Today we’d like to introduce you to Ric Geyer.
Ric, let’s start with your story. We’d love to hear how you got started and how the journey has been so far.
I was working for Deloitte Consulting in Detroit and became the liaison between Deloitte and the City of Detroit. I fell in love with the city and with its people. I started working more and more with small community groups that needed organizational help – or just a guiding hand. At some point, though, I realized I wanted out of corporate entirely – so I left Deloitte, purchased a building at 4731 Grand River in Detroit and haven’t looked back.
Our Detroit Project anchored the Woodbridge neighborhood on the near west side and eventually grew into two properties. That project also spawned the Grand River Creative Corridor – an outdoor arts project that encompassed 15 blocks up and down Grand River Ave. It includes literally hundreds of street art images from people all over the world. This neighborhood, which was once severely challenged is coming alive and hopefully the people that live there are coming along with it.
It was at that time that I helped found the Architectural Salvage Warehouse of Detroit, an organization dedicated to helping returning citizens deal with reintegration into society. We provided training and job skills, and worked to find full time employment for the men and women coming through the program. ASWD really opened my eyes to the problems faced by these people – some of the most loyal, hard-working, deserving people I ever met. We taught them deconstruction skills and they picked up other skills related to running the business or doing construction along the way.
So, when I arrived in Atlanta, I wanted to do the same thing. The result is 787 Windsor, a brownfield property located adjacent to the old Norfolk and Southern rail yard in the Mechanicsville neighborhood in southwest Atlanta The buildings are covered in street art and we are hopefully helping to stabilize the Mechanicsville neighborhood. Over the last two years, we have worked with a number of folks from the neighborhood and now work with Georgia Works, a local organization that trains men and women typically coming out of prison or coming out of rehab. Our goal is to formalize our desire to work with these folks and build space dedicated to allowing non-profits to train them and allow them to interact with other folks who might be able to help them or employ them.
The 787 Windsor facility has hosted the annual AfroPunk event, Red Bull’s Culture Clash, Bourbon and Bacon, Milk and Cookies and a number of other shows and events. We are working now on updating the facility and building out a number of artist studios. We are rebranding the space as Mechanicsville Studios to highlight our desire to increase our focus on individual artist studios and to work more closely with the film and movie studios.
Once completed, we expect to have an even greater positive impact on the neighborhood. We have recently attracted investors who are looking to scale our model in other cities, or in other sections of Atlanta. If we can help the neighborhoods in which we locate and have a positive impact on the residents who live there, we might actually replicate our model.
Great, so let’s dig a little deeper into the story – has it been an easy path overall and if not, what were the challenges you’ve had to overcome?
I used to hang a 3-foot piece of chain by the door of my Detroit Project. I’d go outside swinging this chain to convince the neighborhood kids not to break into the cars in our parking lot. It was actually more theater than anything else, but over time, I got to know these kids and eventually hired them to work at the building.
In 2009 in Detroit, the market went completely south. I lost my job and almost all my tenants. I actually lost my flagship building to the bank. Luckily, my building manager was hired on and operated the building while I was gone, and kept it in great shape. Without him, I would have lost the building for good. A friend later lent me the money to buy it back. My manager has subsequently become a part owner with me in the property.
And, there are constant struggles with going into tough neighborhoods and putting down roots. You can’t do it casually – you have to do it deliberately. When I first moved into Atlanta, we were broken into on a constant basis – like 25 times in 6 months. When you don’t go away, people eventually begin to consider you part of the fabric of the neighborhood and help you. We know most of the kids and are now close to a lot of our neighbors.
Alright – so let’s talk business. Tell us about 787 Windsor – what should we know?
Our mission is to help neighborhoods grow and provide opportunities for residents to advance. We do that through providing short term job opportunities to the neighborhood residents and giving them a chance to be around others they would not normally have a chance to interact with.
Our business is providing space to artists and creatives of all types. We rent artist studios, we provide space for entertainment, for video shoots and for filming.
Two things make us unique. First is the fact that, we are a for-profit company with such a strong social mission, and second, we are an authentic, in your face, gritty site that is hard to find in this refined, rapidly changing city. And we are covered in street art! 🙂
Is there a characteristic or quality that you feel is essential to success?
Our lack of fear – and our desire to be hands on. To go into a tough neighborhood and have the faith and the ability to draw crowds to an area that has never had crowds. To work daily to rebuild a facility by ourselves, using labor from the neighborhood to get it done. There is nothing to fear but inaction.
Contact Info:
- Address: 787 Windsor St., Atlanta, GA 30315
- Website: www.787windsor.com; www.mechanicsvillestudios.com;
- Phone: 404-919-5980
- Email: ric@787windsor.com
- Facebook: 787windsor
Getting in touch: VoyageATL is built on recommendations from the community; it’s how we uncover hidden gems, so if you know someone who deserves recognition please let us know here.
