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of them are professionals and business
people. They deserve an all-out effort
for their child from our entertainers."
Star Trax's reputation has spread
to the point where it now does 30-35

out-of-state bar and bat mitzvahs, in
such cities as Chicago, Washington,
Pittsburgh, Cincinnati and Indianapolis.
"Parents often come here to check

out our parties before hiring us to
plan their own in these cities," said
Kretchmer. "We send our entertainers
there and really impress everyone by
sometimes spending 18 hours deco-
rating a hotel ballroom to turn it into a
palace or jungle or whatever the theme

may be. I often visit party planners in
other cities as we seek to expand our
business deeper into this market."
Star Trax's top personality now is

Paris Jones of Farmington Hills, who
also is director of entertainment and
much in demand by parents. He's
booked months in advance to lead a

so they came back to Star Trax last fall
for the bat mitzvah of their daughter,

Lauren, at Franklin Hills Country Club.
"The dancers are amazing; very
enthusiastic and talented," remarked
Meredith. "We had Paris Jones for both

parties and he made the night. Geoff is
very attentive and responsive to every

detail. Star Trax really turns a party into
a very memorable evening."

Communally Minded

Kretchmer says Star Trax/pulse 220
firmly believes in "giving back to the
community," so it donates about 60

free parties and various events annu-
ally to organizations like JARC, ORT
America, Kadima, Yad Ezra, Hadassah,
National Council of Jewish Women,
Hillel Day School, Special Olympics,

JCC Maccabi Games, Tamarack
Camps, Camp Catch-A-Rainbow
in Jackson, Camp Mak-A-Dream in

party. "He's a great guy and the parents
love him," says Kretchmer. "They often
even invite him to their homes for din-

Montana, Make-A-Wish Foundation,
LUNGevity Foundation, American
Diabetes Association, American Cancer
Society, Jewish Community Center

ner. If the noise gets too loud at a party,
we provide earplugs. But, surprisingly,

of Metropolitan Detroit's Wagner
Teen Center, Jewish Federation of

some parents and guests even ask that
we ratchet up the noise to create a
louder show atmosphere.

Metropolitan Detroit and synagogue
Purim carnivals.

"The economy has caused some

people to cut back on party expenses,
but not to a large extent," he points
out. "They're just a little more cautious

now about how much they'll spend.
They rely on us to give them sound
advice to fit their situations."

Star Trax now also provides classes
in dance and party etiquette for young-
sters.

Upbeat Clientele

Lainie and Ken Lipschutz and Meredith
and Robert Colburn, both couples of
Bloomfield Hills, are perfect examples
of satisfied Star Trax customers. The

"We want to keep our name in front

of the public, and we're grateful to the
local Jewish community for letting us
help them with their lifecycle events, so

we happily donate our time and costs
to these worthwhile charitable activi-
ties," Kretchmer explains.

Pulsating Growth

The pulse 220 side of the company
keeps beating along after making a
gradual changeover to the world of big
corporation clients and consumer-ori-

ented marketing. "It's paying off; our
growth rate is spurting," reports Erlich,

New on the pulse 220 sales team are Kathy Roessner and Carolyn Koblin, shown
with company CEO Craig Erlich.

get the attention of other companies.
For example, we now handle the Super
Bowl every year for Gatorade."

Pulse 220 has a six-person busi-
ness development department, which
obtains clients and turns them over

to an account team for timeline man-
agement and budget control, then a

42, who joined his wife, Renee, at Star
Trax after selling his direct marketing
firm. She now is a marketing consultant
and no longer is involved in Star Trax/

creative team. New in the sales area is
Carolyn Koblin of West Bloomfield, who
joined the firm as a sales promotion
specialist from her former company,
Stanley Thomas of Troy.

pulse 220 at the Southfield office.
Pulse 220 clients include Ford
Motor Co., Daimler, Serta Mattresses,
Microsoft, Gatorade, Pepsi Cola,

Kathy Roessner, a graphics design
expert, joined pulse 220 after it
acquired the Roessner-Benning Co.
of Troy. Pulse 220 also opened its

"Their entertainers are very profes-
sional and high energy, and really get

Tropicana, Kellogg's, Quaker Oats,
Anheuser Busch, ESPN, Sports
Illustrated, Merck, Enterprise Rent-

first out-of-state office, in Chicago,
headed by Executive Vice President

the party going," said Lainie. "And
Geoff Kretchmer does everything in his

A-Car, Comerica, Homedics, Masco,
Quicken Loans and others.

power to make things easier for the
family; they really accommodated us in
every way."

"We've become strategic partners
with these companies and we handle

Lipschutzes used the company three
years ago for the bat mitzvah of their
daughter, Allie, now 16, and were so
satisfied they hired them again for the

bar mitzvah in February of their son,
Michael, at Knollwood Country Club in
West Bloomfield.

The Colburns had the same "wonder-
ful experience" three years ago, says

Meredith, using Star Trax for the bar
mitzvah of their son, Steven, now 16,

30

about 50 large events a year, ranging in
cost from $50,000 to $3 million," said
Erlich. "We're seeking to develop lasting
relationships with these corporate giants
and hoping that our work with them will

Sheri Wagner Greenbaum, formerly of
Birmingham, plus an assistant.
Included in local business projects

has been the opening of Henry Ford
Hospital in West Bloomfield, expansion
of Detroit's Motor City Casino, reopen-

ing of the Westin Book Cadillac Hotel,
renovation of the Detroit Institute of
Arts and even new Detroit Mayor Dave
Bing's inaugural celebration.

"The Bing inaugural event was held
in a hanger at Detroit City Airport on

the east side because they wanted
to stay within the city limits," said
Kretchmer. "It cost $750,000, but that

was less than the Archer and Kilpatrick
inaugurals. About 2,000 people attend-
ed and we supplied 65 parkers to
handle 918 vehicles.

"At the end of the evening, one
person said he couldn't find his key.
We all looked everywhere with no suc-
cess. It was really cold out there, so
I just gave him the key to my car and

let him take it home. The next day, he
called to admit he had the key on him
all along, and we made the exchange.
We'll do anything to make the cus-
tomer happy."

Kretchmer also has to keep his own
family happy, so when it came time

for the recent bar mitzvah of his son,
Noah, at Temple Emanu-El in Oak

Park, who was booked for the enter-
tainment? Paris Jones, of course.
Kretchmer beamed: "Noah, my wife,
Jody Lipton (an attorney), and daugh-
ter Emma, who's 1I were just as excit-

,

ed as any Star Trax customers."

