When master plumber Raymond Oatman, owner of A-OK Plumbing, Inc., in Plymouth, received his first letter from the IRS stating that he owed over $150,000 in back taxes, he sought help from three different tax professionals to resolve his problem.
“None of those accountants came up with any solutions, and I was getting letters from the IRS saying they were going to seize my house, my vehicles, my business. My life was on hold. It was collapsed,” Oatman says.
The recession of the early 2000s had challenged the nature of small businesses, including Oatman’s.
“The industry changed,” Oatman says, “and I was losing money.”
“Tax problems can originate in many different forms. It could be a divorce, a bankruptcy, a loss of job, a failed business,” says Mike Franskoviak, certified public accountant, and president and chief executive officer of Franskoviak Tax Solutions in Troy.
“One out of twelve American taxpayers has serious tax problems,” he says, “and that includes anybody who owes the IRS over $20,000, has two or more years of unpaid taxes, is being audited or is facing the threat of property liens or seizures.”
“When Raymond Oatman came to see me, we found an offer in compromise and resolution with the IRS. Raymond owed about $150,000 in back payroll taxes, and we settled it for $8,500. I thought that was a pretty good tax deal.”
Oatman says, “I have never been to an accountant before Franskoviak Tax Solutions who used direct phone contact for ongoing negotiation: true interaction! Then we didn’t have to wait weeks for each letter, etc. I’d been working with those previous three accountants for seven or eight years!”
“By the way,” Oatman adds, “I owed the state $110,000, and Mike settled that for $1,600.”
Oatman has been able to rebuild and expand his business, and it is flourishing.
“I’m paying
my taxes on time and I hope,” he says, chuckling, “to never have to deal with the IRS that way again!”
Franskoviak, who received his graduate degree at Eastern Michigan University and his master’s degree from Colorado State University, and has worked as a tax manager for several firms (including Deloitte Touche in Denver, PricewaterhouseCoopers in Chicago, United Artists Communications in Denver, Volkswagen in Auburn Hills) says, “I was about five years into my CPA business when I noticed how many clients were getting tax notices.”
“It so happens,” he adds, “that I received a flyer for a seminar in Denver teaching CPAs, attorneys and enrolled agents how to best solve tax issues, so I attended.”
“The first day of the seminar,” continues Franskoviak, “I was enthralled and ecstatic to learn more of how to solve clients’ problems – and I made the complete commitment and joined the American Society of Tax Problem Solvers.”
In 1996, he opened Franskoviak Tax Solutions in Troy.
“We are a small, hands-on firm,” Franskoviak explains. “Unlike firms who compete against us, we have no high employee turnover. We have consistency in service and are excellent with communication. “
“The biggest complaint against our competitors is from clients who feel like they are a number or are ignored. We return every phone call within 24 hours.”
In addition to specialty tax services, Franskoviak provides many other accounting and tax services for individuals and businesses, including: preparation of business and personal taxes, tax planning and consultation, tax-favored retirement and financial planning, financial statements for business budgeting and loans, bookkeeping and payroll services.
“For small businesses – those making under five million annually – we are a one-stop shop,” says Franskoviak.
One of the services he is offering to established and new clients is explanation of the impact of the new Tax Law of 2017.
“For small businesses, if you operate a C Corporation, your top tax rate will decrease from 35 to 21 percent. If you run an S Corporation, you are allowed to take a deduction equal to 20 percent of your business net profits from your taxable income,” he says.
“For regular taxpayers, there are changes, too,” he continues. “It’s wise to check your withholdings to make sure they’ve been adjusted properly. On their website, the IRS has a tax withholdings calculator.”
“It’s important for people to see their tax advisor. Or, come to see us,” Franskoviak says. “Let’s not wait until next April, especially people who own a small business. Their changes will be dramatic. Most of the time it will be favorable – but not always.”
Meanwhile, Franskoviak and his staff continue to bring “dramatic and favorable” solutions to their clients who are faced with serious tax problems.
“Sometimes I feel like a social worker,” Franskoviak shares. “People meet with me. We give them hope. We give them a roadmap to the resolution of their problem.”
“And,” he says, “what we always hear after our first consultation is, ‘I feel better already.’”
