I know as a millennial that GM/the Big 3 are not big on our radars. When they do hire our parents and aunts and uncles will freak out and repost the job ads on our Facebooks, but when you really look at the offer it's usually not that great. I can get the same pay and benefits at almost any warehouse. The '90s really were the last of the glory days. Not that I wouldn't work for GM at the plant given the right circumstances, but I don't see it as a golden ticket anymore.
This is probably better for another thread (perhaps the general general thread), but a few of you are underselling the importance of GM and manufacturing in general to Lansing's economy. The latest census estimates - and this is just for the city - shows 17.1% of workers work in manufacturing, wholesale trade, and logistics/warehousing. This accounts for 9,000 jobs. While this is way smaller a percentage of the economy than it used to be, these folks get paid a helluva lot more than the 13.6% workers in Lansing who are employed in the retail industry.
There is also a kind of pre-recession view of the domestic auto industry I see. For those that follow the industry, it's a cliche but they are fastly becoming tech companies that happen to sell cars. While a plant may employ a thousand-or-two wage workers, they also employ a hundred-or-two salaried workers which often include computer engineers, robot technicians, etc...There is a receason why Michigan regular ranks in the top 5 or so states in the entire country when it comes the number of engineers we have. This is literally a headline in The Detroit News, tonight:
I guess my point is that Lansing is lucky to have all three of its legs, and that GM isn't going away any time soon, and will probably, in fact, reinvent itself again as a technology innovator. They are investing in all kinds of technology start-ups. The idea that we shouldn't be proud of the industry or treat it as some kind of burden needs to stop.
The LSJ reported on Mayor-Elect Schor's department heads. The most notable rearrangement of city government is that neighborhood concerns have been spun off from the Planning Department, and will now constitute the office of Neighborhoods and Civic Engagement, and will be overseen by Andrea Crawford, who is currently Lansing's neighborhood resource coordinator. Lansing's new EDC director will be Brian McGrain, a sitting Ingham County Board of Commissioners member representing parts of Lansing.
The one most important to me, the planning department director Bob Johnson, is one I don't see on the list, either as having been moved to another office or quitting. Maybe they are trying to work something out with him. He's been really good for the city. Everyone else in the major offices looks to be staying on.
EDIT: The Lansing City Pulse clarifies this. It looks like the EDC has been folded back into the planning department, so McGrain will now be both the director of planning and of the EDC.
In other news, the new sculpture down at Michigan and Museum is named "Portrait of a Dreamer," and was the result of the Arts Impact Project, which was a partnership including LEAP (Lansing Economic Area Partnership) and the Arts Council of Greater Lansing. This may have been mentioned here a year or so back. The next piece of art is planned for the southside. The city committed $175,000 for these two pieces. From the city's instagram page:
Really curious to see what they have planned for the southside, and I'm glad to see the city's recommittment to public art after a bit of a hiatus. BTW, saw this one tonight. For whatever reason, photos seem to make the sidewalk look thinner than it is. It's not as much of an obstruction as I thought it was; there is still plenty of room for pedestrians to go around it.
Finally, Gongwer News Service is reporting that the last geothermal well on the grounds of the capitol was drilled last Friday, so we'll likely be seeing the site filled back in fairly soon, at least up to a point since this still requires quite a bit of technical work at grade.
@The_Lansing_Magnate I wouldn't consider Demmer a GM supplier, they do list automotive as an industry they're involved in but they primarily do defense and aerospace work. There are tons of suppliers in the area, here's a (probably incomplete) list of the major GM suppliers:
-Magna Powertrain
-Magna Dexys
-Woodbridge
-Bridgwater Interiors
-Alliance Interiors
-Yazaki
-3 Dakkota Plants (Keller Rd, Holloway Dr, Grove Rd)
-Android Industries
-Ryder Logistics
-Yanfeng
I'd bet that most of those places have close to or over 200 employees, some quite a few more. I wouldn't argue that the bulk of these are great jobs but even the line jobs probably don't pay much worse than the entry level state or insurance industry jobs.
There's also a number of non GM auto suppliers and non auto related manufacturers. One of the more interesting sounding companies I came across was Eckhart, a company that designs automated production lines, assembles them in house to test and then disassembles, ships and installs them on site. Probably some of the more advanced manufacturing in the area goes on at Pratt and Whitney, which has a good sized complex on the south side manufacturing jet engine parts.
@MichMatters Exactly, the auto industry and manufacturing in general is a huge asset. Manufacturing brings in tons of outside money and there are plenty of engineering, management, machinist and highly skilled maintenance jobs to go with the assembly line jobs.
It would be great if we had another industry to replace GM in our community but I am pretty sure that while maybe not growing, they will be here for a long time to come. What I would like to see is the land that GM has left, and the huge surface lots that are no longer used redeveloped. Whole new neighborhoods could fit into those areas. I think a mix of smaller industrial sites with commercial and residential development [like most of Lansing] would be successful.
On the Capitol, I noticed that they have entirely surrounded the building with a fence and are digging up part of the front lawn. I assume it is part of the geothermal well project. Are there plans for the re-landscaping of the lawn that have been published? I was wondering about the plans for an underground visitors entrance. It would make sense to do both projects at the same time, but I don't think they funded the visitors center.
