Amazon is looking for a new HQ, and Detroit's in the running if we badger our representatives enough (Flint: fit in, home)

[michikawa]

While Detroit does have a lot of blue collar jobs, it's no slouch in engineering either, and is top ten for raw employment of engineers (Which Cities Have the Most Engineers? > ENGINEERING.com) and top ten for metro areas by patents granted (https://www.uspto.gov/web/offices/ac...allcbsa_gd.htm).

I don't know what kind of skills Amazon is looking for in new graduates, but UMich has a top, if not the top, robotics program, MSU has a top supply chain program, and UMich, MSU, and MTU together graduate as many electrical engineers as any other state besides California (https://www.asee.org/papers-and-publ...mbersPart1.pdf). The only education metric really missing is the number of computer science graduates, but UMich still has a top ten Math department anyways, so there's still heavy hitters out there to recruit.

As far as management, the Metro Area has hundreds, if not thousands, of managers that have experience running supply chains and factories in every country of the world due to Automotive and its global reach.

Really the talent pool is here. The question is: Will Amazon have better employee retention in Metro Detroit than Seattle? Since Metro Detroit has specializing in keeping Salarymen/women and their wives/husbands happy for over a century, I'm going to argue yes. Schools are good, houses are big, costs are low, amenities aren't expensive, vacations aren't far away. Metro Detroit is the original 20th century company town, and Amazon is looking for a company town.

[BayAreaHillbilly]

My prediction. Columbus will get it. It's a joke for a company in Seattle to make mass transit a deal breaker. Seattle barely has any rail transit. Like Seattle, Columbus has buses as the main non-human-powered car alternative.

[Geo-Aggie]

Originally Posted by michikawa

While Detroit does have a lot of blue collar jobs, it's no slouch in engineering either, and is top ten for raw employment of engineers (Which Cities Have the Most Engineers? > ENGINEERING.com) and top ten for metro areas by patents granted (https://www.uspto.gov/web/offices/ac...allcbsa_gd.htm).

I don't know what kind of skills Amazon is looking for in new graduates, but UMich has a top, if not the top, robotics program, MSU has a top supply chain program, and UMich, MSU, and MTU together graduate as many electrical engineers as any other state besides California (https://www.asee.org/papers-and-publ...mbersPart1.pdf). The only education metric really missing is the number of computer science graduates, but UMich still has a top ten Math department anyways, so there's still heavy hitters out there to recruit.

As far as management, the Metro Area has hundreds, if not thousands, of managers that have experience running supply chains and factories in every country of the world due to Automotive and its global reach.

Really the talent pool is here. The question is: Will Amazon have better employee retention in Metro Detroit than Seattle? Since Metro Detroit has specializing in keeping Salarymen/women and their wives/husbands happy for over a century, I'm going to argue yes. Schools are good, houses are big, costs are low, amenities aren't expensive, vacations aren't far away. Metro Detroit is the original 20th century company town, and Amazon is looking for a company town.

This post makes a lot of solid points Another bonus to the Metro Detroit region is that without eleventy billion tech companies to compete with, Amazon can have the appearance of paying "high salaries" while offering more modest (high-five/low-six digit) salaries similar to what the automotive companies offer. They can even attract talent to the area with lower salaries than they'd pay in cities like Boston or NYC because it's no secret that you can live in nice parts of the metro for less than you'd pay to live in the rough parts of the coastal metros. There really are a lot of positives to Metro Detroit, the question is do these overcome the region's reputation and sub-par transit?

[jaynarie]

Originally Posted by Arthur Digby Sellers

Are there any underemployed educated people living in Lapeer or Flint?

So.. Flint is full of lead poisoned zombies and criminals shooting at each other. And Lapeer is just a bunch of redneck hillbillies who can't read or write.

Seriously. I'd think as someone used to all the crazy stereotypes Detroit gets, you'd be above a comment like that. Guess not....

[Clayton white guy]

Detroit DOES have many positives as described here. I am still holding out for my native Atlanta to win it,but losing to Detroit wouldn't hurt my feelings too much. ;0) Good luck to y'all, too.

