The Build Up

What we talked about: 

2:00 - The state of McKinley and how the business has changed over 30 years

3:05 -Why they are staying in the workforce housing market

4:40 - Why they won't be expanding to regions outside of Ann Arbor and Orlando

12:40 - How they handle rising rents

14:00 - How to improve affordable housing

16:50 - How they retain staffers

18:10 - What they are doing for a succession plan

18:55 - What it was like coming to the U.S as a refugee

19:55 - His management style and how he uses social media

22:15 - His biggest mistake in business and how he overcame it

Monique Becker and Elyse Wolf call each other "sisters since four." 

They went to school together and live together. And in the last five years, the two have navigated the challenges of parlaying a lifelong friendship into a business partnership. It hasn't always been easy. 

"The work never ends," says Becker. "It's really hard to have any types of boundaries."

"We definitely have other friends who have to remind us to pump the breaks on things," added Wolf.

The 28-year-olds are now developing properties into multi-unit housing and Airbnb properties in Detroit while doing their own general contracting and management through their company Mona Lisa Living. They've also purchased an 11-acre property near Mackinaw City with a lake which they plan to turn into an elevated camp and cabin experience. 

"It just kind of started from that idea of really wanting a place to be able to go and rest our minds and be creative and just explore Northern Michigan," Wolf said. 

Listen for more on:

1:25 - Challenges of going into business with your friend

3:20 - Dividing the workload

4:35 - Getting help from family

6:30 - Why they rebranded

7:30 - Why they chose to develop in the Virginia Park neighborhood

9:10 - What it's like to renovate and live in a duplex

10:35 - Why co-living spaces and equitable development are important to them

13:45 - How to overcome financing issues

17:15 - How their vision has changed for their company

19:15 - Why they are expanding to Up North

25:15 - Challenges of being young women in a field dominated by older men

29:15 - Their biggest mistake in business

Rainy Hamilton Jr., is captivated by trains — so much so that he has transformed the basement of his English Tudor home in Detroit's University District to make room for a massive model train setup.

Trains are colorful, he says. They move people and goods. And they are always going somewhere.

"I'm tempted to actually write a song or a poem in terms of what is the attraction to model railroading," he said. "People that know me have come to listen to the sound of the train whistle..."

Hamilton's career is definitely on track these days, with his architecture firm Hamilton Anderson Associates having a hand in one of the largest projects in the city, the Hudson's site development, as well as smaller efforts like The Hamilton apartments, his firm's building at Harmonie Park and the Motown Museum expansion, among others.

Hamilton was born, raised, and educated in Detroit – and built his business here in the city. He’s a graduate of Cass Tech and The University of Detroit Mercy. His firm, started in 1992, is one of the largest African-American-owned architectural firms in the U.S. He is committed to sustainable architecture and planning projects — and he’s remained committed to building up his hometown and preserving its history.

He never wanted to leave the city where he was born.

"I'm glad I didn't leave," he said, "because adding to that lifelong knowledge of Detroit just added to our ability to craft design solutions for any project that occurs in the city."

Listen in to hear Hamilton talk about:

1:30 - Updates on his current projects

4:25- Trends he has seen in workspace design after the pandemic

6:35 - Diversifying the field of architecture

10:30 - Keeping local jobs with local firms

14:05 - His passion for model railroading and opening his hobby store

16:40 - Why he stayed in Detroit and what he sees in his hometown

19:50 - His favorite projects

21:35 - How he found his dream home

23:30 - Succession planning

24:30 - His biggest failure in business and how he overcame it

25:10 - How he came up with one of the catchiest political slogans in Michigan

We are joined by the family behind Friedman Real Estate. Headquartered in Farmington Hills, the firm handles brokerage, property management, construction and design services in metro Detroit and around the country. It’s all led by patriarch David Friedman – the co-founder, president, and CEO – whose company’s portfolio includes more than 15 million square feet of commercial space and more than 13,000 multi-family units. We’re also joined by his sons Jared, the senior managing director, and Jordan, a managing director. Together they are responsible for properties like the Galleria Officentre complex in Southfield, Oakland Technology Park in Auburn Hills, North Troy Corporate Park and the Arboretum Office Park in Farmington Hills among others.

Sonya Mays is the President and CEO of Develop Detroit, a real estate and housing development company. Prior to that, she served as senior advisor to Detroit’s emergency manager, helping guide the city though its municipal bankruptcy. Through the years she’s been an investment banker, attorney, teacher and a member of the Detroit Public School’s Board of Education. We’re also joined by Amin Irving, the founder, president and CEO of Ginosko Development Company, a Novi-based company focused on affordable housing. Before that, he was a data analyst working for a Medicaid HMO. He’s also a recovering investment banker.

Our guest this week has spent over 40 years at Southfield-based apartment company Village Green. Diane Batayeh is one of only a half-dozen women in the top executive role among the largest apartment management companies in the country. As CEO, she oversees client services and property management of a $10 billion portfolio of about 43,000 apartments nationwide. She rose through the company’s ranks, starting out as a part-time leasing agent in 1980 while she attended the University of Michigan. Over the years, she’s worked in the company’s investment, development, finance and construction businesses, as well as in other roles in management.

Kevin Johnson is a leader in the world of economic development. He has 30 years of experience creating jobs and spearheading capital investment with stints in Arizona, Florida, North Carolina and Georgia. Johnson has been serving as the CEO of the Detroit Economic Growth Corporation since June 2018, and during that time, he has focused on access, inclusion and financial growth for Detroit businesses big and small. Most recently, he played an integral part in bringing Fiat Chrysler’s $4.5 billion plant investment to Detroit and, with it, thousands of jobs. 

Antoine Bryant is a relative newcomer to the city of Detroit, but he’s no stranger to community engagement, housing development and urban planning. He has more than 25 years of experience in planning and design, development and empowerment across the U.S. He comes to us from Houston where he lived for 15 years and advocated for new development in underserved communities. He arrived here last summer following a national search, and he’s currently making strides as the director of planning and development for the city of Detroit.