Kevin Hamilton, general manager of MOD Pizza on Big Beaver Road in Troy, smiles in awe as he stands in the midst of his restaurant’s frenzied, first-day activity.
“Opening this store has been a wonderful, uphill roller coaster,” he says. “This team is amazing. Their personalities bring the MOD experience to life as we serve the freshest, fastest pizzas while also serving the community with employment opportunities and local philanthropy.”
MOD Pizza, with over 330 locations around the United States and Canada, was founded in Seattle in 2008 by Ally and Scott Svenson as they sought out places with healthy, quick and delicious food to eat with their own family of four children.
Having traveled to Italy and enjoyed the thin, crispy, freshly made individual pizzas of the street vendors, the Svensons decided to try the “individual pizza” concept in their hometown of Seattle.
They also wanted to develop a business that would provide special support to its workers and its neighborhood.
Opening at the start of the recession, the Svensons hoped to feed families affordably and to provide jobs for those having trouble finding work, including people with special needs and people rehabilitating from addictions or with past crime records.
“The last thing the world needed was another pizza place,” Ally says on the MOD Pizza website, “but maybe this one could be different…and everyone could get what they wanted, made fresh on demand, for as little as possible with employees paid as much as possible, with opportunities for real growth – and even second chances.”
And, as customers approach the counter to order their pizzas made assembly-line style, they can see and get exactly what they want from a choice of crust sizes, dough type, sauce, cheese and over 30 fresh meat and vegetable toppings, temptingly displayed.
“I’ve just come from a performance I gave at Rochester Schools,” says professional storyteller Barbara Ann Poelman (storiesandplay.com). “I don’t eat carbs, so all these toppings on my pizza are actually like a hot salad, and the crust is my plate.”
“I predict,” Barbara Ann adds, “that one day MOD Pizza will have an almond crust on the menu, for those of us who eat ketogenically.” A ketogenic diet, sometimes referred to as “keto,” is very low in carbs and high in fat, producing ketones (broken-down fatty acids) instead of the glucose that would be produced from the metabolic breakdown of carbohydrates.
Bill Thompson stopped in on his way home from work and looks around at all the balloons and jovial staff members.
“I didn’t realize this was their grand opening today,” he says, waiting for a six-inch pizza to eat in the store and a nine-inch pizza to take home in a specially designed, recyclable box that keeps the pizza straight-from-the-oven fresh for twenty minutes.
“It’s my first time at a MOD Pizza,” he continues, “but it won’t be my last! It’s hard to believe that you can get as much of as many toppings as you like for one, set price. And I don’t think I waited even five minutes!”
The pizzas cook quickly in a large, 800-degree brick oven.
“I like my pizza a little more well-done, so that’s how they cook it for me,” says Maureen Neil, who usually goes to the Rochester Hills store with a daughter and grandkids. “And I love the chance to have very light cheese and lots of greens – or anything I’m in the mood for. The salads are fantastic, too. Made-to-order, and just like I’d do at home.”
The Mod Pizza locations in Troy and Rochester Hills are owned by TEAM Schostak (teamschostak.com). They also own locations in Brighton, Canton, Chesterfield Township, Livonia, Northville, Shelby Township, Southgate and Woodhaven, and they have plans to have 25 Michigan locations within the next five years.
Paul Whitmore, general manager of Livonia’s MOD Pizza for three years and a Schostak team member for seventeen years, helped with the opening of Troy’s MOD Pizza.
“Our best asset is our team of workers,” Whitmore says. “We hire for personality and train for skill. One of our core values is ‘individuality with responsibility.’ And, we empower our staff to go above-and-beyond in their service.”
“I love working here,” says Jen Hayton, who has worked at the Rochester Hills store for almost two years and helped with Troy’s grand opening. “We have the best boss ever! I love the environment and the people. It’s incredibly fun making the food, and it’s like a second family here.”
“We offer the opportunity for workers to truly be themselves – like butterflies out of their cocoons,” says Hamilton. “And our staff really enjoys our giving-back efforts, when we have events and make donations and thousands of meals for the needy and homeless.”
“Every experience here is special in its own way,” Hamilton says. “And so is every pizza!”
