DBusiness Daily Update: Rebel Nell Partners with Detroit City Football Club to Launch DCFC Collection, and More – DBusiness

Our roundup of the latest news from metro Detroit and Michigan businesses as well as announcements from government agencies. To share a business or nonprofit story, please send us a message.
Rebel Nell Partners with Detroit City Football Club to Launch DCFC Collection
Rebel Nell is collaborating with the Detroit City Football Club (DCFC) and Ally Financial to launch the DCFC x Rebel Nell Collection. The collection features jewelry and accessories from a mural created by DCFC fans during the 2021 season, using the team’s colors and created from the prompt, “What does DCFC mean to you?”
“We are proud of the DCFC Collection and our ability to incorporate the fans and their love and support of this amazing team into the creation of the pieces,” says Amy Peterson, CEO of Rebel Nell. “Our collaboration began by engaging with DCFC fans to create a mural, sponsored by Ally, using the prompt ‘what does DCFC mean to you.’
“It was beautiful to see words written such as family, community, and love of my city, which is a direct reflection on how the community supports and engages with each other. Now the mural, which reveals the team’s logo and Fleur de Lis, proudly stands at Keyworth Stadium.”
Rebel Nell turned the remnants from the mural and the actual words of support and encouragement into jewelry and other items, which fans can wear to show their support for their team.
The collection features bracelets, necklaces, earrings, and gift items. Each piece is adorned with the iconic Fleur de Lis charm and fragments from the fan-made mural in team colors.  Prices start at $35. The DCFC x Rebel Nell Collection is available online at rebelnell.com, at the DCFC Team Store, and in Rebel Nell’s retail locations (Twelve Oaks Mall and Holden Street in Detroit). A portion of the collection’s proceeds will benefit the Detroit Youth Soccer League.
GM Announces Return of Capital to Shareholders
General Motors Co. in Detroit announced that its Board of Directors has authorized the reinstatement of a quarterly cash dividend on the company’s outstanding common stock at a rate of $0.09 per share. The first dividend will be paid on Sept. 15 to shareholders of record as of the close of business on Aug. 31.
GM also announced it will resume opportunistic share repurchases. This week, the board increased the capacity under the company’s existing repurchase program to $5.0 billion of common stock, up from the $3.3 billion previously remaining under the program.
“GM is investing more than $35 billion through 2025 to advance our growth plan, including rapidly expanding our electric vehicle portfolio and creating a domestic battery manufacturing infrastructure,” says Mary Barra, chair and CEO of GM. “Progress on these key strategic initiatives has improved our visibility and strengthened confidence in our capacity to fund growth while also returning capital to shareholders.”
GM suspended its quarterly dividend in April of 2020 in response to uncertainty driven by the global coronavirus pandemic.
Michigan Receives First Round of State Small Business Credit Initiative Funding
The state of Michigan is deploying up to $72 million in the first round of State Small Business Credit Initiative (SSBCI) 2.0 funding from the U.S. Department of Treasury.
This initial round of funding will be available to support loans to small businesses through MEDC’s Access to Capital programs, including the Collateral Support, Loan Participation, Loan Guarantee, and Capital Access Programs, as well as equity investments for early-stage, technology-based businesses in Michigan as part of the Small Business Venture Capital Program.
Within the next 60 days, funding also will be available for loans of $250,000 or less for small businesses, with a focus on businesses owned by socially and economically disadvantaged individuals, or businesses with fewer than 10 employees, to apply for through specified lenders.
The Michigan Small Business Venture Capital Program (SBVCP) will utilize $75 million in SSBCI 2.0 funds to increase the availability of capital to early-stage, technology-based businesses aligned with the MEDC Strategic Plan. The program will invest as a limited partner in venture capital funds operating in the state who, in turn, fund qualified for-profit early-stage, technology-based businesses helping to support those businesses and continue to grow Michigan’s entrepreneurial ecosystem overall.
Venture funds seeking to apply for investment through SBVCP should visit here.
Applications from Michigan venture capital funds will be accepted by the MEDC during a three-year open period or until the budget is exhausted. Recommendations for awards will be submitted to the Michigan Strategic Fund board for approval.
To learn more about MEDC’s Access to Capital program visit here.
Belle Isle Aquarium Adds Octopus Tank, Creature Needs a Name
The Belle Isle Conservancy is welcoming a new permanent resident to the Belle Isle Aquarium — an octopus.  The only octopus in an aquarium in Michigan, the new eight-legged addition comes to Detroit with nine brains and no spine.
