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Quicken
Loans
begins
move of
2,500
more
team
members
to
downtown
Detroit
- 1,500
to move
into
Chase
Tower;
company
and
sister
companies
to have
more
than
4,000
team
members
working
in
technology
hub at
Campus
Martius
-
By Karen
Hudson
Samuels/Tell
Us
Detroit
DETROIT
(Tell Us
Det) -
The
first
wave of
2,500
Quicken
Loans
employees
moved
into
downtown
Detroit
Monday
morning.
A high
energy
gathering
of
hundreds
of
employees
from the
family
of
Quicken
Loans
companies
filled
the
lobby of
their
new
their
headquarters
at Chase
Tower
Building
and
cheered
as they
listened
to
welcoming
remarks
from
city
officials
and
Chairman
Dan
Gilbert.
“Today
marks
the
first
step in
the
effort
to
transform
downtown
Detroit
into a
work,
live and
play
epicenter
where
young
professionals
come to
plant
roots
and grow
their
career,”
said
Gilbert.
Mayor
Dave
Bing
thanked
the
Quicken
Loans
Chairman
saying
“He’s
made a
commitment
like
nobody
else”
and
pledged
to make
life as
easy and
accessible
to the
expanded
workforce.
“Take
the time
to enjoy
the
city”,
said
Council
President
Charles
Pugh who
encouraged
the new
employees
to walk
around
downtown,
enjoy
the
River
Walk and
try out
the new
restaurants.
Pugh
says
anticipates
a bump
in the
economy
of
businesses,
from
midtown
to
downtown.
The
enthusiasm
of
employees
was
electric,
“I love
being
downtown”
said one
worker
who
spent
the
weekend
checking
out the
new
offices
which
boast
bright
colors
and
walls
employees
can
write
on.
The 14
story
Chase
Tower
occupies
a full
city
block;
Gilbert
acquired
505,000
square
feet of
space
and
immediately
began to
renovate
the
interior
to
reflect
the
company’s
culture.
Workspaces
feature
open
floor
plans
and
high-tech
collaborative
meeting
areas to
encourage
teamwork
and
creativity.
The
relocating
employees
will
join a
brain
force of
1,700
colleagues
who
moved
from the
suburbs
to
Detroit
just 14
months
ago when
Quicken
Loans
and
several
sister
companies
moved
their
headquarters
to the
Compuware
Building,
situated
at the
foot of
Campus
Martius
Park.
An
additional
1,000
team
members
from
Quicken
Loans
sister
companies
will
move to
downtown
and
occupy
the
Madison
Theater
Building
and
First
National
Building
when
renovations
are
completed
in
November
2011
through
2012.stors
and
businesses
are
joining
the
initiative
to build
something
very
special
here.”
Gilbert
acquired
the
505,000
square
foot,
14-story
Chase
Tower
occupying
a full
city
block on
Woodward
Avenue
in April
2011,
and
immediately
began
renovating
its
interior
to
reflect
the
company’s
culture.
Today,
the
building
features
bright
neon-colored
walls,
open
floor
plans,
and
high-tech,
collaborative
meeting
areas
that
encourage
teamwork,
communication
and
creativity.
The new
team
members
will be
joining
several
sister
companies
already
in
Detroit:
• One
Reverse
Mortgage
LLC, the
nation’s
second
largest
retail
provider
of
reverse
mortgage
home
loans;
•
Quizzle
LLC, a
free
online
tool
that
provides
consumers
a
complete
understanding
of their
credit
so they
can make
better
financial
decisions;
•
In-House
Realty
LLC, the
preferred
real
estate
partner
of
Quicken
Loans,
its
clients,
and its
partner
companies;
•
Fathead
LLC, the
leading
brand in
sports
and
entertainment
graphic
products;
• Bizdom
U, a
non-profit,
entrepreneurship
accelerator
that
trains,
mentors
and
funds
aspiring
entrepreneurs
to open
innovative,
growth-oriented
businesses
in
Detroit;
•
Detroit
Venture
Partners,
a
venture
capital
firm
that
invests
in seed
and
early-stage
technology
companies;
•
Rockbridge
Growth
Equity,
a
company
of
private
equity
investors
focused
on
building
the next
generation
of great
businesses;
• Rock
Companies,
a
vertically
integrated
real
estate
company
with
expertise
in
acquisitions,
development,
construction,
property
management
and
asset
management.
• Rock
Gaming,
a gaming
partnership
with
Caesars
Entertainment
formed
with an
initial
focus to
develop
first-class
casinos
in
Cincinnati
and
Cleveland;
and
•
Bedrock
Real
Estate
Services,
offering
full
property
management
and real
estate
services
in urban
cities
such as
Detroit
and
Cleveland.
Following
is a
chronology
of the
Quicken
Loans
family
of
companies’
downtown
Detroit
investments
and
activities:
July
2009:
Quicken
Loans
announces
it will
relocate
its
headquarters
and
1,700
team
members
to the
Compuware
Building
in
downtown
Detroit
in 2010.
August
2010:
The
company
and five
of its
sister
companies
move
1,700
team
members
into the
Compuware
building
in
downtown
Detroit.
January
2011:
Gilbert
purchases
Detroit’s
historical
Madison
Theatre
Building
and
begins
transforming
it into
a
collaborative,
colorful
space
designed
to
encourage
partnership
among
local
entrepreneurs.
April
2011:
The
Quicken
Loans
group
acquires
the
14-story
Chase
Tower
located
in
Detroit’s
downtown
central
business
district
and
immediately
begins
renovation
to
reflect
Quicken
Loans’
culture.”
July
2011:
Earvin
“Magic”
Johnson
joins
Detroit
Venture
Partners
to help
fund
start-up
tech
companies
in
Detroit.
July
2011:
Quicken
Loans
and four
other
downtown
Detroit
companies
unveil
the
“Live
Downtown”
program,
which
offers
financial
incentives
to team
members
to move
into the
city.
July
2011 -
September
2011:
Quicken
Loans
sponsors
Somerset
Collection’s
CityLoft,
a pop-up
shop
open the
last
weekend
of each
month in
downtown
Detroit
with
mini-versions
of
upscale
stores,
to bring
retail
back to
downtown
Detroit.
September
2011:
An
agreement
is
entered
with the
Detroit
Downtown
Development
Authority
(DDA) to
acquire
the Lane
Bryant
Building,
located
at 1520
Woodward
Avenue,
and the
Arts
League
of
Michigan
building,
located
at 1528
Woodward
Ave.
October
2011:
A
one-story
building
at 1550
Woodward
Avenue
is
acquired
to
increase
the
retail
offerings
in
downtown
Detroit.
October
2011:
An
additional
1,500
Quicken
Loans
team
members
move
into the
newly
renovated
Chase
Tower.
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