08/18/2026
I credit so much of my career to the wisdom imparted by my colleagues at the RACER Trust, where I’m celebrating 13 years of service next month.
The Trust was created in 2011 by the U.S. Bankruptcy Court to take title to, maintain, remediate, and then convey to qualified industrial buyers all of the real & personal property assets of the former General Motors Corporation. As the vast majority of these facilities contained substantial environmental impairments, the Trust spends hundreds of millions of dollars on cleanup activities, including at state & federal Superfund sites. As a member of its management team, each day I get the pleasure of working with attorneys, engineers, scientists, real estate brokers, economic developers, and accountants stationed around the U.S.
I help manage a portfolio of more than 34 million sq. ft. of manufacturing space situated on 7,100 acres of industrially zoned land—spread across 14 states—including throughout New York State. Much of my role focuses on economic development: working to attract industrial developers whose productive reuses increase the net tax base, create new jobs, and deploy private investment within the scores of communities affected by GMC’s insolvency.
A peer-reviewed analysis of RACER’s economic impact as of March 2026 was recently completed by Industrial Economics, Inc. of Cambridge, MA. Through RACER’s efforts, billions of dollars in labor income and tens of thousands of new, full-time jobs have been created.
FUN FACT: While RACER is headquartered in Detroit, since its creation 15 years ago, its outside communications firm has been Behan Communications, Inc. of Glens Falls, NY.
Images:
1.) RACER’s 208-acre Massena, NY site being awarded the first & only “CSX Select Site” shovel-ready designation in NYS (2025).
2.) Highlights of the economic impact of RACER Trust as concluded by Industrial Economics in 2026.
3.) GMC's Willow Run Powertrain Plant in Ypsilanti Twp., Michigan, prior to RACER's demolition & remediation. Before GMC's ownership, Henry Ford employed over 42,500 workers at his “Willow Run Bomber Plant”, where Rose "Rosie the Riveter" Monroe worked during World War II.
4.) A logo array of RACER’s many buyers & end-users.
5.) GMC's iconic 413-acre “Buick City” site in Flint, Michigan, prior to GMC's demolition and RACER's remediation.
