NBA All Star and successful, Detroit businessman, David Bing is known as an unassuming, quiet leader who thinks long term and consistently makes an effort to improve the Detroit community.
Background:
Bing actually hails from the east coast. He was born and raised in Washington, D.C., where he hung out with pal Marvin Gaye and played both basketball and baseball in high school. He eventually played basketball for Syracuse University, where he studied economics and business and earned a B.A. He married his college sweetheart and has three daughters, who are currently working in various capacities in the Bing Group, climbing their way up the corporate ladder.
Basketball:
Bing’s basketball career spanned over a decade and he was rated as one of the 50 greatest players in NBA history. From 1966 to 1975 he played for the Pistons, serving as captain. Bing is considered a quiet leader and well-rounded player, who excelled at feeding the ball to his teammates. He even played through an eye injury that threatened his vision, parlaying the potential handicap into an asset by working even harder on other aspects of his game: free throws. The result was that Bing’s overall game improved rather than degenerated after the injury.
Nicknames:
- Duke
- Mr. Unsung-About
Entrepreneur:
Bing often read on the road. Planning for a future after basketball and supplementing a more modest 1970s basketball income, Bing worked at the National Bank of Detroit during the Piston's off season. He also attended a car-dealer training program and then took a PR job with a small steel company, where he apparently found his niche because, after retiring from basketball, he took his savings and started his own steel company.
In spite of the fact he returned to the east coast to play out his last few years in basketball, for the Washington Bullets and Boston Celtics respectively, Bing returned to Detroit to start Bing Steel in 1980. He considered Detroit to be in rebuilding mode following the 1967 riots and saw nothing but opportunity as a result. Through acquisitions, the cultivation of relationships and collaboration, Bing parlayed Bing Steel into a manufacturing conglomerate: The Bing Group.
These days, The Bing Group consists of a diversified group of manufacturing companies that, among other things, supply parts to the big-three car companies. Bing also has interests in construction and money-management companies. Most of the companies making up The Bing Group are located in Detroit, near the Highland Park and Hamtramck borders, and are certified as minority-owned businesses. Bing considers it a priority to employee city residents and has worked to re-develop residential neighborhoods adjacent to The Bing Group’s headquarters.
Bing is also involved in a project to redevelop areas along the Detroit River waterfront, including luxury condos.
Community Dedication:
Bing is consistently involved in the Detroit community. When the Detroit public schools were going to cancel sports, he got involved, fundraising to support the program. He has also worked to reform Highland Park and create 15 charter schools in the city.
He is also active on several boards of directors, including the Detroit Renaissance, Michigan Business Development Council, National Association of Black Automotive Suppliers, Trustee McGregor Fund, Junior Achievement of Southeastern Michigan, Inc., Downtown Detroit Partnership and the Detroit Investment Fund.
He is credited as spearheading Kilpatrick’s Next Detroit Neighborhood Initiative that selected six neighborhoods for targeted renewal. The five-year plan for each neighborhood sought to target city resources and nonprofit contributions toward the reduction of crime, economic renovation, beautification and renovation.
Mayor?
While Bing has been twirling his hat with an eye to the mayoral ring in 2008, this is not the first time his name has been mentioned as a possible mayoral candidate. Back in 1993, outgoing Mayor Coleman Young tried to convince Bing to run for mayor.
Candidacy
Information about Dave Bing as a mayoral candidate in 2009.
Other:
- Available as a motivational speaker
- Podcast with David Bing About the Detroit Priorities Survey / Detroit Renaissance
- Lives in Franklin
- The Bing Group website
Sources:
- Dave Bing has big dreams for Detroit by Kortney Stringer / Detroit Free Press (3/19/07)
- ’Mr. Piston' Dave Bing a role model on court, in life by Drew Sharp/ Detroit Free Press (8/2/08)
- City of Detroit Press Release (5/16/07)
- NBA.com
- Motor City man of steel: B.E. Company of the Year by Eric L. Smith / Black Enterprise (6/1998)
