Building Connections Across Detroit
How MCCF Helped The Farrow Group Grow
Marja Farrow remembers when winning a contract with a big developer doing major projects in downtown Detroit, like Bedrock, seemed like just a dream. The Motor City Contractor Fund (MCCF) helped to make that dream a reality.
Farrow, who helps lead The Farrow Group, a 27-year-old, Detroit-headquartered demolition, trucking and environmental services company, joined MCCF after hearing about it from her CPA. A group of four organizations, including one from the Family of Companies, created the Motor City Contract Fund to bolster Detroit contractors: Gilbert Family Foundation, Community Reinvestment Fund USA, Invest Detroit, and Barton Malow. The goal is to give Detroit-based contractors the capital, business training and connections needed to grow.
Since its launch in 2022, MCCF has helped local contractors land real opportunities, keeping the economic benefits of Detroit’s construction boom in the city. For Farrow, it was the key to unlocking new levels of success.
From the Motor City Contractor Fund to Bedrock Projects
Before joining MCCF, The Farrow Group had never worked with Bedrock, Detroit’s largest real estate developer. That changed in 2023 when Bedrock issued an RFP to create a pre-qualified pool of demolition contractors for upcoming projects.
The connections and experience in the MCCF helped The Farrow Group create a successful proposal. “Bedrock was definitely one of the companies we wanted to work for,” said Farrow. Then, it happened.
Farrow Group responded to the first RFP issued to the pre-qualified pool in early 2024 and was successful and under contract by Fall 2024. “We completed one project in February 2025, are in the process of completing the second project. We will also be working on two additional projects scheduled to commence this summer.”
Both projects entail the preparation of space for new commercial properties in the Central Business District. There have been no major issues at either site nor any complaints from surrounding property owners. “Everybody at Bedrock has been really engaged, professional and they like the work we are doing,” Farrow said. “It’s been a great relationship that we hope to continue.”
More Than Just Funding—A Path to Growth
MCCF prepares contractors to take on bigger jobs and build long-term success. Detroit is a startup powerhouse, but where do businesses go after they are no longer a startup? MCCF is one answer to that.
The program offers financing up to $300,000, strategic business guidance, and technical training.
Farrow has already tapped into the MCCF fund multiple times, using it to pursue larger contracts, including a major demolition project that would have otherwise been out of reach. “The fund has enabled us to go after some larger jobs that we probably would not have been able to,” she said. “The fund has definitely been a game changer for us.”
But one of the most surprising benefits? The mindset coaching. “A lot of times as small business owners, we’re focused on the realities and challenges right in front of us, living in survival mode,” Farrow said. MCCF’s mindset coaching helped her to think more strategically, beyond survival mode and instead towards a growth mindset.
The networking was equally valuable. For the first time, she was in a room with other Detroit contractors, exchanging knowledge and building relationships. “There are strong, reputable companies here that do construction work, and they should be considered first for the jobs happening in the city,” she said.
Keeping Detroit’s Wealth in Detroit
One of the driving forces behind MCCF is ensuring that Detroit’s burgeoning growth benefits its own people. Historically, large out-of-town firms have won major construction contracts, sending millions of dollars outside the city instead of reinvesting in local businesses and workers.
Farrow has seen this firsthand. “We’ve seen a lot of that—not just in demolition, but in the overall construction space,” she said. “Companies come from outside of Detroit, outside of Michigan even, winning bids when we have capable contractors right here.”
MCCF is shifting that narrative. Every participant in the program is a Detroit-based business, employing Detroiters and reinvesting in the local economy. “The dollars stay in our community,” Farrow said. “We’re not just hiring for one job—we’re creating long-term career opportunities for Detroit residents.”
“Come See and Experience Detroit”
As someone who has spent years working in city and county government, Farrow knows the old perception of Detroit still lingers for some outsiders. But she sees a rapidly changing city today.
“Detroit has changed a lot,” she said. “For a long time, we were always cutting back, laying people off, trying to make the most of severely limited resources. Now, we’re in a season where the resources are more abundant, and you can see the change and investments in the city.”
For anyone who still sees Detroit as a city in decline, Farrow has a simple message: “Come see and experience the city.” Explore the neighborhoods and commercial districts, talk to the people, walk around or ride a bike or scooter downtown and along the riverfront, visit the Wright, DIA, Motown Museum and other cultural institutions. There is so much to experience and one visit simply wont be sufficient; you will be back!
“The one thing Detroit never lost is hope,” she said. “Many native Detroiters didn’t leave. We had options, but we stayed and worked towards what we believed, that it could come back—and be even better. And now, we’re starting to see that manifest in some ways.”
With the Motor City Contractor Fund helping businesses like The Farrow Group reach new heights, Detroit’s growth is evident and the best part is that those building it are Detroiters themselves.
