metromode - Blog

Post 1: Societal Change: It's Simple

Thu, 18 Mar 2010 00:00:00 GMT

In order to make things happen, it's best to partner up. Through my experiences in creating events, developing fresh programs or building new facilities, it's never done alone. Collaboration is key and vision helps.

Think back. What was your most memorable outdoor experience growing up? Now, what will this generation of youth say when asked the same question 20 years from now?

We hear it everywhere, from teachers, doctors, reporters, and parents � kids, and people in general, spend too much time in front of the computer, watching TV, not getting outside like their parents used to. Is it too far fetched to say that we can change society? I don't think so. It's quite simple.

Everybody, GO OUTSIDE!

Now, the question: What's the point? (Up in the Air, 2009, think about it) The point is, stronger bones, lower cancer risk � not getting enough sun causes people to become Vitamin D deficient, causing health risks. Being non-active is one cause of obesity and diabetes. Outdoor activity reduces stress and depression. People who stare at the TV and video games have less patience and shorter attention spans (hmm Attention Deficit Disorder) Isn't recess shorter these days? Yes. What do you do when you get home from work? What do kids do when they get home from school? Do middle schools have a playground?

Hopefully you get the point. We were not born to spend 99 percent of our lives indoors and the only time we go outside is to get from here to there. I recently read that there is a growing concern that this generation of children may be the first in two centuries to have a shorter life expectancy than their parents, fueled by the childhood obesity epidemic and other health conditions experienced by this generation of "indoor kids." Could this generation be destined to live many less hours, with many more of those precious hours spent staring at screens? Don't get me wrong, technology is good, but getting outside is vital.

So, what do you do outside? Other than eating a nice meal at one of your favorite restaurants that provides outdoor seating, many communities have parks, programs, and events available for everyone to participate in. And thanks to that restaurant that provides outdoor seating, they often partner up or sponsor Department of Special Services programs and events. Many programs are free and/or have a nominal fee to cover costs. Believe me, your CPRP isn't in it to make money. That was reiterated more than once while going through college to get a Bachelors Degree in Parks and Recreation Management.

Farmington Hills is a unique community to live and work in. The landscape and design of the community combines wooded areas and ravines with beautiful homes and businesses all mixed in to provide a city with both a rural and a suburban feel. Add in the parks, the people, and the programs, and you have a community everyone would want to live in. Farmington Hills offers over 3,000 programs and events each year and is comprised of over 628 acres of parkland.

Farmington Hills is making an effort toward Societal Change and helping to get more people outside. On March 22, 6:30 - 8:30 p.m., a No Child Left Inside Summit will take place at the Costick Center in Farmington Hills. We are asking everyone to attend the Summit, including groups like the Farmington Area Moms Club, day care providers, Scout troops, city commissions, health care providers, youth council members, faith organizations, school administrators and teachers, parents, children, and others. Farmington Hills Special Services is making a point to provide more experiences for children and adults to get outside. With the help of Elizabeth Goodenough, advisor on the PBS documentary Where Do the Children Play?, the Summit on March 22 is just the beginning of the process toward getting people �outside.�

Farmington Hills Special Services is making it as easy as possible for children and adults to get outside. Each year over 2,500 children participate in Summer Camps. REGISTER ONLINE! Licensed Day Camps are offered throughout the entire summer in various settings (Heritage Park, Costick Center, Ice Arena), while art, sports, and other specialty camps take place throughout the season. Events like Hay Day, the Marshmallow Fly & Fry, and the Great Farmington Hills Campout have hosted thousands of people each year, and are specifically designed to get people outdoors.

Facilities like Riley Skate Park, the Farm Disc Golf Course, the Heritage Park Nature Center, and others provide top quality experiences for outdoor activity. In 2010, Farmington Hills Special Services will unveil a new Splash Pad, host many new programs through the Heritage Park Nature Center, will become the place in the metro area for Hay Rides, and help lead adults and children down the path of a new way of life.

We are doing our job towards the societal change of getting people outdoors. We need your help. Spread the word, help reduce health care costs, and get outside.

Post 3: Motor City to Maker City

Sat, 13 Mar 2010 00:00:00 GMT

This year, we are very excited about two new partnerships that support The Henry Ford's mission while allowing us to bring in new experiences and opportunities for our visitors, heighten community engagement, and stimulate the region's economy.

The first is a partnership with the Industrial Designers Society of America (IDSA). This organization is the world's oldest and largest member-driven society for industrial and product designers. Each year, the society organizes the International Design Excellence Award (IDEA) competition. This competition annually honors "design excellence in products, eco design, and packaging" among other disciplines.

It was recently announced that the IDEA award winners, starting with those designated this year, will become part of the permanent collections of The Henry Ford. In April, all 2010 IDEA award entries will be on public display in Henry Ford Museum giving visitors an opportunity to vote for their favorite as part of IDEA's People's Choice Award. The 2010 IDEA Awards, in partnership with Fast Company, will be announced this August.

On July 31 and August 1 of this year, The Henry Ford, in partnership with Make Magazine, is taking the Motor City to Maker City with the first-ever Detroit Maker Faire. This family friendly event brings together the most creative, imaginative and resourceful can-doers in the areas of science and technology, engineering, food, and arts and crafts. It's an amazing example of people from all different backgrounds and disciplines using their imaginations and their hands to create innovative things that can make a difference.

I, personally, can't wait for this event, as it epitomizes what The Henry Ford is all about�exploring new ideas, sparking imagination, and thinking innovatively to create a better future. And what better place to hold an event like this than Detroit? This city, and its surrounding region, is a hot bed of innovation and innovators and The Henry Ford is proud to be able to bring this exciting event to our community.

Post 2: The Myth of the Lone Genius

Fri, 12 Mar 2010 00:00:00 GMT

Over the past couple of years, several of our curators, our senior management team, and I had the distinct pleasure of traveling the country with the goal of documenting and capturing on film the oral histories of some of the greatest innovators and change agents living today.

We met Don Chadwick, co-designer of the Aeron Chair, in his studio in Los Angeles. Elon Musk greeted our cameras and crew in his Space Exploration Technologies (SpaceX) Factory on 1 Rocket Road in Hawthorne, California. Dean Kamen, after landing his helicopter on his personal heli-pad, had us begin the interview in the front hallway of his home in Bedford, New Hampshire.

We have interviewed more than 30 innovators to date and 10 of these interviews are currently accessible on The Henry Ford�s newest website, OnInnovation.com. We created this site to serve as a tool for lifelong learners with the goal of further fueling a culture of innovation.

What is so amazing about these oral histories and the dynamic and diverse group of people we interviewed is the commonality in what they say about innovation and how important it is at this time in our history.

One common belief among many of the innovators we interviewed was the notion of collaboration�that the myth of the lone genius is just that, a myth. Most innovations today�social and technical�are the product of intense collaboration.

Pierre Omidyar, the inventor of eBay, said it humbly and clearly: "The really cool companies out there today (are) the ones that are the most plugged into the people they're serving, take great ideas from the community, and implement them."

At The Henry Ford, we live by the saying: "Everything of significance we do, we do in partnership with others."

For any organization to thrive today, it must collaborate. It can't go it alone. It must cultivate strategic relationships and develop mutually beneficial partnerships.

Post 1: On Innovation

Thu, 11 Mar 2010 00:00:00 GMT

At The Henry Ford, we constantly ask ourselves, how can an American history museum stay relevant? How can we relate to future generations and most importantly, how can we inspire students of today to make their mark on this world?

While our collection of artifacts is dynamic and represents the nation's best archive of innovation, The Henry Ford presents more than just "cool stuff." We share the stories of innovation, ingenuity, and resourcefulness that represent some of the greatest innovators who ever lived�people like Thomas Edison, Henry Ford, Rosa Parks, Abraham Lincoln, and the Wright brothers.

Our mission focuses on both the past and the future. We help people learn from history and encourage them to use those lessons to imagine and create a better future. At The Henry Ford, we believe that "better future" can best be created by rediscovering and examining the innovative characteristics that define a "can-do" philosophy.

One fact perhaps many people don't know about The Henry Ford is that we continue to add to our collections today. Eighty years ago, our founder, Henry Ford, set out to build what he called, "a place for everybody who wants to know the greatness of our country and what has made it great." So he began collecting objects that reflected American progress. He traveled across the country to factories, farms, and workshops to obtain those remnants he felt best represented "the common genius" of the American people.

We have never strayed from Henry Ford's vision of building a place that celebrates those common-day heroes, the dreamers, the risk-takers�the people who have dared to change the world.

And because of our great foundation and the strength of our core assets, The Henry Ford is in a unique position to collect the present stories of innovation that will be relevant tomorrow.

For more than two years, we have been collecting the oral histories of some of the leading contemporary innovators today. We have been to their workshops, laboratories, offices, and homes for the sole purpose of documenting their creative processes, the ways they work, the ways they think, and how they translate their ideas into tangible and valued realities.

In February of this year, The Henry Ford launched OnInnovation.com, a website that features these oral histories and gives the user insight into these remarkable visionaries that are currently making a significant impact in many fields ranging from new technologies and alternative fuel sources to green architecture and industrial design.

To date, we have conducted more than 30 interviews with people such as Bill Gates, Steve Wozniak, Pierre Omidyar, Elon Musk, Stan Ovshinsky, Don Chadwick, and Lyn St. James.

Throughout the course of collecting these firsthand accounts, we were able to identify common themes and characteristics�patterns in the innovative process that transcend any given industry or person or historical period.

Through this new website, OnInnovation.com, we can then share these insights and inspiring stories with the world while giving them connection and context.

I think it's important to know that OnInnovation.com is more than a website. We designed it to be a tool�a useful tool for lifelong learners.

We want people to use these stories and bring these innovators virtually into their classrooms, offices, and homes. We hope to stimulate creative and imaginative thinking.

The Henry Ford is committed to fueling the spirit of American innovation and igniting a "can-do" culture among a new generation of thinkers and doers, sparking progress and encouraging the development of talent and promotion of human potential.

Post 5: Gelato!!!

Wed, 10 Mar 2010 00:00:00 GMT

I almost hesitate to write about this because I'm sure I'll be called on this in the future. I made the mistake of telling many customers that I was seeking a liquor license. That started about 11 months ago, but thanks to red tape I'm still saying the same thing now that I was then: "I'll have it in a few months." (I do actually think it is that close now, but I should probably learn to not predict.)

All of that aside, I'm hoping to begin serving house-made gelati at the pizzeria by summer. I'm on leave from the 14th of March for Sicily (we're closed from then until the 29th, reopening March 30th), the generally accepted birthplace of modern gelato. Corrado Assenza is considered by many to be the best gelato maker in Italy and he sets up shop in Noto, outside of Siracusa in the southeast corner of the island. I'm hoping to pick his genius brain for gelato tips as much as possible. The dude is doing black olive gelato � whoa! � and it's actually supposed to taste really good.

