ANN ARBOR NEWS

ANN ARBOR'S MARIA PETRENKO: A CHILD OF PERESTROIKA BELIEVES IN DETROIT'S FUTURE | 05/07/2014

Maria Petrenko sees the world as full of possibilities.

Where many people view Detroit’s downward spiral as unstoppable, she sees the city as a blank canvas that will, no doubt, turn into a work of art in only a few years. World poverty? That’s fixable too, she believes, if everyone chips in to help.
There’s a powerful reason for Maria’s optimism. She was born in the former U.S.S.R. in a provincial city called Taganrog, part of a communist society that did all it could to stifle her creativity. Yet, at age 35, she owns her own successful company in Ann Arbor, Hadrout Advertising+Technologies, which provides creative services to small and medium-size businesses.
If she can make that improbable journey, what dream is impossible?