Drs. Ruvayn and Sara Rubinstein with their three children
Energy is flowing at the chiropractic office of Drs. Ruvayn and Sara Rubinstein on Crooks Rd., south of Big Beaver, in Troy.
Lively music plays as patients greet one another in the open treatment area accented with orange décor, sleek chiropractic tables and a bright-orange wall of framed photos of happy patients, including children who’ve been successfully treated for ailments ranging from asthma, allergies, ear infections and headaches to immune system – and even ADD — difficulties.
“I don’t like the atmosphere of being in a doctor’s office,” Ruvayn, as he likes his patients to call him, says. “Though we do have private treatment rooms, our open room here is so efficient.”
He adds, “People who may have been nervous can see other patients limp onto the table and then happily get off of it.”
They also see Ruvayn perform a technique or adjustment and then proclaim, “Power’s on!” as he gives the treated patient a pat on the leg (a final check restoring balance) and moves on to the next client.
“And,” adds business partner and wife, Dr. Sara Rubinstein, “patients who see each other here regularly enjoy the social aspect and often become friends.”
Ruvayn and Sara, the practice’s general manager, have known each other their whole lives.
“I was friends with Sara’s brothers,” says Ruvayn. “Her father was a chiropractor and so was mine.”
“Sara and I are a good team,” Ruvayn states.
“The best part,” says Sara, “is getting to watch miracles together.”
“There are actually eleven chiropractors in our immediate families!” Ruvayn exclaims. “There was never anything else I wanted to be…except maybe, like a lot of kids, a baseball player.”
Ruvayn was home-schooled and worked every Friday as a secretary at his father’s office.
“I saw the way patients respond to a drug-free lifestyle. And when I was thirteen, my father taught me how to adjust him, to use his own effective technique.”
“I moved to Israel to school and started adjusting the kids there,” he says, “including preventing a fellow student from needing back surgery.”
The Rubinsteins decided to put their education, philosophy, skills and experience into their own practice as soon as they could.
“We graduated in June of 2014,” says Ruvayn, “and signed the lease here in July.”
Ruvayn did his own marketing and brand development.
“I picked the best brains for my logo, which includes a rendering of an aligned spine, and really got myself out into the community.”
“Ruvayn is an exemplary member of the Troy Chamber,” said Jessica Minnick, director of communications for the Troy Chamber of Commerce. “Not only does he champion new business as a leader for one of our business development groups, but also he educates the surrounding community about health and wellness at the workplace.”
Ruvayn said it was a six-month process to come up with the word “thrive.”
“ ‘Thrive’ is a good word! We have a mission to make sure all men, women and children have the ability to thrive through life – and not just survive,” Ruvayn said.
Sterling Heights resident Garret Urbaniak, a wedding disc jockey for over 23 years, could barely get out of the car and walk to his house due to extreme pain and stiffness present in his lower back after a long night of working at a wedding.
“I had to use a cane to make it,” he says. “A chiropractor I’d been working with gave me adjustments before and after gigs and told me I had arthritis that would never go away, and that I had to live with it.”
“Luckily, I found Ruvayn. After two treatments, everything was great, and I have no trouble doing gigs. I can work 4, 5, 6 weddings with no pain at all!”
“Ruvayn is an amazing, friendly guy – the kind of guy you want to be around,” says Urbaniak. “I’ve referred many friends, and they all are extremely happy with the entire ‘Thrive’ experience.”
The Rubinsteins offer chiropractic care for patients of all ages, including pregnant women and babies.
“Birth can be very traumatic for some infants,” Ruvayn explains, “with forceps, vacuum extraction, rushing the process…and sometimes a doctor, during a C-section, might even pick up a baby by its head, causing subluxations, misalignment.”
“Chiropractic allows the body to function as it was designed to function, from birth. People are going to hurt themselves, but they recover quickly with chiropractic care.”
The Rubinsteins are certified doctors of Worksafe, a free back safety and ergonomic program that reduces workplace injuries.
“I love going out into schools and workplaces to educate about chiropractic,” says Ruvayn. “We have a one-hour program that employees and employers – including General Motors, Weyerhauser, Medilodge and other companies – have really enjoyed.”
