Green Garage Detroit

A sustainable community of small businesses & nonprofits in Midtown Detroit | greengaragedetroit.com

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If only we'd had a bugle! Ondrej is an IT professional from the Czech Republic who's worked out of the Green Garage for the last year and who is moving out to pursue his next professional adventure. At the the end of his last day yesterday, he asked if he could be the one to lower our flag. Bon voyage, Ondrej, and thanks for making the Green Garage a livelier and friendlier place! #coworking #fondfarewell #community #detroit (at Green Garage Detroit)

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Business-in-residence Spotlight: Global Detroit

Mobilizing Detroit’s immigrant potential

What do they do?

Global Detroit is a non-profit that promotes awareness of the benefits immigrants bring to southeast Michigan. They also financially support a number of initiatives and private groups based in immigrant aid, hoping to “make the region more welcoming and to capitalize on the economic opportunity that the international population and connections bring.”

Who?

Steve Tobocman is the founder and Director of Global Detroit. Sloan Herrick, my interviewee, is their Deputy Director. Other team members include Raquel Garcia Andersen, Director of Partnerships and Community Outreach; Gracie Xavier, Director of Corporate and Economic Development Strategy; Kathryn Brennan, program manager; Beth Szurpicki, Director of Special Projects, and Mary Lane, Director, Welcome Mat Detroit.

After serving five years in the state legislature, Steve Tobocman was approached by the Skillman Foundation, the Detroit Regional Chamber, and the New Economy Initiative (NEI) to explore the economic benefits that immigrants bring to southeast Michigan. These findings would later be released as a study titled The Global Detroit Study. This study was the driving force that pushed Global Detroit to began fundraising to advance other initiatives based in immigrant aid. Recognizing that there were no other local programs providing an economic perspective on immigration, they sought to fill that gap, bringing on a board of directors, getting their 501C3 status, and becoming an official non-profit.

What’s Next:

According to Sloan, corporations in Michigan have talent gaps, meaning a dearth of people who have been technically trained in a specific field, such as engineers or computer scientists. However, there are a multitude of international students who would be able to fill these gaps. So, Global Detroit has started working to connect international students with the corporations in southeast Michigan. To do this, they initiated a number of programs such as the Global Talent Retention Initiative--an entrepreneurship program that connects people with networking and funds. In addition to connecting immigrants with certain corporations, Global Detroit also wants to build a global region of acceptance, by changing the narrative around immigrants.

Sloan’s Background:

Born in a small conservative town in South Carolina, Sloan realized there was an eerie amount of segregation and that people of minority culture were being undermined. After trying some projects in North Carolina and realizing the town was too far gone, Sloan began to educate herself. She studied Psychology and minored in Anthropology and Political Science in college. Through Anthropology, she learned that cultural norms were maintaining this dynamic of white superiority in the south. She also learned that extreme propaganda existed when in came to immigrants and minorities. Sloan said, “Those were the seeds that drove me to move to Charlotte, North Carolina, and led me to Wayne State.” Sloan applied to the school of social work at Wayne State University (WSU) because they let her decide whether to do interpersonal or community work. Sloan says WSU offered her a variety of perspective-challenging courses that raised her awareness of privilege, discrimination, and other people’s experiences. It was through this education that Sloan realized she wanted to work in issues of civil rights.  

What I’ve Learned:

When discussing why Global Detroit was unique when it came to how they handled immigration, Sloan repeatedly brought up the fact that they worked solely with economic development. She said the economic development lens was important because most leaders aren’t moved by moral right. Rather they are moved by the bottom line (finance). “If we could talk more about dollars and cents, we could overcome this emotional connection people have with the negative image of immigrants.”

Want to learn more about What’s Next for Global Detroit or how to get involved? Contact them at [email protected] or visit their website, www.globaldetroit.com

Green Garage business-in-residence spotlights are written by Nehe-Miah Scarborough, a student at Detroit Cristo Rey High School who’s working with the Green Garage during the 2015-16 school year.

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Well, #intern season at the Green Garage is officially winding down. We're saying farewell to the class of 2016 over the next few weeks. Check these folks out -- we're going to miss their smiling faces!

