>> THE PANDEMIC PUT
CONSTRUCTION PROJECTS ON PAUSE
AND HIT BUSINESSES HARD.
SO, JOINING ME TO TALK ABOUT ALL
OF THAT IS THE PRESIDENT AND CEO
OF THE DETROIT ECONOMIC GROWTH
CORPORATION, KEVIN JOHNSON, AND
KEVIN, GREAT TO SEE YOU AGAIN.
I WANT TO JUMP RIGHT IN WITH A
CONVERSATION I FEEL LIKE I’VE
HAD SEVERAL TIMES.
ALMOST ON A WEEKLY BASIS.
WHICH IS WITH SO MANY COMPANIES
REALIZING THEY CAN SUCCEED WITH
THEIR WORKERS AT HOME, WHAT DOES
THAT MEAN FOR THE FUTURE OF
SKYSCRAPERS IN DOWNTOWN DETROIT
OR THAT OFFICE SPACE IN THOSE
HIGH RISE BUILDINGS?
>> WELL, JASON, THANKS FOR
ALLOWING US TO TALK TODAY AND
I’M EXCITED SHARING WHAT WE’RE
MONITORING EVERY DAY AND THAT’S
JUST THAT QUESTION.
THE FACT OF THE MA EARTH--
MATTER IS, WE DON’T SEE THAT IT
SIGNIFICANTLY IMPACTS COMMERCIAL
OFFICE SPACE USAGE IN THE
DOWNTOWN CORRIDOR OR ANY OTHER
OFFICE ENVIRONMENT IN THE CITY
OF DETROIT.
WHAT WE ARE REALLY PAYING
ATTENTION TO IT HOW DO THEY
UTILIZE THE SPACE IN A WAY THAT
IS SENSITIVE TO THEIR COVID
ENVIRONMENT THAT WE’RE IN, THAT IT BUILDS UPON THE NEED FOR
IT BUILDS UPON THE NEED FOR
CONTACT WITH YOUR CO-WORKERS AND
HOW CAN WE BETTER ALIGN, YOU KNOW, OUR STRUCTURE, WHEN I MEAN
KNOW, OUR STRUCTURE, WHEN I MEAN
OUR STRUCTURE, I MEAN HOW DO WE
TAKE THE ASSETS THAT WE HAVE AND
MAKE SURE THAT THEY’RE PROPPING
UP AND CREATING THIS VIBRANT
DOWNTOWN OFFICE SCENE THAT WE
SAW PRIOR TO COVID, HAD A LOT OF
MOMENTUM.
SO THOSE ARE THE THREE THINGS
WE’RE LOOKING AT AND I THINK
VERY SIGNIFICANTLY, THE WAY IN
WHICH DEVELOPERS AND THOSE WHO
ARE RESPONSIBLE FOR CON FIGURING
THIS OFFICE SPACE, TO INVITE US
BACK IN, IS GOING TO BE THE
WINNER WHEN IT’S ALL SAID AND
DONE.
>> YEAH, AND WHEN YOU THINK
ABOUT THAT, THE FUTURE OF
COMMERCIAL REAL ESTATE REALLY IS
KIND OF INTRIGUING ON THAT, BUT
I’M KIND OF CATCHING A LITTLE OF
WHAT YOU’RE SAYING THERE, HUMAN
INTERACTION IS NEVER GOING AWAY.
IT’S ALWAYS GOING TO BE INTEGRAL
TO THE BUSINESS MODEL, CORRECT?
>> YOU’RE CORRECT.
THE HUMAN INTERACTION, BODY
LANGUAGE IS A THING.
ALL RIGHT?
HAVING A CONVERSATION
FACE-TO-FACE IS A THING.
GETTING INSTANTANEOUS RESPONSES
IS IMPORTANT.
BEING ABLE TO WALK DOWN FROM ONE
OFFICE TO THE OTHER, ONE CUBICAL
TO THE NEXT TO GET AN OPINION IS
VERY IMPORTANT AND YOU CAN’T
SCHEDULE EVERYTHING.
SOME THINGS HAVE TO HAPPEN IN A SPONTANEOUS FASHION AND FOR
SPONTANEOUS FASHION AND FOR
THAT, I THINK THAT THAT’S HUMAN
CONTACT AND INTERACTION IS GOING
TO BE THE REASON WHY OFFICE
SPACES ARE GOING TO LIVE AND
THRIVE WELL INTO THE FUTURE.
