GREAT LAKES ACG CAPITAL CONNECTION PROGRAMMING

Breakfast, Networking & Panel | Automotive Disruption – The Mobility Revolution

The automotive industry is experiencing a massive transformation.  For companies that embrace the new realities, there are opportunities to position themselves innovatively so that they excel in the market of the future.  Our expert panel will discuss the mobility revolution, Michigan’s mobility ecosystem, the future outlook and M&A’s role within the space.  Each of our panelists offer a distinct perspective from their unique roles within the mobility sector.   

Jessica Robinson, Executive Director, Michigan Mobility Institute

Jessica Robinson is Executive Director of the Michigan Mobility Institute where she works to accelerate the development of talent for the growing mobility industry. Starting in 2021, the Michigan Mobility Institute will offer the first-of-its-kind Master of Mobility program. The Institute is the first initiative of the Detroit Mobility Lab which she co-founded to focus on building the mobility talent infrastructure necessary to shape the sector’s future within the City of Detroit.

Jessica previously led the development of next-generation mobility efforts at Ford Smart Mobility where she was Director, City Solutions and at Zipcar where she held roles in growth, operations, and marketing across North America. Jessica’s background in technology and innovation includes prior work launching startup accelerator programs at Techstars with industry-leading corporate partners. She is an active startup mentor and micro lender who invests in women entrepreneurs and business owners in Detroit.

Chris Thomas, Co-Founder & President, Detroit Mobility Institute

Chris Thomas is a Co-Founder of the Detroit Mobility Lab, an entity dedicated to helping Detroit become one of the world’s foremost future mobility ecosystems. Prior to the Detroit Mobility Lab he co-founded Fontinalis Partners and worked to build it into one of the premier investment firms in next-generation mobility. While at Fontinalis Chris served as a Board Member for nuTonomy (acquired by Aptiv in October 2017) and Karamba Security and as a Board Observer at Ouster, Life360, and SmartKargo. Prior to Fontinalis Chris served in the U.S. Army as a Communications Officer in the U.S. and Iraq. Before joining the military, Chris worked as an Investment Banker at UBS within its Technology and Energy groups in New York and San Francisco.

Additionally, Chris advises a number of mobility startups around the globe, serves as an Executive in Residence for Mobility at the Quicken Loans Community Fund, acts as a Senior Advisor to the COMMIT Foundation, and is a member of the Global Cleantech 100 expert panel. He is also a Co-Owner of Buddy’s Pizza, the birthplace of original Detroit-style pizza, and an avid angel investor. Chris has previously served as the Chairman of Read to a Child, a national children’s literacy and mentoring nonprofit, and as a member of the World Economic Forum’s Global Agenda Council on Personal Transportation Systems.

Chris earned his Master’s degree in Business Administration from the Yale School of Management. While at Yale he served on the Honor Committee and graduated with distinction in former Prime Minister Tony Blair’s seminar on Faith and Globalization. He holds a Bachelor of Arts degree in both Economics and International Relations from Michigan State University. Chris is a resident of the City of Detroit where he lives with his wife and sons. He is a staunch advocate of connected communities, early childhood literacy, and the doctrine of the strenuous life.

Marc Weiser, Founder and Managing Director, RPM Ventures

Mr. Weiser is Founder and Managing Director of RPM Ventures, a seed and early stage venture firm where he focuses on investing in Mobility and Financial Technology startups.  Over the last 20 years he has served on the board of more than 20 startups.

Prior to forming RPM, Mr. Weiser was an internet and software entrepreneur. He co-founded QuantumShift and was an early employee at MessageMedia where he pioneered some of the original methods for e-commerce and helped lead the company’s IPO. 

In addition to his board roles for RPM, Mr. Weiser serves on NASA’s National Advisory Council Science Committee, the Board of Trustees of the James Beard Foundation, and  as Vice-Chair of McKinley, Inc..  Previously he was the founding member of the Board for the Center for Entrepreneurship (CFE) and Wolverine Venture Fund at the University of Michigan, where he was adjunct professor. He is the recipient of the University of Michigan College of Engineering Alumni Distinguished Service Award for his efforts in founding the CFE, the TechArb (student accelerator), and the Masters in Entrepreneurship (a joint program between the College of Engineering and Ross School of Business). Additionally, he and his wife led the creation of the Mary H. Weiser Food Allergy Center at the University of Michigan. This Center provides national leadership in food allergy research and a path to a cure for those that suffer from food allergies.

