Newly formed fortune 500 headquarters moving to Detroit?

[Mind field]

Crain's is reporting that Adient, the newly formed spin off of Johnson Controls, is looking at both Southfield and the city of Detroit for it's new Southeast Michigan headquarters. Hopefully Bedrock Real Estate services and Dan Gilbert are active in convincing Adient that the clear choice should be the city of Detroit.

[Newdetroit]

To be honest, Southfield won't be a bad choice. The last thing we need is for Southfield to become empty. It is what it is. The fact of the matter is that Southfield has many corporate buildings. My desire would be to ensure that Southfield's buildings along northwestern highway are occupied, and then hopefully up to capacity, then look at downtown. The worse thing for the region is to see Southfield becoming abandoned. Just my two cents.

[SpartanDawg]

To be honest, Southfield won't be a bad choice. The last thing we need is for Southfield to become empty. It is what it is. The fact of the matter is that Southfield has many corporate buildings. My desire would be to ensure that Southfield's buildings along northwestern highway are occupied, and then hopefully up to capacity, then look at downtown. The worse thing for the region is to see Southfield becoming abandoned. Just my two cents.

except what's worse for the region is the empty detroit buildings. hope downtown gets them rather than southfield, but regardless i am happy that the 600 employees will be in the region.

if i had to guess i have a feeling bedrock will convince them to move downtown. just not sure if there's room for the amount of space they need?? one detroit, one woodward, first national, 1001, all these are at capacity if i'm not mistaken

[mwilbert]

I agree with SpartanDawg. I don't know about this particular company or its needs, but from a regional point of view, better an empty building in Southfield than an empty building in Detroit, not that either is desirable.

[Hermod]

Given the type of business they are in and where their production facilities are likely to be, Big Beaver Road would be a likely choice or maybe something out near DTW.

[BMoo]

The worse thing for the region is to see Southfield becoming abandoned. Just my two cents.

lol great joke!

[hybridy]

Lear, Denso, IAC & Durr all have a major presence in Southfield. Durr just invested $40M into a new campus on Northwestern Hwy and IAC recently consolidated into space on Telegraph. Southfield is centrally located, on multiple major highways and most importantly CHEAP.

Adient will be the world's largest global automotive seating supplier, supporting all major automakers

If price is all that motivates these moves, then Southfield is first, Livonia then Troy. Auburn Hills and Wixom offer newer options though not as centrally located. Adient has a presence in Plymouth so they'll likely end up on the 275 corridor somewhere.

Before Johnson Controls spun off this Adient, they had leased space in a new midrise office building in downtown Milwaukee.

https://www.biztimes.com/2015/12/14/...r-of-833-east/

[belleislerunner]

If you look at the members on the Board of Directors, one of them is the old CEO of GM [[Fritz Henderson) and Barb is the COO of Ford Europe. The others are out of town.

Here's to hoping it's downtown. Southfield is definitely cheaper but a soulless place to work/have an HQ.

https://www.sec.gov/Archives/edgar/d...04zex-99_1.htm

[Mind field]

except what's worse for the region is the empty detroit buildings. hope downtown gets them rather than southfield, but regardless i am happy that the 600 employees will be in the region.

if i had to guess i have a feeling bedrock will convince them to move downtown. just not sure if there's room for the amount of space they need?? one detroit, one woodward, first national, 1001, all these are at capacity if i'm not mistaken

Hopefully there is enough room somewhere downtown for this company. And if there isn't, maybe they would be willing to wait for new construction? I'm pretty sure most of Bedrock's larger buildings are near full occupancy. But maybe he could shuffle some of his own around to make room in a desirable building right on Woodward.

Given the type of business they are in and where their production facilities are likely to be, Big Beaver Road would be a likely choice or maybe something out near DTW.

The article clearly stated two options. The city of Detroit and Southfield.

[ABetterDetroit]

Great news for the metro area either way. With Lear starting a presence downtown it will be intresting if Adient makes the bold move to jump out in front of them or settle for Southfield.

Surprised nobody has commented on the Ireland part yet. I guess its becoming the standard operating procedure these days and people are fine with it.

[Mackinaw]

The article clearly stated two options. The city of Detroit and Southfield.

Do you have a link/citation for this? I just re-read the Crain's article and it did not name particular municipalities, it just said "Southeast Michigan"

[Mind field]

Do you have a link/citation for this? I just re-read the Crain's article and it did not name particular municipalities, it just said "Southeast Michigan"

I should have included this in the original post.

http://www.crainsdetroit.com/article...rnoon-20161031

[TTime]

To be honest, Southfield won't be a bad choice. The last thing we need is for Southfield to become empty. It is what it is. The fact of the matter is that Southfield has many corporate buildings. My desire would be to ensure that Southfield's buildings along northwestern highway are occupied, and then hopefully up to capacity, then look at downtown. The worse thing for the region is to see Southfield becoming abandoned. Just my two cents.

I realize Southfield is far from its peak but it's also very far from abandoned.

[DTWflyer]

Much of this company is spin-off from JCI so a lot of the functions I believe are coming from existing offices in Plymouth. I wouldn't be surprised to see some sort of downtown presence but I suspect for technical and R&D they will go with Southfield or Plymouth/Canton area. I could forsee some limited manufacturing/sequencing/distribution in the CoD in proximity to GM Hamtramck & JNAP.

[Mackinaw]

thanks, MindField. I only saw the first Crain's article, which was shorter. That was nice to read and I hope that some or all of the new company-- and definitely its official HQ-- goes in the City.

[hybridy]

Let's also recall the big 3 are pressuring suppliers to expand in the city. I think there's space for 100 white collar jobs in downtown among Gilbert bldgs.

