John Kao on Detroit

The "D" brand summit was held on February 1, 2008 at Lovett Hall on The Henry Ford campus in Dearborn. To summarize, the summit was to inform business owners and entrepreneurs how the "D" brand, Detroit's official tourism and community development brand, could help with their brands and initiatives while promoting a positive image of our region. I wasn't able to go, nor do I know anyone who went, so I'm not writing this post as a review. I did however, catch a blog entry written at huffingtonpost.com by the keynote speaker at the D brand summit. His name is John Kao and he is considered a master innovator, entrepreneur and expert in corporate transformation. His entire blog post is at Huffington Post. He has an interesting perspective, if not an obvious one, about the state of Metro Detroit. He writes about our troubles, our reliance on our laurels and our stubborness regarding change. He also writes about the recent positive steps we have made to align ourselves with the 21st century economy.

John Kao finished his blog entry with the following paragraphs. His thoughts struck a chord...

"Predictably Detroit has a number of initiatives to look at the future of the city that are as yet somewhat scattered. The city needs a strategy, it needs a vision of how it can turn itself into a 21st century city, attractive to talent, with a critical mass of R&D and a revitalized approach to education, fresh thinking. It needs to go for the brass ring — incremental innovation will not save it — nor will the four casinos and other tourist amenities that have been put in to make the city a tourist destination. Only a fresh re-thinking of the strategy, the sources of future wealth and the willingness to make the investment of time, treasury and effort will see the city through.

And herein lies the full drama. If Detroit can effect its transformation, then there is hope for the rest of us. I see three scenarios — continued decline, middle of the road via tourism and entertainment, or the high road — nurturing the roots of a true Detroit Renaissance. Much food for thought."
Source: HuffingtonPost

In the end it is up to us. It's a new age and we have all the tools for success. This town was built on efficiency and innovation and there is no reason why we cannot forge down that path once again. We hold the key to our future.
Detroit Army

Forbes Magazine Miserable Cities Rankings

Detroit has been ranked the number one most miserable city to live in out of the 150 largest metropolitan areas. The ratings were based on 6 factors including, unemployment, personal tax rates, commute times, weather, crime and toxic waste. Also in the top ten is Flint at 3, which means Michigan almost swept the top 3. On the other hand, cities also within the top ten include New York City at 4, Philadelphia at 5, Chicago at 6, Los Angeles at 7, and Charlotte at 9.

Like I said, rankings are stupid. The way I see it, if Detroit is accompanied in the top ten by Charlotte, a supposedly growing city at 9, Los Angeles at 7, Chicago, the self proclaimed jewel of the midwest at 6, and New York City, the self proclaimed greatest city in the world at 4, I'd say we are in good company. Or maybe the reality is that we are miserable. Either way, this ranking system sure isn't an indication of that. The most unfortunate thing about this ranking is that everyone will report that Detroit ranked number 1 for being miserable and that is all people will see. They won't read far enough along to see these other great cities in the U.S. are in the top ten for miserableness as well.
Detroit Army

Quicken Ranked #2 in Fortune Magazine's Best Places to Work

Rankings are stupid. In my world though, rankings are only stupid when they say that Michiganders are fat, that businesses don't feel welcome in the state, that foreign cars are ranked better than American cars, and that Detroit is at the top of the most dangerous cities lists. Rankings are not stupid when they say that Quicken Loans, presently of Livonia and in a few years of Detroit, is the second best company to work for in the United States. Yea, thats right, I only like rankings when they serve my own purposes. Quicken's number two ranking according to Fortune Magazine is great for perceptions regarding working in Michigan. I know some things about Dan Gilbert, but to tell you the truth, I know little about Quicken Loans. I do know that Gilbert plans to move the headquarters to the city of Detroit, that it is a fast growing and well known company, and that it seems to consistently be ranked highly in desirable categories. Quicken has become our darling.

Moreover, the company that Fortune Magazine ranked as the best company to work for in the country is Google. While Google does not have a "main" office in Michigan, it does have an office and large presence in Ann Arbor. Therefore, by my calculations, the two best companies to work for in the country are located in the State of Michigan. Michigan is a great place to work. There is no need to look elsewhere after college. Take that Charlotte...

Quicken Ranked #2 in Fortune Magazine's Best Places to Work
Detroit Army

Detroit is on the New York Times "53 Places to Visit in 2008"

Alright, so I'm basically done with finals for my first semester of my third year of law school. This third year is such a waste of time and money. It is somewhat of a traveshamockery that law schools are allowed to charge $30,000 for a year that is basically useless and unecessary. Law school could easily be done in two years, maybe even one and a half. Oh well... Anyway, now that I am done, I'll be able to post more frequently, which should be exciting for my loyal readers. Detroit is number 40 on the New York Times' list of 53 places to visit in 2008. There are only about 5 or 6 American cities/places on the list. Detroit falls right after San Francisco at #39. I bet you never thought these two cities would be in the same sentence. The blurb on Detroit doesn't really detail very much but mentions the new casinos and the reopening of the DIA after the renovations that just finished up last month. The New York Times seems to continually give Detroit good press. The description is below...

"40. DETROIT

Historically crime-ridden Detroit may not spring to mind as a hot tourist spot, but don't tell that to the city's bullish hoteliers. Newcomers include the MGM Grand Detroit (www.mgmgranddetroit.com), the MotorCity Casino Hotel (www.motorcitycasino.com) in an old Wonder Bread factory and the historic Book Cadillac Hotel, being transformed into a Westin (www.westinbookcadillac.com). Plus, the Detroit Institute of Arts (www.dia.org) just reopened after a $158 million renovation."

Like I said, there isn't too much to the description, but considering this is one of the most read stories on the New York Times website, it can only be a good thing.