Inside Detroit merges with D:hive to become downtown resource hub

Inside Detroit is merging with D:hive, creating a welcome/information for people interested in growing roots in Detroit.

Inside Detroit has been a constant presence in downtown Detroit for five years, offering tours of the city, opening a welcome center on Woodward and serving as a hub for visitors looking to experience the positive things the city has to offer. D:hive launched late last year as a place for people who are looking to stake a claim in Detroit by opening a business. The two nonprofits have been co-locating since D:hive's launch.

"It just seemed to make more sense to be together than trying to run side by side," says Jeanette Pierce, co-founder of Inside Detroit.

Together the two will become the D:hive Welcome Center. The actual welcome center will remain and undergo an renovation later this year. It will provide information and other resources related to real estate, jobs, important city data, retail, small business and more, essentially becoming a traffic control hub for people wishing to live, work and engage in the city.

Josh McManus, a Tennessee transplant who was recruited to Detroit to launch D:hive, will move on from the project to pursue other interests out of state. He will advise as the project moves forward. Taking his place is Jeff Aronoff, a former principal in the Public Law practice group at Miller Canfield. Pierce will become the director of community relations for D:hive.

There is too much stuff going on in the region that is me, me, me, and not about the bigger picture," Pierce says. "I don't have to be executive director."

Source: Jeanette Pierce, co-founder of Inside Detroit
Writer: Jon Zemke

Read more about Metro Detroit's growing entrepreneurial ecosystem at SEMichiganStartup.com.
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