Large Corporations That Bolted From Michigan

**Zozo** · June-01-13, 08:32 PM

I was sitting back thinking of all the large corporations that bolted from Michigan over the years:

Pulte
Comerica Bank
Spirit Airlines
Electronic Data Systems [[?)
Volkswagen of America
Bluware
The Ford Foundation [[not a corp per se, but a major philanthropy institute)
Discount Tire Company
Kmart

That's about all I can think of at the moment. Please feel free to add anymore you can think of. Which loss hurt you the most?

**Jimaz** · June-01-13, 09:28 PM

Ah, such is the fate of incubators.

Empty nest syndrome

**jerrytimes** · June-01-13, 11:41 PM

Do you blame them? Add Strohs to that list.

**Hermod** · June-02-13, 05:01 AM

Some of these [[Kmart, Commerica) were the result of mergers and they selected what they considered to be the best of the legacy headquarters to use.

Spirit saw the expansion of the Latin America market as the company's best area for expansion and growth and felt that Florida was better positioned than Detroit for that expansion.

**DetroitPlanner** · June-02-13, 06:28 AM

Originally Posted by jerrytimes

Do you blame them? Add Strohs to that list.

Strohs did not bolt they are still HQ'ed in RiverPlace. A series of miscalculated business moves however put the breweries out of business.

Only a small office remains where they do philanthropy. The family is very involved with the Riverwalk for example.

**JBMcB** · June-02-13, 07:05 AM

Pfizer - though they still have a lab in Kalamazoo, they closed the big lab in Ann Arbor that housed the remnants of the Parke-Davis division.

**rb336** · June-02-13, 07:50 AM

EDS is a texas company

VWoA wasn't here very long, moving here from NJ in the early 80s

When was bluware here? they were always focused on the energy industry

**iheartthed** · June-02-13, 07:53 AM

Originally Posted by Hermod

Some of these [[Kmart, Commerica) were the result of mergers and they selected what they considered to be the best of the legacy headquarters to use.

Spirit saw the expansion of the Latin America market as the company's best area for expansion and growth and felt that Florida was better positioned than Detroit for that expansion.

Comerica didn't move as the result of a merger.

**tg_jessica** · June-02-13, 12:26 PM

Two blasts from the past that I remember leaving are JL Hudson's and the Burroughs Corporation. Yes both company headquarters left as the results of mergers, but they were painful loses that still effects the area today.

**rb336** · June-02-13, 04:19 PM

Originally Posted by tg_jessica

Two blasts from the past that I remember leaving are JL Hudson's and the Burroughs Corporation. Yes both company headquarters left as the results of mergers, but they were painful loses that still effects the area today.

And Unisys, of whichBurroughs, which was the "senior partner" in the "merger" with Sperry moved to Bluebell, PA for much the same reason as Pulte, although the CEO was an even bigger ....... [[he commuted via personal helicopter from his estate in, i think, Bucks County)