Mr. Weiser graduated cum laude from the University of Michigan with a BSE in aerospace engineering and an MBA with highest honors.

Ellen Clark, Managing Director, Greenwich Capital Group [Moderator]

Ellen Clark is a Managing Director of Greenwich Capital Group focused on mergers & acquisitions (M&A), capital raising and financial advisory. Ellen has 20+ years of experience in investment banking, having advised numerous public and private companies in various industries including automotive, industrial, specialty chemical, software and marketing services.

Ellen was previously a Managing Director of Deloitte Corporate Finance LLC where she led the U.S. Automotive group and was the lead Managing Director of the Detroit office. Ellen has a tremendous amount of experience in corporate carve-outs and divestitures, cross border transactions and executing deals with global investors. In total, Ellen has completed more than 90 transactions during her investment banking career.

Prior to Deloitte, Ellen spent seven years as a Senior Vice President for McDonald Investments where she focused on M&A and capital raising. Ellen started her career at Comerica Bank where she spent three years in its Commercial Lending Department.

 

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Panel Presentation | The Past, Present and Future of Family Offices

Over the past several decades, family offices have become more robust and noticeable in the M&A and business communities, especially as they increase their focus on alternative investments.  Our expert panel will discuss the evolution and drivers behind these trends, present day practices and challenges, and future investment strategies and predictions.  Each panelist offers a unique perspective given their different capital structures ranging from single family LP’s to independent sponsors and multi-family offices. 

McKeel Hagerty, CEO, Hagerty, General Partner and Co-Founder at Grand Ventures

McKeel began playing with cars as a boy and hasn’t stopped since, turning his family’s small, local insurance agency into the world’s biggest membership organization for people who love cars.

Since 1997, he has been the CEO of Hagerty, the world’s largest provider of specialty insurance and hobby support to the enthusiast vehicle market. During his tenure, the company also has evolved into a leading automotive media company and the hub of the biggest car club in America, Hagerty Driver’s Club, with more than a million members. 

From the beginning, McKeel has felt a responsibility to support organizations and initiatives that help ensure that classic vehicles and the driving lifestyle continue to thrive well into the future. The company’s youth programs have helped thousands of young drivers learn the nearly lost art of driving a manual transmission, and through a new partnership with Skip Barber Driving Academy, thousands more are upgrading their driving skills so they feel more confident behind the wheel. The company also supports the Historic Vehicle Association, which works on behalf of its nearly 600,000 members to protect and celebrate the automobile as a significant part of our culture, and the RPM Foundation, which provides restoration and preservation training programs for the next generation of automotive, motorcycle and marine craftsmen. Most recently, the company has doubled-down on its belief that cars are meant to be driven by acquiring MotorsportReg.com, which is used by millions of motorsports fans to find and register for motorsports events from track days and road rallies to vintage races and motocross. 

McKeel is the recent former Chairman of the Board for YPO, the premier global leadership organization with more than 27,000 chief executives in more than 130 countries. During his term, he traveled the world talking about leadership and success with world leaders and innovators, including Hillary Clinton, Justin Trudeau, London Mayor Sadiq Khan, author and philosopher Yuval Harari, and many others. Many of the lessons learned from those discussions are shared in McKeel’s upcoming first book, “Boundless: A Guide to a Flourishing Life in a Disoriented Age,” which will be published by ForbesBooks.  

Before choosing the family business, McKeel studied to be a Russian Orthodox priest (Saint Vladimir’s Orthodox Seminary) and then a philosophy professor (Boston College). He lives with his wife Soon Hagerty near Traverse City, Michigan, the cherry capital of the world, on a narrow peninsula that juts into Lake Michigan. They have three wonderful daughters, Olivia, Sophia and Ava.

To this day, McKeel’s fondest car memory is restoring with his dad a 1967 Porsche 911 S that they found in a snowbank.

He cherishes it and drives it to this day.

 

Jason Schroeder, Vice President , DNS Capital, LLC

Prior to joining DNS Capital in 2015, Jason was a member of Goldman Sachs’ Principal Investment Area in New York. His experience there included sourcing, analyzing and executing private equity and debt investments, with prior experience in the Technology, Media and Telecom investment banking group. Jason Graduated with Distinction from the University of Wisconsin – Madison with a B.B.A. in Finance, Investment and Banking.

