The Week Detroit Showed Up for Me

"Some weeks remind you that business and life aren't two separate things. This was one of those weeks."

The Week Detroit Showed Up for Me

This week was full. Let me tell you about it.

On Thursday, May 7th, Micah Grant graduated from Wayne State University. She walked across that stage the same week she completed her first full week as Senior Digital Marketing Consultant at MRJ Consulting. I watched her graduate and then watched her come to work. That's not something every parent gets to experience — and I don't take it lightly. She's sharp, she's committed, and MRJ is already better for her being here.

It was a week of milestones across the whole family — each of my kids building something of their own, in their own way. The Grant family had a good one.

Second — I had a conversation with Kirk L. Rhoads, founder of the Kent Rhoads Foundation, a nonprofit that provides fully funded meditation retreat access to employees of mission-driven organizations. We're partnering. The Foundation is currently supporting employees at organizations like the Sierra Club, Greenpeace, the Human Rights Campaign, and PFLAG — people doing exhausting, important work who rarely get the chance to rest and restore.

If you or someone you know works at a climate, LGBTQ+, or social justice organization and could benefit from a fully funded meditation retreat, reach out to me directly. I'll make the introduction personally. This is what I mean when I say Detroit-Built. Globally Focused.

Kent Rhoads Foundation: kentrhoadsfoundation.org

Is AI Really for an Organization Like Mine?

This is the question I keep hearing from law firms, financial institutions, and nonprofits across Southeast Michigan. And my answer is always the same: yes, unequivocally yes.

A regional accounting firm reduced manual invoice processing from 28 hours to 2.5 hours per week using AI tools that cost less than $100 per month. An insurance agency cut policy processing time from 90 minutes to 12 minutes per policy. These aren't Silicon Valley companies. These are organizations like yours — small and mid-sized teams that decided to start.

The window to move first is still open. But it's closing.

The MRJ AI Readiness Audit is built for exactly this moment. One focused session. A written roadmap. Starting at $497. Email info@mrjcdetroit.com to book your free 20-minute discovery call.

A Night at the Fox Theatre

Wednesday night, my youngest son performed at the Fox Theatre — one of the most iconic stages in Detroit — in a lobby show with a vocal coach, harmonies, lifts, and everything that goes into a real production.

I sat in that theatre and thought about something I believe deeply: the kids who commit fully to what they love are the ones who figure out who they are faster than everyone else. Detroit is built on that kind of commitment. Go deep on what you love. Not wide on what's popular.

The Thomas Seabron Jr. Memorial Open

This August, our Men's Ministry at Plymouth United Church of Christ is hosting the first-ever Thomas Seabron Jr. Memorial Open — a golf fundraiser benefiting our children's Sunday School program. August 22, 2026, at Farmington Hills Golf Course.

Thomas shaped people. He left a mark on everyone who knew him — the kind that doesn't fade. This is the first year the outing bears his name, and that means something to everyone who will be on that course in August.

If you're interested in playing or sponsoring, reach out at info@mrjcdetroit.com.

One Thing I'd Ask You to Do This Week

Think about someone in your life who is doing exhausting, important work and never gets a chance to truly rest. Tell them about the Kent Rhoads Foundation. A fully funded meditation retreat might be exactly what they need, and it costs them nothing. Visit kentrhoadsfoundation.org or reach out and I'll make the introduction personally.

Rest is not a reward for finishing. It's part of the work.

— Redic Grant, Founder, MRJ Consulting. info@mrjcdetroit.com · 313-701-5970 · mrjcdetroit.com