AUBURN HILLS, Mich. – Palace Sports & Entertainment (PS&E) has been named one of Metropolitan Detroit’s 101 Best and Brightest Companies to Work for 2005 from the Michigan Business & Professional Association (MBPA). PS&E, along with the other honorees, will be recognized at the MBPA’s fifth annual symposium and awards gala luncheon at the Conference and Events Center in Dearborn on October 12, 2005.

The Best and Brightest recognition is given to those companies who show outstanding performance in the categories of communication, community initiatives, compensation and benefits, and diversity and multi-culturalism.

“Being recognized as one of the best and brightest in metro Detroit is certainly a great honor and one that we are very proud to receive,” said Tom Wilson, Palace Sports & Entertainment president and CEO. “What is really special about this award is the fact that it recognizes the commitment we have to our employees and how much our employees contribute to the success of our organization. This is recognition that can shared equally by every member of our PS&E family.”

According to the MBPA, the 2005 winners were selected because they have proved to be innovative in demonstrating their commitment to employees and they represent the leading edge in human resources practices in their industry.

As part of the awards luncheon, additional “elite” recognition will be given to those companies in the 101 that were exemplary in: Diversity and Multi-Culturalism, Work-Life Balance, Employee Communication and Recognition, Compensation and Benefits, Employee Education and Development, Recruitment and Retention, Employee Engagement and Commitment, Community Initiatives, Strategic Planning and Integration. One company will also be awarded the Lisa Wicker Best of the Best award.

Palace Sports & Entertainment ownership includes the Detroit Pistons, the Detroit Shock, The Palace of Auburn Hills and DTE Energy Music Theatre, as well as the management of Meadow Brook Music Festival on the campus of Oakland University. Combined, PS&E's Michigan venues average 300 events and 3.5 million guests annually. In 2005, the organization entered into a cooperative agreement with Hillside Productions in booking and marketing the Jerome-Duncan Ford Theatre at Freedom Hill in Sterling Hts., Michigan. The Palace has been voted Arena of the Year eight times by Performance Magazine and twice by Pollstar Magazine and is listed annually among North America's top-grossing arenas. Voted "Best Outdoor Concert Venue" in Pollstar's 2000 Readers' Poll, DTE Energy Music Theatre has been listed as the nation's most attended amphitheater by Amusement Business/Billboard each of the 14 years of PS&E ownership. PS&E also owns the Tampa Bay Lightning of the NHL and the leasehold rights to the St. Pete Times Forum in Tampa, Florida. The venue was a 1999 and 2004 recipient of the “Prime Site Award” by Facilities & Event Management Magazine and is one of North America's top-grossing arenas annually.

Based in Warren, Mich., the MBPA is the largest business organization of small to medium-sized businesses in Michigan, representing more than 20,000 members who employ over 1,600,000 persons. Member businesses receive numerous benefits including free legal and financial consultations, discounted technology, automotive and office products, employee training and recruitment assistance and competitive insurance rates. The MBPA is the sister association to the Michigan Food & Beverage Association (MFBA).

For more information regarding Palace Sports & Entertainment, please contact the Palace at (248) 377-0100 or visit www.palacenet.com.