Business leader panel at the M®dison Building

U PCOMIN G EVENT

We then moved across the street to
the Chase Building where we walked
through a floor filled with Quicken's
salespeople. This department looked
crazy; there were electric scooters and
the walls were covered in dry erase
boards that had pictures and words
all over them. Just by looking at the
workspace, it was clear that Quicken is
committed to fostering a creative and
innovative environment.
From the Chase Building, we walked
to the M@dison Building, which houses
technology-based companies such as
Detroit Labs, Twitter and Doodle Home,
and then we hung out on the
M@dison's rooftop.
While there, I asked some fellow
students how this event changed
their perspective of the city. Darrien
Sherman, 20, of Bloomfield Hills said,
"It's so inspiring. Being here and seeing
what's going on here makes me excited
for what's happening in Detroit."
For Gaby Boufford, 21, of Rochester,

the day "made Detroit seem more
livable and modern than I realized. It
obviously needs more work, but it's
getting there."
Another student, CJ Apel, 20, voiced
doubts about Detroit's renaissance. "I
really do hope it's coming back," he
said, "but it seems like it would be hard
to grow a city from the top-down, so I
wonder if this growth can continue as
it is."

Hearing From Leaders
We then headed to the M@dison's
auditorium where we met five
businesspeople for a discussion. They
were textsfromlastnight.com co-
founder Ben Bator, manager of Detroit
Service Initiatives for Repair the World
Ben Falik, managing partner of Ludlow
Ventures Jonathon Triest, vice president
of Detroit Venture Partners Jacob Cohen
and CEO and founder of Savorfull Stacy
Goldberg.
A member of our group asked the
panel why they decided to stay in

Bruce Schwartz, on the right, shows students Quicken's "war room."

Detroit despite the reputation of the
city. Bator jokingly said he "forgot to
move once textsfromlastnight.com took
off" but actually stayed because he
would visit other places like Los Angeles
and "come home and just realize
how much better it is here. I have a
passion for this city that I don't have for
anywhere else."
Triest explained, "One of the best
things about Detroit is that you can be
a big fish quickly, which is very helpful
when starting a business."
Goldberg piggybacked on that idea,
saying, "I knew staying in Detroit
was best for me. There's more of an
opportunity to shine here."
Cohen agreed with them, saying
being able to stand out has helped him
immensely. "I also craved being a part of
building something and watching it grow,
and this city is perfect for that," he said.
Falik finds he has a "sense of
purpose" here.
A lot of us were interested in what

July 12

BBC), Brews & FUZE!

Detroit River Cruise

July 9

Partners in Torah at /ADS

Noon: Partners in Torah Lunch and Learn with Rabbi Leiby Burnham
at the Isaac Agree Downtown Synagogue: "Living Your Own Life."
Attendees will discuss the strategies needed to ensure that the corrosive
effects of jealousy don't rob us of our success. Learn how to focus away
from other people's lives and focus on the beauty of your own.

July 10

Dave Matthews Band Concert

Tickets available for 7 p.m. concert on first come-first served basis for
college students only. RSVP necessary to SummerTerm@communityNXT.
com .

Marielle Temkin of Farmington Hills is a

senior at Brandeis University where she's

the managing editor of the student newspa-

per. She's interning at the Jewish News for

the summer.

July 7

Join CommunityNEXT from 5-11:55 p.m. at the Motor City Moishe
House for the second annual bash of grillin' & jammin` all night long!
Havdallah at sundown sponsored by Temple Israel. Valet provided by
Star Trax. The Motor City Moishe House is located at 448 E. Ferry St. in
Detroit. More info at www.communitynxt.com .

it's like to live in the city; Cohen, who
lives Downtown and loves it, said,
"Living near where you work and go
out, that's why people love NYC and
move there," he said. "But we have
that right here."
Living in a suburb, according to Bator
who lives in Royal Oak, is not ideal.
"I hate that I can't walk to work. I
thought living in the suburbs would be
great, but it sucks," he said bluntly.
Of the five speakers, four of them
left Metro Detroit for varying lengths of
time, but they all came back. As Cohen
told us, "Stay here if you have an
opportunity here. You will not regret it."
What they shared about their
experiences further cemented what I have
learned since going to Boston for college:
There really is no place like Detroit. E

Boarding at Stroh's River Place Docks, 201 Joseph Campau, Detroit, at 7:30 p.m.;
cruise departs at 8 p.m. Cash bar. Music provided by Joe Cornell. Sponsored by
HMD & Isaac Agree Downtown Synagogue. Purchase tickets online at www.
hillel-detroit.org/program-payment-form1 . $10 in advance; $15 dockside. For
more information or to RSVP, contact Emily Wet at hillelpd@wayne.edu or (313)
577-3459.

July 15

Klezmer Concert

Join the Isaac Agree Downtown Synagogue at 4 p.m. for a special concert by
world-famous Klezmer musician, scholar-ethnographer and award-winning
filmmaker (and former Detroiter) Yale Strom and world-renowned vocalist/
composer Elizabeth Schwartz. Hear Yiddish songs and Klezmer tunes — some
traditional, some found during Yale's ethnographic 39-year treks to Eastern
Europe and some originals by this award-winning duo. Yale and Elizabeth will also
weave in stories from their journeys to Eastern Europe, particularly from Romania.
Kosher refreshments will be served during intermission. Purchase tickets online at
http://klezmerconcert.eventbrite.com .

July 5 • 2012

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