How to behave like 'One D'

Detroit Renaissance becomes public face of collaboration

Detroit Renaissance's contribution to One D so far has been to be the public face of the regional collaborative thus far.

In November, Detroit Renaissance - the private, nonprofit CEO council that represents the region's major employers - introduced its ``Road to Renaissance'' plan of short-term economic revitalization goals for Southeast Michigan. The plan is expected cost $75 million to $80 million, including a $50 million network of business accelerators, and has a three-year target to accomplish its mission based on a mix of public and private financing. It involves the leaders of more than a dozen businesses and civic organizations.

The Road to Renaissance plan was in the works prior to the 2006 formation of One D, said Doug Rothwell, president of Detroit Renaissance, but it was a natural fit for the collaborative's goals, so it became Detroit Renaissance's primary contribution thus far. Economic prosperity is one of the six priorities One D has identified for action, and falls in line with the purpose of Detroit Renaissance - stimulating economic growth in Detroit.

``Road to Renaissance is kind of our signature project as a way to involve all organizations in the One D strategies,'' Rothwell said.

The plan has six objectives, each aimed at improving the region's economic prosperity, and 11 strategies for implementing those objectives were announced May 1. They range from the developing an ``aerotropolis'' around Detroit Metropolitan and Willow Run airports to bolstering the region's four business accelerators and establishing two new ones.

The priorities within the Road to Renaissance plan stem from a survey of more than 650 business, civic and academic leaders, the analysis of 15 previous studies and the best practices identified from six regions similar to Detroit.

Detroit Renaissance was formed in 1970 and has 60 members, including leadership from General Motors Corp., Compuware Corp., DTE Energy Co. and Ford Motor Co. Last year, it became one of the six organizations that make up the One D coalition.

Detroit Regional Chamber provides support services

The Detroit Regional Chamber is providing the staff and support services to keep the day-to-day operations of the One D effort running.

The 23,400-member business collective also is shepherding a portion of Detroit Renaissance's ``Road to Renaissance'' economic revitalization plan for Southeast Michigan. The chamber and Detroit Renaissance are two of the six members that make up the One D coalition, and have worked together to streamline their economic plans under the One D umbrella.

The chamber has about a dozen of its nearly 100 staffers working on One D-related issues, said chamber President and CEO Dick Blouse.

Blouse said he's spent 10 months in meetings with Detroit Renaissance President and CEO Doug Rothwell developing a ``merged economic-growth strategy.'' Economic improvement of the region is the heart of One D.

``Our two organizations are kind of leading that effort, but trying to facilitate others coming to the table,'' Blouse said.

It was similarities between the chamber's Design Regional Detroit, a two-year study to chart long-term economic growth for Southeast Michigan, and the Road to Renaissance plan that led to the formation of One D.

Design Regional Detroit was led by Edsel Ford II, who called for the cooperation and elimination of duplication among various organizations that became One D. He's now ``lead champion'' for One D and Design Regional Detroit has been shelved.

The chamber also is handling the implementation of the talent-base portion of the Road to Renaissance plan, and is working with the University of Michigan-Dearborn to accomplish the goal of bolstering the region's workforce pipeline.

More initiatives for the six founding One D organizations are scheduled to be announced during the Mackinac Policy Conference.

The chamber offices are home to One D's lone staffer. Ann Hoag was hired by the coalition to coordinate its efforts. She was senior director of leadership programs at the chamber and, before that, director of the chamber's Leadership Detroit program for 12 years.

She said the chamber is responsible for developing the budget and paying the bills for One D's operational functions. All six One D member organizations provided in-kind services or cash, she said.

Other members help out

Here's what the other three members of One D have planned:

* The newly formed Cultural Alliance of Southeastern Michigan will help One D achieve its goals of improving race relations and branding in the region.

The alliance was formed earlier this year to provide opportunities for shared marketing and shared backroom operations, venues or other resources among Southeast Michigan nonprofits and for cooperative efforts. There currently are 31 members, including the Detroit Institute of Arts, The Detroit Zoo and Mosaic Youth Theatre of Detroit.

Representatives from the Cultural Alliance met with the Detroit Metro Convention & Visitors Bureau May 22 to discuss ways that local cultural organizations can help with regional branding efforts.

Founding Director Maud Lyon said the Cultural Alliance will play an important role in branding because its members and patrons span many demographics.

The coalition also will use events its members already conduct to help with race relations. That includes events such as Concert of Colors, a three-day festival in July at the Max M. Fisher Music Center that features music from around the world.

``We found that in race relations there is an enormous amount of good work that is done by arts and cultural organizations,'' Lyon said.

* United Way for Southeastern Michigan will focus on the previously set goals of readying children for school, providing for basic needs and increasing financial stability in the region, CEO Michael Brennan said.

One of the specific goals of One D is to increase the percentage of the population that is self-sufficient by 10 percent by 2020.

The Detroit-based agency will work with New Detroit on educational preparedness, he said. As such, they will bring together leadership and all interested parties to map out strategies for increasing preparation from early childhood through high school and post-secondary education.

The collaboration is one of the ways One D can be successful, said Shirley Stancato, president and CEO of New Detroit. ``It's the power of connecting the dots.'' New Detroit also will have a primary focus on race relations, its traditional mission.

United Way already has programs to increase educational preparation, such as Success by Six, a partnership of 30 public and private groups focused on early childhood programs that get children ready for school by age 6.

It has set its own goals for those programs, such as improving reading scores over a 10-year period, establishing early learning centers within five years and increasing attendance rates for students already in school over a five-year period.

The agency also will continue efforts such as helping low-income residents prepare tax returns, which yielded $1 million in aggregate last year.

That program and others will help United Way toward its goals, which include increasing the percentage of the population with bank accounts and increasing the number of local, state and federal benefits and tax credits residents take.

There is some overlap between United Way's internal targets and One D's objectives in educational preparedness and financial stability, Brennan said, but he declined to specific comment on them prior to the Mackinac Policy Conference.

- Compiled by Bill Shea and Sherri Begin