Tell us about living in Detroit. What neighborhood do you live in and what things make it unique and exciting?

I live with both Annie Gough and Amelia Suarez in Lafayette Park near the Elmwood Cemetery. We love living here because of the easy access to other parts of the city. Living next to the cemetery also allows for a quiet retreat from the chaos of the city while still in the city. I also enjoy visiting the Dequindre Cut during a run to the Riverfront.

What have you learned from Challenge Detroit so far?

My experience with Challenge Detroit and in the city of Detroit has taught me that we all, as a society, can work on our listening and communication skills. While working on projects across the city, I have heard both positive and negative sentiments toward newcomers from other parts of the country arriving to live and work in Detroit. I continue to try and find my role within this dynamic, as I recognize that any true, long-lasting change comes directly from the city and its residents who know, love, and understand its values and challenges.

Tell us about your host company and your role in the organization.

PM Environmental has provided me the opportunity to rotate through almost every department of the company so that I can holistically understand environmental consulting. I started in the marketing department and then moved onto research, where the team acquires historical information about our project properties in Michigan and across the nation for Phase I environmental assessments. I then joined the Phase I team and started to conduct site walks at the actual properties. After two months I started with the architectural consulting team, conducting site assessments and providing capital reserve costs for the maintenance of subject buildings. This past month I joined the Phase II team, testing for and analyzing levels of contamination on our project properties.

What kind of impact do you hope to have with your host company and within the city?

Every month, I have the opportunity to write an article for the internal company newsletter. I typically write about Challenge Detroit projects to let people at PM know what I am up to on Fridays. I also write about my experiences in Detroit and with PM. Some departments do not know what exactly other departments at the company do on a daily basis. My rotation through the departments at PM allows me to share these experiences so that other employees can better understand holistically what we do at PM.

As you finish up your year as a fellow what have you enjoyed most and what do you hope to do following Challenge Detroit?

The best part of this program is making life long friendships with the other Fellows and getting to know leaders throughout the city of Detroit. These lasting connections will provide opportunities for collaboration for decades to come. I have also enjoyed living in Detroit during a time of one of its transitions into hopefully better times for all residents of the city. Challenge Detroit has allowed the Fellows to take part in amazing conversations to better understand the challenges that the city faces. I am excited to continue these conversations into next year, as I will be staying in Detroit and with PM Environmental.

If you’re interested in learning even more about Christopher’s first year in Detroit check out his spotlight video.