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metro >> on the cover

Growing Opportunities

Economic development leaders talk about what's next in a post-bankruptcy Detroit.

Adam Finkel I Special to the Jewish News

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encourage homesteaders. Author John
Gallagher envisioned a more entrepre-
neurial city — with urban farms. Former
Ambassador Andrew Young opined on
an aggressive effort to "enlist the business
community" as a key stakeholder so that
they feel ownership of the city's future.
Urban planner Toni Griffin instructed
Detroit to "rethink transportation:'
Today's Detroit has moved forward on
all of those themes to some degree.
The one idea that is least advanced
is former Detroiter Jeff Sachs' thoughts
around green tech. He suggested we use
our concentration and tradition of top
engineering talent so Detroit can branch
into "intercity rail, advanced batteries,
renewable-energy systems and smart
grids:'
While he admitted this is utopian,
Sachs reasoned that the continuation of
abandonment, despair and unemploy-
ment is unthinkable. While plans for a
high-speed rail corridor were announced
recently with trains from Detroit to
Chicago that would whisk passengers 110
mph, those plans are still quite concep-
tual.
On Nov. 7, Detroit received news that
was more definitive. The court approved
Detroit's restructuring. The city reached
a post-bankruptcy era, and its future is
dependent on its ability to grow economic
opportunity that can be felt along every
one of its 142.9 square miles.
The IN sought out the voices of lead-
ers taking initiative to promote economic
development in Detroit including Ned
Staebler, vice president for economic
development at Wayne State University;
Mark Davidoff, Michigan managing
partner at Deloitte LLP; David Provost,
chairman, president and CEO of Talmer
Bank and Trust; and Jeff Aronoff, execu-
tive director of D:hive Detroit, a physical
"welcome center" to Detroit's Central
Business District.

How would you assess the
current stage of Detroit's
"comeback"?
Davidoff: With refreshed leadership over
the past few years at the state and local
government levels and with a renewed
commitment from the corporate and
foundation communities to public private
partnerships, we have broken down many
of the barriers to sustained economic

8 November 20 • 2014

D:Hive's Build Bazaar rotating pop-up marketplace celebrates emerging
entrepreneurs from D:hive's BUILD program.

Ned Staebler

Mark Davidoff

growth. I believe we are still in the early
phases of the comeback and are properly
positioned now for a positive change in
Michigan's economic landscape.
Aronoff: Exciting, but vulnerable. On
one hand, you've got folks who continue
to write off Detroit; on the other hand,
you have folks who visit the greater
Downtown area and think that Detroit's
"comeback" has passed its tipping point
and is a foregone conclusion. The reality
is somewhere in the middle, and there's a
lot of work yet to be done citywide.

David Provost

Jeff Aronoff

Staebler: I think it's beyond the nascent
stage. I think it's really taken root and
you're starting to see secondary blooms.
Over the last few years, you've seen a lot
of little things that are now turning into
bigger things, lots of things that show this
is a more sustainable recovery. Clearly, we
have a long way to go, and this is just an
initial step of a generation of work that
needs to take place; but I am encouraged
every day as multiple leaders, entrepre-
neurs and investors speak to me about
their interest in the city.

What inspires your
commitment to contributing
to Detroit's revitalization?
Aronoff: Detroit's history. How can a city
whose past is so critical to the story of
America be left to deteriorate? I don't know
what the final "vision" for Detroit will be —
if there is one — but I'm hopeful that it has
its share of new ideas and energy — mixed
in with a healthy dose of classic Detroit
influence.
Davidoff: I have always been and
will always be a Detroiter. As Deloitte's
Michigan managing partner, I have a pre-
cious opportunity and a serious responsi-
bility to leverage the power of that seat to
cause positive change and to inspire others
to do the same. My 12 years serving the
Jewish Federation [of Metropolitan Detroit]
taught me about stewardship, and all I do
today is built around a core belief and the
conviction that Detroit will once again be
one of the preferred American cities to live,
work and play.
Provost: As a Michigander, I have seen
the changes in our city and the many chal-
lenges that Detroiters continue to face. As
the third largest bank headquartered in
Michigan, Talmer Bancorp and its family of
banks, Talmer Bank and Trust and Talmer
West Bank, are community banks. At the
beginning of the year, we acquired our first
bank in the city of Detroit, so our commit-
ment makes even more sense. We know we
can't just be about our bottom line — we
need to both support and be an integral
part of the communities where we live and
work.
Staebler: I was born in Midtown, went
to elementary school for several years in
Midtown, spent more than a decade in the
private sector helping to start and grow
businesses, spent a decade in the public
sector. Being at Wayne State University is
very much like coming home, so it's incred-
ibly rewarding. The trend that excites me
is there are so many things happening. The
catchphrase around the office is that the
next big thing is a thousand little things.
There are lots and lots of people, leaders,
residents, neighbors, friends, activists and
entrepreneurs who are taking initiative to
improve the city. It's very inspiring to see
so many that are doing so much to improve
the city; examples include new businesses,
community gardens and efforts to clear
blight.

Growing on page 10

