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Week 4: Kai Chen

6/30/2022

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Matthew Piper was born and raised in Harrison Township, a suburb in Michigan. He came to Detroit when he started his school at Wayne State University, and has not moved out of Detroit ever since. He loved his connections fostered in Detroit and has no plan to move in  the foreseeable future. He obtained his master's degree from WSU in librarianship and is passionate about connecting communities through information.  

At Green Garage, a shared workspace with heavy emphasis in sustainability, Matthew oversees overall operation and communication. At Green Garage, printing paper could be reused; there is no air conditioning, but rather a dehumidifying process; the bathroom lights are assumed to be off; the list goes on. Matthew himself barely purchases new items and usually practices repurposing and reducing single usage items to contribute to sustainable causes. Green Garage is tightly connected with El Moore Lodge, El Moore Gardens, and Seasons Market due to the founders: Tom and Peggy. While walking around with Matthew, he told me about how the entrance of El Moore Gardens came from an old water tower, and it now serves as a free space for public congregation. El Moore Garden has mostly, if not entirely, native Michigan native plants. He also introduced how the specific design of the garage is intentional in creating a more aesthetically pleasing community. 

Matthew enjoys his interactions with Detroit. He perceives Detroiters to have strong work ethics, and the city to have abundant opportunities for creativity. He loved the proximity to a lot of great lakes. He believes the sustainability movement in Detroit starts from the ground up. There used to lack leadership in sustainability but has seen increasing prioritization recently. Now that the city has an organization and starts to build infrastructure. Two of the most iconic ones being the riverfront and dequindre development. The riverfront used to be purely industrial with minimal emphasis on people, but it now serves as a great place for Detroiters to relax and socialize.  

Matthew founded a publication called Essay’d, which covers the Detroit contemporary art scene. He also writes for other publications that focus on Detroit arts and architecture. He wishes to close the gap between what artists wish to share in local space and what people are understanding: we are all inhabiting architecture and we ought to know more about it. 

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week 3: Adya rAJPAL

6/27/2022

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“MoGo is a Detroit-based non-profit organization that strives to serve a wide range of people and needs. Whether by offering affordable pass and payment options, providing innovative programming that promotes health, safety, and connectivity, or forming partnerships with other organizations to reduce barriers to biking.”  

Over the last three weeks, interning at MoGo, working closely with Adriel Thorton, the Executive Director and Jacob, Rory and Jeremy, respective managers of Program, Logistics and Marketing, I have seen this mission of equitable transportation come to fruition, both in thought and action. 

In terms of thought: whether it’s sitting in on board meetings who’s unwavering, primary focus remains “transportation for all”, or personally hatching ideas to increase usage of MoGo bikes by a diverse community–different races, ages, regions, nationalities, physical and mental capabilities, MoGo is constantly attempting to transform this startup into a social-platform where detroiters can come together, transcend these superficial barriers and explore all that Detroit has to offer. Each meeting, each brainstorming session, and each upcoming change is planned and executed with the idea of equity behind it. Contrary to most transportation agencies around the world, whether its cars, trains, buses or bikeshares, their growth is determined and derived from the monetary profits the company makes. MoGo however, the blooming lotus of change in these muddy waters, emerges as a beacon of hope for the underserved and underprivileged communities who are unable to actively participate in society due to lack of resources, one of them being the ability to commute in a cost effective way. 

In terms of Action: Our work with MoGo is four-fold–Create a Revised Annual Survey for Casual and Member Users, Create a Consulting Proposal to increase usage of the Transit App specifically, and MoGo in general, determine the effectiveness of the SendinBlue Email Automation Platform, and finally enhance the working of the RiderPerks Program. While at surface level, all these tasks seem purely business motivated, upon digging deeper one can find the hidden hues of social change embedded into them. Our revised survey includes particular questions targeted towards the Adaptive Mogo consumer base as well the Access Pass user base, and asks for program specific feedback from both these, often neglected, communities of society. Our consulting proposal again involves particular events for the aforementioned communities as well as aims at bridging the gap between the disadvantaged and senior citizen community and the latest technology by promoting the Transit App through workshops on how to maneuver phones, apps, etc. Determining the most effective emails sent out by SendinBlue involves creating new email templates which not only include discounts and bonuses particularly for the vulnerable, but moreover for the community at large. And finally, Riderperks allows other aspects of Detroiters daily lives to become more affordable by targeting food and clothing businesses–necessities of everyday life that people constantly vie for to become more affordable. 

