In this spotlight, 
we are catching up with inaugural Isaac Gilman and Marlo Staples. They reflect on their year with Challenge Detroit and current work in the City.
Isaac, Marlo, how have you been since finishing the year with Challenge Detroit and both starting jobs at TechTown Detroit?
Isaac: I’ve been doing really well. I really enjoy my work at TechTown Detroit and will always love my never ending exploration of Detroit.
Over the last six months I have been working to start a business called Brood. In short, I want to open a maker space for home beer brewers. Making beer (cider, too) is a really fun and engaging process, but it costs money, requires some education, takes up space, and can be messy. Brood would host brewing classes, provide brewing equipment and offer storage to home brewers all in one space. Ideas would be shared, a community would be born, and beer would flow. I recently pitched this idea to a Detroit PechKucha 20X20. It was a great opportunity to share the idea with a wide audience and get feedback.
Marlo: Since finishing Challenge Detroit, I have been great. I still live in the city and continue to find ways to be engaged in the community. One thing that my Challenge Detroit experience has taught me is the value of participating in opportunities that engage people from different backgrounds in meaningful ways to solve social issues. I have recently been invited to be a StartingBloc fellow. As part of this program, I will travel to California for an intensive week long institute with entrepreneurs and agents for positive social change. I am excited to bring back what I learn at the institute and use it inform the work I do at TechTown and in the community.
Tell us about your respective roles at TechTown?
Isaac: I manage Detroit’s newest co-working space, Junction440. Junction440 provides an affordable, flexible and collaborative work environment for entrepreneurs needing work space.
Co-working is very new to Detroit. A number of the spaces available today were not around a year ago. TechTown was unsure how our space would function in this new co-working market, which allows me to operate entrepreneurially. With some overall big-picture goals they would like the space to accomplish, I execute my tasks in ways that work best for the space. As the space develops, I am finding new ways to engage entrepreneurs and adapting to the always moving parts of a business.
Marlo: I serve as Executive Office Project Manager at TechTown Detroit. Within this role, I am responsible for supporting our CEO, and managing meetings and relationships with the TechTown Board of Directors. I also manage special projects for the organization like the development of the TechTown internship program.
During your time with Challenge Detroit, you had the opportunity to partner with 9 non-profit organizations. How have those experiences impacted the work you are now doing in Detroit?
Isaac: They continually pop up in my head, whether I am thinking about how to complete a project or looking for a potential partner for other projects. For example, TechTown’s new space has a great kitchen. We are looking to host pop-up food vendors in the space. During our challenge we worked with Detroit Collaborative Design Center to help them set up a space that would feature pop-up retailers. Some of the work we did during that challenge has helped me attack this project at TechTown.
Overall, every challenge we worked on last year helped me better understand the city. I am always looking to learn more about Detroit, so continuing to keep up with our challenge partners from last year and learn about partners in year two and beyond, is always great for my personal growth.
Marlo: As a recent college graduate participating in the program, my work experience was very limited. Working with 9 non-profit organizations helped me cultivate strong project management skills, learn how to effectively communicate with community stakeholders and organization executives, and helped me incorporate innovative problem tactics with design thinking methods. I use all of these skills on a daily basis at TechTown.
Do you still stay in touch with the inaugural fellows?
Isaac: Yes, all the time. I have the pleasure to see Marlo everyday, and I try to meet other fellows for lunches, happy hours, birthday parties or really any other opportunity to hang out. The inaugural fellows were a great first class because we all got along so well. This has not changed today, and it won’t change in the future.
Marlo: OF COURSE!! I have been blessed with some of the most wonderful friendships through the program. I spend time with fellows from the inaugural class regularly.
What would you tell someone who is thinking of applying to be a Fellow?
Isaac: I would say be open and flexible. Things can change quickly, so making the best of any situation is extremely important. My experience was amazing, and I think a major reason why was because of my adaptive mindset. When I landed with my host company, Billhighway, I had no idea how I would support the marketing arm of a financial software company with my urban planning degree. It ended up being an amazing opportunity where I learned so much, especially about entrepreneurship and company culture.
Same with the challenges. The nine nonprofits we partnered with gave us a wide array of work. Every challenge was different than the next, which helped me stay on my feet and forced me to learn other ways to be successful.
Marlo: For anyone that is considering applying to Challenge Detroit, I would encourage them to ask themselves three critical questions. 1. Do you love the city of Detroit? 2. Are you willing to work with a dynamic group of people to solve pressing issues Metro-Detroit non-profit organizations are facing? 3. Can you passionately share your positive experiences in Detroit with the world? If you can answer yes to these three questions, Challenge Detroit is a program worth your time and commitment.