From food carts to inventive entrepreneurs to drag queen bingo it's been a busy year for innovation and growth in Metro Detroit. Here are ten stories from the past year that shouldn't be missed.
WHO WE ARE
Welcome To Speedcult
From metal culture to metal creations, Speedcult brings together a trifecta of Detroit values: do-it-yourself ingenuity, risky engineering, and a need for speed.
Metromode's Nicole Rupersburg watches (and imbibes) as National Geographic shoots an episode of Mad Scientists in the team's backyard "abusement park".
What Makes Metro Detroit Stick?
Last winter the Knight Foundation and Gallup released a survey that found that cities do better economically when the people in them want to stick around. So, what do Metro Detroiters value most when it comes to place? Cultural amenities, education, and community openness.
Metromode takes a deep dive into the survey's results.
Bohemian Rhapsody: Metro Detroit's Coffee Chemists
Craft beers, heirloom produce, artisanal breads - not all foods are created equal. Now a network of local cafes are looking to get Metro Detroiters to reconsider that most sacred of beverages - the cup of Joe. Unconvinced? Consider this: Wine has 750 flavor profiles; coffee has 1500.
Drag Queen Bingo: Or How Metro Detroit Learned To Stop Worrying And Love Five 15
It's not a GLBT-friendly community without the drag queens. Though Ferndale is singled out for its pink and lavender street cred, Royal Oak is home to Five 15, a cafe, gift shop, art gallery, and party venue that unabashedly embraces queer culture. And it's found incredible crossover success with its sold-out-weeks-in-advance Drag Queen Bingo.
HOW WE INNOVATE
From Scratch: Denovo Sciences
What's the view at the bottom of Metro Detroit's entrepreneurial food chain? More diversity, less money. Case in point, Denovo Sciences. Its young partners are full of vim, vigor and a desire to "make change in human lives". What they could use is a little seed capital for their life science innovations.
Straight Talk with Benzinga's Jason Raznick
Capturing the news is one thing. Connecting what's going on with how investors can react to it is something else. Jason Raznick's Benzinga has carved out a successful niche in Metro Detroit's start-up culture and, like his business, the CEO isn't afraid to call things as he sees them.
Electronic Soul: A Q&A with Jason Huvaere of Paxahau
There's little doubt about Metro Detroit's place in music history. We are a bottomless cauldron of rock n roll innovation and invention. And Movement is part of that...er, well, movement.
Metromode chats with producer Jason Huvaere about electronic music's role in that legacy and the business of making it part of our region's future.
WHERE WE GO NEXT
From Suburban To Urban
Chris Leinberger is a smart guy. A senior fellow at the Brooking's Institute, U-M professor, and real estate developer, he brings on-the-ground experience to urban planning theories and research. Metromode's Kim North Shine chatted with Leinberger about metro Detroit's suburban communities and how their DDA's can pave the way to a more prosperous and vibrant future.
The Wayne Ripple Effect
Margaret Mead once said, "Never underestimate the power of a few committed people to change the world." It could be the rallying cry for the Wayne Ripple Effect, a group of local residents determined to revitalize their city's downtown.
What Food Trucks Say About Ferndale
It ain't called Fabulous Ferndale for nothing. With a "sure, why not?" attitude and a dedication to urban vitality, this inner ring burb is quickly becoming the region's go-to community for DIY innovation and entrepreneurship. So, what's that got to do with food carts? More than you might think.
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