The Collaborative Group Blog

2011 marks the five-year anniversary for Inside Detroit, Jeanette Pierce’s start-up venture that promotes Detroit as a preferred destination to live, work and play by educating the public about Detroit’s history, culture, community and livability.

Growing up in the city’s Morningside neighborhood, Jeanette began defending the city at an early age.  When friends couldn’t come over for play dates because their parents feared venturing into the city limits, Jeanette began developing a fierce pride for the city.  After heading to Grand Rapids for college, she returned to Detroit and began exploring the city.  She soon realized how much she didn’t know, and quickly became enamored with and excited about Detroit’s past, present, and future.  Working for the United Way, Jeanette sought an opportunity to educate more people about the beautiful city she was discovering.  And, Inside Detroit was born.

Jeanette is accustomed to beginning her presentation with an overview of Detroit’s flag – yes, Detroit has a flag – including the center seal which reads, “We hope for better things, we will rise from the ashes.”  Following the 1805 fire of Detroit, Judge Augustus Woodward vowed to rebuild the great city and devised an elaborate spoke-and-wheel plan with a point-of-origin at what is today the center of Campus Martius Park.  He kept his promise and the city was reborn.

Over 200-years later, Jeanette believes that we will yet again “rise from the ashes.”  A lifelong Detroiter, she finds that the most commonly asked question about her residency in the city is, “Why Detroit?”  She rattles off excitedly why Detroit is the ideal place for those who are young, entrepreneurial, seeking unique opportunities, and want to make a difference: Walking distance to over 130-restaurants and bars (click here to download Jeanette’s list of top establishments).  Wow.  The country’s second largest theater district.  Wow.  Rich culture and relevant museums.  Wow.  Parks and public spaces that have received international awards.  Wow.  Unparalleled historic and contemporary architecture.  Wow.  Festivals beyond compare.  Wow.  And, Jeanette’s favorite, and what she believes to be Detroit’s greatest asset, the people.  Today, these qualities come together in a Detroit that is unique with its big city atmosphere and small town feel.

Through tours and presentations, Inside Detroit reaches its goal of educating people to make informed decisions about Detroit and to see the opportunities that exist.  Jeanette’s greatest personal goal is to attract and retain talent in the city she loves.  Recognized by Crain’s as one of Detroit’s 20-in-their-20’s and the 2010 recipient of the Dave Bing Future Leader Award, Jeanette is well on her way to making a difference and accomplishing her goal.

In the fall of 2010, Collaborative member and marketing design guru, Nicole Worth, launched a new company with her friend and business partner, Veronic Hindo.  As a fashionable business owner and mom, Nicole found that she was always in search of hip apparel for her sons.  With a mission to create unique, stylish, non-toxic and eco-friendly tee shirts for kids, Little Trendstar was born.   Tee shirt designs are inspired by the icons and patterns of the established fashion world, making Little Trendstar all about the budding trendsetter.

After only a few months in business, Little Trendstar has already been recognized by numerous fashion and parenting blogs.  Nicole and her business partner were invited to take part in the Pre-Golden Globe Boom Boom Room event in Beverly Hills, California taking place this month.  This premier gifting suite for celebrity parents showcases the newest and hottest baby and kids products on the market.  The Boom Boom Room gifting suite has been dubbed by US Weekly as “The place to be during award season, the only gifting suite celebrities line up to attend.”  Congratulations to Little Trendstar and Nicole!

Collaborative member Dr. Michael Mersol-Barg has made the impossible possible.  A longtime doctor seeking to advance reproductive choices for women, Michael delivered a child to a local couple who underwent In Vitro Fertilization using a frozen, then thawed, egg.  The breakthrough took place at Michael’s Center for Reproductive Medicine and Surgery in Birmingham where is the Director.

Beyond his role at the Center, Michael’s education and experience with reproductive technology is vast.  He is board certified in multiple specialties, has received numerous awards for his work, sits on many boards, and was voted one of Hour Magazine’s “Top Docs.”

