• Minority, female and locally-owned dental practice
• Detroiter returns home to serve childhood community
• Becomes one of only five dental offices located in the 25 square-mile area southeast ofGratiot

  JULY 1, 2019 (DETROIT) – The Detroit Economic Growth Corporation (DEGC), Mayor Mike Duggan, Detroit City Councilmember Andre Spivey and community members of the Jefferson Chalmers neighborhood joined Aisha Akpabio, D.D.S., at today’s ribbon-cutting ceremony to celebrate the official opening of Motor City Match (MCM) winner Diamond Smiles Dentistry.

  Diamond Smiles Dentistry is a fully-equipped practice with the latest technology and delivers a full-scope of dental services to a community with a growing need for treatment. Returning home to Detroit after practicing in Los Angeles and New York City, business owner Aisha Akpabio, D.D.S., expects to hire at least 10 individuals in her first three years of business.

  “Having someone like Aisha return to her hometown to help create a healthier Detroit showcases the type of investments Motor City Match is built to support,” said Mayor Mike Duggan. “All small businesses are important to building neighborhood stability and employment. Aisha’s dental practice is especially critical in that it helps residents grow roots and develop long-term relationships with medical providers they can sustain for a lifetime. I couldn’t be happier to welcome Aisha back to Detroit.”

  Akpabio represents the continued opportunities MCM creates for its awardees. In Round 13, Akpabio received a MCM space award to help secure her building. In Round 14 she received a cash grant of $65,000, which she used to purchase state-of-the-art imaging equipment.

  “I’m committed to providing the highest quality dental care by making patients my number one priority,” Akpabio said. “Having the opportunity to do what I love in my hometown has always been a dream of mine. It is a blessing to serve my community.”

Akpabio’s new dental practice helps MCM celebrate a tremendous milestone as the first dental practice awarded by the program to open its doors.

“That’s significant because neighborhoods need all types of goods and services to attract and retain residents,” said Pierre Batton, interim vice president, Small Business Services, DEGC. “Not only is Aisha the first MCM dentist, she owns one of only two practices in the 48215 zip code. That demonstrates how great the need is for facilities like hers in Detroit’s neighborhoods.”

Akpabio completed her General Practice Residency at Bronx Lebanon Hospital in New York after earning her Doctorate of Dentistry from the University of Michigan. In addition to building her practice, Aisha works in the community to promote good oral health at schools, senior centers and health fairs.

“Aisha demonstrates what we know to be true about Detroiters,” said Detroit District 4 City Councilmember Andre Spivey. “We are intelligent, resourceful, generous and tremendously loyal to our city. Aisha could have opened her business anywhere, but she chose Detroit because that is where her heart is. The Jefferson-Chalmers neighborhood is deeply grateful to Aisha for fulfilling the dream of owning her own dental practice right here in her hometown.”

Diamond Smiles Dentistry offers a full range of dental services, including dental examinations, fillings and sealants, crowns and bridges, root canals, dentures, implants, bite guards and a state-of-the-art imaging machine, which was purchased with the help of MCM. The practice is located at 13334 E. Jefferson Ave. For more information about Diamond Smiles Dentistry, visit https://www.diamondsmilesdentistry.com/

Last week, MCM announced 53 business winners as part of its Round 15 awards. Eleven of the business owners received cash grants totaling $500,000. Others received a variety of resources including business planning, space, design and other technical assistance. The MCM program has successfully aided more than 1,300 entrepreneurs through 15 rounds. The program has awarded $7.5 million in cash grants that business owners have leveraged into $41 million in community investments. Today, 64 MCM businesses are open and another 49 are under construction. To find out more about the winners, visit http://www.motorcitymatch.com/news-event/

About Diamond Smile Dentistry

Fully equipped with the latest technology, Diamond Smiles Dentistry strives to deliver optimal full-scope quality dental services to the local Jefferson-Chalmers community and beyond. The practice is located at 13334 E. Jefferson Ave. Office hours are Monday through Friday from 8 a.m. – 4 p.m.

About the Detroit Economic Growth Corporation (DEGC)

Detroit Economic Growth Corporation (DEGC) is a non-profit organization that serves as the lead implementing agency for business retention, attraction and economic development initiatives in Detroit. Its Motor City Match program is a unique partnership between the City of Detroit, the Detroit Economic Growth Corporation (DEGC), the Economic Development Corporation of the City of Detroit (EDC) and the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD), helping to grow Detroit’s small- business ecosystem. Competitive financial assistance is supported by a broad partnership of Southeast Michigan community development financial institutions and corporations including, Bank of America, Fifth Third Bank, Ford Foundation, Fred A. and Barbara M. Erb Foundation, Hudson Webber Foundation, JPMorgan Chase & Co., Knight Foundation, The Kresge Foundation, New Economy Initiative and the W.K. Kellogg Foundation. Application details are available at www.MotorCityMatch.com