Finance + Legal Services

Advocacy Around the Clock

Matthew Bitonti is just a phone call away when clients need him most. Article by Patti Zielinski “Do you know your insurance agent’s name?” Matthew Bitonti asks. It’s a simple question — yet one many people can’t answer. Bitonti, president and CEO of Bitonti Insurance Group (bitontigroup.com) in Bloomfield Hills, believes that says everything about the state of modern insurance. “When you work with us, and you have a real problem, you don’t call an 800 number,” he says. “You call me — 24/7.”...

Life + Culture

Passion, Curated

Two best friends turned a shared connoisseurship of the rare and luxurious from a lifestyle to a Downtown Birmingham destination. Article by Susan Thwing | Photography by Aly Darin In a recent reel on their Instagram, longtime best friends Calvin Kashat and Brandon Murad stand anxiously at their Downtown Birmingham window. The object of their attention: The FedEx delivery truck. “This is us,” Kashat laughs. “We’re waiting around like kids on Christmas morning.” Finally, after stacks and...

Professional Services

The Case for Style

Birmingham attorney Jeffrey Lance Abood brings purpose, precision  — and sartorial sensibility — to every detail. Article by Patti Zielinski | Photography by Aly Darin Attorney Jeffrey Lance Abood oozes movie-star charisma. Never forced — it’s simply who he is. As a litigator with the venerable Abood Law Firm (aboodlaw.com), founded by his extended family in 1956, his high-energy go-getter personality blends with honest-to-goodness integrity and placing a priority on community action. With a...

Life + Culture

Sweet Summertime

Downtown Birmingham makes the living easy with everything under the sun to make the most of the season. Article by Lynne Konstantin FOR THE KIDS TO PLAY WITH, WEAR, KEEP COOL AND LOOK CUTE Kids can brighten up sidewalks with Crocodile Creek’s colorful and chunky gumball-shaped sidewalk chalk in a Sidewalk Chalk Gumball Machine . The Paper Source. Build the best sand castles with Rylee + Cru Beach Bucket + Toys : The adorably silicone set comes bundled in a net carrying bag. Lil’...