The Michigan Economic Development Corporation estimates there are 900,000 small businesses in Michigan. AGI Construction in Southwest Detroit, founded and owned by business and life partners Luis Ali and Tanya Saldivar-Ali, is one of them.
Since the company was created in 2008, they have been taking part in the revitalization of Southwest Detroit where they grew up, working on churches, schools and other small businesses in the area. Thirty years ago, coming out of high school, Luis said he couldn’t have imagined the turnabout of the economy where he lived and lives today.
“Especially when the gangs came through in the 90s,” he said. “I got into a lot of trouble.”
Luis joined the Air Force, and spent more than two decades in the military, learning project management and returning to the city in time to see business on an upswing. That’s when he started AGI with his wife.
Together, they have renovated the cafeteria in the basement of Cristo Rey High School and a historic church that closed and is now home to First Latin American Baptist Church, a historic congregation itself. More recently, AGI opened its Design Build Green Hub in the Hubbard Richard neighborhood, a program that trains Southwest Detroiters in the building trades and contracting business.
“We just want to engage people where they’re at and make sure everybody has the opportunity to go up to the next level,” Ali said.
Elsewhere in Southwest Detroit, along West Vernor Highway, there’s a new mixed-use development going up that will pass through the heart of these communities. It’s not an AGI project, but Saldivar-Ali said it’s an important milestone.
“In my lifetime, this is the first time I’ve seen ground-up development in our neighborhood,” she said. “It’s exciting to see, but what we’re doing is we’re advocating for as many local contractors to be on these jobs.”
In honor of Hispanic Heritage Month, One Detroit’s Bill Kubota visits Southwest Detroit, which is known for its history and culture. He talks with Luis Ali and Tanya Saldivar-Ali about the area’s history and how new developments are revitalizing life and business in the area.
“We are part of the fabric and the thread of Detroit,” Saldivar-Ali said. “Our Southwest community has a rich legacy, but we want people to remember that contribution to the city as a whole as well.”
