In this week’s Fellow Spotlight, we are checking in with Melissa Campbell. She fills us in on what she enjoys most about living in the city, and her host company, Rock Ventures, LLC!

Melissa, tell us about your move to Detroit?

The move was pretty easyand exciting. I drove from New Jersey with my father in my Honda Civic. It’s a miracle we made that journey as I know we hit the maximum weight with most of my belongings. My roommate, also a Challenge Detroit Fellow, was already settling into our new apartment near the Riverfront. I was excited to explore the new city and live my new life as a resident of Detroit. I already had an apartment and lived on my own in Maryland, but it was my first time doing the same in an entirely new city. I settled in rather quickly and got into the groove of living, working, playing downtown.

What do you enjoy most about living, working, playing, giving, and leading in Detroit?

I enjoy the ability to connect with people via the five pillars of the program – living, working, playing, giving, and leading. Each presents an opportunity to really get to know the city through its people. I’m wowed by my experiences so far. The city is rich of culture, history, architecture, food, music, etc. Through Challenge Detroit I am having a front seat to the magnificence going on around Detroit, as well as the not-so-great things. I am able to engage in conversations many are forced to have. Engaging with 30 different minds on a weekly basis has really provided me with a well-rounded perspective on Detroit. The collaborative efforts occurring in the five pillars are effectively impacting issues and are revealing opportunities currently existing in Detroit.

Tell us about your host company, and what you do?

I work with Rock Ventures! The technical description of my company is: Rock Ventures LLC is an umbrella entity formed to provide operational coordination, guidance, and integration of a diverse portfolio of companies, investments and real estate. Layman terms: Rock Ventures LLC is a combination of companies providing multiple services including business development, investments (notably our buildings downtown), marketing and communications, community relations, and the list goes on. I don’t even think that properly covers it as we do a lot for the integration of our family of 60+ companies. Rock Ventures’ flagship company is Quicken Loans, the nation’s largest online home lender and fourth largest retail lender. Since 2010 Quicken Loans has moved its headquarters and approximately 3,800 team members to downtown Detroit. In addition, the company has created more than 7,500 new jobs in the urban core since 2010 for a combined 11,700 full-time team members working the city.

I work with Marketing and Communications as well as Community Relations. Ever seen the Opportunity Detroit Logo or heard of the brand? Well, my time here has been served promoting Opportunity Detroit! Check out opportunitydetroit.com and start reading our blog. We produce content about great things happening in Detroit. I’ve also been pulled onto several special projects as well as being given a chance to develop amazing programming for our young team members across the family of companies.

What makes working at Rock Ventures unique?

Slushy machines, popcorn, a basketball court, scooters bright colors….that’s normal right? The office space is really unique and reflects the company culture. It’s a great and fun place to work. We work extremely hard and play just as hard. The culture is backed by what we like to call ISMs, or the ideals we live by at Quicken Loans, and at every one of our family of companies. They have a lot more to do with who we are than what we do. This fundamental belief alone has developed an environment and culture that’s consistently engineered to amaze!

What is your favorite part of the Challenges?

Presentation Day! It’s so positively overwhelming to see how talented the group of fellows work well together. We create and design amazing deliverables which we present to our non-profit partners and Challenge Detroit community including host companies, city supporters, and other distinguished guests. In the beginning of our challenges, no one has a clue how exactly we will produce anything, but our hard work shows itself on Presentation Day. I’m always delighted to see the faces of our non-profit partners. They usually beam with confidence during our presentation and that in itself nearly brings me to tears to know that we are really impacting the quality of their organization.

Tell us about some of things you are involved with outside of Challenge Detroit?

I’m currently involved with local churches in the area. I really look forward to enjoying my day of rest, Sabbath Day (I’m Seventh-Day Adventist (SDA)) with my peers at the local SDA churches. During services I get to enjoy praise and worship as well as hear a good word that really is needed at that moment. I also just got involved with Big Brother Big Sister Detroit, which I’m really excited about participating in. I really haven’t had many opportunities to mentor young women and children while in Detroit, so this outlet fills that void. I’m also getting ready to launch my first personal blog, Blushroses.com. My blog is an inspirational and creative outlet for young women like me interested in style, lifestyle, Christian and positive thoughts, recipes, and pretty fun DIY projects. In addition I’ve recently started a position at a major mega church in the area to help with their baby and toddler programming on one of their church campuses. I love that I’m getting to work with a church and help serve their very young population. I also enjoy discovering the city and attending many events offered to engage with people from the city. Last but not least I am exploring and pursuing some of my personal dreams and endeavors. I’m currently taking baby steps but I’m really excited about the next chapter in my life. Challenge Detroit has really motivated me to take the next step!

What are you most looking forward to in Detroit?

I’m looking forward to regional collaboration. Conversations and meetings are occurring with this topic on the forefront. In order for a successful Detroit tomorrow we need to have a stronger alliance and support from the Southeast region today. I’m excited to continue seeing Detroit’s success story unfold. The collaborative revitalization story will be one shared for generations to come.

Check out Melissa’s personal blog here, and her spotlight video.