Attracting Businesses & Jobs

It’s good to see you.

Greg Handel:
Thanks for having me.

Chuck Gaidica:
What a great couple of days up on the island.

Greg Handel:
It’s busy and productive, and we’re just happy to do this every year.

Chuck Gaidica:
So, this conference, the focus this year is Bridging the Future Together, and everybody’s talking about the future and tying that to talent, trying to keep people that are here, trying to attract others. And so, that’s got to be a big piece of the puzzle, right?

Greg Handel:
Yes. I am just coming from a session where we were talking about talent to produce electric vehicles. And one of the questions that was posed was, have we reached a state where, instead of people moving to where the jobs are, are we at a state in our economic life where the best jobs move to where the most talented and educated people are? And the answer to that question is yes.

Chuck Gaidica:
Yeah. So, how do you gauge that?

Greg Handel:
Well, we need to look at what kind of skills and education level does our local population have. You may remember seven, eight years ago, Amazon had a huge contest to look for… Not a contest, but a competition to see where they’re going to put their second headquarters. And everybody, including Detroit, made huge, very aggressive bids to lure them here. The Detroit area was not amongst the finalists. And when you look at those finalists, one of the things I looked at was, every one of the regions on their final list had a higher percentage of people with some kind of college education than we did.
And so, you may have heard the state has a goal. Actually, the Chamber established this goal even before the state did, and that is to have 60% of our population with some kind of post-secondary credential by the year 2030. So, if you look at an individual state, individual region, and the percentage of people who have a post-secondary education, that is directly tied to per capita income and economic prosperity. So, you just look at what percentage of the population has that kind of education, that’ll tell you what kind of job mix and the income level for that state, for that region.

Chuck Gaidica:
And how challenging that is with so many different tentacles to… Are we going to ask kids who have already done an undergrad to move up? Are you looking for people to move in with post-grad degrees? All of the above?

Greg Handel:
All of the above.

Chuck Gaidica:
Yeah.

Greg Handel:
Historically, as a state, if you look at regions with a really heavy concentration of college-educated talent, people with advanced skills, in many cases, those are places that attract migrants from across the country, from across the world. We have some of that in Michigan, but on average, I think I heard Hillary Dole from the Population Commission talk today, Michigan is like 49th out of 50 states in terms of percentage of people in Michigan who weren’t born here.

Chuck Gaidica:
Ah.

Greg Handel:
So, the workforce we have here is more or less the population who grew up here, and so we need to do a better job making sure that we’re educating all of our citizens. And to get to the 60 by 30 goal, that really means reaching groups that historically have not been well-served by our education system.

Chuck Gaidica:
So, is that the biggest obstacle, is reaching that group?

Greg Handel:
Yeah, making sure that they’re going through and continuing beyond high school into higher ed. We produce a report every year called the State of Education. One of the things we look at, is what happens over a 10-year period to students who enter high school from throughout the region. So, we looked at the most recent class that we could track longitudinally, for the class that entered high school in 2013, four years after they entered high school, 82% graduate, but that’s 18% that you’ve lost. Six years later, after high school, they would’ve graduated high school, only 35 of that original 100 have some kind of post-secondary credential. So, 65% do not.
That’s not a City of Detroit number, that is a regional number. Sometimes there’s a complacency for folks in the region to think, “Well, the problems are concentrated in urban areas,” and that’s not the case. Only 35% of our young people throughout the region start high school, 10 years later have some kind of post-secondary credential. We’ve got to do a lot better than that.

Chuck Gaidica:
And as a dad, as a grandfather, I continue to have conversations with my kids, “Well, what does that mean? Where do you concentrate? What are you looking for in a degree?” Because those questions come up for all of us, even when we were kids, right?

Greg Handel:
Yep.

Chuck Gaidica:
What am I going to do when I grow up? Where are the opportunities? What kinds of degrees?

Greg Handel:
So, there’s all kinds, lots of focus in STEM.

Chuck Gaidica:
Yeah.

Greg Handel:
The state puts out a hot jobs report every year. Right now, of their 50 hottest jobs, 37 requires some kind of Bachelor’s degree or greater.

Chuck Gaidica:
Okay.

Greg Handel:
There are skilled certificates, there are non-degreed opportunities, but if you really look at the best paying opportunities in Michigan, and really across the country, they require some kind of Bachelor’s or above, but there’s opportunities to build pathways from maybe a certificate, to an associate’s degree, to a Bachelor’s degree to help people along the way.

Chuck Gaidica:
Yeah.

Greg Handel:
There’s also a group of employers in Southeast Michigan that are focusing on creating apprenticeships. It’s led by Accenture, the Michigan Apprenticeship Network. So, they’re looking to create apprenticeships to take people and help them get into positions that formally required a four-year degree, and they’re looking to try and create an apprenticeship to help those people move into those positions.

Chuck Gaidica:
Well, we have a son of our five kids who went to Kettering, undergrad rights, and he was working for Bosch while he was in school. That sounds a lot like the ideal for a lot of these programs.

Greg Handel:
Kettering is tremendous. Their hands on work co-ops get people completely prepared by the time they finish a degree.

