Doug Barron, owner and president of DJ Barron LLC, a Michigan-area rep agency that supported PROSOCO projects for 28 years, has officially retired from the industry.
But don’t count on finding him in the popular hangouts of typical retirees.
At age 61, Barron has so much ahead of him, including the freedom and time to take up oil painting again, and to travel the United States to visit as many National Parks as possible.
Reflecting on his career achievements, he can count hundreds of new construction projects he’s been part of, but he’s especially glad he got to participate in the resurrection of Detroit, Michigan, via historic preservation projects in the famed Motor City and surrounding area.
“Detroit in its heyday was the city,” he said. “After the race riots in the 1960s, Detroit was basically abandoned. It was really a sad situation. Detroit had a really spectacular history.”
“The whole reason Detroit came back was unfortunately the real estate crash around 2008, when Detroit became a fire sale. Three large philanthropists bought a lot of the old buildings, and PROSOCO was key in a lot of that restoration to bring back the rejuvenation of downtown Detroit, which has gone through incredible transformation.”
“Nowadays, the safety factor has really come up in that area. Young families have moved back down there.”
That includes a commercial and residential complex that Ford (Motor Company) has coined Tech Town, centered around the restored Michigan Central Station which was vacant for years.
“People would come by for years and photograph this (train station),” Barron said. “It’s very unique and has a great history behind it. Ford bought it in 2018, and the train station is now the centerpiece of this new area. It's a beautiful restoration. We used a ton of SafRestorer on it.”
Barron also cites the Red Wings’ hockey stadium (now called Little Caesars Arena) amongst his largest and most memorable projects.
Moreso than ever, Barron says he appreciates the luxury of leisure time.
“Back in 2020, they found a lump on my neck,” Barron said. “I had neck cancer. They caught it early, and I’ve got to tell you, it changes your perspective on life. It makes you rethink what you want to do for the short time you have left."
"The support from my PROSOCO family while I was undergoing treatment was awesome. I can’t tell you how much I appreciate it.”
“I’ve enjoyed the years I’ve worked as a PROSOCO representative, especially the people. I will miss these work relationships most! The high standard of excellence that PROSOCO brings to the market place, the product innovation, the growth over the years; they’ve all been something that made me proud to be part of this team.”
