Matthew P. Cullen, President and CEO, Rock Ventures LLC; and Chair, Detroit Riverfront Conservancy, will deliver a keynote address at the upcoming inner-city economic summit—"Revisiting the Promise and Problems of Inner City Economic Development," to be held September 15–16 in Detroit.
Matthew P. Cullen is president and chief executive officer of Rock Ventures LLC, the umbrella entity formed to provide operational coordination, guidance, and integration to Dan Gilbert’s portfolio of companies and investments. Cullen also has responsibility for Gilbert’s “Opportunity Detroit” initiative, which is an effort to spark development and revitalization in the City.
In addition, Cullen is chief executive officer of Rock Gaming LLC, a Midwest‐based gaming partnership formed to bring first‐class casino gaming to Ohio. Through a partnership with Caesars Entertainment, the group has developed unique urban casinos under the Horseshoe brand in Cleveland and Cincinnati. The companies are also developing an urban casino in downtown Baltimore, which is expected to open in 2014. The casino developments are designed to create thousands of jobs while increasing tourism and sparking additional investment in urban cores. Cullen is also a director of Rock Gaming’s affiliate, Athens Acquisition, which acquired a majority interest in Detroit’s Greektown Casino‐Hotel in April 2013.
He is a 29‐year veteran of General Motors (GM), where he was general manager of economic development and enterprise services. In addition to coordinating economic development initiatives in the communities in which GM operates, he created a shared services organization and had responsibility for the corporation’s vast 450 million sq. ft. global real estate portfolio.
Cullen was chief architect of GM’s $500 million acquisition and development of the Renaissance Center as the automaker’s global headquarters. Since 2003 he has helped oversee the billion dollar redevelopment of the city’s international riverfront as the founding chairman of the Detroit RiverFront Conservancy, whose vision is to create more than five miles of contiguous public access and linked parks along the river.
He also serves as volunteer president and CEO of the M‐1 RAIL Streetcar initiative. The 6.6 mile streetcar route will connect the city’s largest cultural destinations, educational and entertainment facilities and employment centers along Woodward Avenue. Through a public‐private partnership, M‐1 RAIL will also serve as a catalyst for investment, economic development and urban renewal to positively impact Detroit while helping to create a modern, regional transit system.
In addition, Cullen is the chairman of Invest Detroit; vice chairman of the Downtown Detroit Partnership;and serves on the Detroit Zoological Society executive committee. He is also a board member of Bizdom, Detroit Regional Chamber, Hudson‐Webber Foundation, St. Johns Health Foundation, and Tech Town, and a trustee of the College of Creative Studies and Community Foundation of Southeast Michigan. He has previously chaired the Metropolitan Detroit Convention and Visitors Bureau, The Parade Company, and the Metropolitan Detroit YMCA, and retains current executive committee membership with all three organizations. For more than 10 years, Cullen served as the governor‐appointed chairman of the Michigan Economic Development Corporation (MEDC) executive committee.
Cullen earned a degree in economics from the University of Michigan and an MBA from the University of Detroit Mercy. He also completed the Senior Executive Program at Harvard University.