Chuck Gaidica:
Yeah. So then, as you start to look out, where do you see the positive nature of attracting people to Michigan? Because here we’re sitting in the midst of a place where, if everybody could just see this from the porch and you’re interested in your outdoor time, your quality of life, it’s just people have to get a whiff of it.

Greg Handel:
Right. So, we have an initiative at the Chamber called Let’s Detroit. It’s a website, but it really just helps people who are thinking about, “Do I want to start a career in Detroit?”

Chuck Gaidica:
Yeah.

Greg Handel:
“Do I want to stay here?” Connect to the things that they’re interested in, connect to people. One of the things we know about this demographic, is they don’t want to be marketed to. They don’t really want to hear a pitch.

Chuck Gaidica:
Yeah.

Greg Handel:
What they really value are authentic connections to people they view as peers, and to the things that are of interest to them. So, whether that’s music or some kind of recreation, Let’s Detroit attempts to help create a platform that connects those folks. So, we’ve never really had a formal process for really trying to engage people, so we’ve done some surveys. 36% of students who graduate from Michigan’s universities end up somewhere else within 12 months of graduation. So, we launched Let’s Detroit four or five years ago to start to reach those people, and the audience for that is growing, but we need a lot more investment, a lot more attention to that.

Chuck Gaidica:
And aren’t those authentic kinds of relationships, whether it’s Talent Hub or whether it’s Detroit Young Talent, that all matters to kids, young people I should say, everybody’s a kid to me now. But across all generations and demographics.

Greg Handel:
Yep. What we know about young people is, they don’t want to hear from Greg Handel or Chuck Gaidica about where they want to live and what they should think about. They want to hear from their peers.

Chuck Gaidica:
Yeah.

Greg Handel:
And so, we want to connect them to their peers that have found their space and let those people find their people and want to stay here.

Chuck Gaidica:
So, with all this data, and you’ve got command of all of this, what gives you, Greg, great hope about the near and the farther down the road future for Michigan?

Greg Handel:
Well, that 35 out of 100 figure, while it’s very daunting, it’s actually ticked up a little bit.

Chuck Gaidica:
Okay.

Greg Handel:
Michigan has made great strides in the last few years in making higher education more affordable. So, we created Michigan Reconnect, which allows any adults in Michigan now to finish an associate’s degree, tuition-free. For the first group of high school graduates last year who entered college in 2023, the Michigan Achievement Scholarship provides up to $5,500 to a student going to a four-year university, $2,750 going to a community college. That’s in addition to what they get from the Federal Pell system.

Chuck Gaidica:
Okay.

Greg Handel:
So, we’ve gone a long way to making up that gap between what a student full tuition and what a student, particularly a low-moderate income student, would get in aid. Not student loans, because there’s a lot out there about student loans, but we’ve made higher ed a lot more affordable. The word hasn’t gotten out. The public perception about the cost of higher ed is really skewed compared to what it actually is, particularly for students that qualify for aid. So, we’ve done a lot policy-wise, on a bipartisan basis. We hear about the conference theme is Bridging Together. That was a case where we had bipartisan support to create Michigan Reconnect and the Michigan Achievement Scholarship, and over 24,000 students in Michigan received the Michigan Achievement Scholarship last year for either community college or four-year university. And that’s just going to grow, so we’re building on that.

Chuck Gaidica:
So, organizations across the board, from churches, to companies, to the state, focus on young people because that would be the future. And yet, you’ve got a bunch of people that are 45 plus, you’ve got a talent pool, you’ve got baby boomers with trillions of hours of time on their hands, and they thought they were going to retire, and now they’re like, “I may want to come back into the workforce.” Isn’t there a possibility that that’s a way to go fishing for some great talent?

Greg Handel:
It’s been, actually, a huge focus and priority for the work that we do.

Chuck Gaidica:
Yeah.

Greg Handel:
So, in Southeast Michigan, there are almost half a million people who started some kind of post-secondary education, but didn’t complete fully.

Chuck Gaidica:
Ah.

Greg Handel:
That’s just working-age population.

Chuck Gaidica:
Yeah.

Greg Handel:
Those people are out there in the workforce right now. We’ve actually done a lot to build online toolkits for employers to help their employees up skill. So, whether it’s creating apprenticeships, internships, or how do I create a best practice program to help those people take advantage of going back to higher ed?

Chuck Gaidica:
Yeah.

Greg Handel:
Lots of employers have tuition reimbursement programs, tuition support, very few employers of their own employees know it. A lot of times employers overestimate how familiar their own workforce is with their policies. We’ve done some surveys for employers of their employees and find that very few employees actually know about those opportunities. So, we’ve really focused on how do you get those people to take advantage of either employer’s opportunities to pay for tuition, Michigan Reconnect. We launched a whole initiative. We found that a lot of that population, that almost half a million people, started higher ed, they stopped out, and they can’t go on because they owe their institution some kind of back… They have some debt.
Wayne State University created a program called the Warrior Way Back, they forgave a bit of that tuition if someone re-enrolled. We then created a collaborative with three other higher ed institutions who now have a pact to, “If you’re a Wayne State student and you owed us money, but want to go to Oakland University, we’ll forgive the debt and you can enroll there.”

