Business & Professional ON THE COVER I • Skyline & The Back Street Horns Turning Up The Pulse from page 27 The Jerry Ross Band •Rumplestiltskin •1:USA • Nightline 'Persuasion •Cassens Murphy Band 'Simone Vitale Band •Intrigue •Sun Messengers •Radio City Visit our web site www. lorioross.com Newsmaker "Our customers keep telling us we have the `pulse' of the business climate, so we thought that would be a good name for the new part of our business. And 220 is a person's maxi- mum heartbeat rate when exercising." - Craig Erlich Hot Ice Joyride LO-1/10 -ROSS STEALING INTIATIIIHEMENT Call for free video consultation Since 1972 248-398-9711 1 ti; )ti; JASON COHEN - COMPUTER SERVICES • • • • • • IN-NOME SERVICES INCLUDE Upgrades and Repairs Set-up and Installation Personalized Computer Training Computer Purchase Consulting Maintenance and Troubleshooting Networking Reliable, Friend& Service! Reasonable Rates! Evening & Weekend Appointments! (248) 318-6582 Email: my computerguy@comcast.nsto COMTEIR CONF- • Computer Repairs - Upgrades - Replacements • Infections Treated - Antivirus - CounterSpy • Cable/DSL Internet Connection Sharing • EBAY, Yahoo, Stocks and AOL • Computer Purchase Consulting • Training and Installation • Wireless and Wired Networking Help iPod and iTunes Support The Computer Person, LLC • 248-655-9010 sfi tio-ihecurn terpersomnet 1207070 Computer Solutions Vn-Site Repairs u Upgrades al Training GREA T RATES *& 248-515-5702 . Certified / References 1154720 28 June 14 • 2007 knack for being able to take an event to a higher level and always integrate every aspect of a program into our larger strategic agenda. They know our business as well as they know their own; it's an excellent company that's always right on target with everything they do for us, such as customer receptions and industry events." Many of the Star Trax and pulse 220 executives are young and Jewish, and some are partners in the firm, such as Chief Operating Officer David Jaffe of West Bloomfield, Executive Vice President Sheri Wagner of Birmingham and Geoff Kretchmer of West Bloomfield, president of what's now called Star Trax Event Productions (which is growing at a rate of 10 to 12 percent a year). Some other Jewish employees are Creative Directors Faya Gene of Birmingham and Gayle Friedman Gold of Huntington Woods, and Jennifer Shane of Birmingham, an account manager who once worked in entertainment public relations, handling such clients as actresses Jennifer Lopez and Drew Barrymore. Kretchmer and Erlich point to Jimmy Wolk of West Bloomfield, a University of Michigan theater major, as the rising star of the party dancers and emcees, in big demand now. "Our employees all have incredible energy and ideas, which are musts in this type of business;' remarked Craig. "Faya started First Trax, a pro- gram to teach youngsters dancing and etiquette." "We arrange about 20 to 30 out- of-state bar or bat mitzvahs a year, in places like Miami Beach and Manhattan:' said Kretchmer. "We really wow the local people when we sometimes spend 18 hours decorat- ing a hotel ballroom, turning it into a jungle or a palace. And I often visit party planners in large cities as we seek to expand our business deeper into this market." Shifting Sands "By making a complete transfor- mation to pulse 220, Star Trax is undergoing a real evolution from the local entertainment business to the national corporate event business, but if anyone can make a success of it, Renee and Craig Erlich certainly can: said Fred Marx, partner in Marx Layne & Co., a Farmington Hills-based marketing and public relations firm. "Having their top executives buy in as partners is very important because it gives them a big stake in the firm's success. The Erlichs are to be admired for building a top-notch organization and achieving such national presence in a tough market." Renee has curtailed her work schedule to three days a week and is spending more time at home in Bloomfield Hills with the Erlichs' three children, ages 4-9. The family belongs to Oakland County-based Congregation Shaarey Zedek. Renee serves on the Hillel Day School of Metropolitan Detroit school board. Craig is president of Farmington Hills-based JARC. He has participated in several Federation-sponsored missions to Israel. Renee oversees the company's civic and charitable activities — usually about 40 free parties a year. Beneficiaries are local organizations such as JARC, ORT, Berkley-based Yad Ezra, the Jewish Federation of Metropolitan Detroit and various synagogues. "Every summer, we provide enter- tainment for the children at Camp Catch-A-Rainbow in Jackson, which is a very rewarding experience for all of us:' she said. Concludes Craig: "One of our biggest challenges now is finding enough time to do everything. It's exciting to be continually growing and keeping extremely busy. But you just can't buy time."