Engagement Partners

iLabs is proud to have worked with these outstanding clients to create meaningful impact for their firms:

Thanks to the support of the Ford Fund and Ford Community Corps, the University of Michigan-Dearborn has been able to foster and enhance student engagement with non-profit organizations. Ford Community Corps has connected students with countless NPOs and permitted them to assist NPOs in collecting, managing and analyzing data. This provides an experiential learning component to existing coursework.

J.D. Power is a global leader in consumer insights, advisory services, and data and analytics. J.D. Power generously supports iLabs by funding scholarships for student researchers and providing mentors for the research teams. iLabs is proud to have many of its alumni working for J.D. Power.

As part of the University’s mission to deliver impact as an educational leader and partner for the people, organizations, and industry of Metropolitan Detroit, iLabs teams have conducted numerous studies. Findings from focus groups and surveys have helped determine the needs and preferences of students and local employers. As a result, changes have been made to course offerings, internship programs, and opportunities for involvement of students and community stakeholders.

Wayne County Airport Authority, which oversees Detroit Metro and Willow Run Airports, has made significant investments in capital improvements at both locations. Since these facilities are crucial to the economic health of the state and region, iLabs performed economic impact studies for both airports. Detroit Metro Airport provides an economic impact of more than $10.2 billion and more than 80,000 jobs to the State of Michigan, while Willow Run Airport has an economic impact of $123 million and supports about 1,000 jobs.

iLabs worked with the Chaldean Community Foundation to update research on the Chaldean community in Southeast Michigan. This research took the form of an updated version of the Chaldean Household Survey, which began in 2008. It helps to understand the impact of the Chaldean Community in Southeast Michigan through questions regarding household size, income, employment and business ownership. 

iLabs partnered with the Detroit Jewish News and Detroit Chaldean News publications on the Building Community Initiative. The Building Community Initiative was a 10 month partnership which consisted of events and articles that explored and shared the many similarities of Metro Detroit's Jewish and Chaldean communities while addressing the many misperceptions that still exist between the two groups.

Through an innovative survey process, iLabs identified opportunities for entrepreneurs in these two communities to create business opportunities in Southeast Michigan.

On the Rise Bakery is a division of the Capuchin Soup Kitchen's that provides training programs to men recovering from substance abuse issues or returning from incarceration. Since its inception, the bakery has been operating with a deficit and iLabs' goal was to develop a way the bakery could become a self-sustained business. To accomplish this goal, iLabs implemented marketing and organizational plans for the Bakery.

The Dearborn Downtown Development Authorities (DDDA) work with businesses, property owners, residents, community organizations and other stakeholders throughout the city to create a vibrant Downtown Dearborn experience. iLabs partnered with the DDDA to survey business owners on the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic. Information related to business health and financial support was collected and iLabs was able to identify ways community leadership could assist local businesses in need of support.

The Canton Public Library serves more than 98,000 residents of Canton Township in western Wayne County. On two occasions, iLabs partnered with the CPL to analyze survey data to better understand library users and their needs. iLabs used a variety of statistical techniques to report on demographics, services used, anticipated needs, barriers, user groups, and more. Further, iLabs provided recommendations to library leadership.