Gelaterias are all over the place in Italy, and I punctuate every activity over there with a visit to a gelato stand. Eat lunch, get some gelato, check out the art museum, get some gelato, look at a beautiful church, get some gelato, dinner, get some gelato, sneeze, get some gelato. It's a great way to live. The best I ever had was a lemon gelato in the Trastevere district of Rome. It was so intensely lemon flavored and it had little bits of zest in it � just amazing.

What makes gelato gelato and not just ice cream? A few things, all meant to intensify flavor. For one, it is made with a large proportion of whole milk instead of cream. Allegedly, this means your tongue is less coated with fat so you can taste better. Less air is whipped into the product, so you've got more density, and again, more intense flavor. Finally the product is to be served at just below freezing so it's barely melting when you get it, as opposed to the 10 or so degrees that ice cream is held at. This means less cold, and less dampening of flavor.

So wish me luck, folks. I'm hoping to have this thing together in the next couple of months. Thanks everybody for reading. I hope my random thoughts weren't too much of a bore. Ciao!

Post 4: The Bolognese Rant

Tue, 09 Mar 2010 00:00:00 GMT

The menu at my pizzeria is very simple. It's mostly pizza with a simple salad, two types of pasta, and a dessert. We make the pasta in house as well. It's a manicotti or cannelloni style, but instead of using pasta sheets we make crespelle (francophones would call them crepes) just like my aunts do. They're filled with either a ricotta-egg-parm blend or bolognese sauce. When I opened I knew I wanted to do bolognese, and do it authentically. It's almost impossible to get an authentic version of the sauce. Just throwing meat into a sauce does not make it bolognese. In fact, red sauce with meat is more akin to a neapolitan ragu.

The name comes from the town of Bologna in northern Italy. People in Italy give great weight to food and food traditions. Case in point: properly made tagliatelle, a broad flat noodle, when raw should be 7mm in width, exactly 1/12,270th the height of the town's Asinelli tower (that's 319 feet, just to save you from doing the math). The people take their namesake sauce just as seriously, so seriously in fact that the recipe is framed and hung on the wall of the town hall! One thing that recipe does NOT include is a lot of tomato. Just a bit of tomato paste. The sauce is NEVER red � it's rich and concentrated, slowly simmering coarsely ground meats with a bit of pancetta and some mirepoix in wine, stock and dairy, either whole milk or cream. When it's done it is a light orange color. This makes for an awesomely soul-satisfying winter meal.

I've had some good meat sauces that are red, I just wish restaurants would name them accurately. Bolognese is to pasta sauce what the Beatles are to pop music. So stop calling that Lady Gaga song 'I Am the Walrus'. It's just not the same thing.

*Supino's will be closed from March 14-29 so Dave can do some R&D in Italy.

Post 3: I gotta say, it was a good day (sorry, Cube)

Mon, 08 Mar 2010 00:00:00 GMT

A couple of months ago on an unseasonably lovely Monday, I wandered into Curl Up & Dye on Cass north of Willis in Midtown (helping Detroiters look like Detroiters � awesome tagline from this fantastic little salon's Myspace page) for my semiannual haircut without an appointment (because that's sort of how I operate). I was told I would have a 45 minute wait. So how to entertain myself for a bit?

Then it occurred to me that this is one section in Detroit that has newly established the sort of 'walkable neighborhood � retail density' that we all get geeked about. Just around the block on Canfield I went to grab a beer at Motor City Brewing Works. On my way there, I passed two stores that, like my business, are closed on Mondays. But most days of the week, you can check out beautiful, locally crafted art and gifts and vintage clothes at City Bird, or fantastic design elements for your home, curated by the eminently tasteful Claire at the Bureau of Urban Living next door. I finished my beer and cruised around the block, past the Avalon Bakery (their bear claw pastries are the greatest) on to Goodwell's, a natural foods store par-excellence, and home to one of the tastiest avocado sandwiches you'll ever sink your teeth into. Now I'm a carnivore, but this is one vegan meal that can satisfy my people. I still had four minutes left as I walked by another anchor of this neighborhood, the Spiral Collective, and got back just in time to get a great haircut while listening to the owner drop the occasional f-bomb, one of the particular charms of this place.

So, I was really excited � and this is not even mentioning a soon-to-open, artisanally-minded Corridor Sausage Co. (did I mention I'm a meat eater?), rumors of another brewery in this same block, and a take-out branch of Slow's (um, did I mention my carnivorous habits?)

I love living here � I can walk to the Burton Theater from my home, see an always interesting, sometimes disgusting, sometimes funny-as-hell film and then discuss it with the guys who own the place � have you ever discussed a film with Mr. Loeks? Me neither (yeah, I know he doesn't still have a partnership in the Star theaters, but it's the only name I could come up with � which strengthens my point further!)

At the initial conception of my pizzeria, I knew I wanted to open in Detroit � I had lived in the city for about four years at that point and it was becoming clear what people now mean when they say Detroit is like a small town in a big city. I saw the same people at my local haunts all of the time and I knew the guys who owned establishments that I frequented. This is night-and-day for me � I grew up in Troy, which is essentially a 6x6 mile grid populated by strip malls, office complexes, and residential subdivisions. It's come full circle for me � I love that I know many of my customers by name.

The even better news is that I continually hear about exciting new projects in development. Keep an eye out for Astro Coffee. You may have caught a small feature on bean-brewing genius Dai Hughes in a prior issue of Model D. That's one of nine or 10 great ideas that I've been hearing about in recent months.
I know Detroit is still a bit rough around the edges, but it's like the mole that accentuates the beauty of the model. OK, so there's a whole lot of moles � but the model is only getting hotter!

*Supino's will be closed from March 14-29 so Dave can do some R&D in Italy

Post 2: Otto's Pizza

Fri, 05 Mar 2010 00:00:00 GMT

In 1862, then-Prussian Prime Minister Otto von Bismarck was negotiating the unification of Germany and delivered a speech making the point that it would take military strength, 'blood and iron', not sweet talk, to effect change. The phrase was originally mistranslated as 'blood and eggs' and this would lead to the unlikely circumstance of Otto having a pizza named for him, the Bismarck (thanks, Josh Elling, for the history consultation).

It's a pizza with a runny-yolk egg on top. Our version also has prosciutto and fresh mozzarella, but the egg is the real point. And we don't have ground beef as a topping. I mention these things because food should be delivered by someone who understands it. I understand sunny-side up eggs � delicious, rich, unctuous fattiness. Mmmmm. Gray, sauteed ground beef? Not on the menu � I cannot stomach ground beef on pizza. It doesn't fit. It works in meatballs, meatloaf (as I write this I'm considering the possibility of a meatloaf pizza), and I love a good, slightly bloody burger. But to just sauté it with a little seasoning and throw it on a pie? I don't get it. So I don't know how to make it taste good. And I don't put it on my pizzas.

The gratifying thing for me is that many people are catching on to the egg as a topping. In recent months, the orders for the Bismarck pizza are increasingly frequent. We crack them raw on top of the pie just before it goes into the oven � one to a small, four to a large.

That's another beautiful thing about pizza � if you have good crust you can try just about anything on top of it. This past weekend I tried shaved, roasted celery root as a topping. I think it worked, based on customer response. Swiss chard pizza was good, the seasonal butternut squash has a cult following, and potato pie has been pretty well received. I may just have to try that meatloaf thing. It's still stuck in my head.

*Supino's will be closed from March 14-29 so Dave can do some R&D in Italy

Post 1: I'd Rather Stretch Dough than Stretch Patients

Thu, 04 Mar 2010 00:00:00 GMT

You've probably heard it a million times if you've entertained the idea of opening your own business � to be successful, find something you're passionate about and figure out how to make it profitable, or at least to foot the bills you will generate. There was truth in that for my case, but I found two other valuable things that I feel get less mention � flexibility and determination. The latter may be fueled by passion but it is still a separate concept.

I was comfortable in a position as a physical therapist prior to my new gig as a pizza guy, but I was bored. It's a good way to make a living but it just did not light my fire. I would go home and read recipes and knead dough while colleagues of mine studied therapy journals. There's some irony in the fact that the restaurant jobs I secured to pay the bills during grad school were the genesis of my eventual career change.

Soon after graduating I took a trip to my father's tiny hometown of Supino, outside of Rome, where my cousins make delicious pizzas in backyard wood-burning ovens that are as ubiquitous there as grills are here. I spent the next seven years, while practicing as a full-time physical therapist, perfecting pizza recipes. My recipe evolved and is now quite different from the focaccia-like crust of the Supinesi pies, but I still named the pizzeria for the town because it was the real inspiration. I have always been partial to a thin crust (I hesitate to use New York-style as a term here � some New Yorkers have told me my crust is too thick, others say too thin. Let's just say my crust is thinner than most of the ones you see around here.) It took a long time with lots of frustration, toil, frustration, swear words, tears, and frustration, but eventually I got it right.

And then I had to start looking for space � this took as much determination. You just have to keep looking and keep trying. If you have your feelers out you're going to find the right fit. In my case this is where flexibility came into the picture. It would cost me 30 grand to install new hoods and ductwork for a wood-burning oven in an otherwise ideal space. $!%$#^@#$^!!! That was not financially feasible for this son of a practical Southern Italian and a thrifty Scot.

Back to the drawing board with the dough, I had to figure out how to make an exceptional crust in a gas oven. So it was a few months more of work and consultation. That few months doesn't sound like a lot relative to seven years, but it was one of the toughest moments of my life, having a day job, trying to get a space in order to do business, AND reworking the product that was the cornerstone of the concept.

I work a lot of hours at the business now, but it all seems like gravy compared to that time. And a last note to those folks who are a little more well-traveled. If you think it's too late to act on a dream, consider Julia Child. She was 36 when she first ate a meal in France, and was 49 when she first made any money in connection with food, as one of three to publish Mastering the Art of French Cooking. Now she's the eternal 'It' girl of continental cuisine in the U.S! It's never too late.

*Supino's will be closed from March 14-29 so Dave can do some R&D in Italy.

Post 2: The Divide of Partisanship

Mon, 01 Mar 2010 00:00:00 GMT

The first "big innovative idea" for our region is the notion that the majority of people of this region are ready to abandon long standing polarization and isolation and embrace regional cooperation and partnerships. Major roadblocks in transportation, infrastructure and employment can be broken if our leaders will walk away from gamesmanship and sit down at the table and work it out for the good for everyone. In other words, if our leaders will lead, instead of posture, we can move away from the past and actually get something done.

