Videos

Detroit Is THIS podcast series by Detroitisit, is hosted by Ivana Kalafatic, founder of Detroitisit. The show follows thought leaders, community change agents, makers, innovators, and entrepreneurs as they share their personal and professional stories.

Through these conversations, we’ll explore opportunities and solutions for the new times we find ourselves in.

In this episode, we spend time with Tanya Allen, Former CEO of The Skillman Foundation

Follow us and discover more of our podcasts on:
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Twitter @Detroitisit
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LinkedIn https://www.linkedin.com/company/detroitisit
Apple podcasts https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/detroitisthis/id1514244038
Spotify @Detroitisthis

Detroit Is THIS podcast series by Detroitisit, is hosted by Ivana Kalafatic, founder of Detroitisit. The show follows thought leaders, community change agents, makers, innovators, and entrepreneurs as they share their personal and professional stories.

Through these conversations, we’ll explore opportunities and solutions for the new times we find ourselves in.

In this episode, we spend time with Cindy Pasky, CEO of Strategic Staffing Solutions. Pasky has recently been named among the Top 100 Most Influential Lithuanian Women by “Women At” magazine, and is an inaugural member of Staffing Industry Analysts’ Staffing Hall of Fame. She has been named among Staffing Industry Analysts’ Global Power 100 Women in Staffing every year since its inception; listed among the Most Powerful Woman in Business by dBusiness Magazine; CEO of the Year by Automation Alley; one of 10 Most Intriguing People in Staffing by Staffing Industry Review; one of Detroit’s Most Powerful People by Crain’s Detroit Business, and one of the Top Women Entrepreneurs in North America by Women Impacting Public Policy.

She also has been inducted into Michigan’s Women’s Hall of Fame and the Junior Achievement Hall of Fame, and has been named a Michiganian of the Year by The Detroit News and Michigan Women of Achievement and Courage by the Michigan Women’s Foundation.

She serves on the board of directors for the Michigan Humane Society, United Way of Southeast Michigan, Community Foundation for Southeast Michigan, Wayne State University Foundation, and the Foreign Investment Advisory and Supervision Council in Lithuania. Additionally, she is past chair of the Detroit Regional Chamber of Commerce Board of Directors and still serves as a member emeritus.

Follow us and discover more of our podcasts on:
Facebook https://www.facebook.com/detroitisit/
Twitter @Detroitisit
Instagram @detroitisit
LinkedIn https://www.linkedin.com/company/detroitisit
Apple podcasts https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/detroitisthis/id1514244038
Spotify @Detroitisthis

2gathr was engaged by Blue Neighbors to deliver an easy to follow and engaging short-form explainer video that will help drive voters to the ballot, help turn the state blue and help push the remaining Senate seats.

The goal of this short-form video is to have a quick intro into what Blue Neighbors is that we can target using Facebook and Instagram. It's short enough to capture attention and work to convert leads to the site to learn more about Blue Neighbors.

Blue Neighbors is a partnership between Democrats in solidly blue states, like California and New York, and​ with Georgia; united in our efforts to flip the Georgia State Legislature. Blue Neighbors is a Georgia based and focused organization committed to leveraging the money and enthusiasm of Democrats across this country to flip Georgia blue. By believing that the state legislatures are the path to creating lasting change, growing a bench of elected officials, and winning back the future of the state, the Georgia win for the 2020 election is doing just that.

Custom Exhibition Tour
China, Korea & Japan

Detroit Is THIS podcast series by Detroitisit, is hosted by Ivana Kalafatic, founder of Detroitisit. The show follows thought leaders, community change agents, makers, innovators, and entrepreneurs as they share their personal and professional stories.

Through these conversations, we’ll explore opportunities and solutions for the new times we find ourselves in.

Jan Peelen is a public entrepreneur with a talent for strategy development, project & program management. Passionate expert in the field of infrastructure, climate adaptation, corporate responsibility/sustainability, and (international) governmental relations.

As Former Attaché for Infrastructure & Environment at the Royal Netherlands Embassy, Jan Peelen represents the Dutch Ministry of Infrastructure & Environment in the USA, focusing on the topics of (smart) urban planning, infrastructure, climate resilience, and circular economy.

Before his posting in the US, Jan worked as the program officer for the Dutch International Water Policy Program: he coordinated the overall program and was responsible for various initiatives to promote the Dutch water & maritime industry.

Jan started his career with the Dutch national government as a specialist on environmental impact assessments. He later became a strategic advisor and project manager for various national energy & transportation infrastructure projects in The Netherlands and was involved in the development of new policies and regulations for these types of projects.

Jan holds an M.S. in Urban & Regional Planning from the University of Amsterdam and is a member of the ELEEP Alumni Advisory Board.

Follow us and discover more of our podcasts on:
Facebook https://www.facebook.com/detroitisit/
Twitter @Detroitisit
Instagram @detroitisit
LinkedIn https://www.linkedin.com/company/detroitisit
Apple podcasts https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/detroitisthis/id1514244038
Spotify @Detroitisthis

Detroit Is THIS podcast series by Detroitisit, is hosted by Ivana Kalafatic, founder of Detroitisit. The show follows thought leaders, community change agents, makers, innovators, and entrepreneurs as they share their personal and professional stories.

Through these conversations, we’ll explore opportunities and solutions for the new times we find ourselves in.

