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CRAIN’S DETROIT BUSINESS // April 20, 2015
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Detroit in the driver’s seat for auto-tech mashup OTHER VOICES Lisa Vallee-Smith Lisa Vallee-Smith is CEO of Airfoil Group, Southfield uring the depths of Detroit’s bankruptcy crisis, the most optimistic supporters of the Motor City clung to the prospect that Detroit had nowhere to go but up — and to the surprise of many, it did. In fact, Detroit has soared to become not just a resurgent center of automotive design and production but also one of the nation’s hottest spots for technology. Young tech professionals are filling the lofts and offices of the city’s downtown. The commercial real estate services firm Jones Lang LaSalle recently ranked Detroit as the 31st best high-tech market in the country, joining Chicago, MinneapolisSt. Paul and Indianapolis as one of the few top tech markets in the Midwest. The city is becoming a welcome home for leading-edge startups through organizations like TechTown Detroit and Bizdom and companies like Rocket Fiber, which is creating a high-speed fiber-optic cable infrastructure for the city’s center along the M-1 Rail line. The real momentum for Detroit’s future high-tech growth, however, can be found in the labs and on the test tracks of the city’s automakers
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Nominations sought for 40 under 40 awards Since 1991, Crain’s Detroit Business has gathered 40 of the community’s high achievers for a special salute. Past winners have started companies, found success at a young age at established businesses and made nonprofits stronger.
and suppliers. In a span of what seems to have been just months, the auto industry has morphed into something very new, very different and very high tech. Far beyond the playing fields on which automotive design and hightech science traditionally have converged — areas like infotainment and emissions control — automobiles now are designed around connectivity and such autonomous driving features as adaptive cruise control, radar, video cameras and sensors that already enable vehicles to drive and park themselves. In fact, we are witnessing a
mashup of the automotive and technology sectors, with Detroitbased automakers opening Silicon Valley labs while Silicon Valley tech firms like Google, Tesla and apparently even Apple are building autonomous vehicles. The role of the automobile itself has evolved in a way that points the auto industry in entirely new directions. In January, Ford Motor Co. opened a new research and innovation center in Palo Alto, Calif., at the heart of Silicon Valley, and CEO Mark Fields explained, “At Ford, we view ourselves as both a mobility and an auto company, as we drive innova-
tion in every part of our business.” “Mobility” is a term we are accustomed to associating with the smartphones, tablets and laptops we carry with us. But shortly, our most complex mobile device will be the car in our driveway. For the newest generation of consumers, the car they buy is less important than the technology it carries. Unlike their parents, millennials increasingly tend to view cars and trucks not so much as vehicles equipped with ever smarter technology but rather as very smart technology packaged in an automobile. In the months ahead, Detroit will
be talking about the prowess of its vehicles in terms that are far less about horsepower, torque and displacement and far more about radar sensor control units and stereo multifunction cameras. With its growing technology talent base, its history in evolving the automobile and its strategic focus on high-tech innovation, Detroit is positioned to become the focal point for the new mobility industry. As the auto-tech mashup accelerates, Detroit is ready to drive itself to new levels of excellence and entrepreneurship on the brand-new road ahead.
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Crain’s is seeking nominations for the 2015 class of 40 under 40, which recognizes achievers across metro Detroit under age 40 based on factors such as financial impact and community leadership. Winners will be profiled in the Oct. 5 issue and honored at an awards event in November. With more than 680 alumni invited, the event brings together the current class with colleagues, clients, family and friends to celebrate. To be eligible, nominees must be age 39 or younger as of Oct. 5, 2015. Nominations must be received by April 27. Winners will be notified this summer. Nominations are submitted online and can be found at crainsdetroit.com/section/ nominate. For questions regarding the nominations: Contact Bill Shea at bshea@crain.com or (313) 446-1626. For technical questions regarding the nomination form: Contact YahNica Crawford at ycrawford@crain.com or (313) 4461641.
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