The goal is to make Detroiters view these resources–transportation, food, clothing, etc– as rights rather than luxury commodities; the mission is to raise the standard of living of every single member of the Detroit community through accessibility and affordability–the pillars of MoGo.

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Week 3 - Ellen Zhang

6/27/2022

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​The relocation of major car manufacturers. “White flight” to the suburbs. Limited funding for inner city public needs. These political, social, and economic factors of Detroit’s decline in the 1950s left low-income and minority populations in the city to struggle with increasing levels of poverty, creating economic inequalities between the city and suburbs. Even today, around 77% of people currently living in Detroit are Black or African American and about 33% of the city’s population lives below the poverty line. In comparison, Oakland County, which encompasses Detroit’s north suburbs, has 14% Black or African Americans and only 8% of people living in poverty. This stark difference highlights the economic inequality still present in Detroit. Without innovative and equitable solutions and programs, Detroit’s vulnerable communities will continue to be marginalized and left behind.

One method to reduce economic inequality is through greater entrepreneurship in disadvantaged communities. The growth of local enterprises helps strengthen the local economy, provide more jobs to community members, and create more opportunities. An entrepreneur may be able to not only lift themselves out of poverty, but also give back to their community by paying employees a livable wage. Thus, entrepreneurship in disadvantaged communities can help reduce economic inequality. However, lack of access to resources and support can create significant obstacles for entrepreneurs in Detroit’s disadvantaged communities. This is where TechTown steps in, providing training and advice to empower prospective entrepreneurs and to help them grow their business. 

My work at TechTown is to create a comprehensive evaluation of their major entrepreneurship programs and to give recommendations on how TT can improve their alumni engagement. Improving TT’s alumni engagement will help TT build a strong community of entrepreneurs in Detroit who are dedicated to supporting one another and staying involved with TT events. My work will also help TT reevaluate their flagship programs to ensure that they are still meeting the needs of the community. Because the challenges communities face are constantly changing and evolving, it is very important for community organizations like TT to continuously evaluate and revamp their entrepreneurship support programs. Otherwise, these major programs may become ineffective and out-of-touch with the community it is supposed to serve.

Detroiters are the closest to their own problems, so empowering them to pursue solutions through entrepreneurship can not only help reduce economic inequality, but also promote equitable and sustainable social impact. As such, my project with TT is significant to me because I am truly passionate about solving economic inequality through equitable, community-based approaches. I hope my experience in Detroit this summer will allow me to gain the knowledge and skills to continue pursuing my passion in the future.
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Week 3 - Mick

6/27/2022

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I am ecstatic about the large impact my work at TechTown will have on Detroit. On the surface, I am interviewing 75 business owners and staff and conducting comparative analysis to create recommendations for improvement. These recommendations will create an Alumni Engagement Program, enhance its education and capital programs, and help TechTown better measure where it helps businesses grow. These recommendations will help TechTown offer better services to entrepreneurs, allowing them greater access to funds and education about how to build a customer base, develop their product, and improve their marketing. Our initial recommendations currently center around providing increased post-TechTown mentorship, structured resource sharing, and website redesigns. These and many more of our recommendations will keep alumni engaged and help guide business owners as they build businesses, promoting a better TechTown experience.

