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Fire-eaters heat tip the rooms as on-site sand sculptors transform grains of sand into a larger than life "Bud Bowl" Anheuser-Busch logo. And the really hot part of the evening comes from the kitchen with Cajun Creole and hot and spicy chicken wings. And what if Cool AB Blues is more to your liking? Cool dry-ice smoke fills those rooms while deep blue lights rotate. Buffets feature "frozen" women models on pedestals. A Blues Brothers look-alike team of ice sculptors works on their versions of the AB and Bud Bowl logos. And all that is just a prelude to the entertainment — a live show by B.B. King and master blues guitarist Jimmy Vaughan. As you wander between red hot and cold, you can pose with one of the AB Clydesdales. Your picture will be digi- tally printed onto a cover of Rolling Stone magazine. Trax employs 28 full-time staffers and a part-time event and travel staff of more than 100. Outside staff,is hired in other states as needed. "Seventy percent of our business today is derived from producing corpo- rate meetings, events and incentive travel. The remainder comes from entertainment and bar mitzvahs," said Craig Erlich, 34-year-old Star Trax president. "Although we have enjoyed great suc- cess in both divisions of the company, my heart and soul is in the social divi- sion," said Renee Cherrin Erlich, Star Trax partner, CEO and Craig's wife. Renee is a board member of Detroit- based JVS and co-chairs the JVS 60th anniversary event Sept. 14 at the Fox Theatre with Jay Leno. Once Star Trax got actively involved in the corporate business in 1999, rev- enues went up from $2 million to $3.3. Craig Erlich projects a gross of $5.5 million this year and $7.5 million in 2003. The company has more than 100 corporate clients. They do work for Microsoft, Quaker Oats, Gatorade, Home Depot, DaimlerChrysler, Ford, GM, Saturn, Visteon, Bank One, the dent, manages the corporate events project team. She said the turn-around time for planning the Super Bowl spec- tacular was within the company's usual 120-day sales cycle. Fresh Ideas "I had a relationship with AB through a reference," said Wagner. "We were in St. Louis as clients of a trade show in October. That led to meetings with the AB department that produces meetings and events. The director wanted new, fresh blood, and because we are more of a boutique firm, we clicked. "Their Super Bowl events for years have always been the same. We changed that. We gave them a brain- storm document," said Wagner. which followed the script at the beginning of this article. On Dec. 17, Star Trax made their first site visit to New Orleans. "We have become a part of their (Anheuser-Busch) team," said Wagner. Founding partner and current chair- Corporate Party man of the Star Trax board Marc Schechter started the company in 1987 This big blow out, which rivals the while he was a junior at the University Super Bowl halftime show in creativity of Michigan. Before Karaoke began, if not in production, takes place Friday Schechter engineered a way to extract night, Feb. 1. The host is expecting the lyrics from music so that someone could sing them. He took the concept — he called it Star Trax — to a bar in Ann Arbor and sold the owner on the idea. "The basis was if you put this machine here, people would come on a slow night," said Craig Erlich. One bar became 17 bars, and it spread from Ann Arbor to East Lansing and Southfield. "Soon I had 10 machines and it was really taking off. I had a great time and became a serial entrepreneur," said Schechter. By 1992, Schechter realized the Detroit market was ready for a new type of entertainment for bar mitzvahs. He introduced an interactive concept with masters of ceremonies, disk jock- eys and dancers. Renee Cherrin, 26 at the time, had her own party planning business, and often hired Star Trax and Schechter for Renee Cherrin Erlich with Shay Scott at Star MIX' S West Bloomfield offices. their entertainment products. They became partners in 1993 when Renee bought half of the company from University of Michigan and Motor more than 1,000 to attend. City and Mandalay Bay casinos, among Schechter. By the next year, the compa- So just who is responsible for all this? ny was doing 600 events. others. Surprise! It's your nice bar/bat mitzvah Their national breakthrough came in Why did Anheuser-Busch come to entertainers from Southfield's Star Trax. 1998 when Inc. 500 listed Star Trax them? Randy Wertheimer, partner and They've come a long, long way. Event Productions as 457th on their vice president in charge of new busi- There are two divisions within the list of the fastest-growing private com- ness development for Star Trax company. Star Trax Event Productions panies in America. Corporate Events, attributes it to the handles entertainment (MCs, DJs, "We owe it all to the unbelievably fact that he and his co-workers are a photo keepsakes, valet services) for bar talented team of professionals that passionate group of people who love and bat mitzvahs, school parties, etc. we've amassed," said Schechter what they do. Star Trax Corporate Events produces Sheri Wagner, Star Trax vice presi- events like the Bud Bowl parties. Star •