TELEMUS CAPITAL PARTNERS

PAYS TRIBUTE TO

tools. David Hermelin, who died in
2000, was instrumental in advising
Davidson how to best deploy his phil-
anthropic heart for Jewish causes. Part
of Hermelin's legacy has lived on in
Davidson's generosity to such causes.
Hermelin, Davidson and Robert
Sosnick were the trio who revolution-
ized professional sports management
with development of the Palace of
Auburn Hills. The privately funded
arena has amenities still state-of-the-
art 21 years later.
On the secular side, Davidson
endowed the University of Michigan
Stephen M. Ross School of Business-
William Davidson Institute in Arbor
to assist new businesses in emerg-
ing markets. He gave to the Detroit
Symphony Orchestra, Karmanos
Cancer Institute/Children's Research
Center of Michigan in Detroit and
the Detroit Parks & Recreation
Department as well. A Guardian
Industries student scholarship fund
aids children of employees.
Davidson was honored many times
for his generosity; but while apprecia-
tive, he gave because it was the right
thing to do, not for glory.

Sports Triumphs
Davidson made his fortune mastering
the art of making float glass and fab-
ricated glass products for the automo-
tive and architectural industries after
entering an uncle's windshield business
52 years ago. His business acumen was
no accident. He was skilled at hiring
professionals and giving them the tools
and support to excel. He was loyal to
employees and demanded it in return.
He scored a triple crown of sorts
over a 12-month span in 2003-2004.
In 2004, his Detroit Pistons won the
National Basketball Association cham-
pionship and his Tampa Bay Lightning
stunned the National Hockey League by
winning the Stanley Cup (he sold the
team in 2008). His Detroit Shock went
from last to first to win the women's
professional basketball title in 2003.
Davidson ran track at the University
of Michigan and played football in
the Navy during World War II. He was
a longtime member of the Michigan
Jewish Sports Hall of Fame. He was
elected to the Michigan Sports Hall of
Fame in 2004 and to the Basketball
Hall of Fame in 2008.

Family, Always
Davidson remained competitive to
the end, but believing foremost in

the art of the team and taking risks.
That's part of the DNA of Guardian
Industries as well as his sports teams.
Despite a current down year, the
Pistons have had a long run with
teamwork trumping individual stars
and gritty players outgunning bigger
names. The team's rise from obscu-
rity is a lesson in believing in oneself
and seeing a cause through. It sets an
example for Detroit Jewry, which is
so often engaged in tough challenges
involving communal, synagogue or
social justice issues.
Players, associates and family alike
talk fondly of the little things that Mr.
D did to inspire a feeling of family. For
example, he chartered a flight for the
players' families to fly to select away
games during the NBA Finals.
Family meant everything to him
— beginning with his wife, Karen,
a savvy stakeholder and giver in her
own right. She's poised to succeed her
husband as Pistons owner; she brings
the credentials, not just the name.

Securing His Legacy
In recent years, Davidson had become
less reclusive. In public, he was more
animated and talkative. He was more
open to the press. He talked straight
and honestly — and never wavered.
He was a man who was a visionary
on the world stage, but treasured his
Detroit roots. He led more by example
than oratory. He was not garrulous; but
at Pistons games, he sat courtside in
shirt sleeves and slacks. At work, he was
apt to wear an open-collar shirt and a
blazer. He walked among the wealthiest
of the wealthy. But more importantly, he
exemplified the Jewish ideal of tikkun
olam, of making Israel and the rest of
the world a better place.
While the general media will largely
define Bill Davidson by his achieve-
ments as a professional sports team
owner, his lasting legacy can be found
throughout Israel and the Detroit
Jewish community.
Don't diminish how much Jewish
Detroit shaped and nurtured this
amazing native Detroiter. It provided
the springboard for his global footprint.
An important way to build on Mr. D's
legacy is for his family and his founda-
tion to further invest in reshaping and
revitalizing the Detroit Jewish com-
munity. In so doing, we can continue to
serve as a building block for leadership
in the Jewish community both in Israel
and the diaspora and in the philan-
thropic community at large. El

MR. BILL DAVIDSON

AND HIS MANY

CONTRIBUTIONS TO DETROIT

AND CHARITABLE CAUSES

THROUGHOUT THE WORLD

Telemus Capital Partners, LLC

SOUTHFIELD

I

ANN ARBOR

I

HOUSTON

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Investment Management • Asset Management • Wealth Advisory

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March 19 2009

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