These helpful opportunities for local businesses have the power to transform the lives of entrepreneurs and spark innovation across the city. Starting a business is a dream for many but one that is often unattainable. By better equipping TechTown’s current business owners and alumni network with useful resources and programs, businesses will have a greater chance to realize their dreams. Business owners who were trapped in a job they did not enjoy or made little money from have a chance to create a large enterprise that serves hundreds of people. To think that we can help cultivate that amazes me Even more, our work has the opportunity to inspire Detroiters to start new businesses. Our work will increase how many business owners utilize TechTown’s services, which means citizens will see their neighbors starting businesses and be empowered to follow suit. All is to say, we can create a chain effect across the city where entrepreneurship is not only promoted but welcomed and made easy.

I think this blossom of entrepreneurship can spur economic development that increases the quality of life for Detroiters. Entrepreneurship will bring new job opportunities, products and services, and experience to citizens across the city. Additionally, new businesses started by TechTown bring new innovation that opens the door of new ventures, markets, products, and technology. These innovations are diverse and are associated with improved lifestyle, generous thinking, better morale, and higher economic choice. For instance, the alumni engagement network we are creating can help business owners collaborate on a new product like a car safety system that saves millions of lives.

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Week 3 - Jenny Yan

6/27/2022

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Week 3: Prompt: Students complete projects all the time, but often do not realize the full scope of what they are doing.  Please write to how you are specifically serving the Detroit community through your project this summer.  Please think past the surface level on this and really dive into what you are doing in and for the organization and the city.

Blinking, I could feel the dryness of my eyes. Staring at the screen for hours, I scrolled through the loan data excel sheet one more time and quickly drew down the cases that needed to be reviewed.

My teammate and I have been working on this loan data cleaning project for the past week. Frankly, data transferring is not the most exciting project – it could be quite repetitive. Yet, we were hyper-focus to ensure the accuracy of all data points. Not only because those data contain sensitive information about our clients, but furthermore we understand how these individual loan cases could play an important role to ProsperUs and Detroit.

ProsperUs is a community economic development organization in Detroit. It strives to achieve economic equity in under-resourced communities by providing opportunities and capital to entrepreneurs. Specifically, ProsperUs supports local entrepreneurs with entrepreneurship training, business services, and microlending. The data cleaning project we are working on feeds into the work of the microlending team. Using those lending data, we will be able to assist the team to generate impact reports and apply for federal grants and private funds. Those funds then will be lent to current owners to expand their business and to aspired entrepreneurs to achieve their business dream.  Particularly, searching for employment could be a daunting task for returning citizens, and the microloan from ProsperUs can provide them with new opportunities.

ProsperUs not only helps residents to start their business adventure but also offers continuous support throughout their entrepreneurship. The organization check-in with past program graduates through a longitudinal survey. By tracking the growth of their business, ProsperUs can offer additional support for the graduates and better current programs. My teammate and I are also working on developing the longitudinal survey. We aim to collect comprehensive measurements for determining business growth and program improvements. With the data collected, we will also be able to create an interactive business directory. The business directory includes identifying information such as minority-owned and women-owned. It allows the entrepreneurs to build affinity groups and support each other. It also helps to increase the exposure of these businesses in the community.  

This year marks ProsperUs’s 10th anniversary of supporting entrepreneurs and the local community. I am honored to be a part of the organization and am excited to continue my impact with ProsperUs.

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Week #3 - Michael Mohs

6/27/2022

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Prompt: Students complete projects all the time, but often do not realize the full scope of what they are doing.  Please write to how you are specifically serving the Detroit community through your project this summer.  Please think past the surface level on this and really dive into what you are doing in and for the organization and the city.