That's a big IF though, as posturing wins elections by promoting large allegedly "moral" issues that make voters "feel" like someone is "fighting for their way of life". Contrast that with actual leadership, which requires intelligent discussion of tough issues requiring sacrifice, hard work and compromise, with a benefit to be realized in the future.

Partisanship is the immediate gratification of a fast paced football game. Good government, on the other hand, is the slow and steady machinery of identifying issues, examining facts, and designing and implementing policy. Because it is completely natural and human for people to want to polarize and team up by race, economics, or religion, partisanship is easy. It is almost an instinctive reflex, and we are very good at it. We all want to be on the winning team, cheer on our victorious leaders, and crush an enemy.

Unfortunately, our partisan urges mask our intellect, because we know that in whatever part of the demographic we fit racially, economically, and location and lifestyle-wise, we are all on the SAME TEAM going in the same direction in southeastern Michigan. Whether we are going to a brighter future or off a cliff is entirely up to us, and our leaders. It is our leaders' responsibility to encourage cooperation and teamwork and overcome our instinctual partisan desires. That's not easy, but it's more productive. It will take a major re-think of what we do to accomplish these goals. As leaders, we have to preach the new reality of Good Government---cooperation, consolidation, and teamwork, if we are going to have a future.

We've been through a lot as a region. In my life, we've been through riots, suburban sprawl, stagflation, high interest rates, high deficits, reckless spending, unnecessary wars, and the globalization of industrial jobs which has laid waste to our economy's central tenet: That one person with a high school education can support a family, a house, two cars, a place up north, and a garage full of toys, all with a 75 percent pension and no-deductible health insurance. Now, entire families labor just to provide the basics of food and shelter. Our local economy is strained past the breaking point, our infrastructure is crumbling, our workers are idle.

But from what I see, this new generation is pragmatic, willing to take risks, and able to see through the posturing to the goal. Our generation, in our 40s, and those younger than us, don't harbor the same suspicion and animosity towards our urban brothers that our parents' did. In fact, we really like the urban nature of it all. To us, mass transit is what cities have, diversity is what makes life interesting, and we like old buildings, urban living, and a great restaurant or bar on every corner. We dance when we like the music.

More importantly, we are ready for leaders to guide us in the reality of cooperation, consolidation, and teamwork. That's why in Royal Oak, we are remaking our government in Royal Oak to do more with less. We are enlisting the cooperation of our unions to work within our financial constraints, reorganizing our City Hall departments, and essentially re-designing our government around our customers. We have much less to work with financially, and the next several years will be rough. But every day, entrepreneurs and established businesses bring us their brilliant business ideas and we work with them to bring them to reality.

Post 1 - Circling the City and Suburbs: A 2020 Vision

Thu, 25 Feb 2010 00:00:00 GMT

I really appreciate the invitation to guest blog for Metromode. Without unnecessarily flattering them, I feel like I'm in some seriously good company as I have read many of the other blogs. Being a glass half-full sort of guy, I like the optimism, the energy, and the possibility that our collective new vision for this region can become a reality.

Out to the Suburbs

As a bit of history, I am a first generation suburbanite. My great grandfather's house still stands on King Street on the northeast side of Detroit, my grandfather was a Detroit car dealer from the 30s until the 70s. My mom and dad grew up on the streets of Detroit, went to Mumford and Central when a degree from either was an automatic ticket to a job or a top notch college. They remember ice being delivered in a wagon with a horse, they stoked a coal furnace in the morning to get warm, and as kids they rode a streetcar for pennies, alone, to go to Hudson's.

Once they moved to the suburbs, they became afraid of the city. They saw it fall apart from its heyday, they saw their neighborhoods fall into disrepair and ghetto, and the blame set in. Colman Young and Bill Bonds didn't help. The 70s was an era of all-out polarization in Detroit. It almost seems like the leadership wanted you to be very afraid of any interaction or cooperation. The unions and management, city and suburb, white and black, young and old, it was a decade of disagreement and conflict.

When I attended U of D law in the 1980s, my parents warned me of crime and vice, and I worried about my safety. I learned to deal with street people, keep my head up and my eyes open, but never experienced any real crime. I spent a lot of time in a lot of venues in the city, and never experienced much racism at all. I never gave any either, for that matter. I got to enjoy the neighborhoods of the city, the Eastern Market, the revitalization that struggles still all over the city.

Back to the Region

I was asked to write about my "big innovative idea" for our region. I usually find "big" and "innovative" ideas to be grounded in clear and simple truths and common shared values. And that's the reason that I ran for, and won, a seat on the Royal Oak City Commission. We face unprecedented and complicated issues in Royal Oak, but our solutions boil down to simple parables: You have to live within your means, you have to know where you are going, you have to work well with the others around you, and you have to clean up your own mess.

I have a vision of Royal Oak and this region at the end of this decade, in the year 2020. My vision involves fostering an atmosphere conducive to job creation, right-sizing our services, and allowing our City Hall to work with business to bring the next wave of entrepreneurs, entertainment, and urban residents to our neighborhoods. We will work with our sister communities towards final resolution of long-standing regional problems... lack of mass transit, regional isolationism and prejudice, revitalizing our industry, and ensuring living wages for families, just to name a few.

Just like perfect 20/20 vision at an eye exam, we too must collectively focus on our 2020 vision for this region in order to fulfill our obligation to leave a better Detroit region for the next generation. Government's role in this progress is to focus on facilitating solutions to chronic problems, instead of being itself the roadblock in the way of the solution. I will expand on this in my next post.

Post 5: The Penobscot Buildings

Mon, 22 Feb 2010 00:00:00 GMT

Downtown Detroit's Penobscot Building � built in 1928 at the corner of Fort Street and Griswold is forty-seven stories tall � and was our character-defining skyscraper for five decades. Designed by the firm of Smith, Hinchman & Grylls, the chief designer, Wirt C. Rowland, was in charge of the Penobscot Building.

What most people don't know is that the Penobscot Building is actually one of three Penobscot Buildings � the other two are connected to the skyscraper, although built a decade earlier. The first Penobscot Building, designed by Donaldson & Meier, was completed in 1905, and located on Fort Street, while the second was constructed by the same firm � and interconnected to the first � on Congress Street.

I'm pleased to report that I was instrumental in getting a National Register Historic District designation in place for the Penobscot buildings and for the entire downtown Detroit financial district � a total of 33 buildings. So they now have the option of using a Federal Historic Tax Credit of 20 percent of the eligible expenses on investments in property rehabilitation. This tax credit comes with conditions � to qualify, the project must follow the "Secretary of the Interior's Standards" and the renovations that qualify for the tax credit are reviewed by an architect at the State Historic Preservation Office. But believe me � there are not many other places to get a discount on brick and mortar renovations to historic properties.

The Penobscot Buildings are a preservation opportunity because they are at a crossroads. Perhaps you read about the recent default and receivership of the Penobscot Building. This tragic turn of events reflects the office market in downtown Detroit and the difficulty in leasing older office space. But once again � we should think about the opportunity this can present. Perhaps we can re-think a new use for the two older Penobscot Buildings. Maybe they can be adaptively reused to become government courts, housing, or educational facilities. The recent adaptive reuse of the Argonaut Building as the A. Alfred Taubman Center for Design Education in the New Center area is an outstanding example.

If you agree that historic preservation is a worthwhile endeavor in Detroit � find out more at the website of Preservation Wayne, the oldest, largest nonprofit preservation organization in Detroit.

*Penobscot photo by Jeff Garland

Post 4: The Vanity Ballroom

Sun, 21 Feb 2010 00:00:00 GMT

On East Jefferson Avenue, the Jefferson East Business Association (JEBA) concentrates its work in an area formerly known as the Jefferson/Chalmers Business District. It runs roughly from Eastwood Street to the Alter Street border with Grosse Pointe Park. This area has a relatively intact commercial strip in Detroit.

This historic district is an affirmation that Detroit's character is rooted in the small grain of everyday life. There are just plain average buildings in this district: hardware stores, bars, car dealerships, dentist offices, and grocery stores. And those humble structures are just as deserving of historic preservation as movie palaces, big hotels, and auto baron mansions.

The East Jefferson district is both a National Register historic district and a City of Detroit historic district. This means the buildings in the district qualify for a 25 percent State Historic Tax Credit, and can apply for the "enhanced" state tax credit as well.

Also in the East Jefferson district is the Vanity Ballroom, designed in 1929 by architect Charles N. Agree. In the jazz era, ballroom dancing filled the 5,000-square-foot dance floor with young people, and crowds came to hear the popular big bands of the day. The Vanity Ballroom is an Art Deco design treasure, a combination of Mayan/Mexican themed design and Art Deco style. Sadly, the building has been allowed to deteriorate and has been neglected for many years. The Vanity Ballroom is a preservation opportunity � what a terrific entertainment venue this could be once again.

The East Jefferson district sits on a commuter line of opportunity. While Detroiters and Grosse Pointers alike drive down East Jefferson to get downtown and back, the district has a great deal of potential. JEBA is leading the effort to change the direction of the Vanity Ballroom's condition. It is also leading the effort in the revitalization of East Jefferson Avenue. You can contact JEBA to find out more about it here.

* Vanity Ballroom photo by Rebecca Binno Savage

Post 3: The Brodhead Armory

Sat, 20 Feb 2010 00:00:00 GMT

On East Jefferson Avenue, just east of the Belle Isle (McArthur) Bridge is the historic R. Thornton Brodhead Naval Armory. This building has a very rich history as part of Detroit's military past and holds many memories for Detroiters who trained at the Brodhead in their careers in the Marines and Navy. The Brodhead Armory was built in 1929-30 by the Detroit architectural firm of Stratton & Hyde. The building is also significant as having Michigan's largest collection of Works Progress Administration W.P.A. artwork. This includes wood carvings and plaster frescoes done as part of the public art program sponsored by the federal government. No, they can't be removed from the building.

Unfortunately, the Brodhead Armory has been vacant since the military left in 2004. The building has suffered from stolen plumbing, theft, and water damage. It is owned by the City of Detroit.

The R. Thornton Brodhead Armory is on the National Register of Historic Places and is listed as a City of Detroit historic district. It is protected with both an interior and exterior historic designation, which qualifies the building for a 25 percent State Historic Tax Credit.

The historic preservation opportunity: The Brodhead Armory is situated on the Detroit River adjacent to Gabriel Richard Park and the River Walk. It has a square footage of 107,000 and sits on a parcel of 3.41 acres. There is a large gymnasium-type space that was originally designed as the "Drill Deck" that is approximately 15,000 square feet in size.

