Question: Tell us about your company and what you do.

Answer: I am currently working at DTE Energy in the corporate headquarters in downtown Detroit. My title is “Business Analyst – Special Projects.” I work in a variety of areas, but my homebase is with the Major Enterprise Projects team. At MEP I am working on a new initiative called the Neighborhood Revitalization Initiative, where we are acting as a catalyst to help improve the neighborhood around DTE headquarters.

Question: Describe an accomplishment or contribution you’ve made at your company.

Answer: No matter what I am doing, as a Challenge Detroit Fellow, I add value to my host company by acting as an (urban) innovation consultant – a multidisciplinary problem solver and translator across professions where I use my creativity, prior experience, and analytical skills to brainstorm, pursue new ideas or ways of thinking, and experiment.  I have been able to influence DTE’s strategic approach not only for DTE’s downtown revitalization efforts, but also for several major aspects of our work focused on emerging 21st century clean energy – renewables, energy efficiency, and electric vehicle infrastructure.

DTE’s aspiration is “To be the best operated energy company in North America and a force for growth and prosperity in the communities where we live and serve.” I have been given a special vantage point to directly help and rapidly implement this corporate vision, particularly with the Neighborhood Revitalization Initiative. I am instantly applying my unique skill set within the framework of a large energy utility, an uncommon place for urban planners.

Question: What makes working for your company unique?

Answer: Major Enterprise Projects (MEP) was recently formed about two years ago. This is an incredibly exciting, dynamic and innovative group which is driving specific strategic initiatives and capital projects within DTE Energy. Being a new part of the DTE organization, MEP has been able to shape its own structure, management, and culture, making it a new model of lean operational excellence. MEP is process driven and has fully embraced the concepts of Continuous Improvement, or “Kata” in Toyota’s management dialect.

Question: What do you enjoy working in the Detroit community?

Answer: Detroit’s ultimate success will depend on if the city takes a leading role in contributing innovative solutions to the global problems of the next 40 years. Perhaps Detroit will be a hub for new kinds of 21st century mobility, scaled-up local urban agriculture, inexpensive, super-flexible adaptable housing, or it may take advantage of its position on the world’s largest surface fresh water system. Whatever Detroit does, it will  likely be a combination of local businesses, new ventures, and partnerships with large established companies that turn Detroit’s inherent assets and created assets into the basis of a robust, sustainable and diverse 21st century economy.  Places like TechTown, NextEnergy, and Detroit Venture Partners are just the beginning. If they succeed, the solutions to global problems of the next 40 years will be “imported from Detroit.” The feeling that I am an integral part of the transformation I just described is what makes working in Detroit so worthwhile.

Question: What’s the biggest highlight of working at your company?

Answer: There are two major highlights of working at my host company. The first is the organization itself. DTE is passionate about safety, driven by performance, smarter by managing risk, more advanced through planning, more reliable through accountability, more successful through quality, and more effective through processes, which lead to quality outcomes. But most of all, I have observed that DTE is truly driven by its aspirations, priorities, values and purpose. The people of DTE listen, they are deliberate in their actions, focused on continuous improvement, and have a sense of trust running in the veins of the entire workforce and management that I have never seen before and makes it a special place to work and to learn.

The second major highlight is the role I have been given as part of DTE’s efforts to be a force for growth and prosperity, to be a catalyst to further accelerate Detroit’s transformation. I have the opportunity to help shape that strategy. Detroit is on the cusp of a revolution and now is the time to lay a strong new foundation and set in motion a series of investments that will ultimately renew Detroit. What I do right now and how well I do matters, as it may have tremendous impact for years to come for DTE and for Detroit.

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Contributed by fellow Jason Zogg