metro

Finding Money For Others Beauty Unleashed

M

ichael "Micha" Zwick has been
known to show up on some-
one's doorstep, unsolicited, to
announce that, unbeknownst to them, his
company has recovered money they didn't
even know they had lost
"For the most part, the nature of the busi-
ness is that we research public records and
find assets owed to people said Zwick, pres-
ident of Assets International (AI), a private
investigation agency in Southfield. "Then we
call and tell them what we found. If we can't
get them by phone, there have been instanc-
es where I just drive to their house and give
them the good news in person; kind of like
Ed McMahon."
Clients include mineral rights owners and
other beneficiaries of funds, or missing heirs
in countries throughout the world.
"The average person is not likely to know
they have money owed to them, so we are
not typically contacted by someone hoping
we can find assets. Instead we find them,"
said Zwick, who lives in Huntington Woods.
"But businesses come to us, like our cli-
ents, Dow Chemical and Talmer Bank, who
have repeat monies owed to them:'
Assets also have been recovered for non-
profits and government entities.
"And we take calls from probate attor-
neys who can't find heirs to estates they are
administering:' he said. "One client is an oil
company in Denver that's sitting on royalty
payments in escrow because they can't find
the owners."
Zwick, a licensed attorney, became
involved with AI when he served as the
company's outside legal counsel. Three years
later, he became a partner and an owner,
and then a private investigator, licensed in
Michigan and seven additional states.
His work at AI is research-based.
"I'm not doing 2 a.m. surveillance of
cheating husbands," he said. "I do a lot of
research work in the office and out in the
field through public records."
A staff of 17 includes researchers and a
legal team.

Talking With Her Hands
from page 8

present, but really the conversation is
between the students and/or their teach-
ers and peers. When the students enter
a general education classroom is when I
am 'on' I interpret the spoken word into
a different language: sign language:'
Certified to work with individuals
from kindergarten to age 25, Kimmel-
Kurtz has interpreted for both elemen-
tary and middle school students in areas
including math, English, science, physi-
cal education, social work, physical ther-
apy, theater and recreational activities.
She also has worked with hearing
individuals as a sign language tutor at
Lansing Community College.

Assets

„.,, Dec. 1, 2014

nternational

rant

Gray

$

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Slahazand Seven liunked .eerity Seven

Client, Grant Gray receives a display
check representing money Al recovered
for him.

Working on a contingency basis, AI
receives a percentage of what is recovered
for clients. "We only get paid when they get
paid:' Zwick said.
AI has been named one of the Inc.
500/5,000 fastest-growing companies
and one of Edward Lowe Foundation's
50 Companies to Watch. And Zwick has
been honored by Corp! magazine as an
Entrepreneur of Distinction.
AI has recovered more than $50 million
dollars for corporations and individuals. In
addition, they have located missing relatives
and heirs on behalf of families and estates.
"We have put people in touch with family
members they have never met:' he said. "In
one instance, we connected two first cousins
in their 70s or 80s, who met for the first
time. They had the good news of getting
money — and had a family reunion.
"The largest sum recovered by AI was for
Dow:' Zwick said. "We recovered over $1 mil-
lion for them. The most we recovered for the
`average Joe' was $700,000 for two blue-collar
brothers whose mother bought stock in their
names but never told them about it.
"It is amazing to know we are changing
people's lives:' he said. "We have letters from
people who've been able to start the business
they always wanted to start or keep their
house from foreclosure — all with money
they didn't even know they had." ❑

"Some were taking classes because a
family member is deaf or they were pre-
paring to enter the Interpreter Training
Program," she said.
Kimmel-Kurtz began a new position
this school year. "My wife, Stephanie,
and I live in Lansing, but are relocating
for my job with DeafLINK at a school in
Battle Creek," she said.
Kimmel-Kurtz's involvement in her
field came from her own school back-
ground.
"I was actually involved in the special
education system as a student, only to
realize later in life that there are alter-
nate methods of teaching, educating,
communicating and learning," she said.
"I'm not deaf, but I do embrace my

heryl Zuroff has a human fam-
ily. But for hours each work
day, she also spends time sur-
rounded by a four-legged family.
A classically trained pet stylist, Zuroff is
a dog groomer certified to create standard
show cuts for all breeds. "The pets and
their owners are like family:' she said.
"I know this is an odd profession, espe-
cially for an Orthodox Jewish woman','
said Zuroff of Southfield.
"My mother worked as manicurist for
many years. As a child, I loved to go to
the salon with her and watch the stylists
cut hair. I grew up with dogs and believe
they enrich a family, so I thought in this
tough Michigan economy what are people
still spending their money on? Of course,
their pets."
So, about four years ago, she started to
research pet styling
"Most 'big box' pet stores and salons
train their own groomers for four weeks,
and they are trained for speed:' she said.
"I was trained under a certified master
groomer for more than 600 hours. I was
schooled in the art of hand-scissoring. I
was taught every breed that is certified
through the AKC (American Kennel
Club). We were encouraged to attend dog
shows to see up-close the standard for
every breed. I was taught that the dog's
well-being and safety comes
first and foremost. I continue
to keep up with trends in my
field, such as coloring and
rhinestones!"
After graduating from
school, she opened Beauty

Unleashed, a full-service dog styling salon
in Southfield that specializes in hand-
scissoring and breed-specific grooming.
One day a week, she also works as a pet
stylist at Greenfield Animal Hospital in
Southfield, where her family has taken
their pets since Zuroff was a child.
"I feel like I have the best of both
worlds:' she said. "I enjoy having my own
business and Greenfield Animal Hospital
gives me the opportunity to work with
extremely talented and caring people.
"Since I handle everything on the dog
from start to finish, I know that dog as
well as the owner. Many times it is the
stylist that will first notice a lump, skin
infection or ear infection. I bathe, blow
dry, clean ears, trim nails, trim paw pads
and, yes, the dreaded expressing the anal
glands. It's a glamourous job!"
To those who remind her that their pet
is not a show dog, she says, "I can always
find the happy medium between pure
bred and what works within the family.
"I love my job',' she said. "When I
work at Beauty Unleashed, it's a heimishe
[comfortable] atmosphere. People love
to see other families' dogs. They never
know who they are going to run into. I
even have families that book back-to-back
appointments so they can carpool." ❑

41/

Cheryl Zuroff with Abbey,
one of her cavalier King
Charles spaniels.

visual learning techniques, and I work
to bridge the gap between students who
prosper from alternative learning styles,
both verbal and nonverbal, and main-
streaming them into the classroom."
After receiving a professional cer-
tificate and associate's degree in sign
language from Kalamazoo Valley
Community College, she attended
Lansing Community College's
Interpreter Training Program, graduat-
ing with a certificate of completion in
sign language. She also is studying for
the Board for Evaluation of Interpreters
certification, which will allow her to
interpret in additional areas, like in
medical settings, theatrical performanc-
es outside the educational field and in

governmental work.
"I feel I am the luckiest person to be
in a position where I love what I do; I
have found my true passion," she said.
"The whole 'never work a day in your
life if you love what you do' theory defi-
nitely applies to me.
"I love the feeling I get when I see
that non-manual response from my stu-
dent; they understand. That head nod,
affirming that they are receiving the
same information and understanding
just as their peers. I like to think that
I'm taking my childhood experiences
and improving the system and these
student's lives because I understand the
struggle." ❑

Unusual Jobs on page 12

10 September 24 • 2015

