Blue Cross Blue Shield of Michigan has begun moving 3,000 workers downtown, filling out most of the space in Towers 500 and 600 (the smaller two) of the
Renaissance Center.
"We are urbanizing our workforce," says Daniel J. Loepp, president & CEO of
Blue Cross Blue Shield of Michigan. "By the time the move is complete 97 percent of our workforce will be in core cities."
The health insurance non-profit is concentrating a lot of its employees in urban areas in Michigan, including the transfer of these workers from its Southfield office space to downtown Detroit next to its headquarters on Jefferson and Lafayette. About 200 moved in this week and a total of 2,000 will be moved in by July. Another 1,000 will be coming later in the year when construction on the 600 Tower is complete.
Blue Cross Blue Shield of Michigan is also revamping the entrance for the towers that fronts Jefferson Avenue to make it more pedestrian friendly. The non-profit expects to utilize the People Mover and the city streets and sidewalks to connect the five buildings that will house its employees.
"It's not just 3,000 jobs," says George Jackson, president & CEO of the Detroit Economic Growth Corp. "We have things in downtown Detroit that we want these people from Blue Cross Blue Shield to enjoy, because that creates even more jobs."
Blue Cross Blue Shield's staff is now centered in Michigan's urban core in Detroit, Lansing and Grand Rapids. The non-profit recently moved to concentrate its workforce in downtown areas, creating $200 million in economic impact. The Detroit move is expected to create 865 new jobs in Wayne County and Southfield, plus add the Southfield office space back to the tax rolls.
"Team work is very important," says Detroit Mayor Dave Bing. "This wouldn't have happened unless people would have worked together as a team."
Source: Daniel J. Loepp, president & CEO of Blue Cross Blue Shield of Michigan; George Jackson, president & CEO of the Detroit Economic Growth Corp; Dave Bing, mayor of the city of Detroit
Writer: Jon Zemke
Read more about Metro Detroit's growing entrepreneurial ecosystem at
SEMichiganStartup.com.
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