Matt Roman has been a dedicated Canton community member for over 30 years.

Born at Oakwood Hospital (Dearborn), Roman grew up in Canton and is devoted to serving others.

“The most influential person in my life was my grandma, Virginia Roman,” he said. “She instilled in me the responsibility of taking care of others, having a strong Catholic faith and giving my all every day while striving for balance. I endeavor to be the best version of myself, balancing the fitness of body-mind-spirit, so I can help others.”

Faith in God keeps Roman grounded.

“Believing in a higher power builds a strong moral compass and influences how one interacts in a community,” he said. “My dad was athletic director at St. Thomas a’Becket. I went to catechism there and played CYO basketball, which taught me the importance of teamwork.”

These days, Roman regularly attends NorthRidge Church in Plymouth, often encouraging friends and family to join him.

Roman’s family has longstanding ties to the Detroit area.

“My great grandpa came to Detroit from Warsaw, Poland in 1910,” he said. “My grandparents owned a large farm where Westland Mall currently sits. The farmhouse was next to where Applebee’s is now on Warren Road.”

Historical knowledge of this area passed down through family storytelling, the importance of mental fortitude, education and contributing to community are deeply held beliefs in Roman’s family.

“I attended Fiegel and Bentley Elementary schools, Lowell Middle School and Salem High School,” he said. “My fifth-grade teacher, Dave Edwards, taught us the true meaning of charity as we raised over $20,000 by doing bottle drives, a bake sale and a silent auction for Sparky Anderson’s CATCH charity for children to help a local hospital.”

Among Roman’s wide-ranging experiences, he was “a volunteer firefighter after attending the Schoolcraft College Fire Academy and I received two bachelor’s degrees from Eastern Michigan University for electronic media and political science,” he said. “Fortunately I was able to leverage both degrees by working on political campaigns as a media coordinator and producer alongside Skip LaCombe for Doc Thompson’s show The Morning Blaze. I produced a national speaking tour, mini and full-length documentaries.”

He currently works for a Detroit-based law firm as an environmental investigator.

“Citizens around the country reach out to me to investigate manufacturing facilities, landfills, anything creating air pollution,” he said.

Roman sees huge potential for economic longevity in the Plymouth-Canton community.

“I have a strong entrepreneurial spirit and have been president of the Plymouth Landing condo association for seven years,” he said. “I would love to see Cherry Hill Village developed into a downtown core like Downtown Plymouth and have a brewery. It’s a big opportunity to make it a destination spot.”

Several hobbies keep Roman busy.

“I love many things,” he said. “Golf, snowboarding, basketball, barbecuing, cigars, collecting vintage records, going to the Ford Wyoming Drive-in, cruising Hines in my Stingray Corvette. I’m also an avid outdoorsman and fitness fanatic.”

Weightlifting is a central part of Roman’s life.

“I work out two hours daily, six days per week,” he said. “I was a skinny beanpole until the fire academy taught me how to be a motivated self-starter.”

Overall, Roman loves Michigan.

“Every summer we rent a beach house on Lake Huron in Tawas, and every fall I go deer hunting in Atlanta, near Gaylord,” he said. “I love this state tremendously and strive to be a positive influence on my community.”