In the spirit of other good threads about what we'd like the downtown of 2020 to look like, and what sort of new small businesses are in demand in the city, I wanted to simply list some major employers located outside the City of Detroit who should be targeted for a move to the central city. Some may be more inclined than others. Some may have solid reasons for having a suburban campus, based on what they do. But I feel strongly that many can and should move to the central city, and that such a move-- as with Quicken and Compuware-- grows the pie and changes the growth vectors and perception of the city [[it would be nice to boast of having over 10 Fortune 500s in the city) and the region. It goes without saying that each such move would heat up the city's housing market, increase central city population, spur retail development, and increase transit usage/demand [[including regional transit). Dan Gilbert has allegedly attracted at least a few other businesses, and he reportedly constantly lobbies others in his local rotary club, so to speak, to come on down. Well, here are some more he can go after, and all of us too, using our collective, if small, influence:

Penske Automotive Group- #194 on Fortune500. Bloomfield Hills. The boss seems invested in changing the city…but his corporate HQ is a missing piece in the equation.
TRW Automotive- #165 on Fortune 500. Livonia.
Kelly Services- #468 on Fortune 500. Troy.
Lear- #177 on Fortune500. Southfield.
Masco Corp- #323 on Fortune 500. Taylor.
Visteon- #351 on Fortune 500. Van Buren Twp.
BorgWarner- #352 on Fortune 500. Auburn Hills.
The Detroit Pistons Basketball Club- Auburn Hills [[previously Detroit-based).
Chrysler Group LLC- Auburn Hills [[U.S. HQ)…has opened a small space in Dime Bldg.
Flagstar Bank- Troy.
Meadowbrook Insuance Group- Southfield. Largest business insurer based in MI.

And then there is this company called Ford.

Thoughts? Additions? Seems to me that many of these companies have impediments, such as owning their 'house' and likely not being able to find a buyer, like Chrysler or the Pistons. Others, who lease, should have more flexibility. Any insight as to which of these companies leases, or owns property that could be easily sold, would help.