If You Know, You Know

A conversation with the team at Marx Layne Communications about Detroit, Cass Tech, storytelling, and the connections that continue to shape people long after they leave.

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When I first set out to write this article as the creator of the Cass Tech Harp & Vocal Centennial website and digital magazine, I thought it was going to be about a successful public relations firm supporting the celebration.

But after spending time with Mike Layne and Mike Odom, I realized it was really about something much deeper.

The funny part is, we barely talked about the company at first.

Instead, we lost track of time talking about Detroit, music, Cass Tech, shared experiences, and the strange way certain places continue to stay with you long after you leave them.

Then, when Mike Odom and I later met in person, there was one of those instantly recognizable moments familiar to so many Cass Tech alumni. A smile, a look of recognition, and the quiet understanding that comes with being part of something that shaped you. If you know, you know.

“A smile, a look of recognition, and the quiet understanding that comes with being part of something that shaped you. If you know, you know.”

You do not have to say much after that.

Almost immediately, I understood this support was not coming from obligation or performative community involvement. It was coming from genuine connection, shared pride, and a real belief in what this celebration represents.

At first, I found myself wondering why a busy, highly respected communications firm like Marx Layne Communications would carve out the time to support the Cass Tech Harp & Vocal Centennial celebration pro bono.

Then I met them.

The answer became obvious.

Sometimes the reason people show up has nothing to do with strategy or visibility. They do it because they genuinely care about the same things. In this case, it was Detroit. Music. Legacy. Community. Storytelling. Shared history. Shared pride.

When you spend time talking with the team at Marx Layne, you quickly realize this is not performative community engagement. There is a genuine connection to the city and to the institutions and people that help shape it. That connection comes through naturally in conversation and in the way they speak about Detroit itself.

In many ways, their involvement in the Cass Tech Harp & Vocal Centennial reflects something larger about the role storytelling plays in communities.

Stories are how institutions remain alive across generations. They help people understand where they came from, what shaped them, and why certain places continue to matter long after the moment itself has passed. They preserve identity, relationships, culture, and memory in ways statistics and headlines never can.

That is especially true in Detroit.

Detroit has always been a city built on stories. Stories of resilience. Creativity. Reinvention. Music. Innovation. Neighborhoods. Families. Generations of people building things that mattered, often without recognition or fanfare.

Some institutions stop being schools and quietly become part of people’s identity. Cass Tech is one of them.

And over the course of this Centennial celebration, that connection is everywhere. In the conversations between alumni who have not seen each other in decades. In rehearsals and shared memories. In the stories people still tell with pride, laughter, and recognition the moment Cass Tech comes up.

At its best, public relations is about helping people and organizations articulate who they are, why they matter, and what connects them to the communities around them. The strongest storytelling does not manufacture meaning. It reveals it.

That philosophy is reflected throughout the work Marx Layne does across Michigan and beyond. Their work spans media relations, strategic communications, event promotion, nonprofit partnerships, and community engagement, but underneath all of it is something more human: helping people and organizations communicate purpose and identity in a way others can genuinely feel.

Over the course of this Centennial celebration, it becomes clear this is about much more than a concert weekend. It is about honoring a program that shaped generations of students while remaining connected to the cultural fabric of Detroit for nearly a century. It is about preserving stories that deserve to be remembered.

That is why partnerships matter too.

Not simply transactional partnerships, but value-based partnerships rooted in shared purpose and mutual respect. The kind where people contribute because they believe something meaningful is being preserved, celebrated, or carried forward together.

The more I spoke with the team at Marx Layne, the more I realized their involvement did not feel surprising at all. It actually felt incredibly consistent with the type of work they have built their reputation around: helping meaningful stories reach people in meaningful ways.

Because long after campaigns end and events conclude, what people often remember most is what organizations chose to support and whether they used their influence simply for visibility or for connection.

Maybe that is what this partnership ultimately represents, too.

A reminder that the connection people feel to Cass Tech, to Detroit, to music, and to one another does not simply disappear with time. It continues to shape people long after they leave, carried forward through shared stories, shared purpose, and the communities willing to preserve them.

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