Dan Gilbert Wants Amazon to Come to Detroit

Dan Gilbert, CEO of Quicken Loans, Rock Venture, and owner of several sports teams, recently stated he wants Amazon to build its second headquarters in the Motor City.

During an interview with TechCrunch, Gilbert stated that he has formed internal and external teams that are solely dedicated to analyzing and exploring Amazon’s potential in Detroit.

Amazon recently announced that it is currently searching for a secondary location in North America. They have plans to create another headquarters, one that would be equal to the company’s current home base in Seattle, Washington. The original HQ currently employs over 40,000 people in an 8.1 million square foot complex.

Gilbert believes he will be able to make a strong pitch for Detroit.

Other companies making a home for themselves in Detroit include General Motors, Quicken Loans, Ally Financial, and Comerica—just to name a few. The city has been in a passionate state of revival in recent years, sweeping across the Metro area with a city-wide revitalization in an effort to restore the original greatness of the city as an industry mecca.

Many developers have taken on the cause themselves, with Gilbert leading the pack. The city has been seeing many corporate and private investors jumping to its aid, including Ilitch Holdings. The American-based company has been making significant investments in the city’s downtown region—including opening a new stadium for the Detroit Red Wings and Detroit Pistons.

The city itself has many offerings, such as its commercial airport. Detroit also has access to several cargo airports, rail lines, and is in close proximity to the University of Michigan, Michigan State University, and several other colleges—giving companies a substantial pool of talent to recruit from.

Michigan has long been home to some of the largest engineering and sales companies in the US, while Detroit was once a mecca for the automotive industry and a bustling hub for manufacturing plants. While it may have hit a downslide for a decade or so, it is currently proving itself to be a resilient urban area, with many potentials on the horizon—including a possible venture with Amazon. Only time will tell.

News & Image Source: https://techcrunch.com/2017/09/07/dan-gilbert-confirms-hes-trying-to-get-amazon-to-build-its-second-hq-in-detroit/