Special Report
URBAN LIFESTYLE / ON THE COVER
Destination
Robin Schwartz
Special to the Jewish News
lot of reasons:' said Dan Gilbert, Quicken
Loans founder and chairman. "We just
can't have all of our kids being educated
at the University of Michigan, Michigan
State and Wayne State University, subsi-
dized by Michigan state tax dollars, and
then have them go and create wealth in
other cities. We just can't have it anymore.
We've got to do it right here!"
Listening attentively was a diverse
group of nearly 300 people made up of
young entrepreneurs and bright-eyed
20- and 30-somethings in business attire,
several rabbis and leaders of Jewish orga-
nizations, some lifelong Detroiters and
assorted others who are eager to see the
city make a comeback.
"I cannot tell you the opportunity that
exists in Detroit:' Gilbert continued. "If
you're into buying low and selling high,
which is a fundamental economic rule,
invest in Detroit. There are assets all over
the place."
In fact, Gilbert announced his newest
investment, the purchase of the five-story
Madison Building overlooking Grand
Circus Park with 43,000 square feet of
available space. He's also a key backer
of an up-and-coming light rail system
expected to attract business to the city
y
ou can feel the electric
vibe the moment you step
inside Compuware World
Headquarters. The 18-story glass build-
ing at One Campus Martius in downtown
Detroit, with its spectacular atrium and
14-story waterfall, is designed to make
visitors look "up" and think big. So it's
fitting that hundreds of young Jewish
professionals gathered there Jan. 24 for
a cocktail mixer followed by a town hall
meeting focused on creating a dynamic
urban environment and a hub of Jewish
life in the city.
The event was hosted by Quicken
Loans, which moved 1,700 employees into
the Compuware building last year (with
plans to relocate another 2,000 workers
downtown), and CommunityNEXT, a
Jewish Federation of Metropolitan Detroit
initiative designed to attract and retain
young Jewish professionals.
"Unfortunately, as we all know, a lot of
our brothers, sisters, friends, daughters,
grandkids, whatever it may be, are mov-
ing out of Detroit when they graduate
from college — and that's a shame for a
and spur long-term economic growth.
Plans are in the works to begin building
the first phase of the project from Hart
Plaza to the New Center area at a cost of
more than $100 million.
Gilbert, who owns the Cleveland
Cavaliers, shared yet another dream —
his vision to turn Woodward Avenue into
"Web-ward Avenue" with a cluster of cre-
ative, high-tech companies in one central
location. He extended a personal invita-
tion to fellow members of the Jewish
community to get involved.
"We're moving from a muscle economy
to a brain economy:' he said. ``Today, tech-
nology companies are being developed
and created overnight. Excitement, busi-
Urban Links
•
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• Issac Agree Downtown Synagogue: downtownsynagogue.org
• Moishe House: moishehouse.org (To get involved or support
the local effort, moishehousemotorcity@gmail.com )
• Quicken Loans: quickenloans.com
• Bizdom U: bizdom.com (A Dan Gilbert project that provides
training, mentorship and support for entrepreneurs.)
12
February 3 s 2011
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A Dynamic Detroit
Following Gilbert's presentation,
CommunityNEXT director Jordan Wolfe
took the microphone and led a frank dis-
cussion, listening to people's ideas, gath-
ering feedback and addressing questions
from participants.
"Our whole goal is to create a dynamic
lifestyle for young adults, so anything
professionally, culturally and socially:'
Wolfe said. "We all know if we don't have
a dynamic urban environment, we're not
gonna be anywhere'
Kate Bush, 29, stood up and encour-
aged those interested in relocating to the
city to seek her out to learn more about
her urban lifestyle (see sidebar). The
project manager with the Pleasant Ridge-
based interactive promotions company
ePrize has lived in Detroit for the last four
years. (Josh Linkner, ePrize founder and
chairman, attended the town hall meeting
and briefly addressed the crowd.)
"Living in Detroit just feels like we
are part of something epic:' Bush said.
"This is a grand experiment in re-imag-
Jordan Wolfe
Use any of the following links to learn more about these
Detroit-based programs/organizations.
To connect with CommunityNEXT, get information on
upcoming events and opportunities or to participate in the
new online forum, go to communityNXT.com ; contact program
director Rachel Lachover at Rachel@communityNXT.com or
(248) 203-1485. Also, look for CommunityNEXT on Facebook.
ness and commerce happen very fast. We
can make a difference a lot quicker than
people think:'
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