While the City of Detroit has issued two RFPs in the past, they were not well advertised, and the proposals submitted went to the City Council but did not get final approval for sale. With a new administration and new City Council members, perhaps the day for another issue of another RFP could get the Brodhead Armory into the hands of a developer and off the City's vacant building list.

* Brodhead Armory photo by Rebecca Binno Savage

Post 2: How About That Train Station?

Fri, 19 Feb 2010 00:00:00 GMT

When someone asks me what my job is, and I answer that I work in historic preservation, the next likely thing that person will ask me is � "How about that train station?"

Yes, how about it. The Michigan Central Station is without question the biggest historic preservation issue in the city of Detroit. The alert reader of Metromode will already know that the Michigan Central Station is not owned by the City of Detroit, but by a private individual � in fact, a billionaire � who has ownership of the Ambassador Bridge. He purchased the Michigan Central Station in order to land bank property and obtain controlling interest of sites that could someday assist in the development of his transportation empire.

Does the fact that a huge vacant hulk is sitting on the property bother him?   I doubt he looks at it every day. But people who drive the nearby stretch of I-75 and I-96 sure do. People driving down Michigan Avenue see it. People who live in Southwest Detroit see it every day. So the fact that it sits vacant and trashed is an affront and insult to everyone who has to look at it.

What to do?   While it is simplistic to look at the building today and give up and say "forget it" I think there are better solutions. I agree that the Michigan Central Station will never again look like it did when it opened in 1913. It won't look like it did when it closed in 1988. But we need to acknowledge that the train station is a significant landmark in the city of Detroit, and worthy of preservation. It is listed on the National Register of Historic Places and it is an iconic work of architecture in the Midwest. To demolish the Michigan Central Station would be yet another national news story that would throw Detroit into yet another negative spotlight.

But imagine the spotlight and publicity if Detroit saved the train station. Or reused it as a sustainable resource that benefits the environment. It is time for our governmental entities to work with the property owner to form a public/private partnership that searches for a solution. Do we hold a creative design charrette and then chose from the best solutions? Do we ask for responses from a nationally advertised Request for Proposals (RFP)? Or maybe we look at the work that grass-roots nonprofit organizations have been doing.

The Michigan Central Station Preservation Society is a newly formed nonprofit organization that has been working hard to clean up the property, with the owner's permission. It has a terrific Facebook following and has held some very successful events and made excellent contacts.   You can personally help out and get involved here.

Post 1: In the Heat of Historic Preservation

Thu, 18 Feb 2010 00:00:00 GMT

I'm lucky � I'm given the opportunity to write about historic preservation as an economic development tool in Detroit. Detroit's comeback is integrally tied to its architecture. The buildings that make up our downtown outshine and surpass the downtowns of Seattle, Portland, San Jose, or Denver. Those upstart cities have nothing to compare to the Guardian Building, the Fisher Building, or the Fox Theater. Our historic architecture will play a key role in the revitalization of the city and future investment.

In Detroit there have been many historic preservation success stories � you all know them: the Detroit Opera House, the Book Cadillac Hotel and the Dime Building, etc. But give me a minute because I want to talk about the philosophy and theory of historic preservation. Historic preservation has three main components:

1.   Historic Preservation is sustainable development � that means historic preservation saves buildings from going into landfills. That keeps our environment cleaner and thus more sustainable. Here is an example: perhaps you've gone to Slow's Barbeque for dinner. That building � approximately 40 feet wide and 70 feet deep is typical of commercial buildings in Detroit. Let's say that it was demolished. You just eliminated the entire environmental benefit from the last 1,344,000 pop cans that were recycled. So not only was a great building wasted, we've wasted months of recycling.

Also lost was something called "embodied energy." Embodied energy is the concept of the total expenditure of energy involved in the creation of the building and its constituent material. Each brick has embodied energy. So the demolition of a building also throws out all of the embodied energy incorporated into that building. There was also energy expended in the tearing down and hauling to landfill.¹

Historic preservation was sustainable before it was cool. It was "green" before it was cool.

2.   Historic preservation creates jobs. Jobs in the construction trades � one of the industries most affected by this recession. At the same time, there is a shortage of craftsmen in a variety of restoration skills so job training, job creation, and a lifetime profession can be gained from historic preservation work. The jobs in historic preservation aren't just "make-work" jobs � they are good, well-paying jobs for carpenters, plumbers and electricians. Additionally, that carpenter, plumber and electrician each spend their paycheck locally on a haircut, groceries and paying local taxes.²

3.   Historic preservation prevents sprawl. The metropolitan Detroit area has sprawled out to gobble up far distant cornfields and farms. But each time a building in Detroit is rehabbed, it could be preventing a commuter from making the long drive to their job. It could prevent additional infrastructure investment in a cornfield that was never developed before. It could help small businesses get established in a neighborhood and provide an entrepreneurial opportunity where one did not exist before.

All that is just great but here's what really matters in a historic development project: The money.

So this is what drives historic preservation in this country: historic preservation tax credits. There are currently federal historic tax credits for 20 percent of the eligible investments for buildings on the National Register of Historic Places. For buildings in a local district, there is a State of Michigan Historic Tax Credit of 25 percent. The State Historic Tax Credit has a potential to go even higher with an "enhanced" credit that requires an additional application. See the link to the state of Michigan's website on the subject.

Now that you've gone to preservation school, I'll spend the next blog entries giving you Detroit's greatest preservation opportunities. These are buildings that I feel have the most potential for greatness.

^{1 Rypkema, Donald, Principal of PlaceEconomics

2 Rypkema, Donald, Principal of PLaceEconomics}

Post 4 - REGIONALISM: The New Cultural Capital

Sun, 14 Feb 2010 00:00:00 GMT

I've really enjoyed my time writing this blog for Metromode and sharing with you a small part of my life in contemporary art. To wrap up my series, I want to reassess the interconnectedness of the relationships within the local economy to once again stress the dependence of artists on their local community and environment.

When I was starting out in this field, I often had conversations about the dangers of an artist being dubbed "regional". Unlike sport teams, artists traditionally sought an audience outside of their hometowns to propagate and sale their work (the anomaly being artists working in wealthy urban centers like New York and London). Historically the reason for this was, among other practicalities, the finite amount of collectors within a geographic proximity. That said, much has changed today with the size and speed of information we can exchange, courtesy of refined technology.

Once, corner shop-chic Detroit brands like City Bird and Hugh would be destined to remain local gems. Today these small businesses are flourishing due to their affability, local flair, and web presence. Sometimes the concepts are strikingly new and sometimes an old idea can be a welcomed-back addition to the community, like the affordable Ferndale-to-Detroit eco-friendly bus service, The Night Move. The same can be said for art being made in Detroit today. The old regionalism is today's hot commodity: Authenticity and resilience.

The nation, perhaps the world, views Detroit as economic Ground Zero. Generally speaking, we can perceive empathy through the public's furor of post-apocalyptic news reports and photographs of the ruin of the city and translate that into an example of sustainable jobs in the creative sector. Local business partnerships, retention of local talent, and a lot of hard work are what it will take to regenerate the interest in the city. Each person in the community plays a role in the development and maintenance of the infrastructure in their neighborhood and surrounding city.

I believe together we have what it takes; I'm betting my future on it.

Post 3 - INFRASTRUCTURE: You, Me, and Them

Sat, 13 Feb 2010 00:00:00 GMT

Last blog I talked about how buying art is an investment in yourself and your community. Central to the theme of this entry is to further explain how other local organizations fit into the landscape of art in Detroit. The networks and resources available in Michigan rival many world-class cities and offer benefits not available in other cities. Finally, a positive perspective on housing prices in Michigan!

Seriously though, I am often asked in conversation and interviews about the gallery why I choose to return to Detroit after living in New York. This question, although expected, admittedly triggers a strange defensiveness inside me. In the old days this may have been called "Hometown Pride" or a by-product of Midwestern regionalism. The truth is, I know what Detroit has to offer and I know the quality of people who live here.

Did you know�

� that since 2006, Art Detroit Now has been coordinating Metro Detroit galleries and organizing synchronized events for a week each summer? In 2009, over 60 galleries participated by hosting gallery talks, openings, and special events. This year the focus is on public sculpture and urban landscape.

� Russell Industrial Center (a former automotive stamping plant, circa 1915) boasts over 2.2 million square feet of enclosed space and is home to numerous artist-run gallery and studio spaces such as CAVE, MONA, or ORG?

� internationally recognized art activism is alive in Detroit in concepts such as the Ice House and Power House?

This blog is dedicated to the institutions that have come before me and continue to offer vital services to residents and visitors to the city. Perhaps the next time you have a guest in town, you'll access the following cursory list as a guide to cultural tourism in our community as it relates to contemporary art.

Non-Profit Institutions:

Detroit Institute of Arts - Founded in 1885, the DIA is the fifth-largest fine art museum in the nation, dedicated to creating "experiences that help each visitor find personal meaning in art" and home to Rivera Court.

Detroit Artist Market (DAM) - DAM has been dedicated to the providing a sustainable platform for the exhibition and sale of local artists' work for over 75 years.

The Heidelberg Project - One of Detroit's original urban art landscapes.

Museum of Contemporary Art Detroit (MOCAD) - Opened in 2006, the mission concerns itself with presenting "art at the forefront of contemporary culture. As a non-collecting institution, MOCAD is responsive to the cultural content of our time, fueling crucial dialogue, collaboration, and public engagement."

Local universities with art programs and galleries:

College for Creative Studies and Center Galleries

Cranbrook and Cranbrook Art Museum

Oakland University and the OU Art Gallery

Wayne State University and the Elaine L. Jacob Gallery

Notable Ferndale fine art galleries:

The Butcher's Daughter
22747 Woodward Avenue, Suite 201

Lemberg Gallery
23241 Woodward Avenue

Susanne Hilberry Gallery
700 Livernois

Post 2 - COMMUNITY: Who is Contemporary Art About?

Fri, 12 Feb 2010 00:00:00 GMT

Depending on your experiences, when you think of contemporary art you may first think of hipsters, edgy hedge fund managers, or über-sophisticated parties in which everyone stands around admiring a used refrigerator on its back. These things (all recollections of yours truly) are just one side of the story.

I was asked to write this blog based on a comment I had made in a previous interview:

"Collecting art is an investment in yourself and your community."

While I made that comment a while ago now, it somehow seems even more authentic and true to me today that it did then. Since opening in September 2009, I have received a warm reception from collectors, local business owners, and the art community in general. So you know, each exhibition is kicked off with an opening reception in which the public is welcomed for the first viewing of the art, and this is often a chance to meet the artist(s). The attendance has been overwhelming and this is simple indication of a general desire for larger cultural offerings in the area; perhaps most encouraging is the dialogue that occurs as a result of the patrons interacting with one another and me when they looking at the art.

