Steven Stone: Detroit
offers great business
opportunities.

young Jews left because they saw better options
elsewhere.
Joel Elconin, 33, grew up in Monroe and grad-
uated from the University of Michigan. While De-
troit was just up the road, Mr. Elconin headed for
Chicago instead, for a career in the financial mar-
kets.
Mr. Elconin worked on the floor of the Chica-
go Mercantile Exchange for seven years. When
he and his wife, Dr. Lisa Elconin, 34 (who grew
up in Southfield), moved back to be near family,
Mr. Elconin got involved with local commodities
firms, first in Arm Arbor, then with Olde Discount
Corp. in Detroit.
"As opposed to trading in a pit, where you're
pushing and shoving and fighting for your life
every day, now I'm trading from a desk," he said,
with six computers at his fingertips.
But he'll be the first to admit that he wouldn't
be where he is today without that invaluable
Chicago experience.
"I really am using all the experience and con-
nections I had in Chicago to improve my trad-
ing here. The background that I got in Chicago,
working on the floor and working on the stock in-
dex markets, is experience that will never be
equaled," says Mr. Elconin.
Mark Bernstein, 25, learned quickly that life
is more livable in Detroit.
During the summers while in graduate school,
the West Bloomfield native — who "never thought
I would want to be in Michigan at all" — worked
for New York and Chicago investment banking

firms. He remembers with extreme clarity the
moment he realized he'd rather be in Detroit for
the long term.
At 11:45 one night, after working three straight
days for Salomon Brothers Inc in the World Trade
Center, Mr. Bernstein asked a colleague if he'd
be working late. His friend pointed out that it was
almost midnight, and they were still at the office.
First thing the next morning, Mr. Bernstein
picked up the phone and put his name on the wait
list at Birmingham Place Apartments.
`That was when I realized that was not the kind
of life I wanted to live, and I could make a big-
ger impact here, professionally and personally,"
he says.
Steven Stone, 37, can relate. Now president of
Bingham Farms-based Boulder Financial, Mr.
Stone finished law school in St. Louis and worked
for a New York law firm for three years before re-
turning to Detroit.
"I didn't think my opportunities were any bet-
ter here than anywhere else," he says. Mr. Stone
returned largely to live near family.
By the time he moved back to Detroit, the Mid-
western economy was on its way up. "This econ-
omy was much different from when I was growing
up," says Mr. Stone, referring to the high unem-
ployment of the 1970s. Now, with a "good, grow-
ing economy," Detroit offers "great opportunities."
Leah and Richard Trosch, 35 and 36 respec-
tively, grew up down the street from each other
in Southfield. They've spent their married years
traveling back and forth from the East Coast, un-

til they and their three children finally returned
to the Detroit area for good.
The Troschs — she is an architect, he a doc-
tor — lived in New Haven, Conn., for three years
and in New York for one. They moved back to
be near family.
Mindy Kolender, 24, says career opportunities
in Detroit are as extensive as in any other large
city.
An account executive at Mars Advertising, Ms.
Kolender lived in Toledo, Ohio, strictly for a ca-
reer opportunity. She drove home every weekend
for a year to sample Detroit's social life.
Looking for "the right job in advertising," she'll
readily admit that Toledo did not top her list of
dynamic or exciting cities. But when a great en-
try-level job opened up, she couldn't turn it down.
Ms. Kolender began working at Fahlgren as
an administrative assistant. Within four months,
she was promoted to assistant account executive,
but was downsized after a year.
"It turned out to be a good thing," she says.
"It opened a lot of doors for me career-wise in the
Detroit area because I had the experience of work-
ing on a pretty large account in advertising and
had knowledge of thf, industry."
Wendy Starman, 32, also gained professional
experience elsewhere and came home to claim an
advanced career position. What began as a five-
year doctoral program in clinical psychology be-
came a career behind the lens of a TV camera.
"I was looking for [an excuse to leave] because
I've always had the explorer in me, wanting to
know what else is out
there," says Ms. Starman.
During 10 years in the
Windy City, Ms. Starman
ascended the ranks at the
"New Explorers" series, a
documentary program
that is broadcast on pub-
lic TV. Eventually, she
held all the positions she
could and left to do free-
lance work.
An assignment from
Extra, the entertainment
magazine show based in
California, took Ms. Star-
man to Western Michigan
University to do a story on
comedian Tim Allen's ear-
ly years.
"And so I started think-
ing, 'Well, maybe Michi-
gan is a good place for me
to be; maybe this is the
fork in the road,' " she re-
calls.
A few calls to TV groups
confirmed that Ms. Star-
man would be just as
valuable in Detroit. She
moved back less than two
years ago.
"As far as career oppor-
tunities, Detroit really of-
fers a lot," says Ms.

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