Chuck Gaidica:
Interesting.

Greg Handel:
It’s been so successful that Wayne State just upped the amount that they’ll forgive from like $1,500 to, I think, over $4,000. So, that’s a strategy to get those folks who are out there in the workforce, didn’t complete a degree, can’t go back, because even if I owe one institution money, they’ll hold my transcripts and prevent me from going somewhere else until I settle that debt. So, we’ve created a mechanism for students to settle that debt and continue with their education.

Chuck Gaidica:
Well, I can just say, personally, as somebody who didn’t go back for a Master’s until he was 50, which means I’m on track to get my PhD at 90, it’s okay.

Greg Handel:
You are our poster… I’d say poster child, but you are our poster mature worker.

Chuck Gaidica:
But I guess my point is, not to talk about my personal travels in life, it’s never too late to be who you’re supposed to be.

Greg Handel:
Right.

Chuck Gaidica:
So, be encouraged that there are these opportunities.

Greg Handel:
And it is an opportunity for us. So, that some college, no degree, some higher ed, no degree is 22% of our population.

Chuck Gaidica:
Wow.

Greg Handel:
That puts us pretty far above the national average in peer regions.

Chuck Gaidica:
Well, it’s good to see you, Greg. Thanks for stopping by to see us.

Greg Handel:
Thanks for having me.

Chuck Gaidica:
Yeah. Greg Handel, who’s the Vice President Education and Talent Detroit Regional Chamber.

Greg Handel:
Thank you.

Chuck Gaidica:
Next up is President, Detroit Means Business, Marlo Rencher. Good to see you.

Marlo Rencher:
It’s great to be here, thank you.

Chuck Gaidica:
You just said one of the most important things for this Mackinac Policy Conference, just the view, just to sit here and… Doesn’t your blood pressure just kind of go down?

Marlo Rencher:
Absolutely. It is wonderful.

Chuck Gaidica:
Good. So, tell us what Detroit Means Business is. Are you a subsidiary with Detroit Economic Growth Corporation?

Marlo Rencher:
Yeah, we’re an initiative inside of Detroit Economic Growth Corporation, basically incubated inside the corporation to focus on helping out small businesses. We were created, as the pandemic occurred, there was a noticing that it really hit small businesses hard, and in the middle of a crisis, it’s important to have one place where you can put a bunch of resources. So, there were about 60 different organizations, corporations, nonprofits, who were really focused on helping small businesses, and really, Detroit Means Business became the center point where you can find the resources that you needed to really get to the next level and survive. So, we helped out in terms of distributing PPP and making sure that people knew about what resources existed. And we’ve evolved since that point, we’re really focused though on helping small businesses get the resources that they need.

Chuck Gaidica:
And so, we can’t make assumptions, because that’s a problem. Today now, hopefully, we’re really looking at Covid in the rearview mirror, but what are those resources that are needed in this world today, with higher interest rates and all that’s going on?

Marlo Rencher:
Yeah, absolutely. So, what we know is that small businesses are still recovering. It’s a different world now, it’s not the same thing, so one of the main resources that people need is capital and business assistance. And so, recently, we were contracted with the city of Detroit to distribute $3.4 million in business assistance projects. How that worked was, we vetted the small businesses, made sure that they were in the City of Detroit, made sure that they were in existence during the time of the pandemic, and made sure they met a couple of other different criteria.
And then we also vetted the small business service providers. We made sure that they could handle the capacity of helping people out. And then we said, “Hey, these are providers who work in particular areas. These are small businesses who need these particular things.” And then just made sure that the projects happen, make sure that they’re continuing to move forward, and we’re at the tail end of that, making sure all the projects are closing out, but we’ve just been that helpful resource to make sure that that connection can be made. And with $3.4 million in projects, it’s really made an impact in the city.

Chuck Gaidica:
There’s got to be a sense of scale to what you’re doing too, right?

Marlo Rencher:
Yes.

Chuck Gaidica:
If I’m General Motors and I need coffee cups, I need a billion of them, right?

Marlo Rencher:
Yes.

Chuck Gaidica:
So, there’s a certain cost factor that’s in my favor.

Marlo Rencher:
Absolutely.

Chuck Gaidica:
For a small business, it would seem like, as a collective, there’s got to be a lot of power in that, right?

Marlo Rencher:
Yeah, absolutely. And I think scale is a really key concept. Recently, in the beginning of May for small business week, we provided a summit for small businesses. It was our third annual summit, and the theme of it was Navigate and Elevate. So, we’re focused on making sure that businesses understand scale, that they can still be in the neighborhood, but that if they have the opportunity to have customers across the country, they can bring back those dollars into the neighborhoods. They don’t have to abandon the neighborhoods, they can bring back those dollars into the neighborhood. But in order to get there, you have to have the website, you have to have the operations written down, it can’t just be in your head. You have to have your accounting system set up, and that really was the focus for us.

