Model D Speaker Series

Model D is hosting a monthly morning speaker series at the Detroit Yacht Club
that will let you hear from the people who are leading the city’s
transformation, and driving investment in up-and-coming areas. The DYC and Michigan State Housing Development Authority are co-sponsoring the series.

The
first installment — Creating Neighborhood Tipping Points — will be Oct. 6 at the Detroit Yacht Club on
Belle Isle (click here for a map and directions).

The event will feature two neighborhoods on the comeback —
Woodbridge and Corktown — and two developers whose investments and
vision have made these areas into destinations. The speakers are:

• Phillip Cooley: He is one
of the partners behind one of the city’s hottest new restaurants,
Slow’s Bar BQ in Corktown. He turned a vacant storefront into an
exciting new eastery, and it’s become a draw for the neighborhood. The
success of Slow’s has helped spawn more interest in redeveloping
Michigan Avenue. Cooley is also a general contractor with
Corktown-based O’Connor Real Estate and Development, and is working on
several rehabbed storefronts in Corktown, as well as a loft project in
Eastern Market. Cooley also has a knack for inspired building design
and finishes, and has started a build/design firm, Los Pistoleros.

• Ric Geyer: A
consultant by trade, he bought a run-down four-story building on
the edge of the historic Woodbridge neighborhood in 2000 and started
filling it up with eager young artists. His arts incubator, 4731
Gallery, earned a Cool Cities designation from the state. It houses
dozens of artists, filmmakers, photographers and other creative
industrialists in its studios. Geyer also helped attract another
collective of artists, 555 Gallery, from Ypsilanti to Detroit, and
moved them into another of his buildings across the street. Geyer’s
passion and vision have helped rebuild the creative fabric of the
neighborhood.

The event is free. Registration starts at 8 a.m., the speakers start at 8:30 a.m., and the program will last about an hour. Seating is limited, and an RSVP is required. Click here now to reserve a space.

Ric Geyer and 4731 Photos Copyright Dave Krieger