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Business-in-residence Spotlight: Simply Well Communities

Sustainable Pocket Neighborhoods

What do they do?

Simply Well Communities facilitates health and wellness through the built environment. They design living spaces that promote five pillars of health and wellness: community, architecture, physical activity, access to healthy food, and access to nature.

Who?

Lawrence and Kimberly Williamson, founders of Simply Well Communities

Three years ago, Kimberly and Lawrence moved to Detroit from southern California. They noticed the excessive blight and barely livable neighborhoods Detroit offers. Knowing the strong connection between a person’s environment and their mental stability, they set out on a journey to pull Detroit residents from the snares of poverty, mental illness, and obesity. Initially, Kimberly had an idea of consulting with property owners on how they could best serve community members while at the same time increasing their financial bottom lines.

Goals of SWC:

Simply Well’s most immediate goal is to complete their first demonstration project, exemplifying what a wellness community is and is not. They are accomplishing this by building community through authentic conversations and relationships. It is important to SWC and their work that the importance of goals and relationships be maintained simultaneously.

Background:

Living with a mother who suffered from bulimia and an unhealthy relationships with food, health, and her body, Kimberly says she grew up with a very skewed view, where one’s health was sacrificed to one’s weight. She says that on a very fundamental level, she feared food and fat, and it wasn’t she pursued undergraduate studies in social work at Oral Roberts University -- a school focused on educating the spirit, mind, and body— that she realized the detrimental relationship she had with food. In her graduate studies of Clinical Psychology -- Marriage and Family Therapy with a specialization in Applied Community Psychology -- the seeds for what would later become Simply Well Communities were planted. Namely, that everything is connected and that everything affects the individual and the community at large -- in short, what she refers to as an ecosystem.  

Kim’s Advice

“Don’t limit yourself [...] and be okay not knowing [what you want to do or who you are]. But stay on the path of learning and discovering those answers.” For 20 years, Kim’s vision has been working itself out, and it wasn’t until she shared both her personal and professional background that it all started to click. From her mother’s bad eating habits, her college nutritional education, to now, Kim realized that every event which took place in her life lead her down the path to Simply Well Communities. In addition to encouraging me to take the time to figure myself out, Kim also advised that I be the "CEO of my own life," because living at the whim of other people leads to an unhealthy life without growth.

Want to learn more about what’s next for Simply Well Communities or how to get involved? Contact Kimberly Williamson at 313-757-6811 or [email protected]  

Green Garage business-in-residence spotlights are written by Nehe-Miah Scarborough, a student at Detroit Cristo Rey High School who’s working with the Green Garage during the 2015-16 school year.

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After such a painful and divisive week in our country, it was a joy to host our friend and neighbor Janet Jones of @sourcebksellers today during #communitylunch. She's all about bringing people together around #books. #supportindependentbookstores #smallbusiness #detroit #community #casscorridor (at Green Garage Detroit)

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Business-in-residence Spotlight: What's Next LLC

What do they do?

What’s Next LLC is a business consultancy and coaching organization that coaches triple bottom line businesses. For example, their current clients, a group of collision repair industry leaders who are working to get the word out about how sustainability and the triple bottom line (people, planet, profit) could be a game changer for the collision repair industry, are consulting with What's Next on building the usefulness of the internal team, and staying focused. By working with these clients, What's Next  is emphasizing the worth of people in triple bottom line values.

Who?

Mike Shesterkin, founder of What’s Next LLC.

After working 33 years at AkzoNobel, a company that sells paint to independent automobile businesses, Mike was told that his job was being liquidated. As a result of being laid off, Mike decided to broaden his horizons. He suddenly felt a draw to the haphazard world of entrepreneurship, and owning a business became one of his most intimate desires. Seeing as how he took on a sustainability role with his former employer, it made sense to simply continue down that path of building sustainable businesses. When asked why he decided to work with sustainability in the automobile industry, Mike responded, "Automobiles hugely impact the environment [...] and every business is a triple bottom line business. If they [auto companies] choose to ignore this, they won’t be around for long.”

