WARREN, Mich. — As De La Salle Collegiate celebrates 100 years of Lasallian education in Metro Detroit, the school will mark another important milestone in its history with the blessing of its new Business Center and Bloomberg Finance Lab on Saturday, September 12, 2026, following the school’s 100-Year Anniversary Mass. 

 

The blessing will be led by Msgr. Gary Smetanka, DLS ’74, bringing a De La Salle alumnus back to campus for a special moment during the school’s Centennial celebration. Msgr. Smetanka is among the many alumni whose lives and vocations reflect the lasting impact of a De La Salle education.

 

The new Business Center features a state-of-the-art Bloomberg Finance Lab, Business & Entrepreneurship Classroom and Marketing & Communications Studio. The Bloomberg Lab will give students access to professional Bloomberg terminals and real-time financial data and analytical tools used throughout the financial industry. De La Salle is the only high school in Michigan with Bloomberg technology.

 

“This is about giving our students a real-world advantage,” said Dan Rohn, Chief Operating Officer of De La Salle Collegiate. “The Bloomberg terminals allow our young men to move beyond the textbook and engage with the same tools, data and decision-making platforms used by professionals on Wall Street and across the global financial industry. It gives them an academic edge, but more importantly, it gives them a real-world edge.” 

 

For Mike Brillati, ’93, a longtime De La Salle supporter, the project represents an investment in skills that students can carry throughout their lives.

 

 

Gene Bitonti, ’93, managing director and founding partner of Woodward Park Partners, sees the lab as a way to give De La Salle students an early advantage in an increasingly competitive business world.

 

 

The Bloomberg Finance Lab is part of De La Salle’s continued investment in innovative, real-world education as the school begins its second century. Students will use the lab to analyze markets, research companies, interpret financial data and develop practical skills in finance and investment. The school’s Bloomberg Finance course also provides students with the opportunity to earn Bloomberg Market Concepts certification.

 

The September 12 blessing is one of several signature events highlighting De La Salle’s Centennial year. The celebration continues with the Homecoming Football Game at United Wholesale Mortgage Field on Friday, October 2, followed by the 100-Year Anniversary Gala at the Detroit Institute of Arts on Saturday, October 3.

 

After a century of building its legacy, De La Salle is celebrating not simply where it has been, but where it is going.

For more information about De La Salle Collegiate’s Centennial celebration and upcoming events, visit De La Salle Collegiate’s 100 Year Anniversary page.