Companies Detroit Should Try to Court

[Glowblue]

Detroit, and Michigan more broadly, should not try to court businesses. They should try to court people. Keep in mind that while in the short term people follow jobs, in the long run jobs follow people. Detroit's [[and Michigan's) best strategy is to make itself friendly to people with high-quality public services, not to turn itself into a Texas-style corporate bordello.

[3WC]

"Texas style corporate bordello?" Michigan should be so fortunate.

I defend MI whenever I can but I don't want to look too much like the typical head-in-the-clouds Yankee.

Here in TX, the idea of moving a business to MI would be the last thing on anyone's mind.

MI, and Detroit in particular, have a terrible image. Union control of the state, terrible education system [[particularly Detroit) and a union-controlled education system [[K-12), incompetent governance on all levels, fiscal irresponsibility, high taxes, and the list goes on. And on.

MI has a lot to offer, in my opinion, but it has to make major, political, structural and fiscally responsible changes over the next few years to compete.

The fact is, it should emulate Texas as much as possible.

[Glowblue]

It's probably a good thing if Texans think poorly of your state.

[K-slice]

Tru dat!
Have you seen Chicago? There's a McDonald's or Starbucks on every corner downtown. I guess that's a good sign, but who wants McDonald's and Starbucks everywhere... Get the educational system rolling, build an educated workforce and you'll get entrepreneurs who'll start their own business in the D. And that's way better than having a Mcdonal..... everywhere!

[buildingsofdetroit]

What? No Smith & Wesson wisecracks? I'm disappointed in you haters. Though there are some pretty funny ones in here.

[mwilbert]

Ehem, if there was money to be made, it wouldn't matter how complicated, backwards, and expensive it is to setup a business here. Companies would still setup shop to tap into a profitable market, but profitable market we are not.

I do not think you are correct. Lots of small businesses never get started because there are too many roadblocks--it takes too long to get started and people run out of enthusiasm and capital. A small business which never starts never has the opportunity to grow.

Also, we don't especially need businesses that are trying to tap into the Michigan market, profitable or not; we need businesses that can sell to the rest of the country and preferably world, to make up for the sales outside Michigan that the auto industry no longer has.

[Gistok]

Sadly even with Michigan as a potential movie industry center... the computer generated movies industry will never follow.

Just saw a rather depressing PBS clip on how India's "Bollywood" is undercutting the cost of computer generated movies currently being made in California. A USA made computer generated movie can easily cost $100 million... but only a fraction of that in the now booming movie computer graphics industry in India.

[michiganmushrooms]

Michigan Mushrooms.... I'm still waiting for a call.