>> BEFORE I LET YOU GO, I
DEFINITELY WANT TO GET YOUR
TAKE, AT LEAST AN UPDATE THE WAY
YOU SEE IT ON SOME OF THE
PROJECTS THAT WERE CAUGHT IN THE
MIDDLE OF THE PANDEMIC ON PAUSE
AND GOING FORWARD.
THE OLD TRAIN STATION AND FORD’S
CENTRAL STATION AND THE HUDSON’S
SKYSCRAPER IS IN THE MIDDLE OF CONSTRUCTION, WE HAVE DISTRICT
CONSTRUCTION, WE HAVE DISTRICT
DETROIT, NEXT TO OUR STUDIOS, WE
HAVE THE CAMBRIA HOTEL AND THEN
OF COURSE THE EASTERN MARKET
EXPANSION.
HOW DO YOU SEE ALL OF THOSE MOVING FORWARD?
MOVING FORWARD?
>> WELL, WE SEE THEM GOING TO
COMPLETION.
THERE HASN’T ABOUTEN ANY
INDICATION FROM THE DEVELOPERS
OF THOSE PROJECTS THAT YOU
MENTIONED, AND OTHERS, THAT HAVE
SAID, WELL, YOU KNOW, WE’RE
GOING TO SUSPEND ALL OF THAT
WORK, WE’RE GOING TO TAKE A STEP
BACK.
WHAT I THINK IS HAPPENING,
JASON, I THINK THEY’RE SAYING,
WELL, IF THIS IS THE ENVIRONMENT
THAT WE’RE WORKING IN NOW, HOW DO WE MAKE SURE THAT THE SPACE
DO WE MAKE SURE THAT THE SPACE
THAT WE’RE CREATING IS AS
CONFIGURED IN A WAY THAT ALLOWS
FOR US TO BRING OUR TEAMS BACK
INTO THIS SPACE THAT WE’RE
CREATING, AND DOES IT WORK
ITSELF INTO THE WAY FORWARD
VERSUS THE WAY BACKWARDS.
AND I THINK THOSE CONVERSATIONS
ARE HAPPENING, BUT THE PHYSICAL
SPACE ITSELF, THERE HASN’T BEEN
ANY INDICATIONS FROM ANY OF
THOSE PROJECTS THAT THEY’RE
GOING TO PULL BACK FROM DETROIT.
>> JASON: AND THAT’S REALLY GOOD
NEWS.
I THINK EVEN BETTER IS SOMETHING
YOU MENTIONED OR ALLUDED TO IS
HOW GOOGLE MADE A HUGE--
I SHOULD SAY AMAZON AT THE
FAIRGROUNDS, THAT’S A HUGE WIN
IN THE MIDDLE OF A PANDEMIC.
>> IN THE MIDDLE OF A PANDEMIC,
THE NEED TO DELIVER PACKAGES HAS
SOARED AND DETROIT AND METRO
DETROIT IS A SIGNIFICANT MARKET
FOR AMAZON.
THUS, SO MUCH SO THAT THEY’RE
GOING TO BUILD 3.8 MILLION
SQUARE FEET OF SPACE WITH THEIR
DEVELOPMENT PARTNERS OUT OF A STATE FAIR.
STATE FAIR.
1200 JOBS IN THE CITY OF DETROIT
WHICH WE OBVIOUSLY NEED AND
THEN, A COMPANY LIKE CLEAR COVER
WHO IS IN THE INSURANCE BUSINESS
ALSO MAKING A DECISION TO COME
TO THE CITY OF DETROIT DURING A
PANDEMIC AND SOME OF THOSE THINGS ARE GIVING US A LOT OF
THINGS ARE GIVING US A LOT OF
CONFIDENCE THAT THE WAY IN WAY
WE ARE POSITIONING DETROIT HAS A
SUSTAINABLE DESIRE FOR COMPANIES
THAT NEED A DETROIT LOCATION AND
A DETROIT ADDRESS.
>> YEAH, THERE’S A LOT TO LOOK
FORWARD TO.
A LOT MORE BRIGHT SPOTS OUT
THERE THAN PEOPLE MIGHT THINK.
KEVIN, THANK YOU SO MUCH.
WE APPRECIATE YOUR TIME.
>> THANK YOU, JASON, APPRECIATE
YOU.
>> JASON: ANYTIME.
THANKS TO YOU JOINING ME FOR
FLASH POINT.