Grosse Pointe Woods residents Karen and Matthew Cullen recently gifted $4 million to the Detroit RiverFront Conservancy to support the revitalization and re-development of 5 1/2 miles

of riverfront in Detroit.

The Cullens were honored during the conservancy’s Shimmer on the River celebration in June with the 2018 Shimmer Award. Also during the celebration, Rivard Plaza officially was renamed Cullen Plaza in recognition of the couple’s longtime support of the conservancy and community.

Since 2003, Matt Cullen has been a driving force behind the transformation of Detroit’s riverfront, bringing together fellow corporate leaders, civic leaders and philanthropists to reimagine the riverfront as a beautiful public space that would spur economic development and showcase one of Detroit’s greatest assets, the Detroit River.

Cullen was the conservancy’s founding chairman and continues in that role. He was a General Motors executive at that time and led the charge that the riverfront needed to be accessible to all. Today, he is the CEO of JACK Entertainment, a principal of Rock Ventures and involved in numerous community organizations.

“Matt and Karen Cullen have had a profound impact on our entire community,” said Mark Wallace, president and CEO of the Detroit RiverFront Conservancy. “Because of their tremendous vision and their selfless efforts, we now have a beautiful riverfront that welcomes more than three million people from across our community every year and that is a catalyst for billions of dollars of economic development. The conservancy is fundamentally changing the city of Detroit and we are thrilled to recognize Matt’s ongoing leadership and their tremendous work together in support of our mission by presenting them with the Shimmer Award.”

“Rivard Plaza has held a special place in our hearts since the RiverWalk opened more than a decade ago,” Matt Cullen said. “It really was the initial gathering spot when the RiverWalk opened and a tangible symbol of what could be a very different future for our riverfront and our city if we worked together. Karen and I and our family have enjoyed many memorable moments there and we look forward to many more. We are proud to be able to provide this support to the Detroit RiverFront Conservancy and we hope that our investment will help continue the momentum of redevelopment from bridge to bridge so that generations to come will be able to enjoy its beauty.”

“Matt and I are honored to receive this year’s Shimmer Award,’’ Karen Cullen said. “It’s very humbling to be recognized for doing something that you feel so passionately about and that brings so much good to our community. I’ve always said that the RiverWalk really is our fourth child.”

The Shimmer Award is presented annually during Shimmer on the River to an individual who has been critical to the success of the conservancy and demonstrates extraordinary commitment to the revitalization of the riverfront. Past awardees include David K. Page, Faye Alexander Nelson, John and Marlene Boll, Peter Karmanos and Sen. Carl Levin.