Detroit's Most Trusted Network. 100 Years Strong.

Relationships between decision-makers. One member per category.
Meeting weekly at the DAC since 1926.

 Founded in 1926

100 years of Detroit business

 One Per Category

No competing for referrals

70+ Decision-Makers

Owners, execs & professionals

Weekly at the DAC

Where Detroit’s best show up

Est. 1926 · Detroit, Michigan

What Makes the DEA Different

Not a leads group. Not a chamber. The Detroit Executives Association is a curated network of non-competing professionals who do real business together — week after week, year after year.

One Member Per Category

Every seat in the room is exclusive. No two members compete — so referrals flow freely and trust runs deep.

Real Relationships

We’ve been meeting weekly since 1926. The connections here go beyond business cards — members show up for each other personally and professionally.

Access to the DAC

Weekly meetings at the Detroit Athletic Club. A room full of owners and decision-makers in one of Detroit’s most storied venues.

A Century of Connections

More Than a Network.
A Community.

The Detroit Executives Association is a curated group of Metro Detroit business owners and executives — one per professional category — who meet weekly at the Detroit Athletic Club to exchange referrals, do business, and support each other.

Every member holds an exclusive seat. No competitors in the room. When you need a trusted accountant, attorney, contractor or consultant, you don’t search — you call someone you’ve broken bread with for years.

We’ve been meeting since 1926 for a reason. The relationships built here go beyond business. Members have shown up with meals, covered clients, and leaned on each other through the hardest moments. That’s not networking — that’s family.

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Since 1926

The History of The Detroit Executives Association

  • 1913 – W.H.C. Burnett joins the DAC, later becoming a co-founder of the DEA.
  • 1915 – The executive association movement begins in San Francisco, eventually spreading to 26 cities across the U.S. and Canada by 1928.
  • 1917 – George Klein joins the DAC, where he would remain a member for over 40 years.
  • 1926 – George Klein and W.H.C. Burnett co-found the Detroit Executives Association, holding its first organizational meeting at the Statler Hotel on February 26th.
  • 1927 – The association officially drops its international affiliation and is renamed the Detroit Executives Association on January 26th.
  • 1928 – DAC member James Vernor, Jr. of Vernor’s Ginger Ale serves as DEA president.
  • 1931 – A DEA member inspires the launch of a New York City executive association after attending a Detroit meeting and obtaining a copy of the DEA’s bylaws.
  • 1958 – A DEA newsletter reaffirms the organization’s core mission as strictly a business-getting and information-exchange organization.
  • 1979 – The DEA establishes its annual Executive of the Year award, which continues to be presented today.
  • 1980s – The DEA relocates its weekly meetings to the DAC after years at the Statler Hotel and a brief stint at the Masonic Temple.
  • 1996 – IEA member chapters vote to formalize the international organization beyond a loose grouping.
  • 2001 – The DEA officially joins the global IEA network after years of operating independently.
  • 2007 – DAC Board Director Tom MacFarlane serves as DEA president, continuing Clark Hill’s longstanding representation in the organization.
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