Chuck Gaidica:
So, does it help then, with the workshops, the things that you do? And I suppose mentorship has got to be… Coaching maybe is a different word, but that’s got to be a huge thing, because I get a great idea, I want to innovate, I’ve never done it before, and I just need some help to get me going.

Marlo Rencher:
So, one of the things that I try to say to make sure that we’re differentiated is that, Detroit Means Business itself, we don’t do many programs. What we do is connect people to the over 50 organizations out there that help people.

Chuck Gaidica:
Yeah.

Marlo Rencher:
So, we are able to say, “Hey, you’re a second stage business, maybe we can put you in Goldman Sachs’ 10,000 small business.” Or, “Hey, you’re just starting out with a tech idea, you can go to TechTown and do their star studio.”

Chuck Gaidica:
Yeah.

Marlo Rencher:
But nobody knows about these things. People don’t know what TechTown is, or they might be afraid or intimidated. So, it’s our job to reach into the neighborhoods and reach more deeply, because our calculations say that out of 10 businesses, only one, at most, know about all the resources that exist. So, our job is to get to that nine. Get to those nine people who are doing it by themselves, doing it on their own. And that’s really where we can scale and help relieve the statistics of a lot of people dropping out of businesses because they don’t have the support that exists all the way around them, but they just don’t know where it is.

Chuck Gaidica:
But you are able, then, to hand people this road map.

Marlo Rencher:
Yes.

Chuck Gaidica:
And so, it’s just like when you’re talking to a neighbor and, “Well, I’ve got a plumbing issue.”
“I got a guy.”

Marlo Rencher:
Right.

Chuck Gaidica:
Well, I could say now I’ve got somebody.

Marlo Rencher:
That’s exactly what we do. You’ve gotten it.

Chuck Gaidica:
Yeah. What else is it that you’re focusing on? Because we talk about small business, so much has changed for them, we’ve got big people with trucks that show up in three hours.

Marlo Rencher:
Yes.

Chuck Gaidica:
But what’s changed? Because the importance of employment, if you look at the numbers across America and our region, it’s so impactful as to how important small business is.

Marlo Rencher:
Yeah, so small businesses employ about 50% of the residents of the City of Detroit. And nationally, it’s around that area.

Chuck Gaidica:
Wow.

Marlo Rencher:
So, what we know is that, in order to have anything happen, the small businesses have to be healthy and have to survive. And through the Michigan Economic Development Corporation, we got a grant to have small business sites in the neighborhoods. Basically, we’re going to be able to have that same, “Let me show you a guy, or let me show you a girl,” or whatever.

Chuck Gaidica:
Yeah.

Marlo Rencher:
We’re going to be able to go to, let’s say, a Northwest activity center, or to a corner store. Because honestly, if you’re sick, you know what a hospital looks like. If something happened to you, somebody robbed you, you know what a police station looks like. There’s nothing like that for small businesses right now. There’s no clear place where you need to go. And so, what we’re trying to provide is the physical sites to make that happen, and through partnership with the MEDC and also six nonprofit organizations that are helping us, we’re making that a reality.

Chuck Gaidica:
Do you see a threat at all that runs through small business as to issues that tend to come up over and over again?

Marlo Rencher:
Yes.

Chuck Gaidica:
I have no idea, but like accounting.

Marlo Rencher:
Yes.

Chuck Gaidica:
It would seem, if you’re not a numbers person, you could open a flower shop or a corner store and you could be swamped, because that’s just not your gifting.

Marlo Rencher:
Right. And there’s a lot of people who are experts in their thing. They could flip a hamburger, but they haven’t dealt with QuickBooks before. So, what we found in over 200 projects that we were able to fund through that $3.4 million project, almost half of them were digital projects. They needed websites, they needed an app created, because they’re trying to scale, they’re not trying to just operate and just be on their block. That’s a big deal. The accounting and legal services were also a big deal. So, having the operational shore up to be able to expand and grow. So, we know that people are ready to grow, they just need those basic things, the accounting, the legal, and the web, and digital things in order to make that true.

Chuck Gaidica:
And you said something a couple minutes ago about vetting, which has got to be so important, because if that stamp of approval is there, and even if I’ve got 10 choices of accounting groups or companies, somebody can teach me, if I know they’ve been vetted, man, that just gives me a chance to let my breath out.

Marlo Rencher:
Yeah, absolutely. And we are trying to also show them how to look at it, because we can vet a group and we have certain criteria, and that works for this project, but we also try to say, “Hey, these are the reasons why this is a good choice.” So that the next choice, they can make it.

Chuck Gaidica:
Yeah.

Marlo Rencher:
They don’t have to necessarily go through us.

Chuck Gaidica:
What are you hoping to get out of the policy conference yourself?

Marlo Rencher:
I would love to have great partnerships to make sure that we continue to do the work that we do. We got funding from the Biden-Harris administration, the ARPA funding, but that stuff is running out, but the need is not. For every project we were able to do, there were four other businesses that needed help, and those are only the people that even heard of us. So, we’d love to get great funding, we would love to have more partnerships. What we know is that, small businesses need all different types of help. There are things that we know about, but there are things that we don’t know about, so I’m curious and I want to discover, “Okay, what’s out there so that I can advocate on behalf of small businesses to make those connections happen.?”