Explaining this advancement, Michael says, “Now women will have more reproductive choices and IVF procedures can be less complicated. This new freezing technology will give older women, those who want to postpone pregnancy and cancer patients more reproductive choices and allow them to extend their biological clock.”

Worldwide, only 1,500 babies have been born since this egg vitrification procedure was introduced.  Michael is proud to oversee the care of five such embryos.  Congratulations, Michael!

“Sometimes you’re lucky to have someone in the community with the passion and drive to do something.  For Detroit, that someone is Matt Cullen; we’re lucky to have him.” – Mitch Mondry, M Group Inc.

Matt Cullen, who oversees Rock Ventures, chairs multiple boards, and is CEO of the M1 RAIL joined The Collaborative Group in a conversation about how we can come together to inspire a stronger connection between the city of Detroit and the surrounding region.

The sense of urgency to get things done transcends the seemingly impossible with many major projects underway in an effort to revitalize the city.  Matt’s involvement with the Detroit Riverfront Conservancy and M1 RAIL in particular has played an integral role in this transformation.

The Detroit Riverfront Conservancy is widely known as one of the best examples of a public-private partnership.  With a mission to bring public access to Detroit’s Riverfront, a beautiful RiverWalk, plazas, pavilions, parks, harbors, and green spaces extend three miles.  Future plans include a welcome center, green high school, and an abundance of community amenities such as restaurants, retail, and residential lofts.  An extension of the Conservancy, the Dequindre Cut, is a 1.35 mile rails-to-trails urban recreational path linking the Riverfront to Eastern Market.

The M1 RAIL will also link to the Riverfront.  With Phase 1 reaching Grand Boulevard and Phase 2 extending to 8 Mile, the future goal is to connect to M-59 in Pontiac, creating a truly regional means of transportation.  Recognizing that it’s all about connectivity, the M1 will tie to other transit including the People Mover, Amtrak, and the Smart bus system.  With plans to open in 2013, progress is already underway with a design and an environmental impact study.  The M1 will shape the future of land use in Southeast Michigan.

A vibrant Detroit is essential for a stronger region.  But, Matt expressed that “we need a plan, supportive government, and a budget to sustain the dream.”  And, he’s not stopping anytime soon.  “We have not hit the tipping point in Detroit yet,” he expressed, noting that this investment in infrastructure will enable future progress.

“How do we connect opportunities and individuals?” asked Mary Kramer at a speaker series event hosted on October 20^th at The Collaborative Group.  Recognizing the wealth of talent we have right in our backyard, Mary discussed the need to connect this talent to opportunities arising in Michigan.

What opportunities and industries top her list?  She believes healthcare will continue to lead our economy followed by renewable energy, specifically solar technologies.  Mary shared that Delta College recently created a unique way to supply jobs to Dow’s manufacturing by implementing a short-term educational program focused on the needs of Dow.  “In Michigan, we already know how to make stuff and understand how to get that stuff from point A to point B,” explained Mary.  She said that with the highest concentration of engineering talent in the United States, we just need to better understand and utilize our skill set in a new economy.

Excited by Rick Snyder’s comprehension of all economic development levels, Mary sees an ever growing trend in entrepreneurship.  Crain’s supports entrepreneurial growth by performing case studies on the issues and challenges facing second stage companies.  To see just how entrepreneurial our community is, Mary recommends visiting www.youreconomy.org which shows the number of companies in a given geographic area.

While we’ve lost approximately one-million jobs in the last 10-years, Mary sees public-private partnerships as a means to grow jobs in our community and wake us up from our success complacency of years past.  The current trend is philanthropy via economic development as reflected in the M1-RAIL, Detroit’s river walk, various art initiatives, the New Economy Initiative, and our very own Challenge Detroit.  Civic engagement has brought other communities back, including our west side neighbor Grand Rapids.  It can work here, too.  But, Mary recognizes a disconnect between public and private sectors in Detroit that we must overcome before we can move forward asking, “What are we doing here?”  It’s time for a change.

