Businesses are “bringing it” downtown!

In a move that solidifies their commitment to the city of Detroit, Business Leaders for Michigan members Blue Cross Blue Shield of Michigan, DTE Energy Co., Quicken Loans Inc. and Strategic Staffing Solutions, in coordination with Compuware Corp., recently joined Mayor Dave Bing to announce more than $4 million dollars in loans and rent subsidies to encourage their employees to live in downtown Detroit. Nearly 16,000 employees from the five companies are eligible.  

Already, employees are clamoring to apply for the incentives. Each of these businesses has based its headquarters in Detroit, demonstrating their dedication to the city. Enticing their employees to remain downtown after 5 p.m. is a phenomenal next step in continuing the momentum of economic investment in Detroit.

The five-year program, Live Downtown, allows first-time home buyers a $20,000 forgivable loan. New renters can receive a $2,500 allowance for their first year and $1,000 allowance for the following year. Current renters are eligible for a $1,000 lease renewal, and employees who already own a home in the city can receive matching funds for exterior home improvement projects up to $5,000.

Neighborhoods eligible for the program are: Corktown, Downtown, Eastern Market, Lafeyette Park, Midtown and Woodbridge. Increasing the population density at the city’s core is crucial to strengthening the city of Detroit. The investments by Blue Cross Blue Shield of Michigan, DTE Energy Co., Quicken Loans Inc., Strategic Staffing Solutions, and Compuware Corp. will help to create a downtown that is not only workable, but also livable.

For more information, visit www.detroitlivedowntown.org. 

Leveraging Detroit's Creative Talent

There’s a grand opening Tuesday, July 12 in Detroit, one that will pave the way for many more grand openings in the future.

The Detroit Creative Corridor Center (DC3), created through a partnership between Business Leaders for Michigan (BLM) and Detroit's College for Creative Studies (CCS) is opening a state-of-the-art business accelerator to leverage new talent in the Southeast Michigan community.

Why? Because when it comes to building a business in the creative, design or digitalsector, the strategic needs are just as significant as when a major manufacturing enterprise is getting off the ground.  While the "product" may be different, finding the right legal, financial and practical resources are equally crucial, and the potential for economic growth is just as strong.

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Strategic Staffing Solutions Brings Jobs Back to Michigan!

All across the state, leaders are beginning to build a New Michigan. BLM companies are a vital component of these changes, making key investments and creating jobs in our core communities.

For example, Michigan-based Strategic Staffing Solutions (S³) has opened a Detroit Development Center (DDC) and Call Center that allows companies to “in-source” to Downtown Detroit, instead of shipping them to an offshore location. The DDC and Call Center operations have created more than 270 new jobs in the last year.

The DDC is the hub for S³’s Web and IT application development and maintenance services. The DDC also houses S³’s Call Center, which offers help desk and customer contact, testing, software development, and desktop support. 

Of S3’s approximately 1,800 employees worldwide, 600 are now located in Michigan.  The majority of these employees work in downtown Detroit.

“We feel S³ has an obligation to create jobs where we are headquartered,” said Cynthia J. Pasky, S³ President and CEO. “We create a lot of jobs all over the world, but I have a personal commitment to Detroit. It also makes good business sense for us; given the way we do business, we need to be near a robust transportation system. We can get anywhere, to any of our customers, in a day.”

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BCBSM Investment Generates Results in Michigan’s Core Communities

Blue Cross Blue Shield of Michigan has embarked on an effort to relocate 97 percent of its workers to Michigan’s urban areas, leading to more than $200 million in economic benefits and the creation of hundreds of new Michigan jobs.

In Lansing, BCBSM’s subsidiary, Accident Fund of Michigan, constructed its new national headquarters in a renovated power plant and newly-constructed annex building along the Grand River downtown. The venture is being carried out alongside the company’s migration of approximately 3,000 employees into downtown Detroit’s Renaissance Center, and the renovation of the Steketee’s department store in downtown Grand Rapids into the headquarters of BCBSM’s West Michigan Operations.

“What we’re focused on right now is the health of Michigan,” said Tricia Keith, BCBSM’s Vice President, Corporate Secretary and Services. “For us, that’s not just physical health; it’s about the health of communities, the health of cities, and the health of the business economy. We were able to take action to help support that.”

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DDP And DEGC Get $1M Each To Drive Downtown Development

Unrestricted assets from the Lower Woodward Housing Fund, a fund established by Detroit Renaissance with support from the DEGC and several foundations 10 years ago has awarded the Downtown Detroit Partnership (DDP) and Detroit Economic Growth Corporation (DEGC) each with $1 million in funding over 3 years. The Lower Woodward Housing Fund was originally established to increase real estate development in the lower Woodward corridor. However, as the housing market has softened, it makes sense to re-deploy these funds in a way that is consistent with creating development downtown.  DDP will use the grant to fund their downtown marketing program. DECG will use it to fund continuation of the business attraction program started three years ago. Their grant will also be matched with funds from the DEGC, and the Hudson-Webber, and Kresge Foundations.