metro >> on the cover
Come Play On The Isle!
Entrepreneur Justin Jacobs lands concessions contract on Belle Isle.
Harry Kirsbaum I Contributing Writer
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Because CPD is one of the biggest users
of the sports complex on Belle Isle and has
drawn more than 5,500 young, professional
Detroiters to its numerous softball, kickball,
tennis and coed flag football leagues, it's just
natural to think that Jacobs is best suited
for the job of reversing the effect of years of
neglect.
"I've been working with the state very
closely to find out what the needs are, to
find out what it's going to take to bring this
to what this community deserves:' he said.
"Now I'm dealing with maintenance, all the
permitting and applications, and customer
service for the entire complex. It's very hands
on:"
Jacobs has amazing people skills and has
spent years unintentionally developing con-
tacts.
A Well Traveled Life
Born in New York City, Jacobs, 32, has
moved 31 times so far and came to
Michigan when he was 7. He attended three
high schools — North Farmington, West
Bloomfield and Harrison; then four colleges
— Oakland Community College, Michigan
State University, University of Michigan and
DePaul University in Chicago.
"I was in poly-sci, thinking I was going to
be a lawyer because I wanted to be a sports
agent:' he said.
But he landed a job working as a party
promoter in Chicago bars and clubs to get
people to come to events.
Family issues brought him back to Detroit
in 2007, and he got a job at ePrize before get-
ting into the sports league business.
He loved sports and wanted to play in
leagues, but there wasn't much offered in
Detroit.
"I played softball, dodgeball, sand volley-
ball and kickball; and I came back here and
no one was offering that:' said Jacobs, who
lives in Detroit. In February 2010, Jacobs,
who was playing pickup basketball twice a
week, thought he could organize a basketball
league. "This was just a passion out of bore-
dom:'
With 2,500 friends on Facebook, he asked
if anyone wanted to play in a basketball
league. More than 100 guys signed up in less
than a week
"I got it off the ground:' he said.
He partnered with Franklin Athletic Club
in Southfield for the venue.
N
OOP
Justin Jacobs tightens the tennis court netting; the athletic shelter
in the background was built in 1898.
"It grew from there he said. "I was able to
utilize that network More than 300 people
signed up for the first kickball league:'
Business Of Play
After talking to his cousin, Jordan Wolfe,
who was running CommunityNEXT,
predecessor of Jewish Federation of
Metropolitan Detroit's NEXTGen Detroit,
Jacobs signed up for the entrepreneur
startup kit that "gave me free office space,
built my first website, printed business
cards and gave me whatever I needed to
get started:' Jacobs said.
"I have seen Justin build his organization
with blood, sweat and tears over the past
four-plus years:' said Wolfe, now a principal
at Town Partners, a real estate development
firm. "I helped Justin launch it with an idea,
but it has been 100 percent Justin ever since
the first league. His work at CPD is one of
the most vital components to building com-
munity and making Detroit a place young
people want to be:'
Jacobs was growing the leagues in Metro
Detroit. A typical parks department in the
suburbs has its own programming and any
time they have left over is what CPD was
getting.
He said he had this thought: "All right, the
suburb stuff is great; about 90 percent of the
participants were young Jewish adults, but
there's only so much growth you can have up
there to make it a sustainable business:'
The long-term opportunity was in Detroit,
and Jacobs moved quickly when Dan Gilbert
announced his plan of rebuilding Downtown
Detroit in 2011.
Jacobs sent an email and got a quick
response.
Quicken Loans Vice President of
Miscellaneous Stuff David Carroll replied
and quickly became a sponsor.
"Justin has been a leader and risk taker;
Carroll said. "He is very enthusiastic and has
a lot of energy and passion. We've enjoyed
working with him, and our team members
really enjoy the ComePlayDetroit leagues:'
Jacobs met with human resources man-
agers at various Detroit companies to have
them become a quasi-CPD marketing
department "They would do email blasts to
their workforce to join the league he said.
But the problems were two-fold: safety
and working with the city.
He had to think in terms of where a
25-year-old woman from Quicken Loans
would feel comfortable driving, parking and
walking to a facility to play on a league.
With that in mind, he fixed the problem.
They bowl at the Garden Bowl in Detroit,
the oldest bowling alley in the country;
play indoor volleyball on the main floor
of Detroit's Majestic Theatre when ifs not
doing concerts; play sand volleyball on the
Riverfront one day a week and Zee's Villa
in Midtown four days a week; use Campus
Martius for the ice broom-ball league; Joe
Dumars' Fieldhouse in Shelby Township for
basketball; Belle Isle for softball; and Punch
Bowl Social in Detroit for a more sedentary
euchre league.
Dealing with the city had its difficulties.
When he first started the softball league
on Belle Isle, the city took a month to mow
the softball field.
"A ground ball in the infield was basically
a home run, unless you found he said.
"There were times I showed up for my
Wednesday night softball leagues with 14
teams, and two other groups showed up with
Come Play on page 10
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March 26 • 2015