Chuck Gaidica:
So, if I’m contemplating a small business or I’m in one and I’m going, “Oh, hang on, I feel like I’m drowning.” What do I do? Who do I reach out to and how?

Marlo Rencher:
Okay, so DetroitMeansBusiness.org is the website that we have. We have probably the most extensive library of resources that you can absolutely have. And also, I have to speak on behalf of the Detroit Economic Growth Corporation, which is the organization where we’re being incubated right now.

Chuck Gaidica:
Yeah.

Marlo Rencher:
They have this district business liaison program that there’s actually a physical person assigned to every part of the City of Detroit, and they’re talking to all the businesses in their city council district. So, if you go to the degc.org website, you can figure out who your district business liaison, and they’re your advocate through the city, they’re the one that’s running around and really helping and make things happen for you.

Chuck Gaidica:
Marlo, it seems to me that people think innovation is expensive.

Marlo Rencher:
Yes.

Chuck Gaidica:
And they get afraid of that idea, but here’s all this innovation going on that I wasn’t aware of, but having you on, somebody may hear this podcast episode and say, “That’s exactly the kind of help that I need.” So, it’s really great to meet you.

Marlo Rencher:
I really appreciate the platform. Thank you so much for inviting me.

Chuck Gaidica:
Yeah, Marlo Rencher who’s been with us, President of Detroit Means Business. And again, your website for everybody?

Marlo Rencher:
DetroitMeansBusiness.org.

Chuck Gaidica:
Have a great conference.

Marlo Rencher:
Thank you, you too.

Chuck Gaidica:
Thanks.
And now, as President of Eastern Market, Katy Trudeau. Good to see you.

Katy Trudeau:
Thank you. Good to see you.

Chuck Gaidica:
Right on your website, healthier, wealthier, and happier Detroit. Okay, thanks for coming.

Katy Trudeau:
Oh, yeah, it says it all, right?

Chuck Gaidica:
Doesn’t it?

Katy Trudeau:
Yep, it really does.

Chuck Gaidica:
Do you look at that every day and that’s the mantra that you’re going after?

Katy Trudeau:
It really is our tagline, yeah. In addition to our Saturday year-round public market, we run food access programs, food entrepreneurship programs. We’re working on some real estate development projects to advance the regional food system in Southeast Michigan. And it all gets back to that healthier, wealthier, happier Detroit.

Chuck Gaidica:
And so, what do you see coming out of that idea of that tagline? Where are you seeing the fruit of your labors, I guess?

Katy Trudeau:
I’ll go word by word. So, on the healthier side, we have our core mission of running our public markets on Saturdays, year-round. And then, during the summer, we have a Tuesday market that actually has a health and wellness focus.

Chuck Gaidica:
Okay.

Katy Trudeau:
It’s a smaller version of our Saturday market, where we’re offering produce, primarily this time of year it’s going to be your Michigan produce, because we’re in the depths of the Michigan growing season, so we’re getting excited for strawberries and blueberries-

Chuck Gaidica:
Yeah, they’re coming.

Katy Trudeau:
… and corn. But we also have several food access programs where we’re packing food boxes that are going to households in primarily Detroit and a little bit to the Southeast Michigan region, through a program with the USDA, through their funding, local procurement of produce that we pack into boxes and those go to several nonprofit partners free of charge. And last year, it was our first year of that USDA program, we’ve been packing food boxes for several years, it’s a program we developed during the pandemic. We packed about 30,000 boxes, fed about 30,000 households with that program.

Chuck Gaidica:
So, who actually packs them?

Katy Trudeau:
Our staff.

Chuck Gaidica:
Okay.

Katy Trudeau:
So, we have several full-time staff, year-round staff, but every year, Eastern Market hires 25 food fellows, and they’re typically college-age students who come on board for the summer, and they pack our food boxes. And then we also run a farm-to-farm stand program where we send produce out to several community markets in Detroit. We partner with Palmer Park’s Community Market, Grandmont Rosedale’s Community Market, and we set up farm stands to sell produce locally in neighborhoods, and our food fellows staff those.

Chuck Gaidica:
So, the word wealthier. Your wealth can be all kinds of things. Your health is your wealth too.

Katy Trudeau:
Oh, absolutely.

Chuck Gaidica:
So, it’s all interconnected.

Katy Trudeau:
It really is, yeah.

Chuck Gaidica:
Yeah.

