Image via Complex Original
From Henry Ford to Motown’s Barry Gordy, Thomas Edison to Jerry Bruckheimer, the Detroit area has long been home to big thinkers, game changers, and rebels with a cause. Maybe it’s something in the lake water, or maybe it’s a reaction to the harsh winters and harsher realities—either way, Detroit has produced more than it’s share of entrepreneurs. There is something about the city (and its very public problems) that creates people who are able to step up and come up with solutions. From small business creators, artists, and community builders, Detroit has a whole new breed of innovators ready to lead the way.
Alicia and John George
Detroit is infamous for its ruins. That might be great for out-of-town photographers who love to capture the decaying buildings for their blogs, but it’s long been a problem for residents of the city. John George started the non-profit organization Blight Busters as a way to tackle this issue. The organization demolishes buildings that have been left abandoned and are beyond restoring. This work helps stabilize and revitalize neighborhoods that had otherwise been left behind. In addition to tearing buildings down, John and his wife Alicia are also building communities back up with projects like the Motor City Java House and Artists Village—community spaces for oft-ignored neighborhoods in desperate need, like Brightmoor.
Samantha White
Samantha White lists her passions as Shakespeare, Detroit, and living with purpose. She brought all three together with Shakespeare in Detroit. In a city that has been losing population and tax-base, the people of Detroit are also losing access to the arts. Samantha is bringing back the Bard to people by staging affordable Shakespeare classics. With a diverse cast, the plays are performed in various historical sites and venues across Detroit. Starting the company was a big gamble by Samantha, who was introduced to Shakespeare by her mother as an alternative to rap music, but it’s paying off both for her theater company and the Motor City.
Andy Didorosi
You would think that transportation would be the least of the problems in the Motor City, but public transportation is an issue—one that Andy Didorosi is addressing in a very unique way. Andy started the Detroit Bus Company because he was furious at the stalled plans for Detroit’s light rail system. He put together a fleet of school buses, spray-painted them with graffiti and equipped them with sound systems, and called it his own personal public transportation company. The Detroit Bus Company offers rides to downtown Detroit, providing tours of the city that only born-and-raised Detroiters would know about. It also makes for the funkiest designated driver that your bar crawl could ask for.
Veronika Scott
Too often is the image associated with an entrepreneur of someone out to make a personal profit. But Veronika Scott is an example of an entrepreneur who makes a social profit. Veronika looked for ways to use her industrial design background to address problems faced by the homeless. One of Veronika’s first projects was creating a heat-trapping jacket that could transform into a waterproof sleeping bag. This lead Veronika to start the Empowerment Plan, a non-profit that on manufactures the jackets and provides job training to those who need it most. In addition, she works with low-income women, who help make and distribute these jackets.
Andrew and Ryan Landau
Brothers Andrew and Ryan Landau quit jobs with mega-companies Google and IBM to start their own business, ChalkFly. The idea was simple: corner the e-commerce market on office and school supplies. Obviously, it’s not so easy to do when you’re going up against big names like Office Depot and Staples, but the digital world favors the sleeker, more customer-friendly approach of start-ups like ChalkFly. And the Landau brothers believe Detroit is just the place to be the up-and-coming underdog. As Andrew told Crain’s magazine, “There is an entrepreneurial renaissance happening in Detroit, and I believe there is no better place to start a business.”
Mike Z Ballerini
Detroit is synonymous with American craftsmanship and Mike Z Ballerini wants to see that it stays that way. The son of a farmer from Detroit’s suburbs, Mike started making handcrafted men’s bags that reflect the aesthetic of the city. These aren’t European man purses. Rather, Z Ballerini bags focus on functionality and each is created in Detroit. It was Mike’s desire to bring the spirit of the city into his design.
Jason Hall and Mike MacKool
Going on a bike ride might not sound like an entrepreneurial movement, but it becomes just that when you’re riding with 1,500 other people. Jay Hall and Mike MacKool started Slow Roll as a way to bring people together and show off Detroit’s unique cultural spots. Both loved biking but talked to too many people who didn’t feel that it was safe. Despite the name, the rides took off fast and continue to grow. The idea is already branching out to other cities like Chicago and Buffalo. Jason gave the movement a big boost after talking about Slow Roll as part of an Apple iPad commercial.
Emily, Andy, and Rob Linn
Three siblings open a bookstore in the heart of Detroit and then find out that, out of all the books that they sell, there isn’t a single guidebook to their city. When tourists or curious locals would visit Emily, Andy, and Rob Linn’s City Bird bookstore asking for books that would help them navigate the city, there was nothing to offer them that wasn’t completely outdated. Instead of waiting around for someone else to write it, the Linn’s worked together to publish their own authoritative tour book of Detroit. Belle Isle to 8 Mile: An Insider’s Guide to Detroit is the result of years of living in and researching Detroit, and it’s as comprehensive and detailed as you could ask for.
Amy Kaherl
Soup is a simple dish with almost magical qualities. Throw a bunch of random scraps and ingredients together and the next thing you know you’ve got a delicious meal. That’s just what Amy Kaherl is trying to do with the people of Detroit, bringing them all together to see what magical things transpire. She’ll even feed them some soup. Amy is an entrepreneur’s entrepreneur. Her project, Detroit SOUP, has a simple mission: throw a monthly dinner party, invite four groups to come present their business plans, then have the diners vote, with the winner getting the donation money to start making their dreams into realities.
Greg McPartlin and Andrew Niemczyk
Water is something that we all take for granted until we don’t have any. Greg McPartlin and Andrew Niemczyk are worrying about water so you won’t have to. Using technologies that they’ve developed for their company Parjana, Greg and Andrew are essentially recycling water. One problem of over-development and urbanization is that rainwater doesn’t drain into the soil, causing pooling and water damage. This ends up costing cities like Detroit tax money for repair. Parjana’s EGRP system offers a sustainable solution to this issue that impacts the entire water table.