Detroit. Motown. At one time a record label of the Four Tops, the Supremes. But really Motown is Motor City. Cars. Trucks. It’s a past it cannot escape. The big car companies are still the big employers, despite all the troubles. They still rule, with jobs, influence, mindshare. It’s all about the cars the rides, the racing. My hotel sponsors a drag racing team. The parking lots and highways are full of BIG vehicles, pickups and SUVs. On my last trip, something big and hard flew off the back of a white pickup and shattered the windshield of my rented Toyota. A freak accident or vengeance, like white blood cells attacking invaders?
Cracked windshield: freak accident or did Detroit not like my Toyota?
But I came back anyway. There is the Innovate3D operation to set up. I have to find a key project manager, an office. The first visit was right before Memorial Day. People were busy with plans. Maybe one little company with one or two jobs was not too much to get excited about. There were cabins up north to go to. It seems hunting, fishing and barbeques took priority. Most of Automation Alley, my temporary office, had vacated.
So why not make the same mistake again? I arrive the week before July 4 weekend. I expect I will see only those candidates who are truly desperate.
But the turnout is crazy good! Not only has there been an outpouring of resumes, but candidates show up on time or early, and lo and behold, the guys (which all of them turn out to be) are wearing suits and ties. Maybe I shouldn’t be surprised. Maybe I have been in California too long.
But the most encouraging aspect is the talent -- a mile wide and a mile deep. Where else can you see engineers with 20 years building hugely complicated systems for not just autos, but for armored vehicles, power systems …more, all just walking the streets looking for jobs. These are the big guys, in reputation, in the size of machines they make, from the big universities, big factories and production plants. One of them tells me about his big boat. The building, the lots, the roads… all of it seems supersized.

The biggest building in Troy, MI: the PNC tower (courtesy Wapedia)
The dreams, too, are big. The dreams of industrial prowess were manifest in the automotive industry but now big auto is past its peak. Now there is the dream of the big resurgence. I am told Troy (and may be other outlying areas) offer much to in the ways of technology to technology companies. Smaller companies, even startups. But to house them all, Troy has built big buildings, many of them on Big Beaver Road, off which Automation Alley is headquartered. But I notice more than a few also have big “for rent” signs.
Troy's Candlewood Suites Hotel's best feature: a kitchenette with a fridge, microwave and range