The doctors also enjoy educating people through information on their website and YouTube videos.
“True chiropractic is all about prevention,” Ruvayn says. “We are getting many referrals of people who not only want to heal, but who want prevention of pain and injury and maintenance of wellbeing, who always want their ‘power on!’”
Thrive Chiropractic
2133 Crooks Road
Troy, MI 48084
248-574-9355
Angela Marino is already getting calls about her homemade tomato sauce, and it is only April.
“Every time I see someone at a family event,” laughs Marino, who generously makes hundreds of jars of Italian pasta sauce every summer to share with family, “they say, ‘I only have two jars left!’ or, ‘When will you be planting – or picking! – your Telly’s tomatoes?’”
Marino, a Troy resident, has been growing tomato plants from Telly’s Greenhouse on John R., just north of Big Beaver Road, for over twenty years.
“I wouldn’t buy my Roma tomato seedlings from anywhere else!” Marino exclaims. “Telly’s truly cares about every plant and every customer.”
George Papadelis, owner of Telly’s Greenhouse, recounts the start of the business, celebrating its 40th year.
“Our next-door neighbor here on John R.,” he shares, “was a woman who had greenhouses in the ‘50s and ‘60s and grew things for markets. There was a large ditch between our properties that my father offered to fill in but, stubbornly, our neighbor refused.”
“When she passed away, my dad bought her property in 1977 – to fill in the ditch – and he said, ‘Why don’t we fix up one of the greenhouses so you and your brother can grow plants?’”
That spring, George and his brother, Mark, then ages eleven and ten, sowed seeds and grew and sold their plants (Mark Papadelis is the owner of Telly’s Tree and Shrub, a separate, adjacent business).
“We made a thousand dollars,” George says, “and we used the money to travel to Greece.”
George continued to work the business throughout his teens.
“There was no time for spring sports in high school but, if my friends needed money, there was always work for them during our season.”
When George went to college at the University of Michigan, he’d return home to work weekends and vacations at the greenhouse.
“I did well in college and planned to go to medical school. I told myself that, after graduation, I’d take one year off and, with no sports or school, I’d try just working at the greenhouse before starting the medical school process.”
He did just that and decided to remain with the business.
“Being at Telly’s is still a little like being a doctor,” George concedes, explaining, “You have to really know your stuff and know what’s new. You’re always helping people.”
“And,” he chuckles, “you’re always worried: ‘Is it warm enough for them (the plants)? Is it wet – or dry – enough? You and your staff are hard-working and disciplined and committed to the plants and to your customers.”
And, if Telly’s customers tell him about a plant they’d like to have, George makes sure he gets it for them.
“Ever since the start,” says George, “we’ve always offered different plants that customers request, ones more unique and interesting than regular ‘bread-and-butter’ ones – though we offer those, too, of course.”
“We’ve got an ornamental kale here,” he describes, “and it’s not formed as one large head. It’s on a stem with a floret at the top, and it can be in a vase, like a cut flower and looks like a rose. It’s called ‘crane’ and is very striking and beautiful.”
“There are a thousand or so things that we have that you don’t find at just any garden center, and that’s why people shop at Telly’s.”
“I’ve been buying plants from Telly’s for 30 years,” says Troy resident Craig Smith, “and this year, I told him I’d like to grow cucamelons, a tiny, edible vine fruit that tastes like cucumbers with a touch of sourness. Of course, he got me growing them.”
“And George has been providing the most beautiful seasonal flowers and plants for my parish for years, including palms for this year’s Palm Sunday.”
Smith, who is a master gardener and leads gardening activities for children on Saturdays at the Oakland County Farmer’s Market, adds, “George always donates the plants and seeds we use for the kids,” Smith says, adding, “and he’s extremely generous with his time, too.”
“When my home was in the Troy Garden Walk, George came over and helped me prepare by advising unique plants for eye-catching areas of the garden. There’s no other place in this world I would buy from.”
George’s staff is also known for being able to advise customers.
“I’ve got the greatest crew in the world,” George says. “They truly know the flowers and plants, from planting each of thousands of seedlings into their final pots and labeling them in our Shelby Township greenhouse to their care in the stores.”
