Pair helps build youth culture
Mike Ramsey
Ann Arbor News, December 7, 2004

Businessmen strive to attract and retain young professionals

Sam Valenti and Newcombe Clark have friends living it up in New York and Chicago, in tune with those big cities and their thriving youth culture and limitless work opportunities.

But Valenti, 25, and Clark, 23 - both already successful businessmen - believe they have found a city that meets their needs in Ann Arbor. And they are trying to convince more young up-and-comers to stay.

"We understand that everybody has an itch to scratch," Clark said. "But while everybody is scratching that itch on some East Coast city, there is a gap in Ann Arbor."

They don't want to call it an effort to make Ann Arbor a "cool city," like the dozen Michigan cities that got grants from the state to hype their hipness in an attempt to attract youth. But that's sort of what it is.

"It should be the coolest city in Michigan," said Clark, who along with Valenti graduated from University of Michigan. "It just needs more youth."

That may sound strange considering the presence of two major universities and several smaller ones with tens of thousands of young adults. But that youth is transient. Many of those folks will be heading out once they get their diplomas. And retention of young workers is a constant, often elusive goal for economic boosters.

What makes a city cool

The Cool Cities initiative, which pegs 12 cities in Michigan, including Ypsilanti, as zones for increasing the "creative class," is an effort led by Gov. Jennifer Granholm. The idea comes directly from Richard Florida, author of "The Rise of the Creative Class."

Florida theorizes that attracting young professionals requires youthful energy and a complex network of cultural events, tolerance of others, a high-tech bent and a level of acceptance of new ideas and people. Cities like San Francisco and Seattle top the list of large cities, according to Florida. In Ann Arbor's category - cities with metro areas between 250,000 and 500,000 - Madison, Wis., is tops and Lansing is seventh.

Ann Arbor isn't in the top 10.

So, while Ann Arbor is an attractive place to be, it's missing something in Florida's "creativity index."

That brings things back to Valenti and Clark.

Valenti is the owner and founder of Ghostly International, an acclaimed Ann Arbor-based record label with 25 artists. Clark - who has bachelor degrees in mechanical engineering and Japanese - is a real estate broker with Oxford Co.

Earlier this year, the pair rented out an enormous downtown apartment above the West Side Book Shop on West Liberty Street and are using it as a venue to try to increase the hip value of town.

A few weeks ago, they hosted their first art show, hanging works by artist Soma Wingelaar on the first floor of their high-ceilinged, historic apartment.

Dozens attended the private invitation show, Wingelaar sold several pieces, and works still hang in the pair's apartment, available for viewing by appointment until the next show arrives.

The pair aren't taking commissions like a regular gallery. All they want in exchange for the show is a piece of art - the artist's choice - to keep on their walls.

The idea is to create a social network and possibly show other young professionals that living in Ann Arbor can approach or surpass the lifestyle of New York.

"Our goal is to show it, to put it out there," Valenti said. "Newcombe and I have a pretty diverse group of friends and bringing them together shows that just because we are losing friends to the city, it doesn't mean you can't have a good time here."

And Valenti speaks from experience. He frequently travels to major cities around the world to help promote artists on his label. Ghostly International has garnered a number of awards, including a "Rolling Stone" Hot Label of the Year in 2004.

Clark said four more art shows have been booked at the pair's apartment, and they feel like their idea is taking hold with both young and older members of the Ann Arbor community.

Addressing other issues

Ray Detter, chairman of the Citizens Advisory Committee of the Downtown Development Authority, said he likes their idea because it opens a new space for people to explore in the city.

But Detter said he isn't sure that the cool factor is really the problem.

"What most people say is that they would live in Ann Arbor, but they have to have a place to work and they have to have a place to live," he said. "And most people would like to live downtown. If somebody wanted to stay in Ann Arbor and had a job in Ann Arbor, where would they live?"

Detter speaks to the lack of both affordable housing and housing of any sort downtown.

Although there are some new downtown housing projects - developer Jerry Spears just opened 12 upscale apartments on Main Street, for example - and others are planned, affordable options for the young professional still are slim. The least expensive condos available are slated to sell at more than $240,000.

With insurance and property taxes, the monthly payment would be more than $2,000. By federal standards that suggest housing payments make up no more than 30 percent of a family income, only people who make more than $80,000 could afford that.

Although figures aren't available for Ann Arbor, Washtenaw County has gained more young people in the past few years. According to state census figures, the county had 34,376 men and women age 24-30 in 2000. It had 41,076 in 2003, a 19.5 percent increase.

Sue Lackey, president of the Washtenaw Development Council, said Ann Arbor's lifestyle is one its biggest marketing upsides. The city frequently places high in various best-places-to-live magazine features.

Still, Lackey likes the idea of trying to bolster a youthful image for the city.

"One of the things that proves to me that you've got people who care enough about the community is that they are willing to put themselves out and extend themselves to make sure that other people view it the way they view it," she said.

Ahmed Ashad, a 23-year-old University of Michigan graduate who found a job working at his alma mater in computer systems, said he thinks just about every one of his friends would be staying in Ann Arbor if they could.

He said his friends either left to go to graduate school elsewhere, or sought jobs in engineering or business that weren't available in Ann Arbor.

"I've lived in many different cities in Michigan and found Ann Arbor to be a very unique place," he said. "I plan to stay as long as I can in Ann Arbor."

And it helps that for now, Ashad is living on campus.

Mike Ramsey can be reached at mramsey@annarbornews.com or (734) 994-6864.