Press Releases
Robodogs Win WSU Qualifying Round
March 23, 2009 / -- The Robodogs – Team 1998 – of Hamilton J. Robichaud High School and co-sponsored by Livernois Vehicle Development bested 39 other teams from Detroit and its suburbs Saturday to finish first in the qualifying matches of the Michigan District US FIRST Robotics LUNACY competition held at Wayne State University. The team’s success follows an eighth place qualifying round finish at Cass Tech last weekend.
With a Ranking Score of 47.16, the Robodogs eased past Team 201 from Rochester High School and Team 818 from Warren Consolidated, also with 9-3-0 match records, for the honor of first Alliance selection for elimination matches. Its Red Alliance with Team 65 from Pontiac Northern and Team 1941 from Frederick Douglass College Prep lost to a Blue Alliance of Team 815 from St Francis Cabrini, Team 519 from Pershing High / Golightly Career and Tech / ITT Tech, and Team 226 from Troy High Schools in three quarterfinal matches, 46-24, 28-46, and 32-51.
This year is the third campaign by the Robodogs, led by Robert Cvetanovski, a computer science teacher at Robichaud, and Tim Emery, Westwood school board Secretary, and mentored by Mike Russick, George Spavin, and Don Petersen at Livernois Vehicle Development in Inkster. During the six-week “Build Season”, the team met each afternoon at Livernois’ Wallis Technical Center to design, build, and test their Robot. Russick – himself a Robichaud graduate – and Spavin guided the team in construction of mock-ups and layout work and instructed them in the use of the band saws, drills, grinders, sanders, taps, dies, and other tools they used to fabricate parts. Petersen helped the team through the design and engineering process. Following the FIRST Robotics principle of “gracious professionalism”, Rich Gaston of Team 1856 assisted Team 1998 with its LabView control programming.
The 2009 competition is a game dubbed “LUNACY”, in honor of the 40th anniversary of the first lunar landing. The game is played on a 27 by 54-foot slick surface with robots which must use smooth, hard wheels. Each match is played by two Alliances, each consisting of three teams and their robots towing target trailers. The goal is to load the trailers of the opposing alliance with “Moon Rocks”. Unlike earlier competitions, this year’s rules allow for deliberate collisions between opposing robots as well as checking and holding maneuvers. To meet the challenges of this competition, the Robodogs have employed a short wheelbase six-wheel drive system with each wheel in fully independent suspension and underslung chassis. The low center of gravity, traction, and wheelbase provide excellent performance, steering, and stability. The robot delivers Moon Rocks from a hopper via two pneumatic launchers. The hopper can be lowered pneumatically to permit loading of additional Moon Rocks or Empty Cells by “Payload Specialists” at its Alliance’s “Fueling Station”.
Learn more about US FIRST Robotics at http://www.usfirst.org
Commissioner Gebhardt visits Livernois Vehicle Development
Inkster, MI - February 17th, 2009 / -- Livernois Vehicle Development thanks Commissioner Joan Gebhardt for taking time to attend last week's Open House at Livernois Vehicle Development's newly-opened Wallis Technical Center in Inkster. While there, she presented our CEO and President Norma Wallis with a plaque commemmorating a special resolution passed in recognition of the contributions made by Livernois Vehicle Development.
Media Preview at The Newly-Opened Wallis Technical Center & Ford Paint & Body Technology Center
Inkster, MI - February 12th, 2009 / -- In an ongoing era of economic downturns and adverse market conditions, one local business owner has made a bold decision to increase her stake in the automotive industry with an expansion in an economically challenged area of western Wayne County that signals positive reinforcement from within a beleaguered supply base, as well as a long-term commitment to create new jobs in the community.
Norma Wallis, President and CEO of Livernois Vehicle Development, a Tier One Supplier to Ford Motor Company and Women’s Business Enterprise (WBE) is set to announce the official opening of the Wallis Technical Center, located at 2850 John Daly in Inkster, Michigan, in conjunction with the opening of the Ford Paint & Body Technology Center, which is housed in the Wallis Technical Center, with an Open House by invitation only on Thursday, February 12th, 2009, beginning with a Media Preview from 2:00 - 3:00 p.m.
The Wallis Technical Center bears the name of the late Bernard J. Wallis, a manufacturing icon in the Detroit area for nearly 60 years, and the father of Norma Wallis. His legacy included the development and launch of products through partnerships with numerous major automotive companies.
The Wallis Technical Center is a multi-dimensional facility with capabilities to address the ever expanding needs of the automotive industry, ranging from Vehicle Crash and Safety Services, Flexible Fuel, Hybrid & Bio-Fuel Vehicles, and Engineering and Garage Services to Instrumentation, Noise & Vibration Testing, Powertrain Development, and Prototype Vehicle Builds, Fabrication and Custom Paint & Body Services.
The Wallis Technical Center also hosts the annual FIRST Robotics high school competition involving students from nearby Robichaud High School, who design and build a robot to compete in statewide and national contests. The robotics team and 2009 robot will be at the Open House.
PDF Download: Invitation
Livernois Vehicle Development among Top 500 Women Owned Businesses in the United States
Inkster, MI - January 26, 2009 / -- Livernois Vehicle Development has been selected as one of the Top 500 Women Owned Businesses in the U.S. by DiversityBusiness.com. Over 650,000 businesses in the United Sates had the opportunity to participate in the 9th annual business survey. The awards are based on annual gross revenue and a business profile. Livernois Vehicle Development CEO and President Norma Wallis recently was notified that her company is ranked 228th out of the top 500 Women Owned Businesses.
This award is the basis of DiversityBusiness.com's annual "Top Business List" which is seen by over 15 million people and is used by Fortune 500 companies and large buying organizations to find new business partners. The list is the most comprehensive look at the most important segment of the United States economy - America's privately held companies. This esteemed, elite list is coveted by the most successful companies in the U.S. The list has become the most recognized and respected compilation of companies that truly differentiate themselves in the market place in a time when doing so has never been more important.
As an award winner. Norma Wallis will be honored at the "9th Annual National Multicultural Awards Ceremony and Conference". The event on April 29 - May 1, 2009 brings together America 's "Top Business Owners" and the "Top Fortune 500" companies for promoting business opportunities. Attendance is expected to top 1200. The ceremony and conference will be held at Disney's Contemporary Resort in Orlando, Florida.
More information is available at http://www.DiversityBusiness.com