 

 

 

Beth Rahn, Vice President & Head of Family Capital, McNally Capital, LLC

Beth Rahn is a Vice President and Head of Family Capital at McNally Capital. Beth joined McNally Capital in 2013. She manages the firm’s network of over 800 family offices, with a focus on harnessing the financial, intellectual and human capital of the family office ecosystem to support McNally’s Direct Investing and Merchant Banking efforts.

Prior to joining McNally Capital, Beth worked at Sterling Partners, a small and middle market private equity firm, in an investor relations role. While there, Beth managed relationships with institutional investors and family offices and executed fundraises for a $250 million small market and $1 billion mid market fund. 

Beth received an MBA from the Kellogg School of Management, as well as a BS in Finance and a BS in Business Administration with a concentration in Marketing (with highest honors) from the University of Illinois.

Kip Irle, Senior Vice President and Practice Leader of Private Equity and M&A, Hylant

Kip is the Private Equity and Mergers and Acquisitions Business Leader for Hylant. He has over 30 years experience focusing on alternative risk financing in the Risk Management and Insurance industry. Kip has led a variety of mergers, acquisitions, divestitures, bankruptcy restructuring and reorganization transactions involving privately-held, publicly traded and private equity led companies. 

Kip provides expertise and guidance in risk management and insurance due diligence and in using insurance risk capital as a substitute for capital in a transaction.

Kip has led the development of reverse termination fee risk transfer and the use of insurance as contingent capital.

Kip is a graduate of the Kellogg School of Management at Northwestern University. In his free time, he restores vintage Mustangs with his brother Chris, as they have been doing since they were 12. With his wife Ronna, he helps grow organic produce for the West Suburban Community Pantry and Hesed House in Aurora, IL.

Todd Fink, Managing Partner, O2 Investment Partners, [Moderator]

Todd is a Managing Partner of O2 Investment Partners. For more than 25 years, Todd has led or participated in multiple business acquisitions, mergers, divestitures, joint venture/partnership arrangements, as well as various financings and re-financings. He also has significant experience working in collaboration with O2’s portfolio executives in developing and implementing business strategies targeting growth and operational improvement.

Todd is the Chairman of O2’s investment committee and is responsible for leading and managing the firm.

Todd joined the predecessor to O2 Investment Partners approximately 18 years ago, and has extensive experience investing in industrials (chemicals, polymers and general manufacturing), automotive, technology, building products and business services.

Todd serves on the boards of O2’s portfolio businesses and is a director of Clio Holdings (Chairman), Alpha Precision Group, Packaging Concepts & Design, 1 Priority Environmental Services, Vessco and Frontier.

Prior to his private equity career, Todd was a partner at a large Detroit-based law firm, where he specialized in corporate finance, mergers and acquisitions and real estate matters. He is a graduate of the University of Michigan and Wayne State University Law School.

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Panel Presentation | Cannabis Investment Hurdles and Opportunities in the Green Frontier

The regulatory changes rolling out in Michigan and across the country over the past year have spectators and entrepreneurs wondering: how could  this impact me? Join us for a better understanding of the current industry landscape, an update on key topics in the industry, and guidance and solutions from a panel of industry leaders. Our panel will come together to discuss the challenges and opportunities evolving in the medical and adult-use markets with a discussion covering branding, cultivation, manufacturing, distribution, compliance, regulation, banking, finance and investing in cannabis.

 

Shelly Edgerton, Senior Counsel, Dykema

Shelly J. Edgerton is a senior counsel in Dykema’s Government Policy Practice Group. Ms. Edgerton’s practice focuses on cannabis licensing and compliance, legislation, campaign finance and election law, liquor licensing and compliance, and working with other regulated industries.

Ms. Edgerton led the creation for the regulatory licensing program for the State of Michigan’s Medical Marihuana Facilities Licensing Act (MMFLA) at LARA. She created the Bureau that houses the program and assisted with the creation of administration rules and selection of personnel and IT development for addressing the regulatory needs of this emerging industry. Ms. Edgerton is a frequent speaker on cannabis licensing.

Ms. Edgerton successfully guided the modernization of numerous legacy IT systems for the licensing and regulatory functions of LARA. With these changes, LARA improved customer response timeliness by cutting more than 30 key processing times by 77%.

