Livio employee Geoff Locke repairs a
Livio Radio that accesses the Pandora
music service.
applications to connect to cars. Livio's
Car Internet Radio application is avail-
able on iTunes and the Android market
for consumers.
This summer, Livio's car Internet radio
products were featured in the Federal
Communications Commission's Technology
Experience Center in Washington, DC.
"I think it's cool what the FCC is doing
to create awareness for new technolo-
gies," Sigal said. "Livio went out there to
not just represent us, but our competitors
and other partners. This is an industry-
wide issue — connecting mobile devices
to cars safely is a major issue, and we
need the FCC's support."
Nicole Yelland, Livio's brand manager,
was at the Technology Experience Center.
"We heard a lot of positive comments in
Washington," she said. "Everyone at the
FCC was grateful for the technology that
was donated to the exhibit:'
Livio's motto is "more music and less
work" for end users, so its products are
designed for easy use. "I started the com-
pany so that people like my parents could
have products they could use without
having to call me for help:' Sigal said. "If
my mom can't use the product, then it
doesn't go to production:'
Part of "more music, less work" is get-
ting customers products working, and
that's reflected in Livio's customer service
department, which is located here in the
U.S. "I've made a decision to do whatever
it takes to get a customer working," Sigal
said. "The majority of calls we receive are
about troubleshooting the Internet —
not our products — but we still help. We
won't say, 'Sorry, go call Comcast:"
'Always Hiring'
The company employs 15 people full-time at
its Ferndale headquarters and its warehouse
in California as well as a slew of contractors.
"And we're always hiring',' Sigal said.
Positions range from bookkeeping to
engineering and everything in between.
Currently, Livio is hiring a lot in engineer-
ing. Students can apply to co-op programs
for both engineering and public relations.
Unless you're a music lover, don't bother
applying.
"Everyone in the company has to have a
passion for music:' said Sigal, whose par-
ticular passion is for electronic music. (He
still does an occasional DJ gig in the Metro
Detroit area.) Sigal adds that he always
looks to hire people who are "better than
we are at the jobs we currently do."
The company culture is "work hard,
play hard:' adds Yelland, who nods at the
foosball table in the lobby. "After a long
conference call or a hard day, sometimes
you just need to move and wiggle."
Sigal, who grew up "conservadox" —
attending Torah academy, Orthodox day
school and Jewish Community Center
summer camp in Ohio — has been living
in Ferndale for five years now. "Ferndale
is a good scene for my wife and me," he
said. "Everything we want is here." He's
attended a few local synagogues but
still goes home to Ohio to celebrate the
holidays and his grandparents' yahrzeit
services.
The couple have no children yet. "It's a
regular question I get from my parents, but
they know I'm focused on my work right
now:' he said, adding that he looks forward
to eventually raising a family here.
"I was one of five Jews at my school growing
up, and it sucks to be the one kid not singing
`Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer:" he said.
"I'm glad there are so many Jewish people here,
and the community has so much to offer."
In the meantime, Sigal's attention is
focused on keeping up with paradigm
shifts in car Internet radio technology:
mobile phones, Bluetooth, Wi-Fi and the
next thing beyond. "There's always going
to be a 'what's next, and Livio is focused
on discovering what that is in a 'more
music — less work' way." I I
Dr. Coleman And Shirley A. Mopper Fund
To Benefit Karmanos Cancer Patients
T
he Barbara Ann Karmanos
Cancer Institute has estab-
lished the Dr. Coleman and
Shirley A. Mopper Patient Care Fund
after receiving a $100,000 outright
bequest and a commitment of a future
leadership donation from the estate
of the late Shirley A. Mopper. The ini-
tial gift will be used to purchase new
patient beds in the inpatient unit of the
cancer center.
Mopper of
Bloomfield Hills died
in May 2010 at age
82 after a courageous
battle with pancreatic
cancer. "Our mother
would be pleased
to know that the
trust will benefit so
Shirley
many patients who
Mopper
are being treated at Karmanos," noted
her children, Andrew J. Mopper and
Marjorie Ann Mopper, both of San
Diego.
Mopper's bequest to Karmanos is
expected to be one of the Institute's
largest planned gifts on record. "We are
deeply honored:' said Nick Karmanos,
a senior vice president.
Mopper was a passionate world trav-
eler and collector of magnificent works
of European art with her husband, the
late Dr. Coleman Mopper. The Moppers
donated many important European
paintings and sculptures to the Detroit
Institute of Arts (DIA).
"We are so very proud of the legacy
our parents have left the community,"
said their children. "We hope their
generosity teaches others about giving
back."
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