Last September I wrote a five part series on demystifying art collecting in my blog, Prime Cuts, called Adding it Up. The series was created to communicate in a concise, uncomplicated manner key elements important in understanding contemporary art: who buys art, why buy art, what is value, who determines prices, and how do you know what art to buy. These topics and the resulting discussions have only increased the community's interest in their personal roles.

The most concrete example I can give of this happened after the opening reception of the current exhibition, No Vacancy, at The Butcher's Daughter. Artists in the show came from New York and as far away as San Francisco to meet and network with people from the surrounding Metro Detroit area. I noticed a group of three men gathered together and approached them to introduce myself. I was informed that one of them was a cousin of the artist from California and the other two were his friends. None of the men had ever attended an art opening. Shortly thereafter came an influx of people and I forgot about the men and our short introduction.

A few days after the opening reception I received the following email:

...I just wanted to state what a fantastic time I had last Saturday at the opening of No Vacancy. My friend hadn't seen his cousin Guy Overfelt in a while so it was an even more exciting time for him as he has never been to an art gallery show before. He was absolutely amazed at the type of people he met and talked to. He didn't realize that there were people that would actually listen to what he had to say about photography and art.

You see, we work together in a blue-collar industry and one really doesn't get to meet with an eclectic group of people. Not saying that there is no creativity in the people that we work with, it's just that most of the time we can't discuss certain topics or express our ideas and opinions about things because most of our co-workers don't understand or just don't care. So I told him that he was going to have a great time and he did. It was great for us three to finally get out of our usual drudgery and attend this event. You did an excellent job and you deserve a lot of credit. Thanks again.

It is instances such as this that affirm the intrinsic relationship between art, artist and community to me as well as underscore the ability of context to bridge people together. To invest in art, one must believe they play a role or have a connection to the artist's creation manifest. This step is essential in allowing artists to create work and cultural capital to grow in a community.

Take the cliché, "Rome wasn�t built in a day" and think of this as a metaphor for the work to be done in Detroit. In order to overcome social adversity in our communities we must support artists and local businesses that reinforce the society we envision for ourselves. Taking action, working to rebuild and reinforce infrastructure, rejecting apathy: all keys to reestablishing Detroit as a center for cultural significance. Buying and collecting art encourages social discourse and is an important part of the vitality of any urban center. What other commodity can offer that?

To see the art that inspired the email, check out No Vacancy: Guy Overfelt on The Butcher's Daughter Prime Cuts blog.

Post 1: An Obligatory Choice

Thu, 11 Feb 2010 00:00:00 GMT

A lot is said to me about my courage to open a gallery during a recession. Truth be told: the choice to become an entrepreneur wasn't a courageous one; rather, it was obligatory. You see, upon graduation from Georgetown, industry jobs common for graduates entering the work force were scarcely available. Many institutions were downsizing and in some cases closing altogether. The situation was familiar to me; I was born and raised in Michigan.

Being no stranger to the results of an economic downturn, I was prepared to gather resources, utilize connections, and mobilize others in the community with very little budget and no previous experience running a small business to secure a spot for doing what I love and am trained to do. Sure, my background in international trade provided insight into commodity trading, however, this is not just any commodity. It's art.

You know that old saying, "Necessity is the mother of invention"? This was the case with the branding and marketing of The Butcher's Daughter. Drawing from my own personal experiences, I borrowed a philosophy I grew up with and understood: value for quality. I also created strategic goals related to my interests and those relevant to the field of contemporary art.

This leads to what I feel is a huge innovation for art galleries in Michigan: the desire and capacity to not only represent artists or sell art, but also to provide context for WHY the art is relevant. The Butcher's Daughter does so by citing trends in the contemporary art market, placing the work within an art historical or academic framework using contemporary theory and discourse and, finally, supporting regional talent and community infrastructure.

The gallery often hosts events in conjunction with exhibitions to further explore the curatorial vision and artists behind the work on view in the gallery. These ideas are all documented in my Prime Cuts blog and on the gallery�s Twitter and Facebook page.

During the course of my guest spot blogging for Metromode, I plan to share my insights and perspective in regards to issues that affect you (no matter what role you feel art plays in your life):

Blog #2: COMMUNITY � "Who is Contemporary Art About?" This installment will address how contemporary art impacts your life

Blog #3: INFRASTRUCTURE � "You, Me and Them" will provide an overview of local art resources and illustrate the vitality of their services

Blog #4: REGIONALISM � "The New Cultural Capital" will wrap up the series with a perspective on how creative capital saves local economies

See, that's the beauty of context at work� the realization that you have an active role in cultivating cultural capital/local talent while enriching your life and the lives of others in the community.

Post 3: Building a Better Larry

Sun, 07 Feb 2010 00:00:00 GMT

In my previous posts, I talked about the need to change how we think about the region. We need to avoid thinking we're doomed, while at the same time avoid deluding ourselves into thinking things are great or that a miraculous comeback is going to return us to the status quo ante. Rather, we need to embrace the cold hard reality of our situation and realize that we have severe challenges and a tough road ahead of us, but we're equipped with skills and our very existence should infuse us with the will to carry on. The region is like a 45-year-old middle manager, parent of three, who just got laid off. The region, and each of us, is Larry. In my most recent post, I detailed the entrepreneurial mindset and offered it as a way forward for Larry. I'd now like to talk about some additional shifts in mindset, as well as practical tips for implementing the entrepreneurial mindset in your day-to-day life to be the best Larry you can be.

Nobody owes you nothing

Before diving into the practical tips, there's a big mindset shift I'd like to encourage, and that's to drop your sense of entitlement. I grew up in a family of car mechanics and truck drivers and the phrase was 'Nobody owes you nothing' which presumably was meant to convey that no one owes you anything. If we learned anything from Hurricane Katrina and the Great Contraction (that's what I�m calling the last two years), it's that we're on our own. If the best we can expect from the government is a helicopter to get us off the roof when our house is under 20 feet of water, then we're all in trouble. I'm not saying the way things are is right, but this is very clearly the way things are. Complaining about the weather doesn't make you any less wet.

The benefit of dropping your sense of entitlement is that you'll stop waiting for other people to provide for you and start to do what you can to provide for yourself. By accepting responsibility for your own fate, you give yourself the power to impact your fate. Armed with a newfound sense of responsibility and power, here are some things you can do starting now.

How to innovate everyday: Be awake and aware

Entrepreneurs value innovation - and so should you, Larry. The practical way to innovate everyday is to be awake and aware. Cast a half glance at every action you take and every thought you have and ask yourself "Is this the best way, or just a way?" More often than not, the way we do things, the way we think, isn't the best way. It's just the way we do it, and we aren't awake and aware enough to ask whether there's a better way. I'm not saying you should relentlessly pursue a new way to do everything, but rather to be open to opportunities for improvement. Notice that I'm talking not just about doing, but also about thinking. Innovation can be found not just by doing things differently, but by thinking about things differently. Think about that for a while. Done? Great, let's move on.

Taking action: Do one small thing

If you started walking a mile a day, then by the end of the week, you'd be seven miles from home. I bring this up not to display my damaged and antiquated sense of humor, but to emphasis the cumulative power of small actions. Any small action, performed again and again or taken in conjunction with other small actions, can achieve a huge effect. So look for some small action you can take (on anything really - even if it's moving the garbage can closer to the curb by an inch) and take it. You're trying to build a propensity for action within yourself, so force yourself to take some extra inch of action every day.

How to embrace failure: Keep score

We can't begin to embrace failure until we acknowledge failure. The way to acknowledge failure is to keep score. Each day ask yourself - did you do better than you did the day before? Score yourself against yourself by comparison. Now here's the crucial part - some days you're going to lose and lose big. Don't beat yourself up when you take a big loss. Remember the entepreneurial trait we're trying to apply is embracing failure - not choking the life out of it. Failure is always an option. Figure out why you failed, or how you failed, or whether you really failed given that you may have in fact learned something from the failure. The more you engage in this process of self reflection and assessment, the more you'll realize your opportunities for learning and improvement.

Expect instability: Prepare for another crazy day

Entrepreneurs are conditioned to expect instability. They know that each day brings new challenges and new opportunities. Emulate this behavior by starting each day acknowledging the reality that something is going to happen today that�s going to be unexpected and interfere with your plans for that day, even if just for a moment. What you're doing in this exercise is building up your ability to mentally adapt to change. Change comes whether we want it to or not, and by preparing for that change, (i.e. expecting instability) we are better able to deal with and master that change.

Focus on serving others: Say yes.

Each one of the previous tips were very internally focused. Little bits of thought and action that involved you and your entrepreneurial, mental muscles. On this final one, I'm encouraging you to apply some of that focus externally. Do that by trying to say yes to one request a day. Once a day, when someone asks for help, say yes. Make it your goal to say yes to a request for help once a day. Here's the tricky part: don't expect this to achieve anything or benefit you in any way. Focusing on others, whether it's helping someone open a door, helping your team leader on a challenging assignment, or helping a client, is its own reward. It's good to do good. Remember, as discussed earlier, drop your sense of entitlement. Don't expect or demand that good things will happen to you because you say yes to others. Having the opportunity to help is the reward for helping.

Final Thoughts

In my capacity as Training Leader at Bizdom U, I work with entrepreneurs every day trying to maximize their potential and the potential of their enterprises. In many ways, I've learned far more than I've taught. The main lesson I've learned about entrepreneurs is that they have no special magic. There are certain patterns of behavior that they engage in, and while some of them naturally engage in those behaviors, just as many have made the conscious decision to engage in those behaviors: valuing innovation, taking action, embracing failure, expecting instability, and serving others.

By relentlessly and ruthlessly engaging in these behaviors, entrepreneurs take responsibility for and control over their fate. Our region unfortunately has an overabundance of deferring responsibility and surrendering control of our fates. If we break ourselves of this habit of passivity, and each of us take responsibility for ourselves, and behave entrepreneurially, in school, at work, in all the aspects of our lives, we will be able to overcome our challenges and maximize our opportunities, and hopefully be the best Larry we can be.

Post 2: Understanding the Entrepreneurial Mindset

Fri, 05 Feb 2010 00:00:00 GMT

In my previous post, I talked about how we need to change our metaphor for thinking about the region. Rather than bemoaning the 'death' of the region, celebrating the 'life' of the region, or waiting expectantly for the 'rebirth' of the region, I proposed thinking of the region as a guy named Larry: middle aged, middle manager, with lots of obligations and financial issues. By thinking of the region this way, we can approach the region, and more importantly our individual parts in it, with an honest and realistic assessment of the limitations and the possibilities before us. Personally, I believe the best way to overcome our limitations and take full advantage of our possibilities is by adopting an entrepreneurial mindset.

