at the Home Builders Association of Greater Kalamazoo
Thursday, May 14, 9:30am

A proud native Michigander, Rick believes it’s time for a leader with a strong
entrepreneurial background to reinvent Michigan, restore hope to its people,
and provide tangible solutions to the problems being faced by the businesses
and citizens of this Great State.

Rick was born in Battle Creek, Michigan on August 19, 1958 to his father, Dale,
owner of a window cleaning business, and his mother, Helen, a stay-at-home
mom. He studied at the University of Michigan earning a Bachelors of General
Studies with high distinction in 1977, a Masters of Business Administration with
distinction in 1979, and a Juris Doctor in 1982, all by the age of 23.

After graduation, Rick joined Coopers & Lybrand, now PricewaterhouseCoopers,
in Detroit, becoming a Partner within five years. In 1987, Rick married Sue Kerr of
Dearborn, Michigan. Today, Rick and Sue reside in Ann Arbor with their 3.5 kids:
Jeff, 20; Melissa, 17; Kelsey, 12; and Duggan, their 7-year-old dog.
From 1991 to 1997, Rick served as Executive Vice President and then President
and COO of Gateway, Inc. During his tenure at Gateway, the company grew from a
privately-held $600 million company to a publicly-traded (NYSE) organization
with revenues in excess of $6 billion.

In 1997, Rick moved back home to Michigan knowing it was time to utilize his
experience to reinvigorate the Michigan economy. He invested back into his
Home State by founding Avalon Investments, Inc., a venture-capital firm focused
on new technology. In three years, Avalon invested in 24 companies in Michigan
and around the United States.

After a successful capital raise of $103 million, Rick co-founded Ardesta in 2000,
becoming Chairman and CEO of one of the nations largest investment firms
focused on micro and nanotechnology. Ardesta has eight companies spread
across Michigan and the United States developing small tech products in fields
ranging from life science to clean tech to communications.

Active in the business community, Rick currently serves as founding Chairman of
Ann Arbor SPARK, the economic development organization for the Ann Arbor
region. In addition, Rick is active on the board of directors or advisory boards of
several privately held companies and community and educational organizations,
including The Henry Ford, The Nature Conservancy - Michigan Chapter, the New
Economy Initiative, the Bank of Ann Arbor, and The University of Michigan. Previous
boards included the Michigan Economic Development Corporation (Chair),
and the Sphinx Organization. Rick is also a member of the Michigan Bar Association.

Now, with Michigan’s economy quickly spiraling downward, unemployment
soaring, and more and more young people abandoning the state, Rick wants to
do more. On March 18, 2009, Rick formed the Rick Snyder for Governor Exploratory
Committee, and is now traveling Michigan: listening to the people, defining
the real-life problems, and developing solutions to reinvent this Great State.

From: Lee Schwartz
Date: Tuesday, March 24, 2009 9:58 AM
Subject: Carbon Monoxide Detectors are not currently required in new homes.
Importance: High


Please be aware that carbon monoxide detectors are not required in single- or multi-family dwellings. If you encounter a local building department trying to enforce such a requirement, please let me know at once.

While it has an effective date of March 23, 2009, the law signed by the Governor does not mandate the installation of CO alarms. It does allow the director to promulgate a rule requiring these alarms.
This requirement will be in the 2009 Michigan Residential Code.

“ Sec. 4f (1) The director may provide for, at the time of initial construction of a single-family dwelling or a multifamily dwelling, or at the time of renovation of any existing single-family dwelling in which a permit is required, or upon the addition or creation of a bedroom, the installation of at least 1 operational and approved carbon monoxide device within the single-family dwelling or within each unit of the multifamily dwelling. A carbon monoxide device shall be located in the vicinity of the bedrooms, which may include 1 device capable of detecting carbon monoxide near all adjacent bedrooms; in areas within the dwelling adjacent to an attached garage; and in areas adjacent to any fuel-burning appliances.”

The law also prohibits building departments from enforcing the CO alarm requirement until the 2009 Michigan Residential Code is in effect.

“(3) An enforcing agency shall not impose a penalty for the failure of a person to comply with subsection (1) until the effective date of the code that may be adopted after the effective date of the amendatory act that added this section that incorporates that requirement.”

Finally the law provided licensed builders and remodelers with liability protection in case the alarm does not operate properly.

(4) A person licensed under article 24 of the occupational code, 1980 PA 299, MCL 339.2401 to 339.2412, who is in compliance with this section or rules promulgated under the code and installs, in accordance with manufacturer’s published instructions at the time of installation, a carbon monoxide device shall have no liability, directly or indirectly, to any person with respect to the operation, maintenance, or effectiveness of the carbon monoxide device.


I hope this clear up the confusion on this issue.

Posted By:
Lee Schwartz, Executive Vice President for Government Relations
Michigan Association of Home Builders
1-800-748-0432