Member News

A Grosse Pointe Woods businessman and inventor is in the running for a chance to be named an Entrepreneur of Impact by the national NAACP.

Burgess Foster, owner of MIDIGITEL, was one of about 80 business owners from across the country who were selected to compete for the honor — which comes with a $25,000 prize, mentoring from Daymond John of “Shark Tank” and a full-page ad in Forbes magazine. The only metro Detroiter chosen for this contest, Foster has made it through the first round of voting — which whittled the field down to 20 contenders — and is now in the second round, which ends Feb. 6. At press time, Foster was second in the voting, which will determine the 15 businesses that go on to round three.

Round three — to reduce the candidates to the top 10 — will last until Feb. 13. The public will then decide who among the top 10 make it to the top four, from which a winner will ultimately be chosen by the end of February.

“Everything’s been exciting about this,” Foster said.

Foster, who taught fifth grade for about eight years at Duke Ellington Elementary in Detroit, was a college professor in the business department at Wayne County Community College District when his Introduction to Marketing students asked him why he didn’t start his own company when he was giving them advice and encouragement to start theirs. The challenge inspired Foster, who launched MIDIGITEL in September 2018 “from the mud,” as he puts it.

“I started my company in my garage,” Foster said.

Foster holds a bachelor’s degree in history and political science from North Carolina Central University; he also studied at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill and North Carolina State University in Raleigh. He earned a master’s degree in public administration from the University of Michigan’s Rackham Graduate School in 2006 and a Master of Science degree in management from the University of Maryland in 2007. Foster has done work toward a doctorate in higher education from Georgetown University as well.

But his academic career wasn’t always rosy. Foster said his teachers felt that he should skip third grade and move directly into fourth, but his grandmother — who was caring for him — refused, fearing that she would lose a year of welfare income if he graduated early.

“I always resented her for that, but I forgave her because she raised me when my parents didn’t,” Foster said.

Foster — who grew up in Detroit — knew struggle at a young age.

“I grew up very poor,” he said. “I grew up in a household of 15 people. … We lived on welfare and food stamps.”

Bored because he wasn’t being challenged in school, Foster became a class clown. His grades plummeted as he got older. As he approached his senior year at Southeastern High School, he was warned that, with a grade point average of 0.4, he likely wouldn’t graduate with his classmates in 1986. Foster asked his principal what he’d need to do to get his diploma. He was told he’d have to attend summer school and night school as well as his regular classes. Foster did all those things, bringing his GPA up to a 1.1 — enough to graduate. He then enlisted in the U.S. Marine Corps, where he studied aeronautical engineering and worked on the Harrier jump jet.

His high school grades weren’t high enough to qualify him for admission to college, but based on his military experience, the dean of admissions at UNC agreed to let him study there for a semester, telling Foster that if he got at least a C average — a GPA of 2.0 — he would be formally admitted. Foster worked hard that semester and was able to achieve a goal that others didn’t think was possible, earning a 2.5 GPA in that first semester. He would go on to improve his GPA at each stage of his post-secondary educational career.

Foster has used that same level of determination and hard work to make MIDIGITEL a success. The company produces gadgets that improve health and safety, including a hands-free smartphone holder for vehicles, smart glasses that enable someone to talk on the phone hands-free without their hearing being impaired by earbuds, and air purifiers that kill germs and prevent illness. Other products include a small but mighty waterproof Bluetooth speaker for playing music anywhere; a car air purifier; a phone stand for making videos or participating in remote meetings; a three-in-one charger that can charge an Apple watch, iPhone and Android devices; and a wine aerator that doubles as a cork. MIDIGITEL includes a total of about 14 different products. Foster said he makes existing products on the market better and cheaper.

“We reverse engineer (the products) and improve (them),” Foster said. “That way we save money on legacy costs and therefore we can lower the price point dramatically. … If people shop with us, they can get the same quality for less money. We put money back on their kitchen table.”

Foster said the Entrepreneur of Impact contest was open to business owners focused on resolving social and environmental issues. He qualified because several of his products make life healthier and safer for their users, such as a device that sanitizes multiple toothbrushes and razors using UV light.

Foster is a member of multiple chambers of commerce, including those in Troy, Roseville, Southfield, Madison Heights and Hazel Park. A member of the Grosse Pointe Chamber of Commerce, he was honored with a Resilience in Business award from them in 2022.

“Burgess is a valued member of the Grosse Pointe Chamber of Commerce, actively contributing to the organization and enhancing his business through his involvement,” Grosse Pointe Chamber of Commerce President Jenny Boettcher said via email.

Foster and his wife, Traci — who are the parents of four sons and now the proud grandparents of two — tutor and help children with homework at Hartford Memorial Baptist Church in Detroit. MIDIGITEL’s community activity has included sponsoring the Grosse Pointe Woods-Shores Little League team. Both Fosters also serve as chaplains over the business ministry and the married couples ministry at Hartford Memorial.

John Bradley, deacon and president of the business ministry at Hartford Memorial Baptist Church, has known Foster for about three to four years.

“He’s a very driven individual,” Bradley said, adding that Foster is very outgoing as well. “He likes to promote himself. You have to have that kind of drive to be successful.”

Bradley said all the members of the business ministry are business owners. The group networks and supports fellow members and also gives back to the community, he said.

Burgess Foster is the vice president of public relations for Ford Toastmasters, and his wife is the vice president of public relations for Top of Troy Toastmasters.

Traci Foster isn’t surprised her husband has achieved so many goals so far.

“He has really put in the work,” she said. “He’s passionate about the business.”

Burgess Foster is hoping to secure contracts with major college or professional sports franchises for them to offer some of his products as giveaways to ticketholders, noting that items like his smartphone holder reduce distracted driving, something that’s now illegal in states like Michigan. He’d also like to get contracts with retailers like Verizon or AT&T stores to carry his products, which are currently only sold online. As the winner of a national competition sponsored by Lowe’s Home Improvement, some of Foster’s MIDIGITEL products can also be purchased via the Lowe’s website.

“My goal is to take some of the revenue and pay off student loans for graduates of the Detroit Public Schools who don’t have the money to pay for college,” Foster said.

He’s looking for investors for MIDGITEL as well.

In a nod to its Michigan roots, MIDIGITEL products have local references in their model numbers, including 313, 8 Mile, 586 and M-3.

“It’s just a way to promote the city (of Detroit) and to be proud of (the state),” Foster said.

Voting for Entrepreneur of Impact can be done using Facebook or Instagram. People can place one free vote per day, or place additional votes by donating to the nonprofit GENYOUth. To vote for Foster, visit his Facebook page, facebook.com/burgess.foster.7.