In addition to government relations and licensing work, Ms. Edgerton served as a local elected supervisor for a West Michigan Township and wrote successful grant applications for the locality to earn funds to purchase a fire vehicle.

Ms. Edgerton served as Deputy Senate Majority Counsel for numerous Senate Majority Leaders. She instructed and guided members regarding the Constitution, Senate Rules, Open Meetings Act and the Freedom Of Information Act while also assisting with election and campaign finance issues.

Chris Jerome, Investor and Family Office Manager

Chicago-based investor and family office manager Chris Jerome is active across the country in evaluating opportunities in the cannabis and industrial hemp industries as a license holder, landlord, and direct investor.  Mr. Jerome is a graduate of Michigan’s Cranbrook Kingswood; Duke University (BA); the Harvard Business School (MBA), and the Stanford Graduate School of Business (EPGC). 

 

 

Doug Mains, Partner, Honigman [Moderator]

Douglas Mains specializes in government relations and regulatory law, with a particular emphasis on providing strategic advice to clients regarding public policy, legislation, and regulatory issues. After serving as a Senior Policy Advisor and Deputy Legal Counsel to the Speaker of the Michigan House of Representatives, Mr. Mains has extensive contacts throughout the Capitol and is particularly adept at helping clients positively interact with state agencies, elected officials, and executive and legislative staff. Mr. Mains also has extensive experience as a litigation attorney, representing a wide array of clients in state and federal courts, as well as in administrative proceedings. Moreover, Mr. Mains is also at the forefront of Michigan’s evolving medical marijuana law, and is frequently asked to speak on legislative and legal developments in that industry.

 

Chris Madison, Partner, Cohen & Company

In addition to being a tenacious problem solver who is passionate about clients’ success, Chris possesses the unique combination of both audit and tax credentials. His technical background, coupled with over 30 years of experience, provides an invaluable resource to private companies.

Chris advises businesses in the healthcare, real estate, manufacturing, distribution and cannabis industries. Frequently serving as a quarterback for large, complex projects, he works with clients on critical tax, accounting and business issues. Chris assists them on their overall capital structure, transactional opportunities, cash flow management and general organizational structure. He also provides clients with expertise regarding public/private partnerships; tax increment financing (TIF); and port, commercial and industrial revenue bonds. In addition, Chris has technical expertise in specialized tax accounting methods, including inventory methods under IRS 471, 263A and the implications to clients subject to IRC 280E. His cannabis clients include those in Ohio, Pennsylvania, Michigan and California.

• Leads the firm’s effort in the cannabis market 
• Former Partner‐in‐Charge of the Real Estate & Construction Group 
• Former Chairman of the Lake County Ohio Port and Economic Development Authority Board
• March of Dimes (Treasurer) 
• Ohio Society of CPAs  
• American Institute of CPAs 
• Leadership Lake County (Class of 1997)  

Chris and his wife live in Mentor, Ohio. In addition to playing music and following the Indians and Browns, Chris enjoys traveling, particularly to warm weather locations that offer scuba diving. He has been fortunate to reach dive sites from the Pacific to the Atlantic to the Caribbean and is always looking for his next adventure!

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Luncheon Keynote | A Fireside Chat with Jay Farner, CEO, Quicken Loans, the Nation’s Largest Mortgage Lender headquartered in Detroit, Michigan 

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Presentation | Michigan’s Unicorn: How Silicon Valley Was Brought to the Midwest

Please join us on a journey with Dug Song, Co-Founder and current Vice President and General Manager of Michigan based Duo Security, from hacker, to entrepreneur, through a $2.35 billion exit and beyond.  Dug will discuss how Duo Security maintained its core values, culture, and regional ties as the software company grew and navigated multiple rounds of venture capital investment and eventual exit to Cisco last year. 

Dug Song, Vice President and General Manager of Duo Security, one of the fastest-growing cybersecurity providers in the world. In 2018, Duo was acquired by Cisco for $2.35 billion, the largest exit ever for a Michigan-based software company.

Founded in 2010, Duo protects more than 15,000 organizations against data breach with its simple and easy two-factor authentication and Trusted Access security products.

Dug has a history of leading successful products and companies to solve pressing security problems, and is a renowned hacker and leading voice in the information security industry. Prior to launching Duo, Dug spent seven years as founding Chief Security Architect at Arbor Networks, protecting 80 percent of the world’s Internet service providers. He also built the first commercial network anomaly detection system, acquired by Check Point Software Technologies.

