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Have an idea for Subject of the Month?
December 2018
Selectors: Richard Buboltz and Rachael Clark
Detroit has a long history as a center of innovation and entrepreneurship. In addition to being the Automotive Capital of the World, Detroit is home to iconic brands such as: Vernor's, Sander's, Stroh's, Carhartt, and Faygo, as well as icons of the future, Thirdman Records and Shinola.
“There is no better place in the world to be an entrepreneur, no better place in the world to be someone who wants to try something new, than here in Detroit.” — Ted Balowski of Hatch Detroit
Definition
entrepreneur
- The idea could be a new procedure or a new way to provide a service.
- The product could be something simple such as a new type of hair comb or it could be a multi-part product such as a new electronic item.
-
- An example of entrepreneur is Bill Gates.
- An example of entrepreneur is a stay at home mom who comes up with a great idea for a new children’s toy.
- An example of entrepreneur is an experienced business manager who decides to take the skills he or she has learned working for others and starts their own consulting firm.
entrepreneur. (n.d.). Retrieved November 09th, 2018, from http://www.yourdictionary.com/entrepreneur
Detroit Startups, December 2018
Image from Techstars blog, Editions Month Spotlight: Detroit Social Impact, May 11, 2015
- Grow DetroitGrow Detroit is a community of ambitious young entrepreneurs and professionals in Southeast Michigan (Greater Detroit + Ann Arbor regions). Grow hosts events and promotes news with the goal of helping startups grow and thrive in Southeast Michigan.
- Tech TownThey help tech startups and local businesses launch and grow. They support businesses with office space, meeting space and event space. They also connect entrepreneurs to resources, and learning and networking events in Detroit.
- Hatch DetroitHatch Detroit was created to give others the opportunity to have a role in the redevelopment of Detroit.
- Bamboo DetroitBamboo Detroit is a shared office space and business community located in the heart
of downtown Detroit. - Why I love the Detroit startup scene: How emerging hub drives city's entrepreneurial resurgenceArticle from Crain's Detroit Business, August 11, 2017
The Accidental Startup by Call Number: PK Library, HD 62.5 .B335 2009ISBN: 9781592578863Publication Date: 2009-05-05The Accidental Startup helps readers determine if self-employment is the right choice for them, and, if it is, how to go about the process of starting and running their own business.
Vernors
Vernors Ginger Ale Co. (copy of an undated historic photograph)
from the Virtual Motor City Collection
- Vernor's Ginger Ale - Encyclopedia of DetroitVernor's history from the Detroit Historical Society.
Soda Poppery by Call Number: PK Library, Juvenile, 338.47 T219soISBN: 0684184885Publication Date: 1986-03-31Presents the history of soft drinks in America, from mineral water to caffeine-free diet soda, and provides recipes and experiments for making and using soft drinks.
Sander's
- Sanders - Encyclopedia of DetroitHistory of Sanders from the Detroit Historical Society.
Third Man Records
- Inside Jack White’s New Vinyl-Pressing Paradise: How Third Man Pressing is perfecting the art of the LP in DetroitArticle in Rolling Stone, February 24, 2017
Shinola
Wayne State University Sesquicentennial
On May 18, in 1868, Wayne State University was officially founded as the Detroit Medical College. The first academic term began on Nov. 3, 1868. On April 22, 1956, the Michigan Legislature adopted Act 183 “to establish and regulate a state institution of higher learning to be known as Wayne State University.”
Throughout 2018, the WSU Libraries invite you to join us as we celebrate our University's rich history and sesquicentennial. The official celebration period will run from Jan. 1, 2018 to Nov. 1, 2018. In addition to the Subject of the Month displays, please check the University Calendar for Special Events and Exhibits.
Detroit & Urban Environments
Why Detroit Matters by ISBN: 144732787XPublication Date: 2017-05-15The decline of Motor City, USA, may simply seem to be symptomatic of the decline of industrial cities across the world. But as this book shows us, what happens in Detroit matters for other cities globally--and always has. Why Detroit Matters bridges the academic and nonacademic worlds to examine how the story of Detroit offers powerful and universally applicable lessons on urban decline, planning, urban development, race relations, revitalization, and governance.