The entrepreneurial mindset is perfectly suited to conditions of limited resources and uncertain prospects. Running a business is always a matter of resource allocation - you never have enough time, money, or attention to do everything you'd like. Even if you had enough time, money, and attention, you're not on a well worn path � you can't be certain of the success or failure of your actions. You make decisions, you try things, you hope you don't fail � but you just might. Entrepreneurs thrive in these situations � and you should too. If you're not living in a world of limited resources and uncertain prospects � you're probably not living in Michigan in 2010.

So what do entrepreneurs do to survive and thrive in these conditions? They value innovation; they take action; they embrace failure; they expect instability; and they focus on serving others.

Why value innovation? When you have limited resources, it helps to be clever about how you allocate those resources. Ultimately, starvation induces innovation. When you lack resources, you don't achieve success by acquiring new resources, you achieve success by stretching out the resources you do have. That's the essence of innovation � adapting something to a new use either through wholesale invention or clever re-purposing.

Why take action? There are two widely different reasons why a bias for action is a key entrepreneurial activity. The first is that very often the only tool at your disposal is your own will to action. If that's the only tool you have � you need to use it, and no better time than the present. Stop thinking � start doing. The other reason to do something (anything really) is the antidepressant quality of activity. Nothing invigorates like doing something � and when you're in a world of limited resources and uncertain prospects the last thing you want is to be depressed.

Embracing failure doesn't mean becoming complacent with failure. Instead entrepreneurs treat failure as a successful experiment. When you fail � and properly analyze that failure � you can definitively know what doesn't work. By failing you start to gain an understanding of causality and move out of a world of uncertain results into one of more and more definitive results.

If I can offer a quote in this regard, it's this one from Walt Disney: "Around here, however, we don't look backwards for very long. We keep moving forward, opening up new doors and doing new things� and curiosity keeps leading us down new paths."

In our region, you'd think we'd have no problem expecting instability. You need only look to the coaching and quarterbacking woes of the local minor league football franchise to see how endemic instability is around here. And while we can certainly rail against that particular bit of instability, we should embrace instability � it's the new normal. We can't rely on our government for stability (how many mayors have we had recently? How balanced has our state budget been?) We can't rely on our local industries for stability (examples abound). Instability is our new status quo and embracing it means we'll spend more time adapting ourselves and our behavior rather than hoping external circumstances will change and stabilize.

Finally, entrepreneurs focus on serving others. This is one of the least acknowledged aspects of entrepreneurship - but easily the most crucial. To achieve success entrepreneurs need to satisfy and serve their clients. To keep clients happy, entrepreneurs need to keep their team members motivated, maximized and happy. Entrepreneurs therefore have no choice but to be focused on serving others. It's a damn shame that the people who create companies that create opportunities for others and create the stuff we want are viewed as self-centered and greedy, when in fact the only way to achieve what they've achieved is through service to others.

Having detailed the entrepreneurial mindset, my next installment will focus on practical tips for implementing this mindset even if you're not feeling much like an entrepreneur.

Post 1: We Need New Metaphors

Thu, 04 Feb 2010 00:00:00 GMT

Nascar Owner Felix Sabates set off a firestorm with his incendiary comments about Michigan and Detroit. I won't repeat his comments in full here; frankly I find his comments to be particularly cruel, given the current economic situation in the state. His efforts at humor were about as funny as putting a blind person in a strange room, taking away their cane and dog, and then breaking both of their legs as you leave the room. Not funny at all. My own attempt in explaining Mr. Sabates' comments would properly be categorized as a metaphor.

Metaphors serve as a symbolic linkage of one concept to another in an effort to describe or illuminate the primary concept through the description of the second. That�s some fancy talk for saying that metaphors are shorthand ways of talking about things that help us understand those things. I�d like to talk about some of the metaphors we have for the region and whether those metaphors are helpful. I�d then like to propose a new metaphor; one which will hopefully resonate with you, dear reader, and offer a basis for the region to move forward.

Metaphor: Michigan and/or Detroit is Dead

This is in essence what Mr. Sabates was saying. When you stop and think about the whole notion of the region being 'dead' you'll realize that this is a metaphor. A city or region can't be 'dead' since it can't in any real sense be said to be 'alive'. Plants, animals, humans - these things are alive. Cities and regions are geographic objects and not alive. 'Michigan is Dead' is therefore a metaphor, but is it a useful one? Does it provide us with any big insight or understanding? The plain answer is no. Dead things aren't part of our ongoing narrative. When we say something is dead, we usually mean it in that 'and gone' construct of dead. Dead things no longer contribute. Dead things are soon forgotten. And if the region is really 'dead' we may as well pack it up and move. But if we're not moving anytime soon, then the metaphor of death is pretty damned useless.

Metaphor: The Region is Alive and Kicking

Right next to the 'Michigan is Dead' metaphor, my least favorite metaphor is 'Michigan is Alive!' This metaphor really doesn�t work for me because it ignores the very real challenges and problems the region faces. Yes, there is vitality and strength here, and we're still not out for the count, but all is not well here, and blind rallying cries of "The Region is Awesome" or declarations of cool city-ness just encourage people to stick their heads in the sand.

Other Metaphors along the Life and Death Spectrum

I've heard people talk about the 'rebirth' of the region. This also gets obfuscated under the 'renaissance' metaphor. You�ll also hear about the 'resurrection' of the region. I�d like to propose taking all of these metaphors down to the hopefully soon to be decommissioned incinerator and burned up.

These metaphors simply hold out false hope that if we somehow hang in there, we'll be restored to our former glory or even worse, a new glory that will outshine our former glory. This simply isn't going to happen. And hoping for it to happen causes us to look for signs of resurrection, and fight anything that doesn't appear to be paving the way for rebirth. The destructive aspect of this metaphor rears its ugly head in resistance to right-size the infrastructure of Detroit and the region. It's as if we expect a flood of people to come charging back into the area and need to keep the infrastructure in its present state for when they do.

It also shows up in the overemphasis on job creation when it comes to entrepreneurial efforts in the region. Want to get some help getting resources into your enterprise - you need to speak in terms of jobs created, not in terms of innovation, resourcefulness, and creativity. To stretch my own metaphor here - expecting 'resurrection' puts us in a mindset of expecting miracles - and believing that miraculously every unemployed autoworker is going to quickly find a job of comparable pay and benefits in constructing windmills, homeland defense, green autos, or whatever the savior idea of the moment happens to be. It's simply not realistic to expect that to happen. And the sooner we abandon the expectation that it will happen, the sooner we can get on with the heavy work that it will take us to move forward. Don't get me wrong � I'm not trying to kill hope. Rather, I'm saying we need to quit expecting miracles and a cure from outside of ourselves. The hope and answers we need lie within ourselves.

And with that, I'd like to introduce a new metaphor for the region.

Metaphor: The Region is like a 45-year-old overweight middle manager with three kids and a mortgage who just got laid off; let's call him 'Larry'.

I believe Larry is a much better metaphor for the region. Larry's got a lot of problems. He's got debt to pay and people to take care of. Larry's 45 and overweight - and try as he might, he's never going to be 25 again. He's not going to be able to 'resurrect', 'rebirth' or 'renaissance' himself into something other than what he is. Larry's not dead, and while he's still alive, it's a rough life and road ahead of him. But Larry's got skills, he's got some resources, and Larry's going to wake up tomorrow with the whole rest of his life ahead of him and have no choice but to move forward. I offer this as a metaphor for a lot of reasons. First, a lot of us know a guy like Larry or are a guy like Larry (even if your name is really Debbie). Second, when you're a Larry, you soon realize that the only person who can help you is you, Larry. And there's power in this realization. The power to endure and the power to adapt and move forward.

The Way Forward For Larry

Let me end this by saying a couple of things about the words I've used in here. I've talked a lot about the region. Let me say, right here, right now, that I don't believe in "the region". "The region" is a non-entity. It can't do anything. It can't create, it can't plan, it can't dream, it can't hope and it most certainly can't do. Doing, thinking, planning, dreaming - these are strictly human endeavors and are undertaken by individuals. It is only through our individual actions that any real change can occur. When we talk about changing the region, improving the region, or doing any other number of things to 'the region', we�re shifting power and responsibility to something external to ourselves. That power, that responsibility, lies firmly with each of us as individuals - and it is our duty to exercise that power and responsibility on an individual level to improve ourselves. In other words, fix yourself and the region will be fixed.

In my next couple of installments, I'll propose ways that you can use an entrepreneurial mindset to adapt and innovate. In other words, to be the best damned Larry you can be.

Post 4: Learning to Fail (Because Fail Blog Was Taken)

Tue, 02 Feb 2010 00:00:00 GMT

There's a voice in the back of our head that doubts; that second-guesses; that recommends playing it safe. As we get older the voice gets louder. Some claim it's the voice of reason. They'd say the voice protects us from overreaching; from making a fool of ourselves; or from failing, but what good is that?

In every improv class that I teach, I encourage my students to fail � which may sound counter-intuitive, but hear me out. I teach them to fail, so that they can learn that it doesn't kill them; that they don't lose anyone's respect; and that they can always try again. When I teach any exercise, I push my students to fail boldly. I'd rather they give me 100 percent and miss the mark by a mile than be cautious and close. There aren't many chances in life to dive in headfirst with no repercussions. When you get one, you have to take it.

In fact, for all of its negative connotations, learning what failure feels like is one of the best things I've ever learned. It's absolutely freeing. When you're not afraid to fail, you can try anything. It's like the protagonist in movies who's "not afraid to die". No one knows what they are capable of. People who aren't afraid to fail are similarly bad assed, because they constantly learn what they are truly capable of.

It's important to point out that not being afraid of failing and being comfortable with it are two very different things. I'm in no way suggesting that anyone accept failure. Complacency is akin to giving up in my book. My point is that when we learn not to fear failure, it's so much easier to try again. It loses any power over us. In my life, I've encountered lots of failures. Auditions I didn't land. Jobs that didn't fit. Even my marriage. This isn't to say that some of them didn't hurt - Lord knows they did. But at the end of the day, when the smoke clears and the dust settles, I'm still here. I get to try again and there is no way I'm not going to put my neck on the line again.

One of my favorite quotes comes from Gordon Parks. He said, "I think most people can do a whole awful lot more if they just try. They just don't have the confidence that they can write a novel or they can write poetry or they can take pictures or paint or whatever, and so they don't do it, and they leave the planet dissatisfied with themselves."

The only reward in playing it safe is that you don't fail, but the way I see it, if you don't fail now and again, then you were never really trying.

