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The Katz Law Firm announced that its
managing partner, Donald Katz, will
serve as a qualified
mediator under
the State Court
Administrative
Office rules. In addi-
tion to his business
practice, Katz will
mediate civil litiga-
tion cases involving
Katz
business transac-
tions, shareholder and partnership dis-
putes, and commercial controversies.

Local contemporary furniture special-
ist Hillside Furniture has received the
honor of being named the best furni-
ture store in Detroit by Hour Magazine
for the fourth year in a row.
Along with this
honor, president of
Hillside, Jeff Selik,
also received the
distinction of being
voted best inde-
pendent retail store
owner in Detroit.
In addition, this
Selik
past month, Selik
and Hillside Furniture were also nomi-
nated nationally as the best furniture
retailer in the country for 2015 by the
North American Home Furnishings
Association.

The Interfaith Leadership Council of
Metropolitan Detroit has renamed
its Visionary Leadership award to
honor Dan Krichbaum. As director of
Detroit's parks and
recreation depart-
ment under Mayor
Coleman Young,
Krichbaum worked
to make sure the
city's recreational
resources were
distributed evenly
Krichbaum
across different
areas of the com-
munity. He was vocal in ensuring that
youth employment programs were
made available to underserved kids.
A longtime civil rights and interfaith
activist, Krichbaum served as director
of the Michigan Department of Civil
Rights and was an ordained Methodist
minister, as well as a member of the
IFLC board.
This year, the Dan Krichbaum
Visionary Leadership award will be
presented to Shirley Stancato, president
and CEO of leadership forum and
advocacy organization New Detroit
Inc. The award will be presented at this
year's InterFaith Leadership Council
annual dinner at the Shriner's Silver
Garden in Southfield on Oct. 14.

30 July 9 • 2015

Cosmetic Dermatology
Specialist Returns To Area
Deanna L. Geisler has recently joined
the Rochester Dermatology Clinic
in Rochester Hills after practicing in
Petosky since 2012. Prior to her work-
ing in Northern Michigan, Geisler
was with Franklin Dermatology in
Southfield where she practiced general
dermatology and was a cosmetic facial
aesthetics specialist for more than 20
years.
Geisler began her career as an EMT/
paramedic. She
then progressed to a
career in dermatolo-
gy where she assisted
in hair transplant
surgery. It was when
a surgeon noticed
how meticulous
she was in cosmetic
Deanna
procedures that she
Geisler
decide to pursue
a career as a physician assistant at
Western Michigan University.
Cosmetic dermatology has always
been of special interest to Geisler.
When it comes to her artistic skills
in facial augmentation using fillers
and Botox, she has been referred to as
"Rembrandt with a needle'
Geisler says she is "excited to once
again be practicing in the Detroit
Metropolitan Area and absolutely
thrilled to once again be working with
her longtime patients in the commu-
nity:'

Villa Healthcare Takes
Over Bortz Facilities
Villa Healthcare recently took
over Bortz health care facilities in
Michigan. This is Villa Healthcare's
largest acquisition to date, adding
10 new care facility locations in the
Metro Detroit and Traverse City areas,
including facilities in Orchard Lake,
Detroit and Orion.
As part of its commitment to pro-
viding a high level of excellence in
post-hospital care, Villa Healthcare
places a high priority on offering the
most innovative technology and pro-
grams. It plans to invest both capital
and personnel resources necessary
to ensure that every guest's recovery
will benefit from the latest equipment
and formalized programs. Over time,
this may also include adding touches
of unexpected luxury to further sup-
port the Villa trademark of spa- and
hotel-inspired interiors and modern
amenities.
Because guests' needs are different,
Villa Healthcare offers individualized
treatment plans for even the most
complex medical cases. Through its
specialized clinical expertise, provided
by board-certified physicians and
licensed therapists, nurses, dieticians
and other medical specialists, Villa
Healthcare has a proven track record
of keeping hospital readmission rates
far lower than state and national aver-
ages.

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For more information about Villa

Contact Geisler at the Rochester

Healthcare, contact Whitney Arado at

Dermatology Clinic, 405 Barclay Drive,

(847) 826-1111.

Rochester Hills, (248) 853-3131.

Vesco Oil Corporation
Acquires Britsch Inc.
Vesco Oil Corporation, one of the
largest distributors of branded auto-
motive and industrial lubricants
in the United States and a leading
recycler of used oil and antifreeze,
acquired Ohio-based Britsch Inc., a
family-owned, third-generation dis-
tributor of both fuels and lubricants.
The acquisition will enlarge
Vesco Oil's geographic footprint
and expand its product and service
offerings in Ohio.
Vesco Oil Corporation owners
and general managers Lilly Epstein
Stotland and Lena Epstein made
the acquisition announcement. For
Lilly Epstein Stotland, this is the
perfect time for the two companies
to unite. "Vesco Oil and Britsch Inc.
are strong, successful family-owned

Lilly Epstein
Stotland

Lena Epstein

businesses:' she said.
"Joining forces with a great com-
pany like Britsch Inc. is central to
our plans to grow and remain inde-
pendent."
Lena Epstein said, "This is an
exciting day for us at Vesco Oil.
Britsch Inc. is a great company with
a strong foundation and legacy. We
are thrilled to have the Britsch Inc.
team join the Vesco Oil family."

❑

3-D Online
Shopping
A Reality?

Israeli software firm
develops virtual store.

I

David Shamah

Times of Israel

T

he system is almost ready for prime time,
according to Dror Sorek, the founder and
CEO of Tridshops.
The company — developed together with Israeli
software house OneCode — is putting the finish-
ing touches on a deal with a large Israeli retailer,
which after the summer, will set up a virtual store
using the technology. If that works out well, the
company will begin setting up stores for retailers
abroad.
"We are negotiating with a number of leading
brands about the use of our platform:' said Sorek.
"We believe that a growing number of leading
retail chains will soon adopt our platform:'
"Retail," the business model that is a main fea-
ture of city centers and malls, is facing a situation
that has been described as anything between a cri-
sis and death spiral. The number of retail custom-
ers ("foot traffic," as it is called in the industry) was
down by more than half from 2010 to 2013.
Where have all the shoppers gone? Online,
according to industry experts. According to
Forrester Research, a top commerce data analyst,
the Internet will account for 11 percent of all U.S.
retail sales in 2018, up from 8 percent in 2013.
However, in dollar terms, sales will jump 57 per-
cent, as consumers increasingly buy more expen-
sive — and profitable — fashion clothing and
electronics online.
Online shopping has many advantages over
in-store buying; of course, sometimes consumers
want to go to the mall, to see people and have the
experience of actually seeing what they are buying,
and checking it out close-up.
But Tridshops poses a formidable challenge to
those advantages. Tridshops' platform, which is
patent-protected, allows retailers and storeown-
ers to choose the type, model, design and color
of their virtual shops and easily fill their shelves
with goods. Users can move through the store
using their mouse (or finger) and even embark on
a virtual voyage to navigate throughout the store,
as they would in a real store. And in contrast to
an ordinary store, the platform creates a unique
experience, allowing designers to integrate video
clips and rich media content connected to their
products.
The platform offers also makes it possible to
examine goods closely from all angles. And shop-
pers can invite friends on Facebook to join them in
online stores and communicate in real time, asking
for opinions on whether or not to buy. Users can
also contact the sellers directly for support through
a user-friendly help screen.

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