The City Series offers brazenly incomplete and idiosyncratic impressions of places I’ve been to.
When I was attending the IABC Heritage Region Conference in late September, it was my first visit to Detroit. I only had a few days and the conference schedule was packed, so I didn’t get to see much of the city. But I saw a bit of it, and talked to a lot of people who lived there: not just the marketing and communications professionals who attended the conference, but also hotel staff, a bartender or two, a couple of Lyft drivers, and a few miscellaneous passersby. The portrait that emerged was of a city on the way back, filled with realistic optimism and the energy to make good things happen soon.
I’m not unfamiliar with comeback cities. I know Baltimore’s progress, I’ve lived and worked in Pittsburgh and Philadelphia, I’ve seen cities reinvent themselves. I recognize it when it is happening, and it is clearly happening in Detroit.
The history of its decline is not a pretty one and is laced with lack of foresight on one hand and racism on the other. But the revitalization has learned from the mistakes. The waterfront is looking great and protected by non-profit partnerships; improvements are made in collaboration with neighborhoods and community organizations; and iconic architectural marvels like the long-abandoned Michigan Central Station are being renovated and repurposed (in the station’s case Ford is turning it into its Detroit campus). Great restaurants are popping up all over. I had terrific BBQ and fantastic Asian noodles during my trip.
At the IABC conference I saw three keynote events that sort of bracketed this transformation of Detroit.
Aaron Foley talked about his role as Chief Storyteller for the City of Detroit, the first person to hold that title in Detroit or, I think, in any American city. The role attracts a bit of skepticism: some say it is really a classic metropolitan PR position with new branding, a public affairs job with an emphasis on article placement; others note that this sort of thing used to be the role of local press. But that undervalues what is going on. Foley seeks out the small and meaningful stories across the city, stories that resonate with its citizens, that serve as illustration of the new energy in Detroit, that paint an inclusive portrait of life there in both broad and detailed strokes. It is both advocacy and representation with a long-term civic purpose.
In another keynote, Paula Silver, VP of Communications for regional utility DTE Energy was joined onstage by Trevor Lauer, President and COO of subsidiary DTE Electric. They talked about the significant changes happening in the energy industry in general and at DTE in particular, and the work they are doing to engage with employees, communities, and customers as these transitions occur. DTE, seriously concerned about climate change and environmental impact, is making huge investments in renewable energy, and retiring their older coal plants. They expect to reduce their carbon footprint by 80 percent over the coming years. This all sounds great on paper, and is an important step forward, but it does have consequences: energy costs might rise as the investments in renewables takes place, and towns dependent on older plants for jobs will be impacted, even as environmentalists feel that change isn’t happening quickly enough. Silver and Lauer talked about the challenges of addressing all of these constituencies, juggling competing priorities, and meanwhile maintaining a viable business operation.
The IABC Heritage Region event closed out with a fascinating presentation about something called Detroit Homecoming. Launched in 2014, it was founded by Jim Hayes, once publisher of Fortune Magazine and CEO of Junior Achievement, as a way to help the city’s renewal. Hayes was joined by Colleen Robar, president of Robar PR, and Keenan Covington, Homecoming Liaison for Crain’s Detroit Business, to tell the story of this innovative program. The idea is both bold and simple: reach out to people who were raised in, or strongly connected to, Detroit but left to be successes elsewhere in business, entertainment or sports, and invite them back for a week. Not for a conference, not to be pitched to, but to celebrate, as you do when you go to your college homecoming. And while in town, these C-suite ex-pats become exposed to the breadth and depth of activities happening in Detroit, and inevitably they find something they can become involved with, contribute to, invest in, or mentor. It’s an elegant idea, and its been increasingly successful in bringing elite ex-pats to collaborate with the community.
Detroit is at an interesting point in its revitalization journey. I’m glad I had the chance to see it in transition. [Below are the graphic notes from the DTE Energy and Detroit Homecoming sessions, captured in real time by Ink Factory Studios.]