Post 3: Ice Cream and Me

Mon, 01 Feb 2010 00:00:00 GMT

Why I Stayed: Four Weeks that Changed My Life

Over the years, I've watched friend after friend pack up and leave town - for improvisers Chicago is Mecca, for actors and writers it's New York or L.A. But for lots of reasons, I stayed: family, friends, the chance to do what I love on a daily basis, my son, the improv community, relationships, the list goes on. But last year, over the course of four of the strangest weeks of my life, encompassing unreal highs and lows, I realized the number one reason I've stayed is support.

So here's my story:

On a busy Tuesday, I stopped by the doctor's office because I had a sore throat. I was supposed to go to Baltimore the following weekend with dad, brother and brother-in-law to watch the Tigers and Orioles play a weekend series and I figured, if I was sick, it'd be a good idea to get medicine early so I would be OK on the trip. At the end of the appointment, after the doctor gave me the OK for the road trip, she asked if there was anything else. I mentioned that my side felt weird. She expertly poked at it. I screamed and she sent me to the hospital to have my appendix removed. I would not be going to Baltimore.

(As a side note, Jonathon Ericsson of the Red Wings had the same surgery on the same day and skated in the Stanley Cup finals three days later. My dad will never let me live that down. I stand by my argument that if I was being paid a million dollars, I would have made the trip.)
Pj: 0 Life: 1

The day after the surgery, as I lay in the hospital on heavy painkillers, my phone rang and a San Francisco area code showed up on the screen. I probably should have let it go to voicemail but drugs and boredom prevailed. On the other end was a very nice woman who was very excited to tell me I was one of five finalists in the Edy's Ice Cream "A Taste of Recovery" contest. A few weeks earlier, I had randomly entered the contest online by writing a short essay on how I could use $100,000 as my "Taste of Recovery." I wrote it and then promptly forgot about it. (The actual essay appears below.) The next step was to make a two-minute video based on the same topic.
Pj: 1 Life: 1

Two weeks later, on June 11 at 6PM, it became clear that my marriage was coming to an end.
Pj: 1 Life: 457

Literally one hour later, Edy's called to tell me I had won the grand prize - $100,000 and a year's supply of ice cream.
Pj: 457 Life: 457

On June 20, Edy's came to town and gave me a giant check and we had a little party. The End.

That's a whole lot of life crammed into 25 days, but the thing is, through all of it, the fairy tale highs and the woe-is-me lows, it became abundantly clear to me why I stayed. I stayed because of community.

The essay:

I live in Metro Detroit, an area that has been recovering for the past 50 years. With all of the recent automotive hardships, things here have been rough for everyone. I'm entering this contest with the hope of winning a chance to continue my dream. As the co-owner of a new small theater, I'm trying to keep my head above water and the community in good spirits. I can't offer many new jobs, I can't save the economy, but I can offer of taste of recovery. Our goal is to keep Detroit laughing, while we, as a community, figure out what's next. I can't change the world, but I can do my part. Plus I love Ice Cream - which isn't nearly as lofty, but totally true.

6 months ago, I, along with 3 others, opened a improv comedy theater in the Detroit area, our goal is to bring laughter to an area that needs it more than ever. The first few months have been good but not great. This money would allow us the opportunity to get the word out and keep us afloat until we do. Community plays a big role in our vision. Ferndale, the city we're in, has been incredible to us. The people in the area have shown a lot of support. We want to give back as much as we can. We have already had fundraisers here and given away lots of tickets to charities. We even have a monthly unemployment night for those who can't afford regular tickets. Starting a new business in Detroit in these times is hard, the money would give us time, which is essential to recovery.

When we opened, we spent every penny we had. As a result, we opened with much work to do. I'd spend the money to complete our vision and promote our dream. While Improv comedy is a lot of fun to perform or watch, I also believe it goes deeper than that. At its core improvisation is about teamwork, adapting to make do with what you have and believing in yourself. Those three things are critical if you're going to build a community, and more so if you're working to repair one. That's why I believe Detroit needs us and that's why I'd put the money towards the theater, which, in its own way, is offering a taste of recovery to the area and its residents. Thank You.

Post 2: Demand Imagination

Fri, 29 Jan 2010 00:00:00 GMT

I believe that there is a war against imagination.

But it wasn't always like that. As a child, imagination is encouraged. It's on the checklists that my son's teachers go over every semester. Imagination is at its strongest when we're children. It's used when there are bad guys at the bottom of the stairs or you have one last chance to win the Super Bowl or when a broom is a guitar or a banana is a gun. But as a child, imagining is as natural as breathing. It's vibrant and unapologetic and weird. Not too long ago during bath time, my 4-year old, Dax, created a musical based on his bath toys � Basketballs vs. Monsters.

But there is a point where some kids are labeled with having "an overactive imagination" � and, somehow, that's a negative thing. Creativity is something to be feared. Then in high school, it's not cool to have an imagination. In college, there's no time for it and in the corporate world there seems to be little patience for it. Or when it is used, it's under the moniker "ideating" which is as far from the idea of imagination as you can get.

As a result, a lot of folks who come to our improv shows will say, "Oh, I could never do that." Well, the truth is, it's something everyone used to be able to do. In fact, I'd say it's something everyone still does. It may not be as bold, but improv is something we all do. Every one of us. I do it on a stage with the hopes of making an audience laugh. You might do it at work, explaining why you were late or at home, explaining to a child what thunder is, or at a bar, when you get caught looking at another girl. We may not call that using our imaginations (some might call it lying, which in some cases is accurate, but irrelevant in this argument), but it is.

On Conan O'Brien's last show, he offered this, "All I ask of you, especially young people...is one thing. Please don't be cynical. I hate cynicism -- it's my least favorite quality and it doesn't lead anywhere. Nobody in life gets exactly what they thought they were going to get. But if you work really hard and you're kind, amazing things will happen."

Cynicism isn't hard to come by. It's easy. Any idiot can complain. Just look at any online forum and you can see scores of negative, cynical comments from anonymous posters that lead nowhere. This is not the time for negativity.

I believe Detroit needs overactive imaginations right now. It needs us to see things that aren't there; that could be there and it needs us to believe in them against all odds. It needs us to believe in other people's crazy ideas too. We live in a city built on crazy ideas � so crazy they just might work � and it's time for another round.

Post 1: What is Improv?

Thu, 28 Jan 2010 00:00:00 GMT

Slightly over a year ago, my business partners and I opened the Go Comedy! Improv Theater in Ferndale. Our goal was to create a home for Metro Detroit's ever-growing community of actors, comedians, and improvisers � somewhere they could perform regularly, and where they could challenge themselves to try new things and improve old ones � all with the hopes of making an audience laugh. Go Comedy! focuses primarily on improv comedy � which inevitably leads to the question: What is improv?

Improv is not stand-up comedy.

That's the biggest misconception that we deal with. So, unfortunately, the first step in explaining what improv is, is explaining what it isn't. Stand-up is one man or woman and a microphone. They have usually spent a lot of time practicing exactly what they are going to say and how they are going to say it. It takes a lot of preparation. An audience at a stand-up comedy club tends to wait for you to prove yourself, and if you can't, well, it won't be fun for anyone.

Improv is a very different art form. It's a group of men and women working together to create comedy, instantly, before an audience. While there is rehearsal, there is virtually no preparation. An improv show doesn't exist until the lights come up. Every show is completely unique and is never replicated. The audience helps create the show by providing suggestions for locations, characters, and more that the cast uses to base their scenes on. Without the help of an audience, there is no show. (If at this point you're thinking, Ew! Interactive theater? I'll stick with TV, I don't want to get picked on. � Fear not. At Go Comedy! we get most of our suggestions on paper before the show even starts.) Since the audience has a hand in creating the show, they are by and large very supportive.

The most recognizable example of improv is the television show Whose Line Is It Anyway?. It was a show hosted by Drew Carey (Clive Anderson in the UK) that featured four comedic actors who were given audience suggestions that they used to create frequently hilarious scenes and songs.

Improv is very much a 'team sport'. If stand-up is golf, improv is baseball. Everyone works together and is ready for anything. When an outfielder goes deep to get a ball, he knows there's a cut-off man waiting for his throw before he ever turns around. When an improv actress walks on stage and says, "Hey Doc, thanks for seeing me." She knows that someone will be portraying a doctor by the time she turns around.

As an improviser, I believe that it's my job to my make my fellow actors look good and I trust that they are going to do the same for me. There are no bad ideas on stage. There are unfunny ideas; there are impolite ideas; but there are no bad ideas. There can't be. There isn't time for an improviser to judge. If you say, 'I'm your mom', then I am; if you say 'I'm a dog or a painting or a radioactive cloud', I am. All ideas are respected and explored and as a result amazing things can happen.

While improv is a lot of fun to perform or watch, I also believe it goes deeper than that. Detroit needs improv right now. At its core, improvisation is about teamwork, acceptance, adapting to make do with what you have and believing in yourself. Those things are critical if you're going to build a community, and more so if you're working to repair one.

Metro Detroit is at the point where there are no bad ideas. There are unpopular ones; there are radical ones; but there are no bad ideas. There can't be. There isn't anything gained by judging them without really taking a look at them. And if you look at those core elements of improv: teamwork, acceptance, adaptation and believing, you'll see the foundation we need to move forward.

There's a common mantra in improv known as 'Yes and...'

The basic concept is that you say 'Yes' to whatever you're presented with on stage, 'and...' then you add to it. For it to work, you really have to listen to what the other person said. Then, together, you're able to lay the groundwork for a scene. I believe it's also a good mantra for living. Really listen to those around you. Be positive about what they bring to the table and then add to it.

So often we get caught up in the 'No, but...' and we just end up spinning our wheels. Just because the wheels are spinning doesn't mean we're not going anywhere. I think we all need to focus on the 'Yes and...' If we do, we can all move forward together.

Post 2: Business Perspectives on Creating Green Dots

Mon, 25 Jan 2010 00:00:00 GMT

Because of the field I work in, I'm often asked about my thoughts on how companies can embrace green business practices and also help their bottom line. Following are some of my thoughts:

Focus on waste management - I encourage all businesses to consider all forms of waste as resources out of place.   Look closely at your processes and know that virtually all materials, when managed efficiently, can have beneficial reuse. Ask yourself, staff, and others if your processes are as efficient as possible and if all waste is being managed in the following order: eliminated, repurposed, recycled, or converted to energy. A good first step for businesses to start reducing waste is to understand how materials are used or processed in your operations. Then you can begin to manage each use phase for improved waste performance. I also recommend setting waste reduction goals and then holding all employees accountable to those goals.

Identify "cradle to cradle" opportunities - The old adage, "One man's trash is another man's treasure" is more important today than ever. To improve our sustainability, companies should work together to help identify where by-products from one company's operations can be used as inputs for another company's processes. This concept, described as "cradle to cradle," helps to keep valued resources in the use cycle, which can greatly reduce structural costs, create jobs, and enhance environmental sustainability.

