The thoroughbred racetrack scheduled to be one of the first enterprises in the planned Aerotropolis will have some neighbors, reported the Detroit Free Press today. The Freep’s article covers some of the exciting developments for the Aerotropolis plan, a 60,000-acre development plan sponsored by the government with a focus on the transportation industry.

Though the company’s names were not disclosed, The Freep was able to report on the types of businesses we can expect:
• An airport distribution center that would invest $11 million and create 200 jobs.
• An organic nursery that wants to move from an existing Wayne County location to a bigger spot in the aerotropolis, investing $22 million and creating 250 jobs.
• A warehouse with connections to the airport that would invest $2.6 million. It's not known how many jobs it would create.

These and the other first businesses to inhabit the Aerotropolis will be located in an 800-acre area known as Pinnacle Park. According to the article, “Pinnacle owners will pay $1 for the land as long as they create at least 1,100 new jobs.” If they don’t create those jobs, however, they’ll be paying the price in a few years at $50,000 an acre.

A milestone in the development of the area, the Aerotropolis has the potential of transforming the region in size and scope. In the next 25 years, the development has the promise of bringing 64,000 jobs and $10 billion in investment.

"This is going to take time, but it's absolutely the right long-term strategy for us," said Doug Rothwell, head of Detroit Renaissance.

"We get a little frustrated when we talk about regional cooperation and a lot of things are not getting resolved," Rothwell said. "But aerotropolis is getting done."

The Aerotropolis is one of The Detroit Renaissance’s six priorities, and this is the sort of progress we are glad to see for the future of the development. For more information about the Aerotropolis and the other goals of the Detroit Renaissance, please visit Transforming the Region, or download this PDF brochure.

The Detroit News recently reported that Edesel Ford II’s “One D” is making headway on its plans to transform the region. “One D” is an effort by local business leaders to change and improve Detroit with the goals of economic prosperity, higher quality of life and regional transit, amongst others.

The article notes that though none of the targets themselves have been met, Ford was optimistic that they would be completed in time.

One D involves the Detroit Regional Chamber, Detroit Renaissance, New Detroit, the Detroit Metro Convention and Visitors Bureau, the Cultural Alliance of Southeastern Michigan and the United Way for Southeastern Michigan.

Some of the initial goals include having all children in Metro Detroit read at grade level and to have a true regional transit system be in place by 2015.

You can read the rest of the article here.

Detroit Renaissance CEO Doug Rothwell recently wrote a letter that is featured in today’s Detroit Free Press (Freep.com). Doug’s letter is written in support of the Wayne County Airport Authority’s expansion plan, and touts the economic benefits of the upcoming additions. We’d like to share the letter here, too:

Detroit Renaissance, a civic organization composed of many of southeast Michigan's most significant companies and universities, supports the adoption of the Wayne County Airport Authority's master plan to meet future anticipated growth, including the construction of a fifth parallel runway.
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Detroit Renaissance acts as a catalyst, advocate and champion of initiatives that accelerate the economic transformation of Detroit and southeast Michigan. The regional economic growth strategy we led, called the Road to Renaissance, identified the development of the land around the airport as one of the six most important ways we could grow our economy.

Called an aerotropolis, the strategy of creating a vibrant business and logistics hub is entirely dependent on the continued growth of the airport. Development of an aerotropolis would provide significant economic benefit to our region over the long term, and the Airport Authority's expansion plan provides a foundation for those efforts.

We understand that the economic challenges faced by our major airline carrier and the current recession have decreased passenger activity during the past few years. We believe, however, that it is vital to invest in critical infrastructure if we want to compete with other regions around the globe for future economic growth.

The Wayne County Airport Authority's master plan outlines necessary investments for the future of our region's economy.

Doug Rothwell

President, Detroit Renaissance

 

In this week’s “50 CEO’s on the D: Detroit Renaissance Reports,” Doug Rothwell speaks with Gary Russi, President of Oakland University. The University recently celebrated their 50-year anniversary.

Rothwell and Russi discuss the future of education, and how area universities must provide opportunities and programs in order to engage students in the community to help bolster economic growth. Russi talks specifically about the things Oakland University is doing to help, including the creation of a new medical school as well as the implementation of business incubator programs.

Russi explains that business incubators are important to the community because they allow faculty to get engaged with sponsor research and hire student interns.

“The key is to assert ourselves in this notion of community,” he notes, “to take resources, energy and power to the communities in order to solve problems.” It is this sort of engagement and problem solving that will allow students to stay and work within the region, ultimately helping economic development.

Listen to the podcast here, or subscribe via your RSS reader or via iTunes.

In this week’s “50 CEO’s on the D: Detroit Renaissance Reports,” Doug Rothwell speaks with Bill Pickard, Entrepreneur and Chairman and CEO of Global Alliance Automotive.

Pickard and Rothwell discuss how changes in the industry have brought new challenges to entrepreneurs since Pickard first began in the industry some 30 years ago. Pickard notes that now the challenges the industry faces are on a global scale, whereas it was once just “breaking in” that posed the greatest obstacle.

The conversation also covers the ways in which Michigan once led the way for Affirmative Action, and how companies like GM, Ford and Chevrolet were making opportunities for minorities and women when many others were not.

