FROM: Glen W. Long, Jr., Chief Financial Officer, Interim President & CEO

I was so excited last week to see the Motor City Re-Store program announced in the neighborhood I grew up in, Old Redford. Re-Store is the newest element in the strong network of support that DEGC, along with Mayor Duggan’s office and other private, philanthropic, and non-profit organizations, is building for every kind of small business in every phase of growth. The aim of Motor City Re-Store is to strengthen Detroit’s neighborhood commercial corridors and the existing businesses that have helped define them.

We recognize successful small businesses are significant job creators and strong contributors to the quality of life in our neighborhoods. In Old Redford, we’re lucky to have long-time businesses such as Paul the Barber and the Old Redford Theatre joined by newer stores like Sweet Potato Sensations, Motor City Java, and Tea House.

Motor City Re-Store will give existing business owners like these and their landlords a chance to improve the appearance of their building and make the business more attractive to new customers. Re-Store will award up to $50,000 every three months in matching grants for exterior improvements such as facade work, landscaping, and parking lot upgrades, as well as technical assistance to support improvements such as architecture and design.

It’s a companion program to Motor City Match, which awards $500,000 every quarter to startups and businesses expanding to new locations. I’m pleased to tell you Motor City Match will celebrate two years of success next month, having supported more than 750 businesses around Detroit.

The small business team at the DEGC will manage Motor City Re-Store. I can’t thank them enough for their time, talent, and dedication. The feedback we’ve received from small business owners about this team over the last couple of years has been phenomenal. Led by Mike Rafferty, they’ve worked with well over a thousand small businesses through a variety of programs, and they’re proud to make this brand-new program available to existing businesses.

Motor City Re-Store will be taking applications for Round 1 from June 15 through August 1, and the first awards will be announced in the fall. Re-Store will host two Info Sessions for all business owners interested in applying for grants on June 22 and June 29. More information is available at MotorCityRe-store.com.