metro »
continued from page 14
Milwaukee Junction neighborhood. It keeps
them in Detroit’s New Center/North End
area, which they’re quite fond of. “We’re
thrilled by the enormous growth we’ve seen
and flattered and grateful that our approach
is resonating,” Nussenbaum said.
The 10-member team plans to hire at
least five more in Detroit by the end of the
year and possibly more.
“While we don’t have a ton of connec-
tions to the Jewish community in Detroit,
one of our earliest team members, Amanda
Silver, recently went on a Birthright Israel
trip. We actually have quite a few Israeli
customers as well,” he said.
“While my co-founders and I moved to
a city four years ago that was so different
than anywhere we’d lived, everyone in the
Detroit community was and continues to be
so warm and welcoming of us that it was a
smooth transition.”
Over the last year, the business has grown
customers and revenue by more than 10
times; it has built technology that has
impacted the lives of hundreds of rental
owners and tenants; and Castle has raised a
$2 million investment round, which was led
by Khosla Ventures.
FILLING A NICHE
While the startup world often gravitates
to what’s new and futuristic, this is the
story of three businesses seeking to bring a
fresh look and approach to often neglected
industries. Shimon Levy was recruited to
be a principal of Secret Sauce Capital in
October 2014, shortly after graduating from
Harvard University’s Kennedy School of
Government, where he had the privilege
of being the first Israeli to offer the com-
mencement speech.
The founding partner — an Israeli Navy
captain with more than a decade of military,
government, public and private sector expe-
rience — Levy is now the head of ancillary
businesses for Secret Sauce Capital. He focus-
es on redefining three core service areas and
manages a growing 10-member team.
M Laundering is a multi-family
machine service provider, which was
established to expand and operate
throughout the Midwest. The business
has already collaborated with two dozen
partners and secured agreements with
approximately 30,000 apartment units in
Michigan and Ohio. Almost five years ago,
the only local multi-family laundry service
provider was sold to a national power-
house in California.
The result, M Laundering Vice President
Brett Anchill says, was what many consid-
ered diminished personalized services and
no customer-centered approach. “Many
people in the industry I discussed this with
expressed their desire to do business with a
local operator,” he said.
After Anchill sold his equity in a laundry
service company in 2015, he joined Levy’s
team. Over the last year, Anchill believes
the business is now spearheading the local
industry with its technology back-end
solutions, superior customer service and
a focus on increasing its partners’ annual-
ized revenue. “We are now working with
the most respected brands in the laundry
industry and the finest owners and man-
agement companies in the Michigan apart-
ment industry,” he said. This summer, M
Laundering expects to be serving almost 50
Midwest communities.
M Vending is a vending service pro-
vider for the multi-family apartment
market. The business has partnered with
Coca-Cola, expanded to more than 50
apartment communities and has recently
recruited three members to its team.
By summer 2016, the business plans to
increase its customer base to nearly 100
apartment communities.
Belmont Security, also founded by Levy,
is currently developing and beta testing a
closed-circuit system with remote monitor-
ing capabilities, that will also service its
multi-family apartment clientele.
While the parent, Secret Sauce Capital,
has a warehouse in Ferndale and an office
New 2016 Audi A3 2.0T Quattro Premium
$ 319 mo*
36 mo. lease
$2,614 due at signing
Banza team members, whose chickpea pasta has grabbed national attention, are on a
mission to make nutritious food more accessible.
“Our mission statement and values
revolve around bringing the power of
doing business back to Detroit.”
— M Laundering V.P. Brett Anchill
in Orchard Lake, its headquarters is located
in Downtown Detroit. Several million dol-
lars has already been invested into the busi-
nesses. Princeton Enterprises Founder and
CEO Matthew Lester is a key investor and
principal in Secret Sauce Capital.
Matt Sendler, who oversees customer
care and operations for the growing M
Vending business, said that he most enjoys
getting to provide a service that not only
makes people’s lives more convenient but
also empowers local Michiganders and
revives Detroit.
Anchill, too, is attracted to helping
Detroiters. People in Detroit have been
neglected for years, he says, and empower-
ing the residents once again is incredibly
meaningful.
“Our mission statement and values
revolve around bringing the power of
doing business back to Detroit and mak-
ing Michigan and Detroit, once again, the
center of business and customer service,”
he said.
Levy, now a Detroit resident, is shift-
ing the paradigm for how businesses are
provided to the multi-family apartment
market.
Through his expert navigational skills,
he’s obsessed with not only improving
neglected services to landowners, but
also using his rapidly growing companies
to bring business back to Detroit. And
with the early, tangible success he’s had
with businesses like vending and laundry
machining, it’s easy to see how change is
already happening in the industries they
seek to transform.
*
;ϴϱϱͿϮϯϮͲϭϬϭϬ
7KHSUHPLHUHFRPSUHKHQVLYHVHQLRUPRYHPDQDJHPHQWFRPSDQ\LQ6(0LFKLJDQ
MSRP $35,625
>ŝŶĚĂ,ŝůůĞƌEŽǀĂŬ ƌĂŶŬƐŝŶƚŚĞƚŽƉ
ĂƌŽůLJŶ^ƟĞŐĞƌ ŝƐƚŚĞŝŵŵĞĚŝĂƚĞ
ϭйŽĨƌĞĂůĞƐƚĂƚĞĂŐĞŶƚƐŶĂƟŽŶǁŝĚĞĂƚ
DŝĐŚŝŐĂŶǭƐηϭƌĞĂůĞƐƚĂƚĞŽĸĐĞ͘
WĂƐƚWƌĞƐŝĚĞŶƚŽĨƚŚĞEĂƟŽŶĂůƐƐŽĐŝĂƟŽŶŽĨ
^ĞŶŝŽƌDŽǀĞDĂŶĂŐĞƌƐ͘
zŽƵĚĞƐĞƌǀĞƚŚĞďĞƐƚ^ĞŶŝŽƌDŽǀĞƐĞƌǀŝĐĞƐ͊
•
•
•
•
Magna Society
Audi Sylvania
5570 Monroe St. | Sylvania, OH
www.sylvaniaaudi.com
16 June 16 • 2016
*Based on MSRP of $35,625 (incluiding destination charges). $2,614 due at signing, plus taxes, title, options &
dealer charges. $0 security deposit. For qualified customers who lease through AFS. Lessee responsible for
25¢/mi. over 30,000 miles. Subject to credit approval. See Audi Sylvania for complete details. Offer expires 6/30/16.
WƌĞƉĂƌĞĨŽƌƐĂůĞ
ŽŵƉůĞƚĞďƌŽŬĞƌĂŐĞƐĞƌǀŝĐĞƐ
ŽǁŶƐŝnjĞ
KƌŐĂŶŝnjĞΘĞĐůƵƩĞƌ
•
•
•
•
DŽǀĞĐŽŽƌĚŝŶĂƟŽŶ
ĞĐŽƌĂƚĞ
hŶƉĂĐŬΘ^ĞƩůĞ
ŽŶƐŝŐŶŵĞŶƚΘƐƚĂƚĞ^ĂůĞƐ
ϯϭϭϲt͘ϭϮD/>ZK
Z<>z͕D/ϰϴϬϳϮ
ǁǁǁ͘ƌŝŐŚƚŵŽǀĞƐĨŽƌƐĞŶŝŽƌƐ͘ĐŽŵͮǁǁǁ͘ƌŝŐŚƚŵŽǀĞƐĐŽŶƐŝŐŶŵĞŶƚ͘ĐŽŵ
2078180