Pickard goes on to explain how important entrepreneurs are to the future of the industry, and that there are resources available in order to facilitate the process of growth. He notes that Southeast Michigan is the “place to be” for entrepreneurs to start new businesses, and believes in the growth available there for existing companies.

Listen to the podcast here, or subscribe via your RSS reader or via iTunes.

Here’s another article from the Detroit Free Press, in which John Gallagher reports on agencies bolstering economic development in the Southeast Michigan area:

According to the coalition's report issued Tuesday, the total number of jobs created in 2007 was 16,610, with an additional 9,552 jobs retained as a result of the investments. The report is not intended to be a comprehensive detailing of every project undertaken in the region but rather a snapshot of growth and development from the region's largest economic development organizations.

With 177 different companies represented in the report, the average number of jobs created was about 94 per company. That statistic highlighted a key finding -- that most growth comes from smaller, entrepreneurial firms, not the automotive giants that can create or destroy thousands of jobs in a day.

Our very own Doug Rothwell chimes in with some valuable words concerning keeping our heads up during a time of economic struggle:

"Even during what everybody says is the worst year we've had in God knows how long, 16,000 jobs have been brought in," Rothwell said. "People need to know that there is a reason to stay and a reason to have their kids stay."

For the whole article, click here.

A recent press release details legislation signed into law by Governor Granholm on May 4th that provides new tax incentives for Michigan's creative economy. The legislation, Public Act 108 of 2008, will make creative companies eligible for state MEGA tax credits. Creative businesses are defined as: Architecture and design including architectural design, graphic design, interior design, fashion design, and industrial design Digital media including internet publishing and broadcasting, video gaming, web development, entertainment technology Advertising and marketing firms including advertising and marketing agencies, public relations agencies, and display advertising Music production including record production and development, sound recording studios, and integrated high-tech record production and distribution Film and video including motion picture and video production and distribution, postproduction services, and teleproduction and production services Businesses in these categories will be eligible for high-tech and/or high-wage MEGA credits against the Michigan Business tax. A high-wage business is a business that has an average wage of 300% or more of the federal minimum wage. This legislation is a key step towards developing Michigan's creative class, one of the primary recommendations from our Road to Renaissance plan. For the full press release and more details about the tax credits, click here.

A Sunday article from the Detroit Free Press highlighted some of the new initiatives we are putting together to improve the region's creative economy:

The corporate leadership group Detroit Renaissance expects to launch a Web site in early June devoted to the region's creative economy. A marketing campaign to highlight the region's creative assets should go public at the same time.

And, looking ahead, Detroit Renaissance hopes to open a creative incubator in a downtown building on Woodward Avenue in a year to nurture small but promising creative businesses.

"This is really a very important initiative for the community," said Doug Rothwell, president of Detroit Renaissance. "It really builds off of the desire to retain talent, to attract a younger work force. This is a way to enable us to achieve those goals that other people have been talking about."

All three of these initiatives are part of our Road to Renaissance plan. Look for more announcements as the expected June launch date for the website gets closer. For the full article, click here.

This week’s “50 CEO’s on the D: Detroit Renaissance Reports” addresses Michigan’s University Research Corridor. The URC is comprised of Michigan’s three research universities: Michigan State, the University of Michigan, and Wayne State University.

Lou Anna Kimsey Simon, the President of Michigan State University, and Doug Rothwell discuss how the union of the three schools’ collective research skills, collective technology transfer, and growing visibility is working to promote job creation and economic vitality for the whole of Michigan. In fact, it’s estimated that in 2006 the URC generated nearly 69,000 new jobs and $12.8 billion in economic impact.

Listen to the podcast to hear more about how the URC is working to educate businesses about the assets these schools possess and continue to build.

Listen to the podcast here, or subscribe via your RSS reader or via iTunes.

Crain's Detroit Business yesterday ran a piece called "A Stitch of Hope: Fashion Week, creative initiative give a boost to Detroit designers" noting both the event (held in March) and the underlying creative class initiative being promoted by Detroit Renaissance.

The article noted that Fashion Week attracted over 1,300 attendees and "several major sponsors."

Crain's reports: "Heath's goals for Detroit Fashion Week? Good fashion, good times, and a shot in the arm for Detroit's nascent fashion industry. Some of the city's fashion entrepreneurs are hoping the event's success will work toward creating interest in the city's design community." 

The article connects that effort with our Creative Corridor project:

"But there may be good news ahead for the fashion business - Detroit Renaissance Inc. recently launched an initiative geared toward promoting Detroit's creative community, and fashion is part of that.

'We know there is an indigenous fashion industry in Detroit, which is associated with Detroit's unique urban culture,' said Doug Rothwell, Detroit Renaissance CEO. 'And we would like to give greater visibility to the people in that space ... so people will know there is a fashion industry in Detroit.'

Fashion, Rothwell said, could play a vital role in changing the way outsiders see Detroit.

'I think within the creative sector, fashion is probably one of those that has one of the greatest potential to help reposition Detroit's brand image,' he said. 'Fashion is so synonymous with style, with whatever is new, whatever is cutting edge. If we can be seen as place where fashion occurs, people will begin to associate Detroit with the new economy, not with the past.'

Fashion Week's Heath said the opportunities are vast.

'Fashion has the possibility of being a great industry for Michigan,' he said."

Read the rest of the article here.