The civic group Downtown Detroit Partnership has hired a national urban revitalization firm, Block by Block, to run its downtown ambassadors and cleanup program.
Block by Block, based in Louisville, Ky., takes over from Goodwill Industries, which has supplied workers for the partnership’s Clean Downtown program since its inception following Super Bowl XL in 2006. The firm already provides similar services in Grand Rapids and Toledo as well as about 75 other U.S. cities.
Eric Larson, CEO of the nonprofit partnership, said Goodwill will continue to provide workers for the program.
In an announcement Wednesday, the partnership said the $1.8-million Downtown Clean Ambassador program will deploy a team of uniformed “ambassadors” throughout downtown daily to clean and serve as information resources for downtown businesses, residents, and visitors.
