Newsroom

Search News: 

DEGC Names Kenyetta Hairston-Bridges Executive Vice President, Economic Development and Investment Services

Feb 25, 2019

  • Bridges responsible for DEGC’s real estate, financial services, global and regional business attraction, business retention, and land assembly activities.
  • DEGC hires Bunlim Ly to lead DEGC’s global business attraction team, reporting to Bridges.
  • Economic Development and Investment Services Team is focused on job creation, investment and economic growth in the city of Detroit.

DETROIT— The Detroit Economic Growth Corporation announced today the promotion of Kenyetta Hairston-Bridges to executive vice president, Economic Development and Investment Services. Bridges has been with the DEGC for 14 years in a variety of roles, most recently as vice president, Real Estate and Financial Services. Her appointment is immediate.

“The DEGC is focused on job creation and economic growth for Detroit’s residents and businesses,” said Kevin Johnson, DEGC president and CEO. “Attracting new businesses, retaining and growing our existing base, and making Detroit a prime business location will help us achieve those goals. Bridges will lead an expert team that will drive economic opportunity into our neighborhoods and increase the city’s competitive position.”

BunLim Ly is joining the DEGC as vice president, Global Commerce & Corporate Attraction, and will report to Bridges. His team will focus on attracting businesses from the fastest growing regions of the world, such as Brazil, India, South Korea and China, re-establishing beneficial networks in Europe, and helping increase the flow of trade with Canada.

“Ly’s highly experienced international team will be responsible for generating leads and converting those leads into jobs for Detroiters,” said Bridges.

Johnson recognized Bridges as having a significant role in many of Detroit’s biggest and most recent development announcements, including the new Hudson’s and Monroe Block projects, the East Riverfront transformation, and Ford’s acquisition of the former Michigan Central Station.

“Bridges is truly a visionary,” said Johnson. “She has an unequaled ability to close major deals, which results in more opportunity for Detroit residents. Through her relentless pursuit of inclusive development across the city, as well as her integrity and passion, Bridges represents the very best of the DEGC.”

Prior to joining the DEGC in 2005, Bridges worked for the Suburban Mobility Authority for Regional Transportation (SMART). Her commitment and passion for the city extends across all neighborhoods where she advocates for development projects that create jobs for Detroiters. Bridges also spends time mentoring young girls in the City of Detroit. She received both her bachelor’s and master’s degrees from Central Michigan University.

Ly comes to the DEGC from TC Transcontinental Packaging in Ann Arbor. As vice president there, Ly helped the company identify emerging market opportunities, create competitive advantages, and develop retention and revenue growth strategies. Ly has extensive experience engaging with foreign direct investment markets to generate revenue for a variety of private-sector companies. He received his bachelor’s degree from Michigan State University and a certificate of finance from the Kellogg School of Management at Northwestern University.

Recent Headlines

User testing needed for Detroit’s Open Data Portal

Volunteers 18 years and older who live, work, or play in Detroit are needed to help improve the Open Data Portal experience. The City of Detroit wants to see how you use the Base Units tool OR Detroit Business Data Explorer. Participants will attend a 30-minute...