In this week’s Fellow Spotlight, we are checking in with Sarah Somes. She fills us in on what she enjoys most about living in the city, and her host company, Edw. C. Levy Co.!

Tell us about your move to Detroit?

I couldn’t have been happier to move back to Detroit. Having grown up in the suburb of Grosse Pointe, I spent many years enjoying the city. Shortly after moving to South Carolina to attend the College of Charleston, I realized I wanted to be back in Detroit and joining all of the revitalization efforts. After graduation in May, I had just over three months until Challenge Detroit started. I enjoyed my last few days in Charleston with friends, sold everything that wouldn’t fit in my little car, and headed north. I am fortunate enough to have parents who live in Grosse Pointe, so that afforded me time to look for a place to live before Challenge Detroit started. I saw a post from one of the fellows on our newly created Facebook group claiming that she, Elizabeth Machesky, had an apartment and was in need of a roommate. After just one lunch date and a walk down Woodward we sealed the dealJ. Our apartment is two blocks away from Comerica Park and 5 blocks from Campus Martius, it’s been so great!

What do you enjoy most about living in Detroit?

The people I meet, hands down! The level of kindness and curiosity people have about who I am and what matters in my world goes unmatched to any city I know. Every one I’ve met, on the street, in an elevator, passing through doorways, we all make eye contact and share positive words in passing. I am the kind of person, too, who will take the time to stop and talk to a stranger on the street, and I’ve always been met with the same level of respect and enthusiasm about living and working in the city.

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

Edw. C. Levy Co. globally mines aggregates and services steel mill. My job title is Environmental and Real Estate Support Specialist. I focus my efforts on South East Michigan, working on reclamation plans and procedures that meet township standards and foster a second life of the highest and best use. I also assist in processes and strategies on commercial and residential development as well as natural resource preserves. My experience here with Levy has been valuable because they work hard to expose me to multiple facets of the company. For example, I’ve spent time at gravel pits watching excavators, front loaders, and dredges dig up all the essentials we need for our roads, buildings, and other major developments. I’ve also watched the steel mill dump pots of slag to be crushed and recycled for later use. My favorite experiences, however, have been walking through the properties where mining operations have completed, reclaimed, and left the property. Experiencing first hand what a mine pit looks like and its evolution over 5 year, 10 years, and 20+ years after completion is very interesting and educational. Building an eye for future development opportunities and recognizing the phases of nature’s reclamation and maturation is crucial, and I’ve truly enjoyed being given the opportunity to take these site walks and build a vision and a future, literally, from the ground up.

What makes working at Edward C Levy unique?

My position at Edw. C. Levy is unique because the work I am doing is relatively new to the industry. There are three of us who are coordinating our efforts to determine how to effectively implement reclamation strategies during the initial phases of the mining process to optimize the “second harvest.” The “second harvest” refers to the process by which we prepare a property to be reincorporated into the community, township, and county after all mining operations have been completed. The vision of this “second harvest” is driven by—and consciously designed to be in harmony with—the surrounding community, respecting the mission, values, and intentions set forth by the master plan of its respective location. Currently, reclamation is a post-mining task, intended to leave the site in a condition that meets the requirements of the township (i.e. specific slopes grades, zero waste and toxins, etc.). My department, however, has been developing a procedure to implement reclamation strategies before the mining begins by providing data and details arguing the financial, community, and environmental benefits of applying said procedures. We are currently focusing on just South East Michigan, but I am confident that once we can clearly design a universal strategy it can be implemented to properties globally.

What is your favorite part of the Challenges?

My favorite part of the Challenges is meeting the amazing individuals who are spearheading their efforts in the community we are partnered with that month. These movers and shakers are the community members and organization leaders. It has been a wonderful experience to share hope, joy, laughter, tears, and passion with others in the city who are unwaveringly invested in seeing through Detroit’s comeback. I am very grateful for the lessons I have learned from everyone I have met.

What are you most looking forward to in Detroit?

I am looking forward to the day that I am walking through the city, saying hello to a passerby on a busy street, and – taking a moment to reflect – smiling about how wonderful and catalytic my year with Challenge Detroit was for my future and life in the Detroit. Truly, I look forward to the day when Detroit is seen internationally as a city of opportunity, a robust education system, and it’s own unique identity.  I look forward to a day when our attributes of diversity, innovation, and collaboration are nationally recognized and respected.

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