Dr. Velonda Anderson’s life-long passion for fitness, healthy food, disease prevention, and children’s health has led her down some unexpected paths. Velonda is a professor of nutrition, an author of a nutritional foods cookbook, a nutrition speaker, a program manager for the Detroit Health Department, and a Northwest Detroit Farmers’ Market vendor. She’s also known…
Nicole Bien-Aime and Chanel Coleman met while they were taking ProsperUs training at the Grand River WorkPlace. Nicole had been selling women’s clothing out of an office building ill-suited to her needs. Chanel’s custom shoes and accessories business had been an online only endeavor and she was looking to expand. During their training the women…
At age 50, Jane Bate found herself in the position of having to reinvent her professional life. Jane was a very successful manicurist at a neighborhood salon in Allen Park. She had a large and loyal clientele, and she lived about a block and a half from the salon. It couldn’t get much better. Then,…
Dante moves around his barbershop opening the beige curtains to welcome the morning light, he is dressed sharply in a white button up and vest, with slacks and loafers to match. He walks through his barbershop filled with black leather cutting chairs and glides into the adjacent lounge. It is this lounge that makes William’s…
I watched as Shimar Mitchell stood behind the counter taking orders with a big smile on an extremely busy Friday afternoon. He was attentive to his customers’ needs and even had his chef restart an order to increase his customer’s satisfaction. He was so hands on I almost forgot that he was actually the co-owner…
Just over four years ago, Marilyn Walker’s husband of 42 years took her out to dinner and, at the end, gave her an envelope with keys in it. “It’s yours to do what you want,” he said. “The deed was paid in full. You know you love to cook…” he hinted. Marilyn had retired from…
GRDC and its Grand River WorkPlace project were honored with the “Extraordinary Economic Development Award” at the 2015 Detroit Community Development Awards Banquet presented by MASCO Corporation Foundation and hosted by the Detroit Local Initiatives Support Corporation, (LISC), Community Development Advocates of Detroit (CDAD), and Michigan Community Resources (MCR). Just over a year ago, GRDC…
Looking for unique gift ideas this holiday season? Looking for ways to support local Detroit businesses, artisans, and entrepreneurs? Look no further! On Saturday, November 28, from 11am – 5pm, Grand River will be bustling with holiday fun with over 25 vendors offering shoppers a wonderful selection of unique, locally-made or locally-sourced items. The festivities…
Police Commissioners Ricardo R. Moore and Richard Shelby spoke about the duties of police commissioners at the Thursday, October 22 Neighborhood Safety Meeting. The commissioners explained that the Board of Police Commissioners was adopted in 1973 to bridge the gap between citizens and law enforcement officials. The aim of the Board remains the same. As…
Joseph D. Farley’s top three reasons for becoming a member at the Grand River WorkPlace are “location, location, location.” Joseph is the founder and president of Friends of Fathers, a life coach company that provides a variety of services for fathers who want to be more involved in their children’s lives. Whether these fathers seek…