一位企业家帮助振兴底特律

当 底特律披萨店 于2022年春天开放, it became the first sit-down restaurant in the McNichols neighborhood in 40 years. 不仅仅是一个吃东西的地方, the restaurant has become an example of how intentional community development is vital for economic growth and opportunity in a community like 底特律. 这也进一步证明了底特律是一笔不错的投资.

“We studied how to rebuild in a way that supports people who are already here and how to rebuild neighborhoods in a way that is sustainable,马库斯·琼斯说, 底特律披萨店的老板.
 

为新劳动力提高技能

早在他的披萨店成为现实之前，琼斯的愿景就开始了. While in college, he realized that 底特律 needed quality housing and good jobs for its residents. His first step was clear: residents needed the necessary training and skills to become a part of 底特律’s new workforce and help with construction. 在澳博官方网站app的支持下 有色人种企业家基金, Jones and his partner launched the 底特律 Training Center (DTC) to provide vocational training and certifications to local residents.  

The work would require partnerships with local government and community leaders. “We worked closely with the city and state to create residential builders’ programs—homeowner workshops—anything to teach people to acquire and rehab property,琼斯解释道.

随着DTC的发展, it expanded to include heavy construction equipment and worked to offer training and certifications to veterans and the homeless. 今天, it offers even more customized vocational training and connects its graduates to jobs in 底特律.  

琼斯甚至自己也在努力雇佣那些新培训的DTC学生. 2016年，他推出了 兆兆建筑服务, which hires new graduates and emphasizes sustainable building for new and rehabbed residential and commercial projects.

投资本地开发商

As part of its ongoing investment in 底特律’s recovery and commitment to supporting local developers, 澳博官方网站app collaborated with Capital 影响 Partners to launch the Equitable Development Initiative (EDI), 谁指导职业生涯早期和中期的BIPOC开发人员, 比如琼斯.

“We learned early on how important it is for residents to build their own neighborhoods and to support developers who reflect the population of the city,皮埃尔·巴顿说, a 澳博官方网站app Program Officer for Global Philanthropy based in 底特律.

四年后, more than 200 local developers have been trained by the EDI or are currently participating in its programming.
 

为未来的成功建立管道

现在有更多的住院医生接受了培训, 参与重建底特律社区的工作, 马库斯开始着手他的餐厅设想.

The idea for the 底特律披萨店 came after Marcus saw a request for proposals to redevelop a long-abandoned 6,在麦克尼科尔斯社区的一个面积达1000平方英尺的商业空间.

在18个月的时间里, the building for the pizza bar was renovated by the same local residents trained by Jones through his workforce development programs. 和, 当餐厅准备开张的时候, Jones was intentional about hiring people who lived within a two-mile radius, 优先考虑那些可能买不起车的人. He also reached out to public and culinary schools to train his employees in all aspects of the business so his employees could leave with even better resumes. 此外, his model of profit sharing helps encourage employees’ sense of ownership, 增加动力，创造一个家庭式的环境.

The new restaurant is now a workforce engine that Jones sees as critical to rebuilding lives and communities.

“The restaurant serves as a pipeline for my students to get the experience they need so they can move on to bigger jobs,他说. “Everything I’ve done is focused on developing the workforce and the community.”

了解更多关于 澳博官方网站app帮助加强了底特律当地的经济 成千上万的 小型企业.

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