Katy Trudeau:
On the wealthier side, we do a lot to foster. One of my favorite things to highlight of Eastern Market’s, we’re really trying to support new food entrepreneurs. Eastern Market’s a neighborhood where, for over 100 years, people have come to start and grow food businesses. So, we want to make sure that it remains a place where people can come to start food businesses. We have a community kitchen where we have, currently, 19 small food entrepreneurs who rent that kitchen. It’s a commercially licensed kitchen, inspected by the City of Detroit, and so they come and they make their food products there. You’ll see some of those products on grocery store shelves in Detroit and the region.
We also run a food accelerator, where we offer subsidized rental rates for larger scale food businesses who are ready, so Milk & Froth Ice Cream is an example of a Detroit based business that rents an accelerator space from us. So, we provide that at a lower cost, they get the kitchen and all of the production space that they need, it’s dedicated to their use. And when they grow up and they increase their sales, then we work with them to find their own brick and mortar location. So, just several different programs. We also offer classes to food entrepreneurs to make sure that, as they’re going through this growth period, they’re getting all of the assistance they need. And so, that’s one of the many ways.

Chuck Gaidica:
Yeah. And happier. A lot of off-ramps there too, right?

Katy Trudeau:
Oh, yeah. If you just come to a Saturday market in June or Flower Day, which just passed on May 19th, you just see smiles everywhere, and it’s access to healthy food, access to beautiful flowers and produce. It’s just a beautiful community on a Saturday, it really is. Every Saturday, it’s like a community event.

Chuck Gaidica:
Yeah.

Katy Trudeau:
People look forward to it, they build their week around it.

Chuck Gaidica:
And having participated in many of those different things, to be there and even seeing the kitchen behind the scenes back in the day, this idea of coming out of a pandemic, community is a big thing. When you talk about people, the pandemic of loneliness that’s erupted, just to be able to be around people and to see the flowers, that puts a smile on your face.

Katy Trudeau:
It really does, yep. And it kind of ticks all of the happier, healthier, and wealthier items there.

Chuck Gaidica:
And the long history, just Eastern Market has been around how long?

Katy Trudeau:
Eastern Market has been around for 133 years.

Chuck Gaidica:
Wow.

Katy Trudeau:
Yep. And the public sheds that we operate on behalf of the City of Detroit, the oldest was built in 1897 and that’s shed two.

Chuck Gaidica:
Yeah. So, when you see some of the businesses coming in, maybe they’re in that incubator stage. It’s got to give you great hope for the future, because Eastern Market itself is then an influencer, which means it’s extending its reach out even well beyond Detroit.

Katy Trudeau:
Oh, absolutely. Several businesses that started in Eastern Market are now selling nationally.

Chuck Gaidica:
Yeah.

Katy Trudeau:
The other thing that we really like to promote as a nonprofit, is the community that exists there seven days a week. So, the food entrepreneurs come and they learn from classes we might provide, or they might have an opportunity to sell their product at a Saturday market, but they also learn from the other food businesses who’ve been there for decades.

Chuck Gaidica:
Oh, yeah.

Katy Trudeau:
So, there’s really a food community there of folks who want to see the entrepreneurs who’ve been operating for 20, 30, in some cases almost 100 years. They want to see new food businesses succeed as well, because their families started their businesses in Eastern Market, so there’s also that really strong sense of a food entrepreneurship community that we don’t really have anywhere else in the region and is actually quite unique for the country.

Chuck Gaidica:
Does that then lead to mentorship or coaching, I guess, in an informal way, where you see some of these business owners taking somebody else under their wing and saying, “Hey, I’ve done it, and here’s some of the pitfalls”?

Katy Trudeau:
There are.

Chuck Gaidica:
Yeah.

Katy Trudeau:
There’s that sort of mentorship, there’s also even sometimes a sharing of equipment.

Chuck Gaidica:
Ah.

Katy Trudeau:
So, maybe one business has grown and they don’t need something anymore, but it’s still useful, and so they can hand it off to a smaller business just starting out, teach them how to use the equipment. I think that there’s a lot of sharing of staff resources, people will work at one facility and then they’ll go and they’ll be promoted at a new business. So, there’s a lot of different ways in which businesses are supporting each other.

Chuck Gaidica:
And I suspect, and you’ve got business classes, that’s got to be a huge part, because I may be a gifted chef, or I’ve got a wonderful idea for new spices, but I have no idea how to add the math and make it all, or it’s not my gifting.

Katy Trudeau:
So, that’s actually an area of our food programs that we’ve expanded just in the last six months that we’re really excited about. In January, we hired a great Detroit based business in the business of food. They’re led by a local chef, Ederique Goudia, and she goes by Chef E. And Chef E runs our community kitchen, she and her staff, but she also is an expert in food entrepreneurship, and so she has recently, in partnership with several entrepreneurship programs, New Economy Initiative, Prosperous, TechTown, Chef E has launched a series of classes on folks who want to make consumer packaged goods and sell them in the grocery store, folks who want to start a food truck.
It really goes through all of the things that you mentioned, where it’s not just about being a talented food producer, but the financial aspect of starting your food business. Why you might not necessarily be ready for a brick-and-mortar opportunity. Maybe it’s good to share a community kitchen for several years and sell in the Saturday market. There’s all these different ways to succeed and when you’re growing, and those are the things that Chef E is on board to be teaching.

Chuck Gaidica:
That’s awesome. Or like me, if I wanted to start a fudge business, I would eat all the profits, so I’d have to have someone-

Katy Trudeau:
You need someone talking reason to you, yeah.

Chuck Gaidica:
Just like, “Bang, stop that.”

