She brings business to downtown events; Tavi Fulkerson explains how she get involved in the Detroit Region's most high-profile events.

"The large events that we have in Detroit really create the traditions and fabric of the community," said Tavi Fulkerson, president of the Fulkerson Group, reflecting on the return of motor sports to Detroit.

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If that's true, if a city's events create the fabric of a community, then Fulkerson is the person finding the yarn to weave that fabric with: her four-person company brings in millions of dollars each year in sponsorships for various events in Detroit and around the region.

The average person might not have heard of the Fulkerson Group (as a clever but modest businessperson, Fulkerson likes for her clients, not her business, to be in the limelight) but most certainly has heard of the events she works on. A "who's who" of Detroit events, Fulkerson's clients include the North American International Auto Show (NAIAS), the Detroit Belle Isle Grand Prix, the Parade Company (America's Thanksgiving Parade & Target Fireworks) and the Detroit International River Days Festival. In prior years she represented the Detroit Super Bowl XL Host Committee and the Gold Cup hydroplane races.

Fulkerson's company is responsible for negotiating and contracting the sponsorships for these events and works in tandem with the event's staff, who typically handle the activation of the contracts completed.

Fulkerson, 53, has been a self-employed entrepreneur for almost her entire working life. After leaving a rock & roll disc jockey job in Ann Arbor (her first and only traditional "full time" job), Fulkerson, who has a degree from the University of Michigan, began marketing herself as a public relations specialist. Her company, which thrived in Ann Arbor for about 10 years, did public affairs work for the State of Michigan and represented a diverse client base of Ann Arbor-area businesses, including the Ann Arbor News, Eastern Michigan University and the University Musical Society. Her PR firm also coordinated the public grand opening of the University of Michigan Hospital in the mid-80's.

But when the administration changed in Lansing, Fulkerson said the business she was getting from the State of Michigan started to fade away. "I started to reposition what I was doing," she said. "That's how I got here."

The repositioning she did of her businesses was guided in part by business consultant Sheila Ronis, who Fulkerson met in the late 80s. "I really phased out my PR business in Ann Arbor for a number of reasons," Fulkerson said. "I didn't want to have as many management responsibilities and wanted to be hands-on in my next career stage. Sheila suggested that since I had built my business in Ann Arbor by doing PR for events, that's how I should start my business in Detroit as well."

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Fulkerson opened an office in the Renaissance Center and started working with the Detroit Gold Cup, doing PR for them, in 1989. "They were looking for an extra public relations push that year, since it was the 75th anniversary of the race," Fulkerson remembered. "I bid against some of the larger firms, but I got it."

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"After getting to know everyone there, they noticed that I seemed very sales-oriented and asked me to help them with their sponsors, including Budweiser, Pepsi, Chrysler dealer group and Cellular One. That's how I fell into sponsorships," Fulkerson explained. "My second year with the Gold Cup, I brought in over $300,000 in new business."

Fulkerson said she never did PR again after realizing she had a knack for working on sponsorships. "I learned as I went along; I'm very streetwise in that sense. At that time, sponsorships for events were nowhere near where they are now," she said.

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In 1992 Fulkerson met John Love, who was working with NAIAS. She began working on that event in 1993. "That first year, just like with the boat races, I helped with the media desk, and then after the first year I sold sponsorships and have been doing sponsorships since the 1994 show," Fulkerson said. Now, over 10 years later, she handles the tier one supplier sponsorships for NAIAS, structuring the partnerships and negotiating terms. "It is a tremendous team of people to be affiliated with," she remarks.

The Parade Company had heard about Fulkerson through her work at NAIAS and the boat races. "Sandy Duncan had originally hired me just for three months in 1996 to bridge the gap between employees, and I've been under contract since then - 12 years now," Fulkerson recalled. "We had lunch the other day and I joked about how it's been a long three months!"

In 2003 the Fulkerson Group landed another big client - the Detroit Super Bowl XI. Host Committee Fulkerson worked directly with Executive Director Susan Sherer on corporate sales. "It was an amazing project. Working with the NFL pretty much gave me a Ph.D. in this business," Fulkerson said.

"This year I was honored to hear from the Penske Corp. about helping with the corporate sales for the Grand Prix," Fulkerson said. "There's been a pent up demand for motor sports to come back to Detroit." The event's net revenue will be donated to the revitalization of Belle Isle, where the race will be held. "This event is going to leave a wonderful, lasting legacy to the city," she said.

A typical day is hard to pinpoint for Fulkerson, who, when not traveling to client locations, has the option to work from home or one of a few office spaces downtown. "Every day is different," she said, noting than most begin around 6:00 a.m. and don't end until around 10:00 p.m. "Because I'm an entrepreneur, though, I'm able to fit in breaks and spend time with my family," she said.

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"We have a hit of a gypsy style." Fulkerson said with a laugh, referring to her company's ability to work anywhere and on location, thanks to BlackBerry and laptops. Fulkerson likes traveling around the Detroit Region to different client locations. "You learn a lot about companies when you see the culture and who they are,"' she said.

She currently resides in Bloomfield Twp. with her husband and daughter, which is also where she grew up.

Fulkerson noted that she a gets a call at least once a month from someone interested in becoming an entrepreneur, a subject she is very passionate about. "It is the future of our state," she said. "I really think that small businesses can provide a lot of employment and generate a lot revenue and business for the state. Many people are taking buyouts or getting laid off, and they're starting new businesses," Fulkerson said. "They should stay in the state. it's a great environment for being self-employed."

It's good advice, coming from someone who certainly has her hand on the economic pulse of the region.