>> ... Next Generation ...

Living, Working
And Playing In The D

Young professionals get a behind-the-scenes look at Downtown Detroit.

MICHAEL HIGER IN INTERN

I

n recent years, Downtown Detroit has evolved
into a thriving area for young professionals and
families thanks in part to developments made
in the area by Quicken Loans and Rock Ventures
CEO Dan Gilbert. On July 16, NEXTGen Detroit hosted
Live, Work, Play in the D, a program taking participants
on a behind-the-scenes tour of some of Quicken's
newest properties along with an opportunity to
network with Jewish professionals.
The evening started with a tour of the Quicken
Loans offices in the Compuware Building. Attendees
were then taken underground to Gilbert's command
center, where participants were given a look at how
surveillance cameras are keeping Detroit secure.
Next, they were taken to dPOP!, an old bank
transformed into an invigorating workspace for
employees. Participants particularly enjoyed going
into an old vault turned meeting space.
"The vault was probably my favorite part of the
tour," said Jason Schwartz, a Virginia Tech student
in Detroit for an internship at Ford. "I also enjoyed
seeing all the buildings and cool architecture you
don't get to see just walking around."
Participants then walked to the Madison Building,
where they heard from a panel of young Jewish
professionals who have found opportunities in
Detroit. The panel consisted of Anna Kohn, director of
the Isaac Agree Downtown Synagogue; Izzy Morrison
from the Empowerment Plan; Adam Blanck, associate
attorney at Honigman Miller Schwartz and Cohn; and
Ryan Landau, CEO and co-founder of Chalkfly. The
four discussed what Detroit has offered them in both
work and living opportunities, and also answered
some questions from the NEXTGen participants.
"There's a lot of collaboration, which I think is
really neat to Detroit," Morrison said. "It makes me
want to live in Detroit because of this community
working together instead of competing, which you
find in a lot of other cities."
Blanck added, "Detroit is a place that has
opportunities where you can get in on the ground
floor of a business. You can really see the differences
on the street in front of you from a weekly basis.
Even since I moved down here in September, on my
own block there's been a bar and smoothie stand
that have opened up; so the opportunities are
immense and you can really make a difference."
After finishing up with the panel, the event
concluded on the roof of the Madison, overlooking
a beautiful view of Downtown. Networkers from
various Detroit-based and Jewish businesses met
with participants to advise them on the many
opportunities that local businesses have to offer.
"When you're talking about Detroit and the
Jewish community, we're like no other," said Paul

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July 31 • 2014

Participants look at a model of Detroit during a tour of the Quicken Loans offices in the Compuware
building.

Blatt, the vice president of business, career and
community services at JVS. "The resources we have,
the collaborations that we have, the efforts that
we're putting into it because it's our city — there's
opportunity for everybody, and it's exciting."
The event was planned by Chelsea Rosenbaum,
a summer intern with NEXTGen. She explained that
when planning the event an extra emphasis was put
on the networking portion of the night.
"This year, I really wanted to make the networking
big because I think that's crucial for these people to
talk and network with future employers so they can
try to get jobs or internships," she said.
Participants' eyes were opened at Live, Work,
Play in the D by how much Detroit has evolved the
past few years and how it is growing into a city of
opportunity.
Rosenbaum added, "People need to just see Detroit
because a lot of times there's that stigma of the city
and they don't really see a lot of the great work that's
being done here. Dan Gilbert and Quicken Loans are
really just changing up buildings and making them
beautiful and Detroit is a gorgeous place; so I just
want people to see the change that is happening
here." ❑

For information on NEXTGen Detroit and upcoming
events, visit their website at www.jewishdetroit.org/
programs/nextgen.

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Participants meet with Paul Blatt of JVS during
the networking portion of the evening.

Adam Blanck speaks during a panel session of
the event. (From L-R: Anna Kohn, Izzy Morrison,
Blanck, Ryan Landau).