An "Old Man" Complaint: Tales From Detroit

"Groagun" (groagun) 11/24/2015 at 18:28 • Filed to: None

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The photo above was found simply on Google and I thought, even though it’s a big data file, that it showed just how small downtown Detroit actually is. This truly is a city that punches well above it’s weight.

If you have read any of my earlier posts you may well know that I am a defender of Detroit. I do not live there and visit only once or twice a year, but I have come to really like and even love Detroit.

It’s not the physical spaces or places, the art or the architecture. It’s not the basketball/hockey/baseball/football teams. It’s not even the fact that Detroit and Michigan are still, even after decades of decline and neglect, the automotive center and heart of America.

It’s the people and their spirit that make me love Detroit. Yes, they have ‘bad guys’ there, just like every other city on Earth. But every time I have been to Detroit and Michigan in general, I have been met with the friendliest and most accommodating people anywhere in the “Good Old USA!” The put southerners to shame at times.

What is the difference between Southerners and those from Detroit? I’ll let you know through first hand experiences I had with both. Similar scenarios with two completely different outcomes.

The project I have been working on for the past few years has had many iterations and alterations made to it so as to see the company progress and succeed. A few years a go we were dealing with several Detroit area engineering and manufacting businesses: no not GM or Ford or any of the big auto makers but the technology and supplier base companies.

Simply put, we were too early in our development and didn’t have our program set or our busienss plan solid enough for them to get involved or invest in at that point. It was very frustrating with the ideas in our heads but not concrete enough for the world at large to support fully.

At the same time, we were in the American South East dealing with both private and government entities for investment and location considerations and in the midst of negotiations for said purposes.

When it came time to finally saying no to us, this is where the differences between the two were brought to light.

First, in Detroit, as you might have thought already, they just told us to our faces. It wasn’t a strak slap or abrupt shot like you may have expected. All of them, big and small alike, took the time to go through in detail what they thought and perfectly explained why the answer was no.

As devistating as it was, we at least appreciated the feedback and we learned something from the experience and applied that learning to our program and those same lessons have helped and sharpened our plan today where we are mere steps away from our first real and major success.

On that other hand, in the south, can you guess what we heard or got back?

NOTHING!

As was explained to us eventually, ‘that is Southern hospitality.’

To physically explain how that worked, I give to you the following: While in our favorite Southern US city we contacted our pseudo government/private agent. He worked for an organization whose job it was to promote the state and attract new business through government channels and endorsements with private capital.

At that point we knew the ansewer was no but just wanted to learn what we could do, to better our project and come back with what we and they needed. In the mid afternoon we reached him by telephone and arranged to meet at 4 o’clock that afternoon 15 minuets from his office, right downtown.

4:30, no show: call and leave message: 5:00, no show: 5:30, call and leave message, went directly too message with no rings: 6:00, no show: 6:30, I finally lose my shit and go off like a bomb.

%99 of the time, I’m the calm, cool and collected one. I finally lost it. Don’t waste my time and DO NOT lie to me!

As it turns out, in this case, ‘Southern Hospitality’ simply meant that it was better to just ignore us than get into any sort of confrontation. To this day I do not understand that mentality. I’m not sure why he thought we were or were going to get mad at him, we gave him no indications to that and fully knew it wasn’t him that said no.

So why am I telling you all of this? Because I read this today and got pissed off. !!!error: Indecipherable SUB-paragraph formatting!!!

Yes I can understand from a market specific point of view: Does J/LR sell enough vehicles to justify being at the show? That’s a hard one to answer but I can tell you that not being at the show will definitely erode sales numbers in the region in the future by not being there. How is that smart?

Detroit has taken a shit kicking and continues to take abuse, even as potentially flippant as this move by J/LR. We think of Detroit as this today:

We marvel, admire and some snicker at yesterday:

Know this though, Detroit is still the center of the automotive universe and the place where real work, engineering and innovation happens in America. You should be proud of it and it’s people. You should cheer for it’s revival and do something to help it up again. It wont just be helping Detroit, it will be helping America itself.

Not attending NAIAS will do nothing for J/LR bottom line, it will hurt sales in the future. Detroit, Michiganders and all enthusiasts who love cars should be pissed at J/LR today. They earned our anger.

PetarVN, GLI Guy, now with stupid power > Groagun 11/24/2015 at 19:49

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I love the idea of Detroit and the idea of NYC. neither one is a city I’d live in tho

DrJohannVegas > Groagun 11/24/2015 at 20:06

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I’ve nothing to say about J/LR’s decision: the NYIAS has been losing clout for a while.

But, I concur wholeheartedly that Detroit is a far better city than it’s reputation suggests, and a damn sight better than many places. The people there deserve a lot better than the reputation most outsiders have given them. I spend more than a few minutes of most of my trip dispelling racist, classist, elitist, and just plain misguided preconceptions and opinions about the Motor City. It ain’t perfect, for sure, but there are many good people there doing their best.

Groagun > PetarVN, GLI Guy, now with stupid power 11/24/2015 at 20:15

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Why?

Chariotoflove > Groagun 11/24/2015 at 20:31

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What you describe is not just in Detroit. It’s good old down to earth Midwestern nature. Much better than the “southern” way of doing things.

ranwhenparked > Groagun 11/24/2015 at 20:41

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I don’t think Detroit is a terribly important show for JLR. Their manufacturing and R&D are in the UK, their North American headquarters is in New Jersey, and Michigan (and the Upper Midwest in general) is pretty much dominated by the domestics and the Japanese.

The company is on a major cost savings drive, due to the downturn in China and continuing poor sales of Jaguar passenger cars, so, if they need to pick and choose which major US auto shows they visit, New York and Los Angeles are probably more crucial in terms of getting in front of people that might actually buy their products.

Milky > Groagun 11/24/2015 at 20:46

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NAIAS is still going strong ... for the big three at least. They have to show up for it, and they do.

Also, I liked reading this.

desertdog5051 > Groagun 11/24/2015 at 21:16

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As a person who grew up in Michigan, I have always had a passion for the city and the NAIAS. Even though I would not care to live in the city proper.

You have to look at the metro region in it’s entirety and understand the volume of engineering and manufacturing it has produced.

Except for GM, all the other manufacturers HQ’s left the city years ago.

It is still the capital of cars in the western hemisphere.

I just wish they would schedule it for a better time of year.

(BTW, spell-check is your friend).

Groagun > Milky 11/24/2015 at 21:24

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Thanks.

Groagun > desertdog5051 11/24/2015 at 21:26

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Funny I primarily write for a living but I’m a terrible speller.

hike > Groagun 11/24/2015 at 21:44

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I just got back from my first trip to the Detroit area. I didn’t spend much time in Detroit, mostly in the suburbs around Pontiac, Troy, and Auburn Hills, but I loved it up there. Most everyone was very nice and the area actually has some charachter to it. I’m hoping to actually see some of the city during my next trip, but I’ve enjoyed visiting there more than many other cities I’ve been to.

PetarVN, GLI Guy, now with stupid power > Groagun 11/25/2015 at 01:55

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let me re-word that: neither one is a city I would live in if I lived in the outskirts\suburbs of it. I would love to own a home or apartment in metro Detroit, but am slightly sketched out by the crime statistics from the city.