[Hermod]

If you look at the members on the Board of Directors, one of them is the old CEO of GM [[Fritz Henderson) and Barb is the COO of Ford Europe. The others are out of town.

Here's to hoping it's downtown. Southfield is definitely cheaper but a soulless place to work/have an HQ.

https://www.sec.gov/Archives/edgar/d...04zex-99_1.htm

There is no more morale shattering experience than working in a high rise office building unless you are fortunate enough and far enough up the food chain to rate a large corner office. Otherwise it is a prison like environment. Smaller two story office buildings in a campus like setting allow you to get out into the open air and see the sky when going to other offices in your group to transact business.

ng

[Mackinaw]

There is no more morale shattering experience than working in a high rise office building unless you are fortunate enough and far enough up the food chain to rate a large corner office. Otherwise it is a prison like environment. Smaller two story office buildings in a campus like setting allow you to get out into the open air and see the sky when going to other offices in your group to transact business.

ng

Well that's an interesting take, but I am afraid your view is not universal or even indicative of the majority. Office parks, detached from the rest of civilization with little more than a corporate cafeteria on site and parking lot to cast your gaze on during the day, are generally regarded as the most soulless place.

I'm not sure why the interior layout of a company's office in a suburban office park would be any less [[or more) "prison -like" than that in a downtown highrise, ceteris paribus.

When it comes to amenities in support of one's working life, a downtown with 5-10 lunch spots within 2 blocks >> an office park's single cafeteria or the option of driving ; for social events, a downtown with 5-10 bars nearby >> drinking at the office after work [[and then driving home because there's no other way); for networking purposes, the fact that hundreds of other firms and social/cultural venues are within blocks >> a couple other firms and trees nearby; a park, like Campus Martius or Cadillac Square, is a better place to walk and relax during a break than a parking lot.

To each their own, but objectively, a downtown is less likely to be soul-crushing, and it gets even better if it is a downtown that most can get to via transit rather than fighting traffic and parking.

[Rock N Rye]

Hopefully there is enough room somewhere downtown for this company. And if there isn't, maybe they would be willing to wait for new construction? I'm pretty sure most of Bedrock's larger buildings are near full occupancy. But maybe he could shuffle some of his own around to make room in a desirable building right on Woodward.



The article clearly stated two options. The city of Detroit and Southfield.

If they move downtown, I would bet 1900 St. Antoine.

[Hermod]

Well that's an interesting take, but I am afraid your view is not universal or even indicative of the majority. Office parks, detached from the rest of civilization with little more than a corporate cafeteria on site and parking lot to cast your gaze on during the day, are generally regarded as the most soulless place.

I'm not sure why the interior layout of a company's office in a suburban office park would be any less [[or more) "prison -like" than that in a downtown highrise, ceteris paribus.

When it comes to amenities in support of one's working life, a downtown with 5-10 lunch spots within 2 blocks >> an office park's single cafeteria or the option of driving ; for social events, a downtown with 5-10 bars nearby >> drinking at the office after work [[and then driving home because there's no other way); for networking purposes, the fact that hundreds of other firms and social/cultural venues are within blocks >> a couple other firms and trees nearby; a park, like Campus Martius or Cadillac Square, is a better place to walk and relax during a break than a parking lot.

To each their own, but objectively, a downtown is less likely to be soul-crushing, and it gets even better if it is a downtown that most can get to via transit rather than fighting traffic and parking.

I worked in downtown Detroit in 1961 in the old Water Board Building. The AC was never balanced. The view out the window was a sleazy hotel. If your looked at an angle, you could see the City-County Building. Only the creme-de-le-creme had parking spaces in the basement, the rest of us had to use dirt lots several blocks away. Most people brown-bagged and never went out, but you could go out to a greasy spoon about a block away. The only real amenity was it was only about two blocks to JL Hudson, which was still in pretty good shape. Most everybody beat it to their car a clsoing time and got the hell out of downtown. The neighborhoods were still in good shape then. My wife and I could walk from our apartment to the comprehensive shopping district at Gratiot and 7-Mile and the Ramona Theater, the public library, or our church at Gratiot and 6-Mile. I only went downtown to work.

[Eber Brock Ward]

BOOM! Marquette Building down by Cobo! About 500 employees.

http://www.crainsdetroit.com/article...gnews-20161107

[Calltoaction]

^

Absolutely wonderful news!

[Mind field]

Wonderful news. The repopulation of the center of Detroit by residents and the business community is quite exciting to watch!

[mwilbert]

More employment downtown can only be a good thing, and filling up an empty building is never bad.

[jt1]

I worked in downtown Detroit in 1961 in the old Water Board Building. The AC was never balanced. The view out the window was a sleazy hotel. If your looked at an angle, you could see the City-County Building. Only the creme-de-le-creme had parking spaces in the basement, the rest of us had to use dirt lots several blocks away. Most people brown-bagged and never went out, but you could go out to a greasy spoon about a block away. The only real amenity was it was only about two blocks to JL Hudson, which was still in pretty good shape. Most everybody beat it to their car a clsoing time and got the hell out of downtown. The neighborhoods were still in good shape then. My wife and I could walk from our apartment to the comprehensive shopping district at Gratiot and 7-Mile and the Ramona Theater, the public library, or our church at Gratiot and 6-Mile. I only went downtown to work.

You do realize that there is a big difference to wants, needs and desires between 1961 and 2016, right?

I've worked in multiple buildings downtown and in office plazas in Southfield, Troy and other of the wonderful suburban campuses. I'd take a pay cut to remain in downtown compared to the others if I had to look for a new job