Put simply, ASTI Environmental is a company that specializes in urban restoration. So the decision for the Brighton-based firm to open an office in downtown Detroit, the center of urban restoration in Michigan today, seems obvious.
ASTI specializes in the technical side of urban redevelopment, such as working on incentives for real-estate development or brownfield redevelopment.
The firm is also no stranger to Detroit. Its first project in the city involved working in the Crystal Mines -- the enormous salt mines underneath Detroit -- 30 years ago. Since then, ASTI has played a part in 1,500 projects in Detroit, including the redevelopment of former Stroh's Headquarters into
Stroh River Place on Jos. Campau.
"With our history in the City of Detroit since 1985, it's high time that we hang a shingle there," says Tom Wackerman, president of
ASTI Enironmental. "We've been instrumental in so many redevelopment projects in the city and see a great future for Detroit as it redefines what it means to be an American city. I couldn't be more pleased to be in the middle of one of the Nation’s best urban comeback stories."
ASTI is opening up its Detroit office in another former Stroh building: the brewing company's former headquarters at 28 W. Adams in Detroit. The 19-story building is currently known as the
Grand Park Centre building overlooking Grand Circus Park.
Read more about Metro Detroit's growing entrepreneurial ecosystem at SEMichiganStartup.com.