“Most of our staff have been here for years and have become very knowledgeable about what we sell, including over fifty new garden annuals and perennials, as well as herbs and vegetables, succulents, specialty plants for bonsai and fairy gardens, and so much more.”
“Plus,” he adds, “I’m so fortunate that my mom and dad, Niki and Gust, still get their hands dirty helping out – and my son, Andrew will be joining us, full-time, after he graduates from M.S.U. this spring.”
Along with leading his staff as they organize, label and pot thousands of plants, all with soil that is organic, George provides — and often teaches – events and workshops such as: Succulent Garden Workshop, New Perennials for 2018, Bonsai Workshop, Early-Blooming Hellebores, and Every Garden Deserves a Rose, and he recently taught a Living Wreath workshop.
“All of my employees love plants and people. Yes, all the planning and preparation is a burden to bear. But the intense care for the business, the plants and our customers is what makes Telly’s good.”
Troy resident Christopher Baines, a single dad, wanted to celebrate his daughter’s tenth birthday in a special way.
“I come from a big family,” Baines says. “We don’t have a party every year but, when Ella turned ten, I thought it would be a great time to get everyone together for a fun celebration.”
Since Baines occasionally took Ella and her friends to Troy Lanes (at Square Lake and John R.) for Saturday afternoon bowling, he watched, with great interest, as the business began major renovations.
“When, in January, I walked into the ‘new’ Troy Escape that had been Troy Lanes, I was totally amazed,” says Baines.
“It was like Disneyland! There is a fantastic arcade, Laser Tag, numerous alleys and – best of all – an attached restaurant with great homemade pizza and many other items: no more bad bowling alley food. And everything is sparkling clean.”
“I decided to have Ella’s birthday at Troy Escape, and it was the best party ever!” Troy Escape general manager, Ryan Pino, is also thrilled with the results of the renovation, which included costs of $1,000,000 for new equipment and $1,700,000 for construction.
“We’ve created a kind of social hub,” Pino says, “where people can come out and go bowling, play in the arcade or Helios-system laser tag den, and enjoy the restaurant – which we label as a ‘gastro pub.’”
The gastropub, Eats and Crafts, is run by executive chef Xavier Delossantos. “I’m excited to be creating a menu that’s different from what you’d expect at a family fun center,” says Chef Xavier, whose favorite current dish is the braised short ribs. “Everything we make is fresh, including the homemade sauce for our four-square, Detroit-style, deep-dish pizza.”
Shrimp-and-Andouille sausage pasta and the pulled pork Cuban sandwich are guest favorites, as are the 24 beers on tap and hand-crafted cocktails, made with garden-fresh herbs, spices, fruits and more.
“Our most popular drinks,” Pino says, “are the blackberry basil mojito and our margarita with hand-squeezed lime juice.”
“For our Saturday and Sunday brunches, which run from 10 a.m. until 2 p.m. and are not buffet-style,” adds Pino, “guests really enjoy our Bloody Mary bar with over 26 ingredients, our orange juice-and-champagne Mimosa towers, and our many omelet and sandwich options.”
Guests looking for a venue for a business meeting, special event — and even art or activity classes — also have many options.
“We have two rooms for events like birthday or bachelorette parties, baby and bridal showers and receptions,” says Pino.
“And what is really unique,” he shares, “is our V.I.P. area, with eight high-tech lanes and special laser light show, with couches and lounge, privacy and space.”
The V.I.P. area is adjacent to a luxuriously appointed “all-purpose” room that has been used for executive seminars; yoga, painting and dance classes; corporate breakfast, lunch and dinner meetings – and more.
“On March 2nd,” Pino says, “we will have had, for admission of five dollars, our first of several comedy shows. We have plans for all sorts of events in the future!”
“There’s nothing like this around,” says Pino. “There’s something for everybody. It’s a one-stop shop for just about any event or group.”
“The best thing about my job,” Pino says, “is watching how much fun everyone is having, from guests to staff. I look forward to coming to work. It’s a great atmosphere, with great people. I’ve got the best job in the world here at Troy Escape.”
