Detroit raised him. Then Plymouth became home. For Hubert Sawyers III, both places helped shape the man he is today.

Born in August 1980 and raised on Warwick and Grand River Avenue in Detroit’s North Rosedale neighborhood, Sawyers grew up in a household defined by public service.

“Both of my parents worked for the Detroit Police Department’s 7th Precinct, which covers the Eastern Market district,” he said. “I grew up with a healthy respect for the importance of community.”

A 1995 Detroit–Toyota-shi sister city exchange trip left a lasting mark.

“Traveling 6,500 miles from inner-city Detroit to Japan felt like landing on a different planet,” he recalled. “We visited Toyota City, Nagoya, Osaka, Kobe. And they had the exclusive new Tekken arcade game there. Incredible trip.”

He attended Detroit Public Schools and graduated from Cass Tech in 1998 before heading to Michigan State University, where he studied international relations with an emphasis on Japan.

After college, an internship with a benefits administration firm serving clients like Delphi nudged him toward marketing. He was also organizing hip hop shows in East Lansing and downtown Detroit.

“From 2003 to 2012, weekends were about unifying the community through live events,” he said. “I cut my teeth working with brands like Vitamin Water and Red Bull. I was also rapping as Gambit the MC in the local music scene. Even did some shows with a Plymouth-based group, the Starving Artists Crew.”

In September 2009, when social media became a mainstream force, Sawyers launched his own digital marketing company.

“I was hired to manage social media for Mazda USA,” he said. “Running social media for a national brand remotely from home was game-changing. It strengthened my sense of autonomy.”

Community has remained central to his life. He serves on the advisory board of Detroit’s Downtown Boxing Gym, founded by Khali Sweeney in 2007.

“Watching a community rally around a shared goal in real-time is powerful,” he said. “It reminds you that none of us builds anything alone.”

Growing up, Sawyers often visited Plymouth.

“The three cities we visited most were Dearborn, Plymouth and Southfield,” he said. “I especially loved Plymouth because it reminds me of Rosedale. The trees, the walkability, the homes. I grew up walking to corner stores, just like we do here.”

After meeting his future partner, who lived in Canton, the couple moved to Plymouth in 2018. They’re now raising two sets of twins, ages 8 and 10, and two teens aged 16 and 18.

“Plymouth feels like a true community,” he said. “I’ve lived all over Metro Detroit. The missing piece was always that neighborly love. We found it here.”

A former vinyl record collector, now down to “a handful of 45s”, Sawyers is also an avid reader and recently revisited Paulo Coelho’s book “The Alchemist”.

“Sometimes I feel like the crystal merchant from the book,” he joked. “I went full crunchy granola. I’m very passionate about holistic wellness. One of my favorite things to do is lie in a float tank. Ultimately, I just feel we all have the power to become better integrated human beings.”

Around town, the Sawyers love visiting Elephant Ear Books, Earth Lore, Espresso Elevado, Meridian Coffee Co., and Blue Kuna Smokehouse.

“Plymouth is more than just a destination for our family,” he said. “It’s where everything we’re building, as parents and neighbors, comes together.”