[Coldjensens]

Atlanta and Chicago are crowded already and very expensive. Smaller cheaper less crowded cities may have a decent shot. Amazon can become THE powerhouse in a City like Detroit. they could buy half the city if they wanted to for a fraction of the cost of property in Chicago, or Atlanta. It is clear however they are looking for the City/state to put together a land package for them. They probably want the land for free and they will probably get the land for free/ Putting on a thinking cap, where could they put a campus of 30 buildings and still be in the city enough for some coolness? Give them Joe Louis Cobo and the ren cen maybe. that would have some appeal. they can tear down or keep whateverr they want and build a beautiful waterfront campus that ites into the city..

GM can move to the new hudsons building/ Ren cen is a failed mess anyway. Either someone has to fiigure out how to make it workable, or we need to get rid of it. It is a waste of our best waterfront right now

[jaynarie]

Apparently the Flint & Genesee Chamber of Commerce has submitted a proposal. Not that I think Flint has a shot; population wise they aren't even close to what Amazon wants. It is within Detroit's CSA, if they want to count that. And if people want a long reverse commute, it is centrally located where it can pull people from all over. Lansing is roughly an hour west, Port Huron an hour east, Midland an hour north, Ann Arbor an hour south down US-23, and Detroit an hour southeast down I-75. That circle would include the small cities of Saginaw, Owosso, Lapeer, Bay City, etc... plus all of the northern Metro Detroit.

While Detroit would benefit greatly, Flint would benefit even more. Getting Flint back on its feet would help the entire state- both economically and as far as image goes.

[MS313]

Originally Posted by Coldjensens

Atlanta and Chicago are crowded already and very expensive. Smaller cheaper less crowded cities may have a decent shot. Amazon can become THE powerhouse in a City like Detroit. they could buy half the city if they wanted to for a fraction of the cost of property in Chicago, or Atlanta. It is clear however they are looking for the City/state to put together a land package for them. They probably want the land for free and they will probably get the land for free/ Putting on a thinking cap, where could they put a campus of 30 buildings and still be in the city enough for some coolness? Give them Joe Louis Cobo and the ren cen maybe. that would have some appeal. they can tear down or keep whateverr they want and build a beautiful waterfront campus that ites into the city..

GM can move to the new hudsons building/ Ren cen is a failed mess anyway. Either someone has to fiigure out how to make it workable, or we need to get rid of it. It is a waste of our best waterfront right now

I feel you on Chicago but Atlanta? Atlanta isn't really THAT much bigger, it's population density is less than Detroit's in the city and suburbs and the COL from what I hear is a bit lower than Detroit's as well. I don't get why some people think Atl is crowded, the traffic is terrible there because of it's stupid and outdated infrastructure but the neighborhoods are the least crowded I've ever seen for a big city. I'll put it's downtown in the dame tier as downtown Detroit as well.

I actually think Atlanta has the highest chance of running away with this one. And then Chicago or Philly. Detroit just shot itself in the foot once again with it's bs. Oakland County just put in it's own separate bid and so did Ann Arbor. Ann Arbor doesn't meet the transit requirements or the population requirements and OC isn't even it's own metro area. I really feel like this crap was done just to make sure Detroit didn't get the bid. Because welp, if Detroit had even a 5% chance, it has a 2% chance now.

[Indentured Servant]

The Governor of Minnesota made a really good point that I did not think about. He said that Minnesota would not aggressively pursue Amazon because offer special breaks for the company to locate the head quarters there would be unfair to the home grown companies located their.

If Amazon comes to Detroit and gets all these special tax breaks and incentives, should not GM, Ford and other companies be given the same package? The flip side of this is that companies could start becoming like sports stadiums.....seeking tax abatement to stay or threaten to leave.

[Arthur Digby Sellers]

Originally Posted by jaynarie

So.. Flint is full of lead poisoned zombies and criminals shooting at each other. And Lapeer is just a bunch of redneck hillbillies who can't read or write.

Seriously. I'd think as someone used to all the crazy stereotypes Detroit gets, you'd be above a comment like that. Guess not....

I wasn't trying to stereotype. I've been through both towns....they are extremely hollowed out. I can't imagine many skilled people sticking around if there's no work.