The octopus tank, a gift from Jon Cotton, is the latest addition to the aquarium’s offerings, which also include an array of animals from around the world, including air-breathing and local freshwater fish. Other crowd favorites include seven species of gar fish, stingrays, piranhas, clownfish, electric eels, and pufferfish. The latest 2021 additions are garden eels and the endangered axolotl.
The octopus doesn’t have a name yet so the Belle Isle Conservancy will be running a crowdsourcing contest on the non-profit organization’s Instagram account over the next week to name the animal.  All suggestions are welcome.
“Guests continually ask if we have an octopus at the Aquarium,” says Summer Ritner, director of the Belle Isle Aquarium. “I’m sure this addition will become a favorite of visitors and school groups for years to come.”
Cotton says: “When I was a kid, I have fond memories of seeing all the fish and animals at the Houston Zoo. There is so much learning that goes on when children can see and experience live animals.  I’m glad to help bring this very special tank to all in honor of the Aquarium’s 10th reopening anniversary and its 118th birthday.”
Signal Restoration Celebrates 50^th Anniversary at Michigan Science Center
Signal Restoration Services in Troy conducted its 50th anniversary celebration at the Michigan Science Center in Detroit. Signal restored the local landmark in 2021 when two sewer wastewater backup incidents forced the center to temporarily suspend its operations.
Event attendees were invited to explore the Signal-sponsored exhibit called “POPnology” that blends Hollywood, pop culture, and science.
“All of us at Signal are deeply honored to serve the restoration industry as one of the largest and most respected disaster restoration companies in the U.S.,” says Mark Davis, co-CEO of Signal. “We have deep roots in Detroit and want to thank the community and the Michigan Science Center for being part of the Signal family and for celebrating with us tonight as we reflect on our rich legacy and look forward to Signal’s next 50 years.”
Signal’s Co-CEO Frank Torre adds: “We are thrilled to celebrate 50 years of delivering relentless customer service to clients with an event at the Michigan Science Center in Detroit — our hometown and headquarters. What began as a small community restoration company 50 years ago has grown into a commercially focused restoration business that consistently and relentlessly responds whenever and wherever disaster strikes, and also supports the people and communities we serve in their most fragile times.”
Signal will continue its golden anniversary celebration with events in New York City and Miami this fall.
To view pictures from the event, click here.
Detroit Historical Society Announces Entrepreneurs to be featured in The Hustle
The Detroit Historical Society has released the names of 36 Detroit entrepreneurs who will be featured in a series of museum exhibits as a part of The Hustle: Celebrating Detroit’s Unsung Entrepreneurs, its newest effort to dig deep into Detroit’s neighborhoods to uncover and document the stories of the men and women who make everyday life in Detroit special.
The Hustle launched on April 27 and garnered nearly 800 nominations from across Detroit, crossing generations of Detroiters. An independent committee of evaluators selected 36 of those nominees to be featured in five museum exhibits that will be staged at the Detroit Historical Museum in 2022 and 2023.
Honorees range from a 15-year-old who started an entertainment venue to an old-school DJ who has been spinning for more than 30 years. They will be interviewed and photographed to prepare for the first of the quarterly exhibits, which will open on Oct. 8. Later, the project will feature panel discussions, tours, and educational programming offering lots of ways for people of all ages to participate in the celebration. The project will conclude in 2023 with a Grand Ball and a major exhibition.
“We have been absolutely thrilled at the amount of support we’ve gotten for this program,” says Elana Rugh, president and CEO of the Detroit Historical Society. “As we work to become Detroit’s museum for the next 100 years, we are committed to making sure that every Detroiter sees themselves on our walls and in our halls.
“This is just one of many programs and exhibitions that will tell unexpected stories and feature the unsung heroes of Detroit’s history and the interest that the program is garnering is a testament to the fact that we are on the right track. Every Hustle exhibit will open with a free Community Open House, and we’re hoping that every one of the nominees will visit to see their names on the walls of the Detroit Historical Museum.”
Nominations were sought in a variety of categories designed to cover a cross-section of life in Detroit, including the Fixers, the Shop Keepers, the Stylists, the Foodies, the Makers and Creators, the Helpers and Caregivers, Artists and Entertainers, and the Others. The list of Honorees from each category includes:
The Fixers
Shop Keepers
The Stylists
The Foodies 
Artist and Entertainers
Creators and Makers
Helpers and Caregivers 
Other
Editor: R.J. King
Associate Editor: Jake Bekemeyer

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