Katy Trudeau:
No, that’s not a good business model.

Chuck Gaidica:
Hands off the fudge.

Katy Trudeau:
Yeah, exactly.

Chuck Gaidica:
Well, it’s so good to have you with us. And this idea of bringing culture and food and the camaraderie that comes along with this is so important for a place that we all have some affection for and don’t even know what’s emanating for. We think it’s a place often to just go buy things and don’t get the back story, so I’m glad you could share that.

Katy Trudeau:
Yeah, it’s been nice to be able to share it, because Eastern Market means something a little bit different to everyone.

Chuck Gaidica:
Yeah.

Katy Trudeau:
And so, it’s nice to be able to have that frame of reference when you’re talking about it, but then to share, “Well, did you know there’s all these other things that we do?” And people are always really interested to hear.

Chuck Gaidica:
Well, Katy Trudeau, thanks for coming by.

Katy Trudeau:
Thank you.

Chuck Gaidica:
Yeah, Katy is a President of Eastern Market. And finally, Chief Program Officer at TechTown, Christianne Malone. So good to see you.

Christianne Malone:
You as well. Thank you so much.

Chuck Gaidica:
We were just chatting how this conference is so nice.

Christianne Malone:
It is. And the weather’s perfect. It’s literally a Chamber of Commerce weather up here.

Chuck Gaidica:
Yeah. So, I hope they’re taking those postcard photos.

Christianne Malone:
Yep.

Chuck Gaidica:
So, TechTown has been around for 20 years.

Christianne Malone:
Yes.

Chuck Gaidica:
It’s hard to believe.

Christianne Malone:
I know. Exactly. And we’ve evolved throughout that time. And so, starting off from tech commercialization at the university, so we are Wayne State’s entrepreneurship hub, and now we’ve gone from there to supporting both tech-based startups, to small businesses throughout the city and beyond.

Chuck Gaidica:
But what’s so interesting to me when I think of TechTown, because I was around when it started and heard a lot about it, is that the word tech and high-tech and FinTech, all these things that have now become part of the nomenclature in the stock market and other places, TechTown has emerged right through it.

Christianne Malone:
Yes.

Chuck Gaidica:
So, I can’t say you started it, but-

Christianne Malone:
We’ve been part of the family.

Chuck Gaidica:
Yeah.

Christianne Malone:
Absolutely.

Chuck Gaidica:
Yeah.

Christianne Malone:
No, it’s really great that we continue to evolve and be nimble, and I think that’s what makes us special, both having a university tie as well as being able to evolve and meet the needs of the city, but also meet the needs of the industries that our entrepreneurs are working within.

Chuck Gaidica:
Yeah. And when we talk about entrepreneurs, even though there’s university, there are big companies, corporations, that’s a big thud.

Christianne Malone:
Yes.

Chuck Gaidica:
The notion of entrepreneurship takes it down to a different level. It’s me or you trying to start something.

Christianne Malone:
Absolutely. Yeah, it’s all human centered, so no matter how much tech you put in something, a person’s behind the tech. And so, making everything very much about meeting people where they are and supporting them and building those ideas or helping them grow and scale their current businesses, but it’s always making sure that we’re centered on the person and assisting them from a one-to-one. And that’s what actually makes TechTown special, because we do one-on-one coaching with all of the entrepreneurs and founders and small businesses that come through our doors. It’s not that you just sit through a class, that you actually receive that one-on-one assistance.

Chuck Gaidica:
And so, is that truly the mission of TechTown? Is that in its pure sense?

Christianne Malone:
Yeah, absolutely. Humanity’s one of our values, and so, really there to really assist people throughout their journey.

Chuck Gaidica:
And what are you seeing when it comes to entrepreneurship right now? Any things that are happening that are shifting, or threads that are emerging that you’re seeing that are a little different even than a couple of years ago?

Christianne Malone:
Yeah. I would say one thing, and I was having a conversation with a fellow colleague up here, and I think one thing that makes our entrepreneurs special, especially in Detroit, is that everyone usually comes in with finding some need that they see in their community. Especially on our tech side, it’s not just like a tech bro and like, “Oh, I have this cool thing,” but they’re literally solving for issues or voids that they see in the community. Or something that like, “Oh, this doesn’t exist,” or trying to solve a social problem. And this is on the tech side.
Our small business side, we always have people who have amazing ideas, whether they want to do a big shop, or they have a retail store, or they have a service-based business. But I would really say that, everyone really wants to find something that’s meeting a need within the community, and I think that’s the common thread that I’ve continued to see emerge, but I see more so now.

Chuck Gaidica:
And money is helpful.

Christianne Malone:
Yes, it is.

Chuck Gaidica:
Especially when you’ve got a brand new idea-

Christianne Malone:
Absolutely.

Chuck Gaidica:
… and you don’t know exactly what’s happening, you’re getting great mentorship, but it’s kind of like oxygen, it’s nice to have it. So, you’ve received a lot of money to give you some wind to your sails.