With an unyielding focus on nutrition, food preparation, and food relationships, Evelyn Stokes has found motivation to start her first entrepreneurial endeavor: I Eat Super! Evelyn has done her homework.  She has an advisory board comprised of entrepreneurs, lawyers, and nutritional consultants that has provided insights on what it takes to start a successful company.  She also has a well-thought out financial and marketing analysis.

Based on her findings, Evelyn believes that a corporate approach to nutritional well being is essential.  Therefore, her goal this year is to help large corporations reduce health costs by providing nutritional training for employees.  Working with a team of Collaborative members including Jim and Nicole Worth of Formcode Design Studio and Matt Mosher of hiredMYway.com, Evelyn speaks at forums, educates community groups and companies, and is currently developing a cooking show.

Another new business emerging out of the Collaborative Group is hiredMYway.  Just six-months ago, Matt Mosher recognized a problem with the current job board model and, with his partners, set out to find a solution.  Under the current system, companies spend bookoo bucks for job posts that yield resumes from thousands of job seekers (most that are unqualified).  hiredMYway shifts the paradigm and encourages job seekers to invest a small amount up front to apply for jobs, automatically reducing the applicant pool down to only more serious candidates.  Job seekers have a better chance of getting noticed by hiring employers, and hiring managers save time and resources because they no longer have to sift through thousands of resumes to find the right candidate.

Matt is driven by ideas, but understands the importance of having experts on your team.  He has worked with Collaborative members such as Jim and Nicole Worth of Formcode Design Studio, Katie Dirksen of Pulse 220, David Goldenberg and Lindsay Mosher of Resolute Consulting, Kerry Doman of After 5 Detroit, Evelyn Stokes of I Eat Super!, and Andy Meyer of Meyer Strategies.  Together with his business partners Erinn O’Connor and Doyle Mosher, Matt’s goal for hiredMyway.com is to put Michigan back to work.

Congratulations to Board Member Dr. Betty Chu on her recognition in Crain’s 40 under 40!  Also this year, Betty was recognized as one of HOUR’s Top Docs 2010 and she was the recipient of a Service Excellence award by the Asian Pacific American Chamber of Commerce.  Having practiced obstetrics and gynecology for many years, Betty was recently elected as President of the Medical Staff for Beaumont Hospitals, Troy.

Betty’s career in medicine began early when she was accepted to the University of Michigan (U of M) Accelerated Premed-Medical program (Inteflex) right out of high school.  During her residency at Beaumont, she spent time teaching medical students as well as beginning her leadership involvement in organized medicine. It was during this time that Betty began to realize that caring for patients also meant advocating for improved quality and access to health care.

Betty’s desire to create meaningful experiences has traversed into her current role as doctor, president of the medical staff, educator, volunteer, community change leader, and mom.  An activist and optimist, Betty believes in the future of Michigan, but feels that we all must commit to its growth and development.  She admits that, selfishly, one of her long-term goals is to make the greater Detroit area a more desirable place to work and live so that her children will make Michigan their lifelong home.  For more about Betty, visit her website.

Film student turned fashion model turned janitor turned…  Detroit spokesperson, co-chair to Mayor Bing’s revitalization efforts, young leader, and overall change maker?  Yep, that’s right.  Phillip Cooley decided early on that he didn’t want to join the audience; he wanted to be on the stage.  He describes Detroit as the only truly democratic city he has lived in (and he’s lived an international lifestyle), and a place where making a difference is possible.

The first step in his journey through Detroit began five-years ago.  With a $40,000 loan in place, Phillip and his partners were determined to open a restaurant in Corktown.  Although his initial instinct was to establish a fine dining restaurant, he founded the authentically hip Slows Bar BQ.  In 2009, sales totaled $4 million.  Everyone loves Slows.