 

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Panel Presentation | Resurgent Detroit- Key lessons and insights from the revival of “America’s Comeback City”

For decades Detroit was the poster-child of urban decay in America:  Population decline, crime, poverty, shuttered factories, crumbling infrastructure and widespread unemployment which all culminated in its 2013 municipal bankruptcy- the largest in American history.

Since Detroit’s exit from Chapter 9 in 2014, the city has experienced an unlikely and remarkable economic and cultural resurgence.  Nearly 20-year low unemployment, massive new business capital, soaring real estate prices, historically low office vacancy, a budding tourism and restaurant scene are just a sampling of its recent achievements.  Detroit was recently rated by Lonely Planet’s 2018 as “the no. 2 destination to visit in the world”, Chicago Tribune called it “a foodies paradise” and New York Times named it “The Most Exciting City in America.” 

How did this happen in such a short period of time and how can other Midwestern cities learn from Detroit’s success?  Our all-Detroit panel, made of up of the key leaders directly involved with Detroit’s turnaround, will share their perspectives and lessons learned on how collaborations between the commercial, non-profit, and public sectors, along with important individual contributions formulated the remarkable revival that has captured a global audience. 

 

Sandy K. Baruah, President & CEO, Detroit Regional Chamber of Commerce [Moderator]

 The Honorable Sandy K. Baruah is president and CEO of the Detroit Regional Chamber, the third largest chamber of commerce in the nation. The Chamber represents the business interests of a region comprising 5.4 million residents and 11 Fortune 500 companies. The Chamber also executes the statewide automotive and mobility cluster association, MICHauto, and hosts the nationally recognized Mackinac Policy Conference. Additionally, the Chamber leads the most comprehensive education and talent strategy in the state. 

Baruah joined the Chamber in 2010 after a distinguished career in Washington, D.C. He served President George W. Bush as administrator of the U.S. Small Business Administration (SBA). In this role, he was the chief executive responsible for the SBA’s 4,000 national employees and $18 billion small business loan portfolio. Baruah was one of the senior officials shaping the federal government’s response to the 2008 credit crisis and assistance to the U.S. automotive industry. 

Prior to leading the SBA, Baruah served as U.S. Assistant Secretary of Commerce. In this role, he was responsible for the U.S. Economic Development Administration (EDA), served as the senior advisor to the Secretary of Commerce for the 2010 Census, and represented the U.S. government before the Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD) in Paris, France. 

Before serving President George W. Bush, Baruah was a corporate mergers and acquisitions consultant for the Performance Consulting Group and served both President George H. W. Bush and U.S. Sen. Bob Packwood. After leaving government service in 2009, he was a Distinguished Fellow at the U.S. Council on Competitiveness, a Washington-based think tank focused on economic competitiveness policy. 

Baruah earned his Bachelor of Science from the University of Oregon and a Master of Business Administration from Willamette University. Baruah serves on the boards of the Federal Reserve Bank of Chicago, U.S. Council on Competitiveness, Automotive Hall of Fame, and Detroit Economic Club, among others. He is a contributor to Harvard Business School’s U.S. Competitiveness Project, a Leadership Circle member of the George W. Bush Presidential Center in Dallas, Texas, and chairs the Great Lakes Metro Chambers Coalition. He is also a former Advisory Board Member of Spain’s Institute on Competitiveness. 

In 2016, Gov. Rick Snyder appointed Baruah as Chair of Michigan’s 21st Century Economy Commission. He is a frequent commentator on local and national media regarding political developments, automotive industry matters, and Detroit and Michigan issues. 

Sandy and Lisa Baruah have one son, live in a household run by the family pets, and previously lived in Portland, Oregon and Washington, D.C. 

Dave Blaszkiewicz, President & CEO, Invest Detroit

David Blaszkiewicz is president and chief executive officer of Invest Detroit, a nonprofit, certified community development financial institution that uses strategic lending and investment to catalyze economic growth in the city of Detroit. With more than 25 years of business leadership experience, Mr. Blaszkiewicz manages development and implementation of collaborative economic growth strategies and leads the organization’s efforts to strengthen relationships with the public, private and philanthropic sectors to promote economic renewal and sustainability. 

