The Cotton family of Grosse Pointe has maneuvered vast changes in federal and state health care laws into a booming business, and it has turned those profits into investments and philanthropy in Detroit and Grosse Pointe Park.
Louis Aguilar of the Detroit News writes how Kercheval Avenue in the Park is abuzz with the new upscale Red Crown restaurant in what had been a closed gas station. A dying church is being resurrected as a brew pub and biergarten. And a bakery soon will open in a family-run market that was about to shut.
Downtown Detroit, meanwhile, will get its first new office building in seven years with a $111 million, 16-story glass tower planned near Campus Martius. The Detroit Zoo has received Cotton funds, and in 2011, the Cottons launched the nonprofit Detroit Crime Commission, aimed at fighting crime and blight.
They helped form and now provide support to the Grosse Pointe Housing Foundation. About 150 students from nearby colleges, with at least 2.5 grade point averages, get up to $150 a month in rental assistance. There’s a waiting list.
The Cottons — David, Shery and their sons Jon, Sean and Michael — are expanding their philanthropy and game-changing real estate deals as their health care business flourishes.
“Me, my family, we are in position where we can give back to our communities. We know that and because of the housing crash, and the other challenges, we want to be among the group of people who can make significant change,” Jon Cotton said.