    I am serving the Detroit community through enabling Co.act Detroit to help develop the next cohort of nonprofit leaders. These leaders will make invaluable contributions to the Detroit community, and be better equipped to do so through my contribution. My partner, Suzie Choi, and my project is to analyze the current status of the nonprofit leadership pipeline, and to create recommendations that address issues with the path nonprofit professionals take towards becoming a leader in the sector. This includes researching professional development opportunities, practices, and programs that can better prepare these nonprofit professionals to take the next step in their career. It also includes interviewing current stakeholders in the sector that know of trends or shortcomings in existing nonprofit leadership structures currently impacting Executive Directors and emerging leadership talent. It also includes figuring out the skills and competencies that are most essential for nonprofit leaders to have to take the next step. Lastly, it also requires understanding leadership practices and models that allow leaders to enjoy more balanced lives, and be more effective at the same time - thereby increasing retention of these talented individuals.

    The impact these recommendations could have, if implemented by Co.act Detroit, Michigan Community Resources, and their partner organizations, on the leadership pipeline in Southeast Michigan is invaluable. Currently talented individuals with immense leadership potential (including Kyla, my boss at Co.act, who stated this to Suzie and I directly) in the space do not want to pursue Executive Director roles due to the impact these roles have on the lives of those who hold them. The issues in the nonprofit sector - long hours, low wages, and emotionally draining work - lead to burnout and an exodus from the sector. These recommendations, if implemented, would retain individuals currently leaving the sector, prepare them for Executive Director roles, and allow them to stay in the sector longer due to healthier leadership practices.
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    The results of this could be incredible. Proper development opportunities and healthier work practices could attract talented college graduates, and professionals in the private sector suffering under stressful work conditions. These individuals could make incredible differences, and continue to implement the organizational practices that attracted them to the work. They would be a part of a chain reaction of more and more talented individuals entering the space and improving the communities of Detroit, which, even as Detroit is seeing a renaissance, need increased assistance. The construction of an improved nonprofit leadership pipeline could truly result in a revitalized nonprofit sector and flourishing Detroit.
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week 3 - Rafael Adi

6/27/2022

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Students complete projects all the time, but often do not realize the full scope of what they are doing.  Please write to how you are specifically serving the Detroit community through your project this summer.  Please think past the surface level on this and really dive into what you are doing in and for the organization and the city.

The city of Detroit filed for Chapter 9 bankruptcy in 2013, making it the ​​largest municipal bankruptcy filing in U.S. history. Decades leading up to the event there had been a constant migration of people out of the city, and the bankruptcy further continued that trend. This limited the opportunity within Detroit, forcing people to move out of the metropolitan area. However, organizations like TechTown Detroit (TTD) have opened doors to opportunities for business in the city, helping strengthen Detroit neighborhoods and the local economy.

Although in the years following the bankruptcy filing in 2013, there has been major private investment and development in Detroit, including in the downtown, midtown, riverfront, and Corktown areas, the Covid-19 pandemic had slowed down the recovery that was showing so much promise leading up to 2020. As the local community begins to return from the changes set by the Coronavirus Pandemic, the Detroit economy has also returned to the trends of improvement prior to the epidemic. In addition, TechTown Detroit has been able to make a larger impact on small businesses and startups post pandemic. 

As for what my role has been at TechTown so far through the program, I have been a member of the Systems Innovation Team at the organization. My project this summer has been centered around improving the efficiency of the company’s onboarding and offboarding process for new employees. Through interviewing company directors, surveying employees, and talking to peer organizations, my partner, Megan, and I have been able to discover where the programs utilized by TTD during onboarding have become redundant. Prior to beginning our project, Megan and I were informed that because of these redundancies the Systems Innovation budget was being misused during the technical part of onboarding. Through our recommendation, Megan and I hope to improve this process, and in the long run save the SI team tens of thousands of dollars in terms of their budget allocation.

On the surface, my role at TechTown may not seem like the most impactful for the city’s economy, however, looking deeper by making the company’s onboarding process more efficient, less of the budget can be used to train employees and more can be used to support small businesses in Detroit.
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Week 3 - Kushal MOhta

6/27/2022

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Students complete projects all the time, but often do not realize the full scope of what they are doing.  Please write to how you are specifically serving the Detroit community through your project this summer.  Please think past the surface level on this and really dive into what you are doing in and for the organization and the city.
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Due to the recent tensions around the world and inflation, gas prices have been on a continuous rise. This is making life extremely difficult for several people all across America. However, here in Detroit, there’s something special: MoGo Bikeshare. This is a non profit organization providing cheap bike sharing options with a wide variety of passes. This alternative to commuting is not only making travel easy, but also simultaneously helping everyone get back into shape. For the summer of 2022, I am interning for MoGo and hoping to further the impact this amazing organization has on the city of Detroit. 

