Investing in Their Hometown

“We could have saved about $15 million by building our new headquarters on the outskirts of town, along interstate 94. Instead the utility spent $70 million and the city paid $30 million for parking decks and the uncapping of the river and we built this.” Bruce Rasher of Consumers Energy said as we rounded the corner and the full impact of their new office tower came into view. The 12 floor, 350,000 sf building was constructed adjacent to an old WPA Post Office project that had sat vacant for several years. Consumers spent $10 million turning the old post office into their main entrance and a conference center that can seat 550.

“In our old building 90% of the people were in closed offices. Now we’re 100% in open offices. Even the Chairman is in an open office.” Bruce told me as he proudly showed me around the office tower which was completed in 2003.

Today 1,500 people work in the complex, filling the downtown with office workers at lunchtime and after work. It is a great example of how a local company, committed to its hometown, often makes decisions that are as important for the town as they are for the company. That’s why key six in my book is “Maintain Local Control”. Consumers Energy’s headquarters project is a great example of the benefit to its hometown of Jackson, MI.

I’ve got some great pictures on the hard drive of my computer which is now being worked on. I hope to be able to post them sometime next week, IF they are able to recover the contents.