Christianne Malone:
Yeah. So, over the past 20 years, but we’ve really started tracking it about 2017, but since then, over $400 million of capital has been leveraged by businesses that have come through our programs. And so, we know what we’re able to do, especially on our tech side, is provide seed capital. And so, that’s able to jumpstart those businesses even more so, to really help them go from idea to an MVP, which is a minimal viable product, to really test out those products and ideas, to identify what the customer needs are and continue to evolve it.
For that to happen usually takes years if people are doing it on their own, but we’re able to give them that jumpstart, enable them to get to market sooner, and then continue to grow from there. And then, on our small business side, we do showcases, and then we also have the Comerica Detroit Hatch Contest. And so, that’s $100,000 every year that goes to a small business owner as well, with a great concept to open up a storefront in Detroit, Highland Park, Hamtramck.

Chuck Gaidica:
Sure. Do you have nonprofits that you work with or that you inspire as well? Or is it purely for-profit businesses?

Christianne Malone:
No, we have nonprofits as well. TechTown, a lot of our tenants are nonprofits, and we also have COAC, which is a program also there that specifically focuses on nonprofits and helping them build capacity. So, despite tech being in our name, we’re open to everyone.

Chuck Gaidica:
Yeah. And what’s so great about that is that, how many people you’re actually touching. So, it’s important that that person with a great idea or that team comes in, but yet the circles radiate out.

Christianne Malone:
Absolutely. People can even go on our website, they can schedule a free 25-minute strategy session with our team members, or a professional in the ecosystem as well, to help them get over whatever specific question that they have about their business. And so, it’s free, and to get free pro bono consultation, it’s hard to come by, but it’s really great that we are able to offer that as well.

Chuck Gaidica:
So, when you think back maybe in short order to alumni, or great success stories, or things you see percolating now, do you have any particular stories?

Christianne Malone:
I know, there’s so many, it’s like trying to find your favorite kid.

Chuck Gaidica:
Or your Petoskey stone.

Christianne Malone:
No, exactly. I still have regrets about a Petoskey stone I found and I never picked up. Anyway. No, Darren O’Reilly, he had his Just Air, he has a company that has come through our program very early on, and now he has air quality testing. And actually had a documentary that was shared up here earlier. I’m trying to think, there’s so many.

Chuck Gaidica:
Yeah.

Christianne Malone:
That’s the one at least that has prevalent here. Small businesses, there’s so many. Oh my gosh, who’s a great one?

Chuck Gaidica:
But what’s good about that is, even seeing that documentary, the inspiration.

Christianne Malone:
Yes, absolutely.

Chuck Gaidica:
Again, this idea, we throw our stone into the water and the rings come out. Just someone sees that and says, “Wow. Well, if he can do it, I can do it.” But there is part of that.

Christianne Malone:
Yeah, and then just making those connections, and then it’s a small, big city, and then we’re able to help make those connections or help put people in certain places, or just help vouch for an idea too, because you need to have that validation. And so, we’re all working together to make sure these ideas have that.

Chuck Gaidica:
So, if I’m on my walk and I’m listening to this segment of the podcast, how do I get in touch with you and what do I start to think about? Is it that free call? Is that a first way to get involved?

Christianne Malone:
That’s the perfect way to get involved.

Chuck Gaidica:
Yeah.

Christianne Malone:
So, they can go on our website at TechTownDetroit.org. There’s free strategy sessions on there, that if they just have an idea and they need to know where to start, that’s the best place to go. And then we have a variety of classes and programs as well to assist, and of course, just come to TechTown. On the last Wednesday of the month, we do a pop-up shop, so it’s a drop-in co-working day. And so, it’s just a great opportunity to experience what TechTown is about as well.

Chuck Gaidica:
You know what I find important too about this idea is that, you often need, we all do in life, like a kitchen cabinet. So, this idea of reaching out to someone who will tell you in truth, “That’s a great idea, but maybe tacked this way.”

Christianne Malone:
Yep.

Chuck Gaidica:
That’s important, because not all the time will you get that from the people who love you.

Christianne Malone:
Correct.

Chuck Gaidica:
You get a lot of yeses. “Oh, yeah, you’d be great at it.”

Christianne Malone:
“That’s great.” Yes.

Chuck Gaidica:
Yeah.

Christianne Malone:
A little dose of reality, but in a nice, very helpful, productive way.

Chuck Gaidica:
Exactly. “Or let me show you, let me introduce you to this person who can help move you to the next level.” That’s so great.

Christianne Malone:
Yep.

Chuck Gaidica:
Yeah. Well, it’s good to have you with us, thanks for coming by.

Christianne Malone:
Thank you so much, I appreciate it.

Chuck Gaidica:
Yeah. Christianne Malone, who’s the Chief Program Officer at TechTown, and if you need some help, reach out to them.
Thanks for listening to a Healthier Michigan podcast, brought to you by Blue Cross Blue Shield of Michigan. If you like our show and you want know more, check out a healthiermichigan.org/podcast, or leave us a review or rating on Apple Podcast or Spotify. To get new episodes on your smartphone or tablet, be sure to subscribe to us on Apple Podcast, Spotify, or your favorite podcast app.