to reschedule or postpone the tests. We put them into the next week.” Ackermann said one alternate isotope, thallium 201, may be used for some cardiac studies to detect Biz groups petition drive fails 1 charter hopeful out of 9 on ballot BY NANCY KAFFER CRAIN’S DETROIT BUSINESS COURTESY OF TONY SIMLER, OAKWOOD HEALTHCARE INC. Above: Tim Vargas (left), Oakwood Healthcare Inc. director of imaging services, and Dr. David S. Yates, chief of radiology, with a patient before a nuclear medicine test. Some such tests might be altered or delayed this summer due to a shortage of the medical isotope technetium-99. Left: Technetium-99 is prepared for injection. blocked arteries. “It is up to the referring physician. We are using more thallium now, but it may be tougher to get because demand will increase. We already have been notified of thallium shortages,” said David Hubers, a clinical nuclear pharmacist at UM Health System. Each year, technetium-99 is used for 30 million diagnostic nuclear medical procedures and accounts for 80 percent of all nuclear tests. Forty percent of technetium-99 is used for cardiac purposes. Another 40 percent is used for cancer assessment. The remaining 20 percent is used for other diseases. Diagnostic machines used include gamma cameras and singlephoton emission computerized tomography, or SPECT, scanners. The machines allow doctors to observe at the cellular level and de- tect early-stage cancers or other abnormalities. While Cheryl Martin, administrator manager for radiology for Henry Ford Hospital and Health Network, said the number of nuclear diagnostic tests within the system have not dipped, hospitals have had to Martin reschedule patients, sometimes from Mondays to Saturdays, depending on supplies. In May, Martin said doctors performed 1,416 nuclear diagnostic procedures, or about 70 a day, at five of the seven Henry Ford hospitals. Numbers were not available See Isotope, Page 5 An effort by the Detroit Regional Chamber and Detroit Renaissance Inc. to help would-be candidates for the Detroit Charter Commission earn spots on the August primary ballot backfired when a hired canvasser failed to deliver, Crain’s has learned. Only one of the nine candidates backed by the business groups will appear on the primary ballot. Chamber COO Tammy Carnrike and Sabrina Keeley, vice president of Detroit Renaissance, confirmed the story on Keeley Thursday. “Clearly we had wanted to be able to be helpful, and unfortunately there was a very short time period, only a week, until signatures were due,” Keeley said. “We had hired someone to provide that help and they were unable to deliver.” In the May 5 special election primary, Detroiters overwhelmingly voted to empanel a committee to revise the city’s charter. The state filing deadline for candidate petitions was May 12. Forty-four candidate names will appear on the Aug. 4 priSee Charter, Page 4 Tourism-marketing funding plan opposed BY AMY LANE CAPITOL CORRESPONDENT Travel campaign in top 10 The state’s Pure Michigan campaign ranks among some weighty company, with Forbes last week listing it as one of the 10 best national and international travel campaigns. The campaign came in sixth on a list that had Las Vegas’ “What Happens Here Stays Here” at the top and the long-running “Virginia Is for Lovers” at 10, with campaigns such as Australia’s 1980s Paul LANSING — Bills that could provide at least $21 million annually in more funding for Michigan tourism and business marketing are moving forward, but with some opposition from car-rental companies and local governments. The proposal, parts of which have been introduced as House Bills 5017-5018 and 5088-5089 and Senate Bills 619 and 620, creates the Michigan Promotion Fund, which would have two revenue sources: ■ New tourism-generated sales tax revenue. “New” is defined as sales and use tax revenue over and above that collected in fiscal 2008 in each of several specified tourism-oriented standard industrial classification codes. ■ A $2.50 daily assessment on vehicles rented at or near airports, as well as at hotels, convention centers, passenger train stations, bus terminals or harbors. The fund is intended primarily to support tourism, including Michigan’s award-winning Pure Michigan campaign (see story at right). No more than 25 percent can be used toward business development. Local governments don’t like the capture of sales tax revenue because they say it will hurt revenue-sharing, and Enterprise RentA-Car, which includes the National Car Rental and Alamo Rent A Car brands, are fighting the vehicle rental fee. But others, such as Michigan Lodging and Tourism Association See Tourism, Page 4 Hogan ads in between. On Pure Michigan, Forbes said “this campaign sells with its simple — and universal — message: that sometimes we all need to get away from life’s stresses and relax a bit.” Ranking the campaigns were travel journalist Peter Greenberg; Rudy Maxa, contributing editor for National Geographic Traveler and host of public TV’s “Rudy Maxa’s World,” and Tom Parsons, CEO of BestFares.com. — Amy Lane http://www.crainsdetroit.com http://www.BestFares.com

Table of Contents for the Digital Edition of Crain's Detroit Business - July 2009 Holiday Edition

Crain's Detroit Business - July 2009 Holiday Edition
Contents
Isotope in Short Supply
Biz Groups Petition Drive Fails
Tourism-Marketing Funding Plan Opposed
Historic Black-Owned Bank Holds Off Federal Takeover
New York Investor Builds Major Stake in Radio's Saga
Cell Phone Chain Gains Ground in Metro Detroit
Bill would Nix Occupancy as a Factor in Setting Building's Taxable Value
Federal Funds to Overhaul Unemployment Insurance Computers
IT Company Made Most of Dot-Com Bust
Focus: Power Sellers

Crain's Detroit Business - July 2009 Holiday Edition