metro >> on the cover

Marriage Made In Detroit

Descendants of long-ago business founders make a lifetime connection.

Shelli Liebman Dorfman I Contributing Writer

CONTINUED FROM PAGE 1

In 1919, Abbie's great-grandfather Alex
Letvin and his brother Morris were found-
ers of Hulet Top and Body Company,
a business that replaced canvas roofs
on truck bodies. Renamed Hulet Body
Company, today the business focuses on
trailer and truck equipment sales, service
and manufacturing, with Abbie as vice
president.
Kevin is vice president of operations at
Sea Fare, founded in 1959 by his grand-
father, the late Lincoln Sack, known as a
great storyteller and Army Air Corps navi-
gator. He learned the business while living
in Nova Scotia. Both multigenerational
companies have had a family presence
since the start.
Kevin is the son of Farmington Hills res-
idents Randi and Philip Sack, who is Sea
Fare's owner and president, and Lincoln
Sack's son.
Hulet founder Alex Letvin's son Abe and
his son the late Tom Letvin — who was
Abbie's father — also worked to run the
business.
Abbie's sister, Samantha Letvin of
Ferndale, is a teacher, but helps out when
needed in the summers; their mom, Dee
Letvin of Northville, is Hulet Body's presi-
dent.

Ff

Over the years, I have learned to draw
the line between personal and business
life. Growing the business together is fun
and without it being for family, the passion
would not be as strong:'
Sea Fare has produced herring products
from the start, becoming an international
brand, certified kosher by the Orthodox
Union, and now includes nova lox, horse-
radish, tartar sauce and marinated veg-
etables. But when Kevin, 27, who holds a
degree in business from the University of
Michigan, came to the company, he added
smoked fish to MaCohen's product line,
presenting the idea and working with his
father to develop it.

!..t

Abbie Sack at wor
on a Forsotterr
Harvest truck; with
a truck body and
Iiftgate provided by

Hulet.

rted a 4oked fish
Foods.

To The Next Generation

Abbie joined Hulet Body in 2005, coming
aboard, initially, she said, strictly in a mar-
keting and new sales function.
"Working with my family was some-
thing I fought for a long time she said. "I
wanted to create my own successful path
without feeling like I was getting a hand-
out. When an opportunity became avail-
able, my dad said for me to give it a solid
three months to make a decision.
"In that short time, I realized that fam-
ily businesses are hard work:' Abbie said.
"Some days you have to leave your person-
al relationships at the door to accomplish
your goals. However, sharing your suc-
cesses is much sweeter with your family:'
Sadly, Abbie's dad, Tom, who served as
Hulet Body's president and CEO, passed
away this past spring, just months before
her wedding.
"Looking back at everything that's hap-
pened with my dad, I'm so fortunate that
I was able to spend more time with him,
doing something we both love, for so many
years:' said Abbie, 33.
"In our business, relationships are every-

8

March 19 • 2015

thing. I loved watching my dad interact
with people. People trusted him for his
expertise, and they respected him. I've
learned to be a straight shooter and to
build trust with our very loyal customer
base as they have transitioned to dealing
with me almost 100 percent of the time.
Working with him was the best decision I
ever made.
"Not only have I learned more about
truck equipment than I ever thought I
would know, but I learned what it takes
to keep a 96-year-old business going. It's
not about sitting at a fancy desk fluffing
around a bunch of paperwork and giving
people directions. It's about being hands-
on. It's about getting a little dirty from
time to time. It's about being able to talk

to people. It's about being able to cultivate
long-standing relationships built on trust
and service.
"Working side by side with my dad
for almost nine years gave me the most
intensive hands-on training. I loved every
minute we got to share together at Hulet.
Even the tough moments. You have to be
able to learn from all the ups and downs in
order to keep moving forward to the fifth
generation. I'm hopeful he's proud of how
I've handled our unexpected transition:'
Kevin sees working with family as hav-
ing "many dynamics:'
"It is great to learn things about the
business that have been passed through
the generations:' he said. "Sometimes it
is difficult to view my dad as my boss.

The Perfect Wedding
The couple, residents of Berkley, first met
through Kevin's sister, Lauren, who became
Abbie's close friend when the women were
students at Michigan State University.
But it was actually their family's two
companies that brought them closer
together.
"We really started a separate connection
when Kevin began working for his fam-
ily business:' Abbie said. "He would come
to Hulet Body with his dad for service
on their truck. However, the first moment
where we both knew something more was
potentially there, was when I went to a
Saturday Eastern Market with his sister
and visited them at their booth. It took
almost two months for that first date to
actually happen, but when it did, we both
knew there was something very special
happening. Kevin said he knew early on
that I was his beshert [meant to be[:'
Abbie used past work experience to pre-
pare for their wedding.
"My previous career was in event plan-
ning for a golf club and banquet center, so
planning my own wedding was a piece of
cake she said.
"We had absolutely beautiful linens and
gold chiavari chairs from Luxe Event Linen
in Troy:' Abbie said. "It completely trans-
formed the look of our space and brought
our black-and-gold theme to life. We were
the first wedding in the new Ambassador
Ballroom at Cobo Center. Actually, we
looked at the space the first day it was
open to the public during construction.
"Our roots run so deep in Detroit, and
we knew we would find the perfect place
in Detroit to get married. The staff at Cobo
Center really went above and beyond to
help make our day perfect:'

Marriage Made in Detroit on page 10

