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On May 13th, the fourth annual Downriver Summit was held at the new Taylor Sportsplex. Originally organized as a one-time event at the dawn of our new century, the Downriver Summit was so successful at bringing community leaders together for an open dialog, that it has now become an annual event. The morning started off with a light breakfast buffet, followed by the opening remarks from Taylor’s Mayor Greg Pitoniak, who welcomed everyone to his fine city. The Mayor introduced the Honorary Chairman of the Downriver Summit, Congressman John Dingell, who expressed that he was very satisfied with the accomplishment of past Downriver Summits and expected a day full of dialog and ideas. |
 Honorary Chairman of the Downriver Summit, Congressman John Dingell (left) greets Michigan U.S. Senator Debbie Stabenow (right) at the podium. |
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“Downriver is poised to fill a nature nitch,” the Congressman said, referring to the Greenways and Brownfields projects currently being developed with the cooperation of several Downriver communities. Dingell went on to express his belief that we all need to focus on the future of the Downriver area at all times. The Congressman had the pleasure of welcoming Michigan U.S. Senator Debbie Stabenow to the microphone. The Senator congratulated Taylor on their fine new facility and promised Downriver her “future support on all of its endeavors.” |
 Taylor Mayor Greg Pitoniak (far right) greets participants of the Southern Wayne County Chamber of Commerce Student Leadership Program to the new Taylor Sportsplex. |
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Next, the attendees were treated to a special morning keynote speaker, Michigan State Mens’ Basketball Head Coach, Tom Izzo. Coach Izzo very kindly volunteered his time to the Downriver Summit. He prepared the crowd for a productive day with an inspiring speech about the importance of teamwork and including everyone. “The team is a small part of the whole” Izzo said referring to his players. “We had to let all of the staff take authorship of the program as well.” he explained. |
 Michigan State Head Basketball Coach, Tom Izzo, pumped up the crowd with his uplifting talk about the importance of teamwork. |
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The breakout sessions were held on the main soccer field and in an upstairs conference room. The SEMCA Workforce Development session included Cindy Giese, Director of Career Services at the Michigan Virtual University (MVU) and Kevin Johnson, Webmaster of the BeeFreeway (www.beefreeway.org) an educational website offered by MVU. They explained this latest addition to the Talent Freeway (www.talentfreeway.org) and how it will help small businesses in Michigan. |
 Grosse Ile High student Mike Kaczmarek, confidently addressed the crowd during the Workforce Development session. |
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Also speaking at the Workforce Development session was Grosse Ile student Mike Kaczmarek. Mike presented a PowerPoint presentation about his and his peers’ experiences (he conducted his own poll) with the public school system. He discussed his findings, primarily that Michigan schools are not properly preparing kids for life in the workforce. After lunch, the attendees reconvened on the soccer field for the keynote speaker, Donovan Rypkema. Principal of Place Economics (www.placeeconomics.com), a Washington D.C. based consulting firm specializing in the economic revitalization of downtowns and the redevelopment of historic properties, Rypkema discussed the environmental advantages of rehabilitating the older buildings in our communities. Rypkema likened historic preservation to recycling. |
 Kevin Johnson, Webmaster of the BeeFreeway (www.beefreeway.org). |
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“Construction debris makes up 25% of our landfills,” Rypkema sited. “How many of you diligently recycle pop bottles and tin cans?” he asked the audience. “It takes a lot of flattened tin cans to equal the volume of a demolished building.” Rypkema explained to the crowd the importance of community. “A place without community is only a location,” he said. “Historic places tell us who we were, who we are, and who we can be.” |
 Cindy Giese, Director of Career Services at the Michigan Virtual University (MVU). |
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He went on to explain the idea of “Generica”, the trend in America toward having all downtowns indistinguishable from one another, coast to coast. He explained the importance of retaining the places and landmarks that make the Downriver special. “Why would a child want to come back to live in a place that looks like everyplace else?” Rypkema spoke about the communities of the future and what they will need to do to survive in the technical age. One of the most important attributes for a community of the future is cooperation. “The communities of tomorrow will depend on partnerships,” he said. “And this Downriver Summit is an amazing and wonderful example of that!” |
 Historic preservationist Donovan Rypkema was the keynote speaker at this year’s Downriver Summit. |
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