Under his leadership, Invest Detroit administers more than $244 million in financing assets and tax credit allocations to support Detroit’s revitalization in Greater Downtown and targeted neighborhoods, as well as to support Michigan’s growing startup ecosystem. Mr. Blaszkiewicz is deeply committed to Detroit and his guidance ensures that Invest Detroit’s work expands and evolves to address the city’s changing needs and development opportunities.

 

John C. Carter, Region Manager, Michigan Middle Market, JPMorgan Chase

John C. Carter has worked for 35+ years in commercial banking for JPMorgan Chase and predecessor organizations, serving as manager or executive in charge of various lending and corporate banking groups which provide operating and capital raising services/products to corporate clients. 

He serves on various internal bank committees and has involvement in several outside organizations, as either member or director: YMCA of Metropolitan Detroit (Director and Past Chairman of Board), YMCA Foundation (Director), Forgotten Harvest (Chairman of Board), Judson Center (Past Chairman of Board and Trustee), Judson Center Foundation (Director), Business Leaders of Michigan (Director), Detroit Chamber of Commerce (Director), Detroit Historical Society (Director), Downtown Detroit Partnership (Director), Detroit Riverfront Conservancy (Director), Detroit Economic Club (Director), and Detroit Workforce Development Board. 

John has earned a B.A. from Alma College in 1978 and an M.B.A. from the University of Michigan in 1980. 

He resides in Bloomfield Hills with his wife, Joanne. He also has two grown children, Megan and David. 

 

Matthew P. Cullen, CEO, JACK Entertainment, and Principal, Rock Ventures

Matthew P. Cullen is chief executive officer of JACK Entertainment, a Detroit-based urban gaming company which owns and operates gaming properties in Cleveland, Cincinnati, and Baltimore in addition to racing facilities in Ohio and Kentucky. JACK Entertainment is comprised of over 4,000 team members and generates more than $800 million in revenues.

Cullen also is a principal of Rock Ventures LLC, the Detroit-based organization that serves and connects entrepreneur and Quicken Loans Founder and Chairman and majority owner of the 2016 NBA Champion Cleveland Cavaliers Dan Gilbert’s Family of more than 100 companies, as well as his investments, real estate purchases, and community activities.

Cullen helps lead Rock Ventures’ efforts to spark development and revitalization in the City of Detroit, which includes Quicken Loans’ national headquarters move to the city in 2010. Since then, the Family of Companies has invested and committed more than $5.6 billion in real estate in the city’s urban core, which has been a catalyst for attracting new businesses, workers and residents to the city.

Cullen is a 29-year veteran of General Motors (GM), where he was general manager of economic development and enterprise services. In addition to coordinating economic development initiatives in the communities in which GM operates, he created a shared services organization and had responsibility for the corporation’s vast 450-million-square-foot global real estate portfolio.

Cullen was chief architect of GM’s $500 million acquisition and development of the Renaissance Center as the automaker’s global headquarters. Since 2003 he has helped oversee the billion dollar redevelopment of the city’s international riverfront as the founding chairman of the Detroit Riverfront Conservancy, whose vision is to create more than five miles of contiguous public access and linked parks along the river.

He also serves as volunteer president and CEO of the M-1 RAIL Streetcar initiative. The 6.6 mile streetcar, known as QLINE, connects the city’s largest cultural destinations, educational and entertainment facilities and employment centers along Woodward Avenue. Through a public-private partnership, M-1 RAIL serves as a catalyst for investment, economic development and urban renewal to positively impact Detroit while helping to create a modern, regional transit system.

In addition, Cullen is the chairman of Invest Detroit; vice chairman of the Downtown Detroit Partnership; and serves on the Detroit Zoological Society executive committee. He is also a board member of the Detroit Regional Chamber, Hudson-Webber Foundation, St. John Health Foundation, and Tech Town, and a trustee of the College of Creative Studies and Community Foundation for Southeast Michigan. He has previously chaired the Detroit Metro Convention & Visitors Bureau, The Parade Company and the Metropolitan Detroit YMCA, and retains current executive committee membership with all three organizations. For more than 10 years, Cullen served as the governor-appointed chairman of the Michigan Economic Development Corporation executive committee.  

Cullen earned a degree in economics from the University of Michigan and an MBA from the University of Detroit Mercy. He also completed the Senior Executive Program at Harvard University. A native Detroiter, he resides with his wife and family in the Detroit area.