This summer I will be working on 3 main projects. I have detailed the impact I am going to have below. 
  1. Get consumer feedback. We have devised two strategies to do this: we are going to send out 2 comprehensive surveys and conduct ‘focus group’ interviews with 8-10 consumers selected randomly. This project is going to allow us to understand what customers like and dislike about their current MoGo experience. When customers call customer service, it is often for a negative reason. Therefore, we never get to see the positive side of peoples’ experiences. Hence, just basing changes to be brought into the company on customer service calls can be more detrimental than effective. The surveys and interviews will allow us to delve deeper into the minds of MoGo customers. Through this, we hope to develop a detailed presentation listing changes that must be brought about to further satisfy customers. Overall, this project would do nothing but further clarify the goals MoGo employees must work towards in the near future. 
  2. Improve the efficacy of their email system. We want to develop 2 computer programs to test out the efficiency and effectiveness of their automated emails and their newsletter. This would allow MoGo to better interact with its customers by generating a greater open rate percentage to their emails. This would indubitably benefit the community of Detroit. These emails often give detailed information about MoGo community events and free ride days. More people knowing about this would be a great benefit for the citizens of Detroit as they will be able to avail the benefits provided by MoGo and meet other people living in Detroit with similar interests. 
  3. Spread awareness of their RiderPerks program. Being a MoGo member gets you several other benefits as well. For example, you can get 15% off on local businesses such as Moose Jaws and Ima to just name a few. There are 60+ such businesses where you can avail MoGo discounts. However, unfortunately a lot of people do not know about this because of lack of marketing. Our aim is to increase the number of people who use these perks by, for example, adding MoGo stickers near the cashier. This will incentivise more people to visit these local businesses, hence boosting the local economy. It will also at the same time make more people buy a MoGo membership. Therefore, it’s a win-win situation for both sides. 

​With all these extremely interesting projects, I genuinely cannot wait to continue my impact on MoGo and the city of Detroit.
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Week 3 - Demi Wang

6/27/2022

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Please write to how you are specifically serving the Detroit community through your project this summer.  Please think past the surface level on this and really dive into what you are doing in and for the organization and the city. 

    Initially founded in 2004 as a nonprofit to support tech-based spinoffs from Wayne State University, TechTown has evolved and expanded to support and strengthen small businesses and commercial corridors across Detroit. Over the years, TechTown has served more than 4,700 businesses, created 2,183 jobs, and leveraged more than $172.5 million in start-up capital. Originally supported by Wayne State University, Henry Ford Health System, and General Motors, Techtown has expanded its partnerships and network beyond Michigan and into Ontario, Canada. After the bankruptcy of Detroit in 2013 and the announcement of the city’s $18 billion debt, headlines predicting the downfall of the city defamed the city’s reputation as “The Motor City” and the world’s “Automobile Capital”. However, the citizens of Detroit did not give up. Countless people and various organizations worked hard to help Detroit thrive again, and among them was TechTown. 

Starting with the city’s low-tech infrastructure and encompassing the whole picture of the economic ecosystem, Techtown has continued to contribute to the improvement of Detroit’s economy. TechTown believes in having stable micro-enterprises that are able to support the longer-term development of new businesses and the relocation of existing businesses to Detroit. As a result, initiatives like MedHealth, which focuses on serving the region’s medical ecosystem, were created. MedHealth works with the innovation of medical devices and digital health as a starting point for elevating the region’s health industry. 