Awenate Cobbina is the Former Vice President of Business Affairs and Associate Counsel for Palace Sports & Entertainment (PS&E) and the Detroit Pistons, as well as the Executive Director of the Detroit Pistons Foundation. In his current role, Awenate works on PS&E’s business deals and manages corporate, legal, and regulatory matters for the company and all aspects of the Foundation, including fundraising, grantmaking, and reporting to the Foundation’s Board.

Previously, he served almost 6 years in the White House, including roles in the Chief of Staff's Office, Office of Legislative Affairs, and Office of Management and Budget. Immediately, prior to joining PS&E and the Pistons Foundation, Awenate served as Special Assistant to the President and Policy Advisor to the Office of the Chief of Staff, where he worked with senior White House staff and Administration officials to manage policy development, design strategy, and implement plans on a broad range of issues and initiatives.

Awenate attended Emory University and the Howard University School of Law, and also previously worked at the National Football League, Weil, Gotshal and Manges LLP, and the National Labor Relations Board in legal and policy roles.

Follow us and discover more of our podcasts on:
Facebook https://www.facebook.com/detroitisit/
Twitter @Detroitisit
Instagram @detroitisit
LinkedIn https://www.linkedin.com/company/detroitisit
Apple podcasts https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/detroitisthis/id1514244038
Spotify @Detroitisthis

Detroitisit founder Ivana Kalafatic talks to Liz Blondy owner of Canine to Five, Metro Detroit's first and ultimate in puppy service, about deciding to open a doggy daycare in Detroit and how Detroit has changed over the years for her as a small business owner. They get into the challenges of owning and running a small business in Detroit, what it's like to have employees during this time of Covid-19 flux, and what having a second location means in terms of growing the business.

Read more articles about Detroit's business scene: https://detroitisit.com/community/business/

Visit Canine to Five's website:
https://www.caninetofive.com/

Follow us and discover more of our podcasts on:
Facebook https://www.facebook.com/detroitisit/
Twitter @Detroitisit
Instagram @detroitisit
LinkedIn https://www.linkedin.com/company/detroitisit
Apple podcasts https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/detroitisthis/id1514244038
Spotify @Detroitisthis

Detroitisit founder Ivana Kalafatic speaks with special guest, CEO of TechTown, Ned Staebler, on the importance of partnering with local communities, TechTown’s roles in creating change in neighborhoods, and his mindset for producing results. The duo details what makes a city, a city, and why Detroit is a hidden gem. The current state of the world is addressed, including Ned missing the energy and socializing at TechTown, as well as what the futures of TechTown and Detroit look like. Pssst! There are lessons to be learned from living through the Detroit bankruptcy! Then Ned talks about balancing faith and numbers while deciding who to fund, innovation and survival during hardships, and top tips for businesses for future success.

Ned Staebler is VP for Economic Development at Wayne State University and CEO of TechTown. A native of the northwest side of Detroit, Ned was well aware that he grew up during a time of tremendous struggle and change. He left to attend Harvard, then worked in the finance industry after graduating, living in Chicago and London. Two years turned into a decade, with Ned attending graduate school at the London School of Economics, where he studied Comparative Politics and Political Economy. He [finally] moved back to Michigan to give back to his beloved home and got a job at the state’s economic development agency, where he ran capital access programs and other programs for businesses. Now at WSU, he and his team help businesses by doing placemaking, growing talent, and much more all across the city.

Key takeaways:
• TechTown partners with neighborhood organizations to promote economic development.
• The restrictions on businesses today breed innovation.
• Businesses need to care about their people, track their cash flow, and seek out additional streams of revenue.

Resources:

At the Existentialist Café: Freedom, Being, and Apricot Cocktails with Jean-Paul Sartre, Simone de Beauvoir, Albert Camus, Martin Heidegger, Maurice Merleau-Ponty and Others by Sarah Bakewell

Genghis Khan and the Making of the Modern World by Jack Weatherford

What to listen for:

01:30 Why Ned Staebler returned to Detroit

10:32 How TechTown assists the businesses that make Detroit the city it is

13:15 Should funding be targeted to strategic areas?

17:16 What makes cities, especially Detroit, so compelling to citizens?

22:50 Why Ned loves his job and what he misses most about TechTown right now

31:20 What lessons did Detroit learn from its season of bankruptcy that has prepared them for the economic effects of COVID-19?

34:22 TechTown awarded about 700 grants to businesses--Why the company was willing to take risks for these businesses

40:25 How long can businesses survive in a scenario like this?

45:20 Tips for future success for small businesses in Detroit

50:33 What books are you reading?

52:26 Hope for the future: This too will rise from the ashes.
Quotes:

“They never stop to talk to the people here about what the question was.” 09:17

“It’s important to go into a neighborhood and to ask the people… not ‘What do you think of my plans for your neighborhood?’ but, ‘What are your plans for your neighborhood?’” 09:57

“We’re all in the same storm, but we’re all in different boats” 33:26


Learn more about TechTown at https://techtowndetroit.org/.

Learn more about Detroit community, culture, innovation, and design at https://detroitisit.com/.

Follow us and discover more of our podcasts on:
Facebook https://www.facebook.com/detroitisit/
Twitter @Detroitisit
Instagram @detroitisit
LinkedIn https://www.linkedin.com/company/detroitisit
Apple podcasts https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/detroitisthis/id1514244038
Spotify @Detroitisthis

A mom, wife and activist stood side by side with Dr. King

Father Gabriel Richard, Detroit's first renaissance man