April 2017 | Business View Magazine

28 29 dards, together with Herman Miller and GM, have diverted nearly 1,500 tons of GM office assets from landfill, and made nearly $200,000 worth of in-kind donations of surplus office furniture and equipment since the partnership launched late last year. And MUFI is happy to reap the rewards. In addition to furniture, Her- man Miller is also providing interior design resources for the Community Resource Center. BorgWarner, a global leader in clean technol- ogy solutions based in Auburn Hills, Michigan, helped launch a crowdfunding campaign with a $10,000 donation. And Green Standards donat- ed $4500.Once the campaign reaches its crowd- funding goal of $50,000, the project will receive a matching grant made possible by the Michigan Economic Development Corporation (MEDC) Pub- lic Spaces Community Places program. “Thoughtful initiatives like this have a large impact in community revitalization,” says MEDC Vice President of Community Development Katharine Czarnecki. “We are pleased to partner in and provide resources for the creation of a space that will provide health benefits, train- ing opportunities and a gathering space to the residents of this neighborhood.” EXECUTIVE VIEW The Public Spaces Community Places ini- tiative started in 2014 with MEDC providing matched funding of up to $50,000 for com- munity improvement projects throughout Michigan. As of February 1, 2017, the MEDC has provided $3,228,500 in matching grants. Communities, non-profits and other business entities can apply at https://patronicity.com/ puremichigan Gersh notes, “In the 5 years since our incep- tion, MUFI has built strong working relation- ships with corporations.We wouldn’t be here without their support. GM has been with us since the beginning. Many companies like Her- man Miller have an existing corporate program and are looking for outlets. Sometimes, it starts through a volunteer pipeline; someone will vol- unteer, then tell their boss this is a good oppor- tunity for company involvement. “BASF is another great community sponsor. They were touring Detroit with Sustainable Brands, stumbled across us, and contacted their supply chain about this ‘amazing project where you can showcase your technologies’. All sorts of dynamics are aligning with our Community Resource Center project.” MUFI’s agrihood projects will be featured at Sustainable Brands ‘17 Detroit global confer- ence at the Cobo Convention Center, Detroit, May 22-25.