Information:
Troy Escape
1950 E. Square Lake Rd.
Troy, MI 48085
248-879- 8700 troyescape.com
Jeanne Boldt smiles as she strides energetically to her car after an early-morning workout at Troy’s Burn Boot Camp.
“Burn Boot Camp is amazing,” Boldt says. “It gets in your blood. I started last March, and I come here five days a week! In addition to the exercise, you develop strong relationships with the other women, and everyone is very encouraging.”
Head Trainer Kelly Matyniak and Owner Bianca Bahri
“All the women who come here say it is addicting,” says owner Bianca Bahri, who opened her franchise location one year ago in the Troy Pointe Plaza (located on the west side of Rochester Road, north of Big Beaver Road), adjacent to newly-opened Revive Juice Cafe — which Bahri also owns.
Bahri, who earned a business degree from Northwood University, is also a certified holistic health coach and a personal trainer.
“In co-ed gyms,” Bhari says, “I’d see the men using weights and strength training, while the women were mostly working on treadmills and cardio machines. There was total separation, like a grade school playground!”
She adds, “I wanted to have a place for women to work out, not just with yoga and Pilates, but more weightlifting and strength building. And here, we say: ‘I don’t use machines; I am one!’”
At Burn Boot Camp, women of all ages and fitness levels work out side-by-side.
“There’s no need to be afraid,” Bahri says. “This is a fun, comfortable and motivating place. We have women who are super-fit, but we also have women who’ve had knee replacements, some who are in their early seventies – even one who is 27-weeks pregnant.”
Diana Gipe, who is five months pregnant with her second child — and whose fitness success is posted on Burn Boot Camp’s “Transformation Wall’ and company website — enjoys the atmosphere of community. “I’ve been working out all my life,” Gipe says, “but what inspires me to continue to come here is the way we all kind of go through life together, working together at different levels. We all want to see each other succeed.”
Bahri also wants children to learn how important health, exercise and nutrition are.
“Burn Boot Camp is for women only. We have free child care. When the kids see their moms doing a camp workout, the kids say, ‘Mommy! I can do a push-up, too!’”
“And then,” Bahri adds, “they go next door to Revive Juice Cafe wanting wheatgrass shots instead of asking for candy and pop.”
Revive Juice Cafe Menu
Among its many smoothie, raw juice and French-press coffees, Revive offers a kids’ strawberry-banana smoothie called “Mommy, I want a ’moothie!”
“Little Sophia would always come in to Revive,” Bahri grins, “and say, ‘Mommy, I want a ‘moothie!’ So, we named that one for her.”
“Making women – and children — healthier and happier is amazing and worth the struggle of owning a business,” says Bahri, who was on the cover of last May’s Entrepreneur magazine. “The women say, ‘You’ve changed my life!’ You don’t hear that in a lot of businesses.”
“When you lose 50 pounds, like some of our clients do,” Bahri says, “it’s life-changing. It may take longer (than a severe diet), but we do it the right way. It has to be done correctly.”
With fourteen days free and membership that includes monthly, individual meetings on fitness and nutrition goals, as well as daily camps focusing on specific body areas or muscle groups and 45-minute boot camp workouts throughout the day, Burn Boot Camp visitors have the opportunity to make a program that fits their lifestyle.
“It’s a stress-relieving time,” Bahri says, “where you don’t have to think: 45 minutes where a busy college student, a professional, a mom, gets to ‘turn off’ and just focus on the trainer’s voice and on the workout. And, it’s a way to become ‘addicted’ to a healthier – and sustainable – lifestyle.”
Oatman says, “I have never been to an accountant before Franskoviak Tax Solutions who used direct phone contact for ongoing negotiation: true interaction! Then we didn’t have to wait weeks for each letter, etc. I’d been working with those previous three accountants for seven or eight years!”
Kevin Hamilton, general manager of MOD Pizza on Big Beaver Road in Troy, smiles in awe as he stands in the midst of his restaurant’s frenzied, first-day activity.
“And George has been providing the most beautiful seasonal flowers and plants for my parish for years, including palms for this year’s Palm Sunday.”
“And what is really unique,” he shares, “is our V.I.P. area, with eight high-tech lanes and special laser light show, with couches and lounge, privacy and space.”
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