In the future, land use planning decisions will not only be based on traditional factors such as workforce availability, infrastructure, and natural resources, but also on material reuse synergies. The challenge is for companies to connect their dots by working together and creating these sorts of increased efficiencies. The result will be improved environmental stewardship and reduced material costs.

Revitalize old facilities and business sites � Updating a brownfield site can reduce your land use footprint and in many cases should enable faster start ups, permit approvals, tax incentives, and even uncover potential supplemental funding sources. You can also capitalize on the fact that urban and metropolitan areas offer existing infrastructure in the form of roads and utilities and can provide a more reduced environmental impact than greenfields. Sustainable building renovation and removal should also de-pollute, de-construct and then reconstruct - preserving historical artifacts and construction materials for repurposing into new building products and projects as well as other applications. These activities all result in green jobs and are value-added with less environmental impact as compared to traditional wrecking ball demolition and landfill methods.

Beyond brownfields, businesses can also consider involvement in full circle land use business ventures.   Activities are taking place today to convert abandoned, deteriorated urban sites into various agricultural uses. This relatively new phenomenon is a result of population shifting and sprawl and as the land use evolution occurs, it brings green business opportunities.

Use green chemical alternatives - Seek green chemistry chemical use alternatives that reduce health, safety and environmental use risks. If done correctly, engineering controls and management costs will be reduced as well.

Engage in environmental groups and forums to add to your green dots - General Motors is a founding member of the Suppliers Partnership for the Environment (SP), which works with EPA and non-profit organizations such as Goodwill Industries. The group's goal is to identify and apply technologies and innovations that enhance the environment and create economic opportunities for the auto sector. Right here in metro Detroit, local businesses can seek out similar forums for their own industries or gain valuable insights by getting involved in groups like the Southeast Michigan Sustainable Business Forum.

There are many things businesses can do to promote sustainability. These suggestions are just a start but I hope they've gotten you thinking about how your own business or organization can look for opportunities to be more green. For more information on some of the things GM is doing with our own operations to help protect the environment, click here.

Post 1: GM Connects the Green Dots

Thu, 21 Jan 2010 00:00:00 GMT

As a student of science, I view our greater Detroit metropolitan area as an ecosystem with many attributes of strength. Studies in ecology also tell us that these systems must evolve and develop weak areas in order to be sustainable into the future. These areas in need should be viewed as opportunities that are important because the overall health of any ecological system is dependent on the strength of each member working synergistically together.

Since GM has been a member of this metropolitan ecosystem for over 100 years and currently has many facilities with a network of suppliers, we play an important role in the area's sustained growth. During this time we have experienced similarities with many businesses which have had success, and certainly, areas that need improvement. We also recognize that environmental business aspects will play a major role in the future.

As a GM environmental engineer, my job is to develop and deploy environmental technologies and waste minimization programs in order to reduce manufacturing impacts, gain financial value, and promote environmental sustainability. Simply put, I work to "connect the green dots" for all who are impacted by the automotive industry on a global basis.

Our corporate responsibility includes efforts to study our world as it continues to change and then match those conditions with technological advances to offset increased demand for natural resources and transportation options. The GM Hamtramck assembly operation will play a significant role in this regard when it begins producing the Chevrolet Volt at the end of this year. As part of the urban ecosystem and a historical brownfield site in metro Detroit, it is an excellent choice for producing the Chevrolet Volt and it will soon be the epicenter of the many green dots forming the Volt's green manufacturing infrastructure.

Perhaps some of the most recognized of GM�s "green dots" are our landfill-free facilities. We are committed to achieving landfill-free status at 50 percent of our manufacturing operations by the end of 2010. To date, we are 78 percent complete, with 56 facilities having achieved this status. Nine of these GM facilities are in the U.S., including our Warren Transmission plant in Warren, Michigan. These facilities reached this status by sending no waste to landfills from their daily manufacturing operations. This achievement in Warren would not have been possible without connecting to local green businesses, such as Preferred Filter Recycling and Waste Free, both Detroit companies who developed recycling technologies to help us achieve our goal.

Another green dot connecting our local suppliers is the GM used oil management program. General Oil Company, located in Livonia, has been recycling used oil for GM since 1998. In 2008, General Oil Company recycled over 1.5 million gallons of oil from GM facilities in North America. Approximately 25 percent of the reclaimed oil was returned to GM in the form of a recycled way lube. Early this year, GM North America will begin converting all hydraulic oils and way lubes to recycled products to drive this closed loop system.

Gage Products, located in Ferndale, is receiving vehicle paint purge solvents from all of GM's U.S. assembly plants, re-refining and re-blending the solvents, and returning them to GM for reuse in the same applications. Benefits of these programs include reducing GM's environmental footprint by generating less waste and demand for virgin solvent manufacturing. Additionally, the program saves costs and increases local manufacturing competitiveness.

These examples are just a few of the many green programs we have underway at GM which help to demonstrate our commitment to continually improving our environmental performance in all aspects of our business. You can find more information on our efforts here.

Like I stated earlier, my job is to connect the "green dots" for increased sustainability and I believe these dots are really islands of hope for the future of our metropolitan home.   Households, businesses, and community members play a role in connecting with green as well.   As our community ecosystems continue to evolve, increased green innovation will be needed. That includes reacting locally with a global vision and developing new business ventures as well as improving current business performance for the betterment of all.

Post 6: Love and Heroism

Wed, 20 Jan 2010 00:00:00 GMT

First, I want to formally thank Metromode for asking me to provide my thoughts. It has been a thought provoking and delightful, if not humbling, experience. You'll see there are several blog entries tucked in here. I hope you enjoy them.

Two Kinds of People�

There are really only two kinds of people. Those who care about others and those who care only about themselves. This notion transcends economics and culture and color. The truth is that if all of us cared more about the fate of others, this would be a much better place to live.

Janice Winfrey was recently re-elected as the City of Detroit Clerk. In her inaugural speech, which was excellent, she issued a call to action for Detroiters. "You say you love Detroit", she said, "but remember, 'Love' is an action word". She went on to stir up the crowd with examples. In this context, I think people who care about others get what she said immediately. It's not only about making money, it's also about helping the guy down the street, or taking the neighbors' kids to task if they get out of line. It is about active participation in the civic process, and we need to realize how important each of us is to that process.

And we need to ask ourselves about the people around us. Do they also care about the world in which they live? Do they treat others as you would have them treated? I once turned down a job offer because my interviewer was incredibly rude to a waitress at lunch.

If we want people to act nicer and be nicer, then reward people for being that way. Buy from companies that support the community. Seek out the people who care and reward them with your support, your business, and your respect.

There but for the grace of God go I�

Every now and again, I imagine what life would be like if I woke up and found my life completely different. Do you ever have that dream where your life is completely upside down? Imagine you woke to find that you had just gotten out of prison, you were 30 years old, had no identifiable skill, read at about a 6th grade level, and lived in a neighborhood that had nothing positive to offer � no role models, no opportunities, no chances.

What would you do? How would you survive? To whom would you turn? What sliver of hope would you cling to � if in fact you wanted to cling to something that suggested you could get out of this existence, that you could better your life.

These people need our help, as much as we need them to be part of the solution. I support SHAR and ASWD, two organizations that deal with these issues everyday. This problem won't go away by itself. Ignoring it isn't just the wrong answer, it is irresponsible.

Next time you see someone who needs help � think about it � what if it were you?

Heroism

In the context of urbanism, heroism is when your actions are intended to help others more than they are intended to help you.

Carolyn Mosher was one of my heroes. She was one of those people whom you can't forget. Love her or not, she made an impression. And she had a passion. "We need to reuse these materials," she would say. "It is a waste of landfill space and you can't replace this stuff anyway." She, of course, founded the Architectural Salvage Warehouse of Detroit and worked there daily. It is now ably run by Tom Friesen, who is taking it to a whole new level.

Colin Hubbell and I sat at Avalon Bakery as I told him about Rickie and learning of his diagnosis. He told me about the "new normal", and how, when things change completely, this new normal will manifest itself, and things will move on. He was a guy who loved what he did, loved his wife, loved his kids, and most of all, loved life with a passion that most of us can only long for.

Bill Beckham � should have been the Mayor of Detroit. He was talented, committed, and experienced. Had he not passed suddenly, he could have guided the city these last 10 years or so. We would clearly be in a different place had he been Mayor.

Doug McIntosh � When we lost Doug, we lost one of our most ardent supporters of the historical built environment. He went to uncommon lengths to get buildings saved, renovated, or just plain appreciated. I worked with Doug on Preservation Wayne some time ago, and even if I didn't always agree with him, his heart was pure and his convictions were without question. I will never forget standing shoulder to shoulder with Doug as Madison Lennox came down. His partner in McIntosh Poris, Michael Poris, continues to argue passionately for good design and for preservation and pursues award-winning architecture for those lucky enough to hire him.

Chuck Forbes � OK. So, one day, this Ford exec gets the idea that Detroit needs to save its three theaters and that he's the man to do it. After years of effort, he currently owns and operates the State, he started the original effort to save the Fox, and he moved the Gem Theater rather than allow it to be torn down. At a time when people trade buildings like stocks, this man adopts structures and treats them like they were his own designs. He does quality work and has singlehandedly changed the face of this city because of his passion, his determination and his spirit. If the rest of us had half the energy he still has, we'd get twice as much done.

Sue Mosey, Kathy Wendler, David DiChiera, Maggie Disantis, Karen Brown, Therese Ireland; these people have changed the face of the city and continue to make positive progress every day.

Mike Finney � Executive Director of Spark. Originator (I think) of "Open Source Economic Development". He believes in the prosperity of the region, and his actions bear that out.

Phil Cooley � Smart beyond his years. I say, turn it over to him and see what happens. Just look at what he did with Slow's BBQ.

Ken Harris � the young, extremely talented and very organized Executive Director of the Detroit Black Expo. If the future ends up in his hands, I think we'll be OK.

Hubert Massey � excellent artist/engineer/humanitarian. And one heck of a nice human being.

We lost a couple of others as well. Our friend Jason Ellison � an extremely creative, caring artist. And Randy Eaton � a GIANT among men. His wife, Gillian and his son Tristan (Thunderdog Studios) continue to make a huge difference (positive) in the world. The whole damn family is awesome.

Tyree Guyton, Victor Pytko, Darcel Deneau, Jack Johnson, Jerome Ferretti, plus the entire group at the Pioneer Building � there are hundreds of great artists in the city. Find them. Buy their paintings. Support their creativity. Do it for them � do it for us. It is something you can do right now to make a difference.

Thanks.