DATE: Jan. 20-21, 2011.

EVENT: Bill Ford Jr. will headline the Revitalization & Business: Focus Detroit conference, a University of Michigan student-sponsored event that aims to explore the role of business, innovation and entrepreneurship in the revitalization of Detroit and help shift U-M students’ perceptions and motivations toward the city.

Ford, executive chairman of Ford Motor Co. and vice chairman of the Detroit Lions, will deliver a keynote talk at 10:30 a.m. Jan. 21 at Blau Auditorium at U-M’s Ross School of Business. Prior to Ford’s talk, a series of panel discussions with business and community leaders in Detroit will take place at 9 a.m. These include:

• “If You Rebuild It, They Will Come,” featuring John Gallagher of the Detroit Free Press; Austin Black of City Living Detroit; Eric Larson of the Community Investment Support Fund; and Detroit real estate developer Randy Lewarchik.
• “Rebranding Detroit,” featuring Paul Schutt of Issue Media Group; Matt Canzano of McCann Erickson; Matt Clayson of the Detroit Creative Corridor Initiative; Sandy Hermanoff of Hermanoff Public Relations; and Michigan State Representative Jim Townsend, formerly of the Tourism Economic Development Council.
• “Entrepreneurship in the D,” featuring Amy Cell of Ann Arbor SPARK; Brian Balasia of Digerati Inc.; Dan Izzo of Bizdom U; and Chris Rizik of the Renaissance Venture Capital Fund.Following Ford’s talk, several of Detroit’s most creative and innovative entrepreneurs and business people will showcase revitalization projects and ideas in IdeaLab, presented by Model D Media, at 12:30 p.m. at Blau Auditorium.Speakers include: Kenneth Agacinski of the MORE Program; Austin Black of City Living Detroit; Torya Blanchard of Good Girls Go to Paris Crepes; social entrepreneurs Mary Lorene Carter and Jerry Paffendorf; Randall Fogelman of Eastern Market Corp.; Sean Mann of “Let’s Save Michigan”; mural artist Chazz Miller; Amy Kaherl and Vanessa Miller of Detroit SOUP; Matthew Naimi of Recycle Here!; Gina Reichert of Design 99 and Power House Productions; and moderator Walter Wasacz of Model D Media.The conference begins at 6 p.m. Jan. 20 with the Detroit Impact workshop at the Taubman Center for Design Education in Detroit. Teams of U-M students will present recommendations on real issues affecting businesses and nonprofits working to revitalize Detroit.Phil Cooley of Slows Bar-B-Q in downtown Detroit will kick-off the conference with an in-depth discussion on revitalization and the future of Detroit at 8:30 p.m. Jan. 20 at the Taubman Center for Design Education.

PLACE: Blau Auditorium, U-M’s Ross School of Business, 701 Tappan St., Ann Arbor (Jan. 21 events); Taubman Center for Design Education, 460 W. Baltimore Ave., Detroit (Jan. 20 events)

SPONSORS: Michigan’s Ross School of Business, including the Real Estate Club, Entrepreneur and Venture Club, and Marketing Club. Financial support provided by General Motors, DTE Energy Foundation, New Economy Initiative for Southeast Michigan, Ross Net Impact, Deloitte, Lear Corp., Zell Lurie Institute for Entrepreneurial Studies and PriceWaterhouseCoopers.

INFORMATION: Visit www.revitalizationandbusiness.com or e-mail Andrea Morris at aamorris@umich.edu.

The University of Michigan is committed to catalyzing the transformation of our economy by supporting technology transfer, encouraging entrepreneurship, and linking faculty and businesses to spur innovative research. Visit www.innovate.umich.edu