Why Don't American Cities Burn? by ISBN: 9780812243864Publication Date: 2011-11-30Katz traces the collision of urban transformation with the rightward-moving social politics of late twentieth- and early twenty-first-century America. He shows how the bifurcation of black social structures produced a new African American inequality and traces the shift from images of a pathological black "underclass" to praise of the entrepreneurial poor who take advantage of new technologies of poverty work to find the beginning of the path to the middle class.
Reimagining Detroit by ISBN: 9780814334690Publication Date: 2010-09-09Instead of presenting another account of the city's decline, Reimagining Detroit: Opportunities for Redefining an American City showcases the innovative community-building work happening in the city and focuses on what else can be done to make Detroit leaner, greener, and more economically self-sufficient.
The New Pioneers by Call Number: eBook, WSU Access ID & Password RequiredISBN: 9781944648305Publication Date: 2017-06-13The New Pioneers shows the entrepreneurs of today, especially those in urban areas, how they can work around obstacles to create wealth and revive our cities.
Henry Ford - Ford Motor Company
- Henry Ford - Visionaries on InnovationBiographical account and history from The Henry Ford.
Better Made Potato Chips
Cross and Peters company was founded on August 1st, 1930. The company was named after the founders' first names, Cross and Peter. Both set goals to make a better potato chip, hence the brand name: Better Made Potato Chips. In 1934, the company was incorporated by the founders, the late Peter Cipriano and the late Cross Moceri
Better Made's over 85 years of progress have all been made in Detroit, using Michigan potatoes for ten months of the year.
Better Made Potato Chips Company Owners;
Peter Cipriano and Cross Maceri, 1971
from the Virtual Motor City Collection
- Better Made Snack Food Company - Encyclopedia of DetroitHistory of Better Made from the Detroit Historical Society.
Faygo
The Faygo Book by ISBN: 9780814345856Publication Date: 2018-10-01The Faygo Book is the social history of a company that has forged a bond with a city and its residents for more than a century. The story of Faygo, Detroit's beloved soda pop, begins over a hundred years ago with two Russian immigrant brothers who were looking to get out of the baking business.
- Faygo Pop - Encyclopedia of DetroitHistory of Faygo from the Detroit Historical Society.
Feigenson Brothers; Faygo Beverage Company Owners. -Left to Right; Morton & Philip, 1969
from the Virtual Motor City Collection
Faygo Beverage Company; Detroit. -3579 Gratiot, 1969 
Stroh's and Other Detroit Breweries
Stroh, Peter; Stroh’s Beer Negotiating Takeover of Schlitz, April 21, 1982
from the Virtual Motor City Collection
- Stroh's HeritageBrief history of the brewery on their official website.
- Stroh's Products - Encyclopedia of DetroitHistory of Stroh's from the Detroit Historical Society.
Brewed in Detroit by Call Number: PK Library, HD 9397 .U53 D483 1999ISBN: 0814326617Publication Date: 1999-10-01Brewed in Detroit describes the history of the brewing industry in the Detroit metropolitan area (including Ann Arbor, Mt. Clemens, Pontiac, Windsor, Wyandotte, and Ypsilanti) from its beginning in the 1830s to the present revival by microbrewers and brewpubs.
Brewed in Michigan by Call Number: eBook, WSU Access ID & Password RequiredISBN: 9780814342107Publication Date: 2017-10-16Brewed in Michigan is a book for beer enthusiasts and for people who want a better understanding of what makes Michigan beer special.
Carhartt
Carhartt's Retail Store in Midtown Detroit
- Carhartt to bring rugged brand to trendy MidtownColumn from the Detroit Free Press, Jan. 27, 2015
- Hamilton Carhartt - Encyclopedia of DetroitFrom the Detroit Historical Society
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