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Interest will accrue during 90 day no pay period. Fifth Third and Fifth Third Bank are registered service marks of Fifth Third Bancorp. Member FDIC. All prices subject to change without notice. Sale ends 12-24-09. 1546500 Iss ,,nrInn n r 36 December 17 • 2009 Michael Zwick searches for valuable "needles in the haystack." International, a Southfield-based assets location company and licensed private investigation agency. Founded in 2001, the company reunites individuals and companies with non-real estate cash assets. Assets International's focus is to assist probate attorneys or legal repre- sentatives of estates or trusts in finding missing or unknown heirs, devisees and other beneficiaries. They find the needles in the haystack." The company is a team of multi- lingual researchers who have years of genealogical investigative experience, allowing them to build family trees from documents written in many languages. It is not unusual for staff members to routinely travel worldwide to meet with heirs or conduct research. Assets International has developed a global network of colleagues to assist in their investigations. Each missing heirs case is unique and brings about its own set of challenges. Recently, Zwick's company located two homeless individuals, both due a sub- stantial amount of money. In both cases, Assets International found these people after numerous failed attempts by the legal system. "These were difficult assignments:' admitted Zwick. "But, this is the prem- ise of what we do and this is our focus — finding missing heirs!' Zwick did not set out to be a private investigator. Earning his bachelor's degree in economics from Yeshiva University in New York City and his law degree from Y.U.'s Benjamin N. Cardozo School of Law, Zwick eventually started his own law practice in Southfield. However, it was through an acquain- tance, Neal Duchin, that his professional life would change forever. Initially, Duchin founded Assets International with the intention of assisting individuals and businesses to use the legal system to recover assets. As the company grew, Zwick worked as a freelancer, helping Duchin with the legal aspects. It soon became apparent CC to them, through their due diligence on various investigations, that a market was underserved and a niche was avail- able. As the workload increased and the company's focus shifted, Zwick put his law practice on the back burner and joined Assets International full time in 2004. Today, Zwick oversees 17 employees, divided between Southfield and Beit Shemesh, Israel, with other U.S. loca- tions planned for the future. This year, Assets International projects to recover more than $4.5 million on behalf of their clients, up approximately 20 per- cent from 2008. Despite the recession and being headquartered in southeast Michigan, Assets International is thriv- ing. "To be able to tell someone, `You have $40,000 coming to you, especially in this economy, is very gratifying. We've found money for homeless people who were then able to move out of shelters, get a place of their own and turn their lives around. Indirectly, we've also reunited family members that haven't seen each other in decades." Zwick, 39, grew up in Southfield, a "Sinai baby," and attended Yeshivat Akiva and Young Israel of Southfield. He was active in many organizations, including serving on the boards of Akiva, the Young Adult Division of the Jewish Federation of Metro Detroit and Young Israel of Oak Park. However, it was through Hillel of Metro Detroit that he would meet his future wife, Lesley, herself a successful entrepreneur at Chocolate Impressions, also in Southfield. Married for six years, they have two daughters. Zwick attends daily prayer services at 6:15 a.m. and admits Jewish rituals can be a struggle in today's electronic, fast- paced world. "It can sometimes be a challenge when you know business things need your attention. But that is where care- ful planning and setting priorities are essential. You can run a successful busi-