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Dominic Pangborn Creating designs for a revitalized Detroit
Designer Dominic Pangborn's bold, snazzy neckties could be a metaphor for his life. From his brave move away from his family and village in the mountains of South Korea at the tender age of 10 to his latest risky venture, a $6.5-million Asian Village development he's planning to open this summer on Detroit's riverfront, the dapper Michigan entrepreneur always has been a standout. "I just like challenge. I love to solve problems, and I'm not afraid to try new things," says the silver-haired Pangborn, who was born in war-torn Korea in 1952, the son of an American GI he never met. His Korean mother named him Jung Sung Hun. Sent to the United States, he was adopted by the Pangborns of Jackson, Mich., and took his place among the inevitable hand-me-downs of a family of 12 children. Artsy and industrious, Pangborn quickly learned English and was determined to succeed. After graduating from the Chicago Academy of Fine Arts, he chose Detroit over New York or Los Angeles and created a design empire that has brightened everything from greeting cards and toilet paper packaging to museums, cruise ships and cars. Bold, bright graphics distinguish his Pangborn Collection of ties, scarves and other fashion accessories sold in shops at Metro Airport, the RenCen and other swanky retail outlets. Fans of the ties include former Detroit mayor Dennis Archer, who worked with Pangborn on the board of the Detroit Regional Chamber. "I was impressed with his designs and creativity and fell in love with his ties," Archer says, praising the artist's "ingenuity and vision." Pangborn credits his work for Ford Motor Co.'s 75th anniversary in 1978 with launching his design career. Other high-profile clients have included Audi of America, General Motors Corp., Procter & Gamble, Marriott International, Volkswagen, Pfizer, the Detroit Science Center, Blue Cross Blue Shield and the North American International Auto Show. From Pangborn Design headquarters in a former tin factory on Iron Street near the RenCen, Pangborn reaches out to the community through dozens of Metro Detroit boards and projects aimed at boosting diversity, the economy and the arts. He co-founded the Asian-Pacific American Chamber of Commerce and still serves as vice chair. Intent on helping boost Detroit's downtown, Pangborn says he and his partners are working on opening the long-awaited Asian Village, a marketplace of restaurants and shops next to the RenCen. Pangborn views it as a cultural district, along the lines of Greektown, but admits it hasn't been easy to line up financing in Michigan's tough economy. Eager -- and impatient -- to use Asian Village as a stimulus for other such developments, he says: "I see a different way of looking at the picture. I see the void and I want to fill it . We've got to look at it as an opportunity -- we need to bring in the stainless steel and shine this place up." Susan R. Pollack
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Maggie Allesee