Delta Dental CEO Gives the Business Case for Placemaking in Talent Recruitment

A new series published in Crain’s Detroit Business focuses on the economic power of cities and placemaking. The series, posted today, Sunday, March 3, 2019, includes impactful columns by Michigan Municipal League CEO and Executive Director Dan Gilmartin, Goran Jurkovic, Chief Executive Officer of Delta Dental of Michigan, and others.

The Forum articles focusing communities are part of a once-a-month Forum series by Crain’s Detroit Business reporter Chad Livengood. He series began last month with a look at education.

Both columns by Gilmartin and Jurkovic talk about the economic value of have strong, vibrant cities when it comes to attraching talent and businesses. This is an argument based on much research that the League and the SaveMICity initiative have been making for many years now. Read Dan’s full column in this blog we’ve posted here.

“Businesses and communities agree on the need for a strong economy in Michigan, because we recognize our futures are inextricably linked together,” Gilmartin wrote. “You can’t have strong communities without strong businesses, and you can’t have strong businesses without strong communities.”

It’s outstanding, and quite frankly inspiring, to also hear someone of Jurkovic’s background and experience tout the value of placemaking. If you didn’t know, Delta Dental is a dental benefits company headquartered in Okemos, just outside of Lansing. They have been around since 1957 and have grown to serve nearly 9 million people in Michigan, Ohio and Indiana, stated Jurkovic in his column.

Most Crain’s articles are available only through a subscription but here’s a powerful, short excerpt from Jurkovic’s column that is under the headline, “Goran Jurkovic: The case for corporate investment in placemaking”:

“Like most industries today, we are feeling the demand for highly skilled workers locally and so are our customers. It is no stretch to suggest that Michigan’s future economic prosperity depends on our state’s ability to attract high-tech talent to innovate, invent and invest.

But they will only commit to our region and state if local leaders, including those of us in the business community, commit to them and the places they call home.

That’s why we are making it our business to build healthy, smart, vibrant communities and engage in placemaking efforts across our major markets.

… Beginning this year, Delta Dental is broadening our focus to include placemaking partnerships that build successful, sustainable communities inclusive of all demographics.

Placemaking as an economic development strategy makes sense because, ‘business needs talent and talent needs place,’ said Daniel Gilmartin, executive director and CEO of the Michigan Municipal League. MML has been leading placemaking initiatives in the state for the past 14 years.”

Jurkvoic then goes on to talk about how Ford Motor Co. has purchased the historic Detroit train station in Detroit’s Corktown and is renovating it for office space as part of its ongoing effort to bring talent to Michigan and to Ford. “We’re in a war for talent. To be able to offer that environment as a place to create the future to me is pretty compelling,” Jurkovic writes in quoting Bill Ford, executive chairman of Ford Motor Co., in explaining the renovation of the train station.

Jurkovic continued explaining like Ford, Delta Dental believes in investing in its hometown. That is why Delta Dental joined with its subsidiaries Dewpoint and Red Cedar Investment Management, to put almost $400,000 in a downtown Lansing riverfront project that promises to activate a largely dormant stretch of the Grand River. He said project plans include improved watercraft access and docking, enhanced parks and fishing areas, artwork and creative lighting, public seating areas with fireplaces, an outdoor “classroom” on the riverbank and a “beach.”

This spring, Delta Dental will be announcing our most significant placemaking investment to date in Detroit, Jurkovic said.

He concluded with this and another quote from the League’s Gilmartin:

“Placemaking is about so much more than building pretty parks. It is a strategy that enables us to give back, align with our customers’ priorities and build a better future for Michigan.

‘Business and quality of life used to be on opposites sides,’ Gilmartin said. ‘Today, having a great place to live and a good environment is just good business — period.'”

We here at SaveMICity.org and the Michigan Municipal League truly appreciate the column by Jurkovic and Delta Dental. We’re pleased that businesses understand the importance of placemaking and having vibrant cities when it comes to recruiting talent and growing the economy.

Here are the headlines with links to all the articles in Forum Series in Crain’s Detroit Businesses:

Downtowns find they have the ‘cool’ factor

Commentary: A MEGA bargain for Michigan’s future

Dan Gilmartin: Michigan’s future hinges on strong communities

Russ Kavalhuna: Community college is right investment

Goran Jurkovic: The case for corporate investments in placemaking

Mat Ishbia: Why CEOs should spurn taxpayer incentives

Rob Cleveland: Give Michigan college graduates a ‘HUGE’ tax incentive