But, Phillip does more than run a successful restaurant.  He believes that the more we give, the more we get, and he gives, and gives, and gives.  Despite the difficult times facing Detroit, Phillip recognizes that what we do under pressure defines us.  And, that community support is essential.  Detroit has received unprecedented amounts of positive media coverage from Phillip’s volunteer work.  From helping a fellow restaurateur design and build a new Corktown eatery, to planting an urban garden just beyond the walls of the train station, Phillip’s work has been acclaimed on local and national levels.

Recognizing that community partnerships are key, Phillip co-founded:

• ClandesDine, which invites diners to a complete five-course meal hosted in an abandoned building in Detroit;
• Detroit’s first skate park in Roosevelt Park;
• www.DigInDetroit.com, a site which seeks to connect volunteers with opportunities to cultivate social interaction and improve the physical environment;
• www.RainbowBlight.com, which celebrates Slows five-year anniversary with a corn hole tournament, delicious eats, and donations that benefit the Imagination Station; and
• So much more!

Want to support Phillip’s efforts in Detroit?  Join us at Rainbow Blight on Sunday, October 3.
There will also be insider’s tour of Detroit with artist, Scott Hocking, which will be followed by lunch at Slow’s Bar BQ on Tuesday, November 9.

Challenge Detroit, an initiative of The Collaborative Group, is a program targeted at attracting and retaining young talent to Detroit in an effort to develop and rejuvenate the city’s core and continue to grow an attractive, urban center that will strengthen the surrounding region.

The program will begin with a competition that will identify 30-individuals who will be offered a job and housing, among other benefits, in the greater Detroit area.  The individuals will be between the ages of 21 and 34 and will hold a minimum of a Bachelor’s degree.  Challenge Detroit will seek candidates and companies from every area of expertise – artists, lawyers, doctors, engineers – to participate in forward-thinking jobs that exemplify the diversity of our region.

Candidates will have a multi-faceted experience of life in the greater Detroit community where they will have opportunities to live, work, and socialize.  At the heart of Challenge Detroit are the monthly team challenges which bring candidates together to address issues we are currently facing such as transportation, homelessness, conservation, etc.  Candidates will provide theoretical solutions that will spur new thinking on how we address these challenges.  Candidates and companies will be featured in an online campaign aimed at promoting the region and the good things happening here.

To date, a total of 26-companies have committed to providing a job to participants!  The caliber of these companies is outstanding:

1. Compuware
2. Brooks Kushman
3. Michigan Waterproofing
4. Private Bank
5. The United Way of Southeast Michigan
6. Marketplace Homes
7. Marketing Associates
8. Quicken Loans
9. Health Plan of Michigan
10. H2Bid.com
11. Hired My Way
12. Spire Integrated Systems
13. DSM Engineering Plastics
14. Man’s Lumber
15. DTE Energy
16. Valassis
17. Team Detroit / Ford
18. ePrize
19. Mosher Dolan
20. Macro Connect
21. Kosch Catering
22. Payroll 1
23. Cornerstone Schools
24. Strategic Staffing Solutions
25. billhighway
26. Effortless 24/7
27. Beaumont Hospitals

Challenge Detroit is moving forward rapidly.  We are currently in the process of developing a funding strategy for the year-long program.  For continued updates and to join the Challenge, email Deirdre Greene Groves at dgreene@collaborativegroup.org.

UPDATE February 1, 2011: Challenge Detroit’s beta website it up!  Check it out at www.challengedetroit.org.

On Thursday, July 1^st, Collaborative members Matt Mosher and Erinn O’Connor hosted hiredMYway.com’s first career fair.  hiredMYway.com, an idea incubated in The Collaborative Group, is revolutionizing the job search for both seekers and employers through innovative career fairs and new online tools.  Over 2,000 people attended the fair which showcased over 3,000 Michigan jobs in high-tech sectors.

Founders Matt and Erinn presented to The Collaborative Group earlier this year before their business idea became a reality.  Working with other members of The Collaborative Group, including web designers Jim and Nicole Worth of Formcode Design Studio and photographer George Dzahristos, hiredMYway.com is currently perfecting an innovative website that is in beta test mode and will launch this fall.