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Zalesin. "We'll be doing that over the
next three months."

Hiring Along Webward'

Quicken isn't the only company on
Woodward Avenue bringing more
people to Detroit. The street is
quickly becoming a technology hub.
Take GalaxE.Solutions, a New jer-
sey-based IT company, which plans
to put 500 IT pros to work in
its Detroit office within five
years. A 10-story banner on the
side of the company's office at
1001 Woodward Ave., displays
the company's name and "Out-
source to Detroit" logo.
Tim Bryan, founder and CEO
of the company that does IT
work traditionally outsourced
overseas here in Michigan, told
Mlive.com that he expects 10-
12 additional high-tech compa-
nies to come to Detroit in the
coming years.
"What we saw in selecting
Detroit was a growing nucleus
of a verging IT cluster," he
said. "The key to success here
is you have a cluster of IT firms
that are in a major American
city that is the most affordable
city in America."

loitte's Michigan managing partner.
"There was never a discussion
about leaving downtown. Deloitte
has been in Michigan 50 years and
has a strong commitment to the
state and the city of Detroit," he
said, adding the average age of the
Deloitte employee is 25-27. "This
generation wants more urban experi-
ence. And there's clearly an incred-
ible buzz in Detroit. All assets for its

Action At The RenCen

Business consultancy firm De-
loitte, in need of more space,
recently moved out of the 500-
600 Tower at the Renaissance
Center and into Tower 200,
signing an 11-year lease, ac-
cording to Mark Davidoff, De-

resurgence are falling into place."
Davidoff is also a board member
of the Jewish Fund, established in
1997 from the sale proceeds of Sinai
Hospital of Detroit. The fund awards
grants to expand health and human
services to residents of Metro De-
troit. He said he sees lots of _Jewish
20-somethings active in the Isaac
Agree Downtown Synagogue and liv-
ing in Detroit.
Some of those young peo-
ple might find themselves
working for Deloitte. This
fall, Deloitte will hire more
than 100 young people off
Michigan campuses as well
as make strategic, experi-
enced hires in four divi-
sions: audit, tax, consulting
and financial advisory.
"We'll be looking for ac-
counting grads as well as
MBAs with specialties in
technology, strategy and
marketing," Davidoff said.
The tower at the RenCen
vacated by Deloitte won't be
sitting empty. In May, Blue
Cross Blue Shield of Michi-
gan began moving the first
group of 3,000 employees
from Southfield to its new
offices in the RenCen. BCB-
SM will have approximately
6,000 employees working
downtown by 2012, when
the entire move is com-
plete.

GalaxE.Solutions unveiled its "Outsource to Detroit"
banner last month at its Woodward Avenue location.

Chicago, Washington, D.C., or
L.A. — and that's where many of
them end up. The JAI is commit-
ted to helping transform Detroit
into an enriching, livable city,
pulsating with economic, social
and cultural jewels.
No one is pretending that
Detroit's challenges are easy to
meet. Grindingly high unem-
ployment, troubling rates of
illiteracy and poverty, and
decades of neglect resulting in
blight and abandoned buildings
aren't going to change overnight.
However, a start has been made.
Many companies — several
run by Jewish leaders — have
committed to the city and are
hiring for high-paying jobs. New
real estate development is cre-
ating affordable and attractive
housing.
Most importantly, young
people are expressing their
commitment and desire to
transform Detroit into the city
they want to call home. You'll
meet some of them in this issue
of Designation Detroit.
Enjoy — and please let us
know what you think!
— Jackie Headapohl,
managing editor
jheadapohl@renmedia.us

R econnecting Opportunity, excitement smooth transition to urban living.

I have made aliyah, reversing the

trend of my forefathers. No longer
part of the diaspora, I have returned
to the Promised Land. I have moved
to the city in which my grandparents
were raised and the place that my
mom's family fled after tanks roared
down her street in '67.
I am a Detroit resident.
A year ago, I never would have
guessed that my future would have
entailed a move to Detroit. I planned
on heading west — Portland, Vancou-
ver, San Francisco, Denver or Seattle.
Those cities are great, but I have
quickly learned that Detroit — specifi-
cally Southwest Detroit — has a rich-
ness that cannot be replicated any-
where else. Being so close to family
and Ann Arbor isn't bad, either. There
are many more reasons to move to
Detroit, aside from the ample doses
of plaid, thick-rimmed glasses and
knit hats.
After graduating from the Uni-
versity of Michigan in December, I
moved back home with my parents in
West Bloomfield. Staying in Michigan
was intended to be short and tempo-
rary. Looking for work in community

development and urban planning,
I secured two Detroit-based intern-
ships: one with Transit Riders United
and the other with Summer in the
City (SitC). SitC is a "fun, flexible and
fulfilling" nonprofit that has made
many headlines recently.
SitC creates opportunities for high
school-age students to participate in
youth enrichment programs, mural
painting and community gardening. I
planned on working with the gar-
dening program, which aligned with
my educational background in the
environment, but wound up working
for the youth enrichment program at
Latino Mission Society (LMS) with K-5
students.
I spent every day the rest of this
past summer at LMS, bonding with an
incredible group of college-aged crew
members, high school volunteers
and adorable kindergarteners and
first-graders. From that very first day
at LMS, I found myself speaking in
Spanglish and giggles.

What A Move

Little did I know that I would soon
be living right down the street from

LMS. Although I had spent a
substantial amount of time
in the city participating in a
variety of activities, events
and internships, it wasn't
until this summer that I
could see Detroit as my
home.
just a few weeks ago,
Summer in the City took its
next big leap and bought a
house in Southwest Detroit.
Four young professionals involved
with SitC were asked to move into
this house, affectionately dubbed
the "Collaboratory," by Ben Falik, one
of the co-founders of SitC. I eagerly
jumped on this opportunity.
Committing to Detroit has opened
many unexpected doors. When I
moved in, I had no job, but I was
now determined to work in Detroit; I
even turned down an opportunity in
D.C. Then opportunity came knock-
ing on the front door of my new
home. Randy Dillard, the director of
volunteer services at United Way, just
happened to be taking a tour of the
Collaboratory and mentioned that
a position was available for which

he hadn't even written the
description yet. As of Sept. 19,
I am an Americorps Member
with United Way, coordinating
volunteer projects.

What A View

From the bay window in my
bedroom, I have a scenic view
of Clark Park, a half-mile long
park with tennis courts, the
only outdoor ice rink in the
city, and baseball, football and soccer
fields. Three schools also border the
park, and families are all around.
Looking down Vernor, I see Michoa-
cana Ice Cream, Mexicantown Bakery,
Armando's Restaurant and Cafe con
Leche. They all serve up delicious,
traditional Mexican treats. Because
of the rich Latino culture, I often feel
like I'm abroad in Southwest Detroit.
In fact, my phone's GPS does, too,
often switching to the metric system
due to my proximity to Canada.
I love it here. The culture and corn-
munity are rich and vibrant, and I am
meeting many more young _Jewish

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October 20 2011

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