Revitalization & Business Conference
February 24, 2011
Executives from The MORE Program participated in the “Revitalization & Business” conference at the Ross School of Business in Ann Arbor, January 21. The conference was designed to enlighten the students of University of Michigan’s professional graduate school with some worthwhile exposure to their surrounding area and the City of Detroit which, like the rest of the state, is brimming with potential for business growth and innovation. Detroit and Southeast Michigan offer world-class real-estate at prices small companies will find enticing, as well as an ideal combination of minimal barriers to entry, a hungry and talented workforce, and enduring infrastructure with easy international reach. The goals of the “Revitalization & Business” conference, hosted by the University of Michigan Stephen M. Ross School of Business included:
The MORE Program’s Brian Balasia and Ken Agacinski each participated in the conference.
Brian Balasia participated in the “Entrepreneurship in the D” panel, where he joined Dan Izzo of Bizdom U, Josh Linker of e-Prize and Chris Rizik of Renaissance Venture Capital Fund. Moderated by Amy Cell of Ann Arbor Spark, the panel addressed opportunities they see in the region as well as what factors could foster additional entrepreneurial activity. Balasia’s panel focused on specific reasons for launching a business in Detroit. As he pointed out, beyond the standard positives of infrastructure and engineering capabilities, you will not get the level of support and coverage for starting and maintaining a successful business anywhere else. The region has a great customer base for automotive manufacturers, technology manufacturers, three large research universities, and big health systems. ”There's a growing demand for new ideas and a willingness to entertain experiments,” said Balasia. "The metro Detroit region is a big laboratory that's hungry for ideas," he said. "The barriers to test those ideas are very low."
Ken Agacinski spoke with the participants in the “Idea Lab”, which was designed to showcase projects and ideas in The Motor City that are fueling the city's revitalization. The fast-paced, TED-style dialogue positioned Detroit as a resilient and vibrant metropolis and was designed to educate, inspire and energize the attendees about Detroit's future and its potential to serve as a model for the reinvention of American cities.
Agacinski presented a brief history of The MORE Program and its relationship with the New Economy Initiative, a strong sponsor that supports The MORE Program’s goal of InsYght having true statewide reach. As he noted, “InsYght will increase access to and use of the fully-funded or heavily subsidized business support resources that are already in place throughout the state. Entrepreneurs need assistance connecting to the right resources for them. InsYght will do just that.”
He detailed the workings at the heart of InsYght and its sophisticated resource inventory system. Probably the most important aspect for entrepreneurs, it will efficiently aggregate and analyze thousands of resources in Michigan and make them easier for entrepreneurs and innovators to find. Digerati, The MORE Program’s technology partner, has been working to develop the system. Already, the 2nd major revision of the inventory system is being used by the InsYght team to analyze hundreds of available resources a week. It’s all part of The MORE Program’s goal to go live by the end of the first quarter of 2011.
The Revitalization and Business Conference grew out of a cross-University effort by students to illuminate the vast opportunities for business growth and innovation in Detroit. The conference included tours and meetings downtown, as well as panels with entrepreneurs, developers, and speakers hosted by the Ross School's Real Estate Club. Presenters included Ford Motor Company Chairman Bill Ford, Jr. and DTE Energy Chairman Anthony Earley, among others.
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