How Detroit/Michigan lost an opportunity to land a manufacturer

[Wesley Mouch]

...So, is it the DEGC's fault for not cold calling Method and seeing if they had interest in moving?

Its very dangerous to make any assumptions about what really happened here. And its dangerous to think you can control each and every one of the 'site location searches' that come along.

Do we really know what happened here? No. Is it possible to know. No. Maybe DEGC blew it. Or maybe Method didn't really want to come here.

Suppose for a second that someone powerful inside Method said they wanted to consider Detroit. But other's had already decided on Chicago. They go through a dance. And issue some comments to cover-ass. DEGC looks bad.

We just don't know.

To get more companies to locate here, you need to make the climate as good as possible. You need a good development corp like DEGC. You need responsive government. Banks who will lend. Land use policies. Strong Chamber of Commerce. Well-trained employees. Good PR for the city. Everything! Everything! Everything!

Even if everything is perfect, you will lose some. You can't worry much these things too much. Just be good.

And to NoHeartAnthony... nobody really things RTWFL is a silver-bullet that fixes everything. Its just one of many building blocks of a decent environment where there's a balance between labor, business, unions, and government.

[Honky Tonk]

Do we really know what happened here? No. Is it possible to know. No. Maybe DEGC blew it. Or maybe Method didn't really want to come here.

Or maybe Method did their research, found it was cheaper to "Do It In Detroit", and used that as a bargaining chip to get the location they really wanted in Chicago

[ghettopalmetto]

Its very dangerous to make any assumptions about what really happened here. And its dangerous to think you can control each and every one of the 'site location searches' that come along.

Do we really know what happened here? No. Is it possible to know. No. Maybe DEGC blew it. Or maybe Method didn't really want to come here.

Suppose for a second that someone powerful inside Method said they wanted to consider Detroit. But other's had already decided on Chicago. They go through a dance. And issue some comments to cover-ass. DEGC looks bad.

We just don't know.

DEGC found out that Method wanted to re-use an existing building, instead of demolish one, so they didn't know what to do!

And to NoHeartAnthony... nobody really things RTWFL is a silver-bullet that fixes everything. Its just one of many building blocks of a decent environment where there's a balance between labor, business, unions, and government.

Bwahahahahaha! But that's for another thread....

[Wesley Mouch]

DEGC found out that Method wanted to re-use an existing building, instead of demolish one, so they didn't know what to do!

You have probably hit it on the head. I don't see that DEGC gets that today's new startups and progressive businesses no longer want to be shown business parks like Corktown South. If they are not playing up Detroit as a hip destination -- but only as empty fields, then they need to be adjusted.

[bailey]

You have probably hit it on the head. I don't see that DEGC gets that today's new startups and progressive businesses no longer want to be shown business parks like Corktown South. If they are not playing up Detroit as a hip destination -- but only as empty fields, then they need to be adjusted.

In mild defense of the DEGC, everyone [[them and Method) seems to be saying they were never contacted or engaged.

[rjlj]

Companies don't gain any benefit about lying about not being paid any attention to the by the economic development corporations they are trying to do business with. Blame George Jackson for this loss of business in the city of Detroit.

In mild defense of the DEGC, everyone [[them and Method) seems to be saying they were never contacted or engaged.

[bailey]

Companies don't gain any benefit about lying about not being paid any attention to the by the economic development corporations they are trying to do business with. Blame George Jackson for this loss of business in the city of Detroit.

So the DEGC is supposed to be omnipotent? Both sides are saying no one called the DEGC. The DEGC is saying that if someone did call them, they'd have gotten a deal done. The firm that has the AAM listing and the Wixom plant listings says no one called them.

MEDG may have dropped the ball... sure, but it seems that everyone wants to push the blame on the DEGC who weren't involved at any point, apparently.

Besides, if Method REALLY wanted to be here, and felt in anyway strongly about it, they couldn't have made any other call? Hey AAM realtor guy, we're working with the MEDC and we're not getting into what we think might be a good deal with your building/facilities... what does the MEDC not know? can we do a deal?

Again, not letting the MEDC off the hook for being less than responsive [[apparently) to home grown talent, but it seems like Detroit/Michigan was a stalking horse here.

[FbO Vorcha]

Companies don't gain any benefit about lying about not being paid any attention to the by the economic development corporations they are trying to do business with. Blame George Jackson for this loss of business in the city of Detroit.

They gain benefits all the time by lying about everything. How many times have you heard a business insist..Hand Over Heart... That they had no plans whatsoever to do something only to have them announce the very next day that they were doing the exact thing they vowed never to do?

I've seen businesses actually begin expansions on sites where they closed the site before the expansion was completed. Their reason was to keep employees from quitting for new jobs before the company was ready to get rid of them on the company's timeline. They even pointed to the expansion as "proof" that they weren't closing the site.

Look what happened to Chrysler, Everyone at Chrysler was told it was a "merger" until it was done. That's when the joke about the Chrysler being silent in Daimler-Chrysler started up. It's common for the employees at the acquired company to be told it's a merger, Happened when United Artists Cable TV bought up United Cable TV in the late '80's as well.

[Honky Tonk]

Companies don't gain any benefit about lying about not being paid any attention to the by the economic development corporations they are trying to do business with.

Are you Ok? I think you just fell off of the turnip truck.