What’s Next:

What’s Next has four large goals for the future. The first is to advance triple bottom line (TBL) thinking in collision repair. Moreover, Mike wishes to discover what TBL thinking in the automobile industry even looks like. The second goal of What’s Next is to form a 501C3, a non-profit whose purpose is to advance some dimension of the common good in the community industry that it operates. Another goal of Mike’s is to obtain contracts with three small businesses to work with on developing TBL strategy by the end of 2016. And lastly, Mike hopes to build one prototype of the Lazarus car, refurbished cars that were headed for the junk yard. These cars would provide reliable automotive transportation to the poor and marginalized at an affordable price.

Background:

Mike attended Ferris State College, now known as Ferris State University, graduating in 1983 with an Associates in Applied Science in Industrial Chemistry Technology. His dream was to work with cars. As a result, he wound up working for AkzoNobel. Yet, he never thought that he would own his own business. Thus, being let go changed the course of his life, but Mike believes that What’s Next was always a hidden passion.

Mike’s Advice:

“Spend a lot of time discerning what it is that you are passionate about because if you do what you like, you won’t work a day in your life.” When discussing my career goals with Mike, I expressed how unsure I was about the future and whether or not pediatric general surgery was a passion of mine. He responded by saying, “There is a god and he made us for a purpose. And far too often we are focused on making money, but just making money is a recipe for misery. Stuff isn’t the answer.” According to Mike, happiness flows not from what you make, but what you do in order to change the world around you. Happiness is the end goal, and choosing my career should only depend on my happiness.

Want to learn more about What’s Next for What’s Next or how to get involved? Contact Mike Shesterkin at (734)-446-8353 or [email protected]

Green Garage business-in-residence spotlights are written by Nehe-Miah Scarborough, a student at Detroit Cristo Rey High School who’s working with the Green Garage during the 2015-16 school year.

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Business-in-residence Spotlight: Great Lakes Environmental Law Center (Part 1)

Protecting the world's greatest freshwater resource and the communities that depend upon it.

What do they do?

Great Lakes Environmental Law Center (GLELC) is Michigan's only nonprofit legal service focused on environmental issues in the state of Michigan.

Who?

GLELC was founded by Noah Hall, a professor in Wayne State's law school, and its executive director is Nick Schroeck, also at Wayne Law. GLELC is actually based out of Wayne State, but two members of their staff work out of the Green Garage: Stephanie Karisny, Staff Attorney, and Nick Leonard, Equal Justice Works Fellow. In this spotlight, I'll focus primarily on Nick's work providing free legal assistance to Detroit's urban agriculture community. In Part 2, I'll look more closely at Stephanie's work.

When and How?

In the year 2008, Noah Hall, GLELC's founder,  noticed a lack of environmentally-focused legal non profits that could be a resource to those concerned about water issues and water quality in their neighborhoods. More recently, they turned their attention to Detroit’s environmental justice issues.

The Goals & the Work:

As a small organization, GLELC attempts to remain flexible in order to meet the goals of the communities they serve. They work on issues such as Detroit's practice of burning trash, water quality in southwest Detroit, and empowering local environmental justice groups. Nick, in particular, works to help urban farmers navigate the complexities of the legal system. He noticed that in Detroit, it’s difficult to purchase land for urban gardening, considering selling land for farming is not thought of as permanent or ideal. He wants to figure out a way that urban agriculture can work in every neighborhood, as well as give people the opportunity to plant urban gardens and better their neighborhoods. Nick has worked with over 50 organizations, both nonprofit and for profit, by helping them start up or educating them on the intricate workings of the legal system. He has also worked in every corner of Detroit, aiding in the development of urban gardens.

Education Background:

Considering Nick is a purpose-driven person, he knew he wanted to help Detroiters drive the revitalization of their own communities. He wanted to invest his time in Detroit residents. During his undergrad years at Kalamazoo College, he had the purpose, but no clue of the “what.” Thus, after graduating in 2008, he became involved in urban farming. He loved that urban agriculture seemed to touch so many critical issues (blight, food management, and land use). He began thinking about how he could get involved. He thought that it would be redundant to start his own urban farming and gardening business; but when he noticed a lack of legal services for this specific area, he realized how he could help. As a result, he went to law school with the goal of helping Detroiters reshape and remake their communities.

