The D:hive
Inside
With Jeff Aronoff
Jewish energy channeled
toward Downtown revival.
Allan Nahajewski I Contributing Writer
eff Aronoff describes himself as
a Tamarack kid.
And the skills and ideas he
learned in camp, he says, will
serve him well in his latest adventure.
After seven years of practicing law
at Miller Canfield Paddock and Stone
PLC, Aronoff has jumped into a big,
new challenge. On March 14, he
became the first executive director of
D:hive, a new organization dedicated
to helping people who want to live,
work or start a new business in Down-
town Detroit.
Aronoff uses a camping analogy to
describe the group's current state.
"Right now, we're just igniting the
kindling," he says. "You can put out a
fire if you try to build it too quickly.
We need to build this gradually to
generate sustained success."
As he spoke, Aronoff was standing
in the middle of the wide open D:hive
welcome center — a large room in
the midst of major renovation with
fresh orange paint covering the walls.
In the heart of Downtown Detroit,
the building at 1253 Woodward was
formerly the home of Inside Detroit, a
6-year-old nonprofit organization that
has merged with D:hive. Inside Detroit
offered tours and information to visi-
tors, new residents and businesses.
The front windows of the D:hive
currently are covered with a mosaic of
Post-It notes. Inside is a hodge-podge
of Detroit-based merchandise for sale,
a few desks, a rack of literature, brain-
storming boards covered with even
more Post-It notes and a ceiling-less
conference room, which was used as a
movie set for a pivotal scene last year
in George Clooney's Ides of March.
Now that room is a home for classes
to help provide entrepreneurs support
and training to start a new business in
Detroit.
That's the current state of the
The D:hive on Woodward in Downtown Detroit: Its windows are currently
covered with a Post-It note mosaic, but inside, its renovation is proceeding
quickly. A grand opening likely will be held in May.
D:hive. However, within weeks, the
room will be transformed into a re-
furbished facility better equipped to
serve its new purpose.
The D:hive A
Place To Connect
The new D:hive is more than just
a welcome center. Its ambition is
far greater. It's attempting to be a
talent attraction and development
laboratory to help make Detroit a
vibrant, thriving city once again.
Aronoff credits josh McManus as the
visionary behind the D:hive. A Georgia
native, McManus was encouraged to
come to Detroit by the Hudson-Web-
ber Foundation after receiving na-
tional attention for his efforts to lead
the transformation of an abandoned
neighborhood in Chattanooga, Tenn.,
into an active, growing arts-oriented
community.
McManus's vision and approach is
to focus on the entire set of needs
that talented, young entrepreneurs
have when trying to start a new busi-
ness in a city — a place to work, a
place to live and, most importantly,
strong connections to other bright,
Jeff Aronoff is the first executive
director of D:hive, an organization
dedicated to help provide talented,
young entrepreneurs what they need
to be successful in Detroit.
young people.
"That's something the Jewish com-
munity has traditionally done well,"
says Aronoff. "Building strong connec-
tions is part of our heritage."
McManus' role was to shape D:hive's
vision. To lead the new organization
and keep it sustainable and on track,
the Downtown Detroit Partnership
and the Hudson-Webber Foundation
brought Aronoff on board.
A resident of Huntington Woods
with his wife and two young daugh-
ters, Aronoff is an avid Detroit
booster. And while legal work seems
a world apart from his new respon-
sibilities, he says his years at Miller
Canfield prepared him well for this.
Aronoff specialized in public finance,
advising governmental clients on
economic development initiatives and
public-private collaboration. He has
degrees from Michigan State Univer-
sity, the University of Michigan and
Wayne State University.
He uses a poster board graphic
to describe the scope and focus of
D:hive.
"If you're new to Detroit, want
to start something new or want to
connect in new ways, D:hive is here
to provide the tools you need," says
Aronoff.
D:hive activities are grouped into
three categories — inform, connect
and equip.
The "inform" category includes
providing answers to questions about
the city; tours to Detroit experiences;
a timeline of city events; data that new
residents and business owners may
need on safety, schools and culture;
and real estate information, including
listings of available homes and busi-
ness locations.
In the "connect" category are con-
nections to projects, programs and
services; opportunities to volunteer
your time and talent; introductions to
others you might want to meet; and
jobs that match passion with needs.
The "equip" category is what sets
the D:hive apart from a traditional
urban welcome center. It includes
providing space to test ideas and
creations; classes to build ideas into a
plan; and roundtables to help entre-
preneurs grow their existing efforts.
Core to the D:hive's business de-
velopment activities are two training
initiatives called "Build" and "Grow."
D:hive on page 3
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April 19 2012 1