The Southeast Michigan Community Baseball Foundation, Inc. (SEMI-CBF) is a Michigan non-profit organization formed to support athletic and academic needs of public and private educational institutions and recreational organizations in Oakland County and the surrounding Detroit metropolitan region. Formed to function as a community outreach organization for the Frontier League’s Oakland County Cruisers , SEMI-CBF will collect and administer funds through events it schedules at the multi-purpose sports & entertainment stadium to be constructed at the Summit Place Mall in Waterford Twp.

Dave Smith, a Waterford Twp. resident who operates his State Farm office in Clarkston, serves as president and chairman of the Foundation Board.  He is a member of the Waterford Schools Board of Education.

Founding Board members of SEMI-CBF include current Waterford Area Chamber of Commerce (WACC) President Bill Burr, WACC immediate past president Margie Gobler and WACC Executive Director Marie Hauswirth, as well as Rob Hilliard, Dave Huttenlocher and Tim Nick, members of “Ride The Wave” Indy Baseball, LLC.  “Ride The Wave” is sole general partner of Baseball Heroes of Oakland County, LP, the Michigan partnership with plans to construct a 3,778-seat sports & entertainment venue.

Brighton resident Kurt Luttermoser, business development director of The TEAM:  Sports, Entertainment & Media, LLC, and Shirley Griffin, general manager of the Summit Place Mall, also have been installed as members of the nine-member Board.

SEMI-CBF will take the lead in booking all events other than Frontier League games, with the Oakland County Cruisers’ professional staff managing those events.  Net proceeds are to be distributed among non-profit organizations designated by the SEMI-CBF Board, with a portion to be set aside for stadium maintenance.

Initial Fund-raising Goals

Initial fund-raising efforts are focused on meeting four specific equipment needs:

1. An artificial playing surface to enable SEMI-CBF to book an extensive schedule of high school, collegiate and other amateur baseball games without incurring the wear and tear and increased maintenance costs associated with extensive use of a natural grass field.
2. Uniforms and equipment for a Waterford wood-bat, summer collegiate baseball team which would play at the stadium when Oakland County Cruisers are on the road.
3. A portable ice skating kit for a 200’ x 85’ rink to accommodate public skating and outdoor ice hockey during cold-weather months, along with a pre-owned flatbed for storage.
4. Rental skates, skate-sharpening apparatus and initial inventory of ice hockey equipment as well as skating accessories and apparel.

To assist the SEMI-CBF in meeting these needs, Baseball Heroes of Oakland County, LP, is making available up to 200 reserved seats at the stadium for a 20-year period at $5,000 per seat.  The leased seats will enable purchasers to see every professional, collegiate, high school and amateur baseball game held at the stadium over a 20-year period for a single $5,000 fee.  Participants also will become members of the First Wave Club and have their individual or business names prominently displayed on a plaque to be located at the entrance of the stadium as well as on a specially printed page in the independent professional team’s inaugural yearbook.

SEMI-CBF Membership

Membership in the SEMI-CBF is open to individuals and businesses, with annual dues set at $15 for individuals and $50 for businesses.  An online newsletter titled Barnstorming in the Midwest as well as a stadium discount program will be available to all members.  Interested parties should make their checks payable to SEMI-CBF and send them to:  Rob Hilliard, Treasurer, Southeast Michigan Community Baseball Foundation, Inc., 315-130 North Telegraph Road, Waterford, MI  48328..

For further information on the SEMI-CBF, please contact Tim Nick, chairman of the Membership Committee, at 248-672-9613, or Rob Hilliard, chairman of the Business Planning and Event Scheduling Committees, at 248-320-1846.