Nick’s Words of Wisdom

“Pursue what you find interesting as much as you can. Expose yourself to every environment.” In college, Nick was advised by professors to develop a five year plan, but he never took that advice, seeing as how he always wanted to be open to new experiences. “Explore! Even if they seem strange, just hold onto your dreams.” - Nick Leonard

Want to learn more about GLELC’s environmental projects? Check out http://www.glelc.org/

Green Garage business-in-residence spotlights are written by Nehe-Miah Scarborough, a student at Detroit Cristo Rey High School who’s working with the Green Garage during the 2015-16 school year.

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Sloan works for nonprofit-in-residence #globaldetroit, which does economic revitalization through immigrant attraction and retention. Here she is after last night's community engagement session in detroit's #banglatown neighborhood. Looks like they might have come back with an idea or two! #detroit #coworking #economicdevelopment (at Green Garage Detroit)

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Good people doing good work in #detroit. #coworking #sustainablebusiness (at Green Garage Detroit)

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Spring and summer at the Green Garage mean that the Wednesday walks are back! That's when members of our coworking community get out and about during lunch and take walks around our neighborhood. Today we ventured to #brushpark, we happened upon this lovely lantern display. #detroit #coworking #sustainablebusiness #wellnessintheworkplace (at Brush Park Historic District)

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Business-in-residence Spotlight: Red Panda

Explore New Sound

The Roles of Red Panda:

Red Panda is a design and manufacturing business which constructs guitar pedals that enable experimentally-minded musicians to create new sounds.

Who’s in Charge?

Curt Malouin, the creator of Red Panda, who previously held a career as an electrical and software engineer.

The beginning of Red Panda:

Writing software for the audio industry as his day job and writing music software at home, Curt realized he missed working with hardware (which he had done during college). Yet, one day in 2009, as if sensing Curt’s rising unfulfilled passion, a friend sent a Youtube video of an organ player, playing with a guitar pedal, and it clicked. So he combined his three loves, computer programming, hardware design, and music, which make up the core of Red Panda (considering the guitar pedals are basically small computers with the ability to process sound).

The Name of the Panda:

One day while strolling through the Central Park Zoo, Curt and his daughter, who was nine at the time, ended up in front of the Red Panda exhibit. Earlier in the day, the two had brainstormed various names for the new business with no luck, and standing there in front of the fluffy creatures, Curt jokingly asked, “What about Red Panda?” With the quick wit of a nine year old, his daughter replied, “Red pandas are cool.” Seeing as how Curt's only criteria for the name was no embarrassment when writing checks, making bank visits, or speaking with customers, the name fit like a glove.

The goals of Red Panda:

According to Curt, as a creative music product designer, Red Panda’s main goal is to release a stream of innovative products, each one more ambitious than the last. When asked if moving into a larger space was his goal, Curt replied with, “The company will grow as necessary to support my product dream,” not the other way around.

The path to Red Panda:  

At 10 years old, Curt was smitten with three very appetizing interests: local DJ The Electrifying Mojo, computer programming, and electronics. As a result, from an early age he knew he wanted to be an electrical engineer. While Curt believes he could have created Red Panda without a college education, he says that college was beneficial to him for two reasons: first, it helped him learn the method behind the madness. Second, college provided him beneficial resources such as textbooks and like-minded people, that he calls upon when in need of aid today.

My Thoughts:

When I first began writing this, the sole topic I wanted to discuss was how adorable Red Pandas are, and after conducting this interview, those two words have become the most popular search on my computer. Yet, what I probably should discuss is… nope, I can’t. It must be said. Red Pandas are the most adorable creatures in the world! *drops mic. Walks away. ‘nough said*

But on a more serious note, passion and college are usually such prevalent subjects in this section of the Business-in-residence spotlight, and today makes no different. But I must say, the greatest lesson I have learned from writing the spotlights is that there is another choice. To elaborate, during my high school career I have been presented two pathways of life: employee or military. At my school, we learn how to be the best employee we can be. We learn how to follow directions, take initiative to ask for tasks, and how to ace an interview. But when is someone going to teach me how to be an employer? When will someone introduce entrepreneurship as an important topic? Because students have become so conditioned to believe that the only way to work in America is under someone else. But I sincerely thank businesses like Red Panda, who have taught me that being an employee, although admirable, isn’t my only option.