With my interest in healthcare and entrepreneurship, I was very excited to be working with this TechTown initiative. My project focuses on doing an environmental scan and analysis of the med-tech ecosystem to better understand focus areas and how different resources fit into the sequence of the commercialization journey. Using this knowledge, I am creating a comprehensive resource guide to help support and assist med-tech innovators working with MedHealth. 

With so many resources out there in the world, it can oftentimes be overwhelming and time-consuming to comb through and find the right opportunities to pursue. In efforts to continue growing the economic ecosystem in Detroit, MedHealth aims to help small businesses and startups thrive by providing them with resources catered specifically to their needs. My project will be able to help connect entrepreneurs in the med-tech field to organizations and resources that can best assist them. One thing I have learned and observed during my time with MedHealth thus far is the importance of partnerships and collaborations in making significant impacts. 

As noted by the chairman and CEO of JPMorgan Chase &Co., who made a $100 million investment in Detroit’s economic recovery back in 2014, the city needs more than just an investment. Instead, the city also needs “partners who could provide expertise in human resources, technology, finance, and running a business better”. The fruits of various collaborations with various businesses, nonprofits, and community groups are immeasurable. I see this through TechTowns various collaborations, including its most recent partnership with Hatch Detroit, which gives residents and aspiring entrepreneurs an opportunity to have a voice in neighborhood development. My project would be able to help provide entrepreneurs in the med-tech field with these vital partnerships and collaborations. The resource guide would provide an organized way for various med-tech innovators to find the connections and opportunities that best fit their needs.
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In order to keep these resources updated so that MedHealth can continue to be well informed of changing offerings, the final part of my project consists of designing a methodology for staying current on these resources. I am excited to continue reading into and connecting with various healthcare stakeholders to learn more about the existing resources available in the region of Southeast Michigan and Southwest Ontario. I hope that through my work and my project, I will be able to contribute to the continuously growing economic and healthcare ecosystem. 
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Week 3 - Megan Fong

6/27/2022

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The COVID-19 pandemic wreaked economic havoc upon the entire world, leaving tens of millions of people in a state of unemployment (cbpp.org). Furthermore, economic effects bore especially hard impacts upon Black people, Latinx people, and other people of color due to the structural racism that has polluted our society. In Detroit, the unemployment rate dipped to 22% and disproportionately impacted Black and Latinx Americans and other vulnerable populations. 

As an organization focused on the “meaningful and equitable revitalization of Detroit”, TechTown put forth a concerted effort to aid small business recovery in an equitable manner, serving 1,731 entrepreneurial businesses during the one-year period between March 2020 and March 2021, 68% of which were run by Black or African American entrepreneurs. TechTown’s service during the height of the pandemic goes to show the organization’s unwavering commitment to pushing forward the economic development of Detroit in a manner that also works to dismantle the system that puts BIPOC communities at a large disadvantage.  

My project this summer focuses on optimizing the employee onboarding process and other internal operations at TechTown, which is a process that has many downstream effects on all departments. Through the work that Rafa and I will conduct, our hope is that by establishing a standardized onboarding process that prevents the need for further assistance and streamlining submitting requests for assistance, TechTown will be able to focus its efforts on the well-being of the community of Detroit rather than internal matters. With our work, we hope that the Systems Innovation team will not have to spend their time and effort on tasks that could be more appropriately carried out by other teams. Additionally, we hope that through our investigations we can figure out how to leverage Wayne State’s resources so that TechTown does not divert its own money to materials that can be supplied by the university and can instead redirect those funds into the hands of Detroit’s entrepreneurs. 
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Although at a first glance it may seem like our project does not necessarily impact the company at large, I am excited to help work towards improving the manner in which TechTown operates so that it can continue working towards the mission it holds so deep to its heart. As demonstrated by their report from March 2020 – March 2021, TechTown is a company that has fought, and will continue to fight, for the equitable economic development of Detroit and I feel immensely appreciative for having the opportunity to help fight towards TechTown’s mission. ​
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