A notion that The Macomb Daily says "would have drawn hearty laughter from suburbia 20 years ago" is no joking matter these days.
The sobering prospect is "that Detroit will start stealing away business from the suburbs," columnist Chad Selweski writes at the end of a week when Warren lost a high-profile company. The city may "now have the upper hand in attracting businesses and jobs and people," he suggests.
Campbell Ewald’s decision to move back to Detroit from Warren, announced on Wednesday, may mark a sea change in Metro Detroit economic development. The relocation was a bold move for the marquee advertising agency, but it also reveals a new way of thinking among Detroit area business owners and CEOs.
City Hall may be broke, but the downtown area is drawing new businesses at a rapid rate because it’s the cool place to be.
Bill Ludwig, CEO of the 600-employee ad agency, said that the decision was “a cultural one, not a financial one.” . . .
Relocating to Detroit is a trendy move, it’s a show of support for America’s “Comeback City.”
Fouts acknowledges that Warren's more attractive property tax rate, lack of a city income tax and lower crime statistics couldn't keep the agency in his suburb.
Relocating to Detroit is a trendy move, it’s a show of support for America’s “Comeback City.”
It also lets employers locate "in a diverse, resurgent downtown or Midtown that offers arts, culture and entertainment," the Macomb Daily columnist notes. "It appears that urban dynamism now trumps tax rates."
The suburban paper's lengthy embrace of Detroit's allure mentions "an optimism, a synergy about downtown and Midtown, fueled by several national publications, that is alluring."
Downtown and Midtown are gaining small businesses and specialty shops that give the area a unique character.
The Mount Clemens-based columnist poses a call to action:
Our suburban officials need to devise a strong defensive strategy – an attractive counter-offer -- to address this trend.
Campbell Ewald employees see their new home, a former Hudson's warehouse next to Ford Field.