Want to learn more about Red Panda’s innovative products? Check out redpandalab.com. 

Green Garage business-in-residence spotlights are written by Nehe-Miah Scarborough, a student at Detroit Cristo Rey High School who’s working with the Green Garage during the 2015-16 school year.

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Regram from @detroitfoodacademy: some shots of the wonderful breakfast we attended together today to celebrate our work-study partnership with #detroit #cristorey high school! We're so proud of our student worker, Nehe-miah, who gave a beautiful talk about what she's learned working at the Green Garage this year. #brava👏🎉🚀 (at Detroit Cristo Rey High School)

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It's a big day for Beth of business-in-residence New Solutions Group -- she just joined the ranks of the Green Garage bike commuters! Way to go, Beth! #bikecommute #bikedetroit #completestreets #coworking #sustainablebusiness (at Green Garage Detroit)

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Business-in-residence Spotlight: Thrive Legal

Helping Michigan Businesses Thrive

What do they do?

Thrive Legal provides transactional legal services to small businesses, nonprofits, and creative individuals. Or in laymen’s terms, they provide any legal service which does not involve litigation-- the process of taking legal action. Some of these services include providing financial advice to smaller businesses, helping smaller businesses start, and aiding non profit business owners in understanding their business.

Who’s in charge?

Noel French (Founder and CEO)

How did his business start?

When in law school, Noel wanted to work with a big law firm. However,  he also wanted to work directly with individual clients. “I realized that I wouldn’t be able to do this in a larger firm for 2-3 years, if ever,” Noel said. And after desperately wanting to quit his second year due to the overwhelming nature of law school, Noel chose to try something new. “I worked with a clinic in Cincinnati. Afterwards, I decided that working with startups without much financial backing was something I really enjoyed and was passionate about.” Noel also realized that since legal services are expensive and small businesses often can’t afford them, it’s the lawyer’s job to make their services more affordable. A way Noel does this is by being housed at the Green Garage, which helps keep his costs low, a savings he can pass on to his clients.

What are his goals?

One of Noel’s major goals is to remove the administrative burden placed on himself, which would allow him to focus primarily on the legal side where his passion lies, without hiring additional employees. He hopes to achieve this by placing the responsibility on various technologies such as document automation software. “This allows me to charge less for things like contract drafting and focus more on actually advising clients. It also helps me standardize many of my processes and reduce technical errors.”

How did Noel’s life affect his career choice?

At 4 years old, Noel wanted to be a fire truck (no, not a fire truck driver; a fire truck). However, after realizing that was a pretty impractical career choice, he felt sure, even at the age of 4, that he wanted to be a lawyer. Considering he enjoys problem solving, rules, and has argumentative qualities, it seemed obvious to him that he would become an attorney. When asked what reasons motivated this passion, Noel responds by saying he always wanted to help people. At first, he wanted to do that by being a social justice advocate. Now, working as a business attorney, he provides pro-bono legal service for struggling artists while also charging a much lower rate than most law practices.

Want to connect with Thrive Legal to learn more about recent projects and services provided? Contact Noel at [email protected] or (248)-924-9717.

Green Garage business-in-residence spotlights are written by Nehe-Miah Scarborough, a student at Detroit Cristo Rey High School who’s working with the Green Garage during the 2015-16 school year.

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Sarah, Emily, and Helen spent the afternoon spreading over-wintered #compost throughout our gardens today! This is how our community's food scraps end up supporting a thriving native ecosystem in the city. #sustainablebusiness #detroit #coworking 🌾🐦🐛🌱🌳🐝🐞

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Our #serviceberry trees are blooming! #spring #nativeplants #sustainablebusiness #detroit (at Green Garage Detroit)

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Every other Wednesday is #yogabreak day at the #greengarage! Caitlin from @beniceyoga comes by and leads our coworkers in a simple, half-hour practice to help us relieve stress and check in with our bodies. #namaste #wellbeing #wellnessintheworkplace #coworking #yoga #sustainablebusiness (at Green Garage Detroit)