I, for one, am very proud that we make some very good vehicles here in Lansing. Insurance is a great business have here but they cannot match a new Cadillac or Camaro in the driveway for Christmas. I think we really should be connecting the present GM with the past by promoting the "car culture" of Lansing. Plant tours, watch your car being made, and other promotions to raise awareness of what they make behind those big white walls. Create a downtown or Michigan Ave "GM storefront" with all the newest models on display in the big windows. They did that in NYC why not here? Sponsor more cars shows, rallies, classic car races, that could be combined with all kinds of different events and markets. I think many people still love cars, and I hope we make them here for a long time to come.
@Hood: That was great information. Thanks. Still makes me think GM is the clear #3 economic pillar in Greater Lansing, which is undoubtedly a very important role. I wouldn't want to see GM leave.
@gbdinlansing: GM World in the Renaissance Center in Detroit shows off the company's latest models to the public. I don't see them spending the money on something similar in Lansing, unfortunately.
I do think there is room in Lansing for more automotive-themed attractions or businesses. Near Detroit they turned an auto garage into a restaurant that plays up the region's automotive heritage (Vinsetta Garage), and you practically can't get a seat in the place it's so popular. The Dolson in Charlotte makes nods to automotive manufacturing and is also going gangbusters (the name references an old car model). Granted both places also serve good food, but I do think the auto theme really connects with people.
I think a smartly planned auto-themed business in REO Town would be a smashing success.
Mayor Virg Bernero announced today that a series of public charrettes will be held to engage the Lansing community in designing a new, permanent outdoor amphitheater at Adado Riverfront Park. Over the course of two days, the core project team and community stakeholders will meet to create design concepts for the proposed amphitheater and surrounding environs.
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The City of Lansing was awarded a $40,000 National Endowment for the Arts (NEA) Art Works Grant to support the design and engineering of a permanent outdoor amphitheater at Adado Riverfront Park in the heart of the city’s arts and cultural district. The city matched the grant award dollar-for-dollar to build an $80,000 budget for design of the facility and surrounding areas. SmithGroupJJR was selected as the design team for the project through a competitive Request for Proposals (RFP) process.
The public is invited to provide their input at an initial presentation of the amphitheater concept on Thursday, December 14th from 6 p.m. until 8 p.m. Information gathered at the Thursday session will then be used to illustrate the preferred design concept for the facility and surrounding area, which will be presented and discussed on Friday, December 15th from 3 p.m. until 5 p.m. Both meetings will be held at the Lansing Center in Rooms 203-205.
Many of us have been talking about this a long time. The existing one in the park is too small and in total neglect. I'd hope the new administration sees something like this through. It would make events like Common Ground better, and would just generally improve the park given what it's used for.
Maybe the REO museum and local dealers could fund a display of locally produced vehicles as a placemaking project, that says Lansing is a place that builds and makes things. This could include Spartan Motors and anything we make in Greater Lansing.
A little update on something we talked about, oh, over two years ago, now. Back in April of 2015 a plot of land at South Cedar and Syringa Drive (this is just north of Jolly and immediately south of the McDonald's) was rezoned to allow an eventual retail usage. This piece of land has always been rather noticeable because it's been empty for as long as I can remember, but always really emaculately maintained. It's also notable for its giant pine/fur trees on part of the backside of the lot which continue into the backyards of the homes along East Syrigna which shade the area
Well, I just noticed this evening that the trees on the interior of the lot have been cut down. They were fairly large, themselves, but I think they were mostly oaks or something. So anyway I go to look at the city website to see if the land has finally be sold and lo and behold it's recorded as having been sold on the 7th of this month for $75,000 cash. We'd discussed back in 2015 how we thought it'd likely be another fast-food place, but this will definitely be a prominent, little site to keep an eye on now.
Another update since the November one. It appears they did in fact end up cutting down most of the giant pine/furs on the backside of the lot on the north end of the site, which is a disappointment. As far as I can tell, only one of them is left. However, I guess this points to something that points to possible imminent development on the lot.
Speaking of lost trees on Cedar. I also noticed that while the BWL also got rid of tree they talked about at Mount Hope United Methodist at the corner of Mt. Hope and Cedar, it seems someone also got rid of all the trees on the Cedar-side of the old Walter French Academy kitty-corner. I don't understand that, as they weren't obstructing any wires that I can tell since the building is set so far back from the street, so maybe it's a sign of redevelopment finally coming.
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I know as a millennial that GM/the Big 3 are not big on our radars. When they do hire our parents and aunts and uncles will freak out and repost the job ads on our Facebooks, but when you really look at the offer it's usually not that great. I can get the same pay and benefits at almost any warehouse. The '90s really were the last of the glory days. Not that I wouldn't work for GM at the plant given the right circumstances, but I don't see it as a golden ticket anymore.
This is probably better for another thread (perhaps the general general thread), but a few of you are underselling the importance of GM and manufacturing in general to Lansing's economy. The latest census estimates - and this is just for the city - shows 17.1% of workers work in manufacturing, wholesale trade, and logistics/warehousing. This accounts for 9,000 jobs. While this is way smaller a percentage of the economy than it used to be, these folks get paid a helluva lot more than the 13.6% workers in Lansing who are employed in the retail industry.
There is also a kind of pre-recession view of the domestic auto industry I see. For those that follow the industry, it's a cliche but they are fastly becoming tech companies that happen to sell cars. While a plant may employ a thousand-or-two wage workers, they also employ a hundred-or-two salaried workers which often include computer engineers, robot technicians, etc...There is a receason why Michigan regular ranks in the top 5 or so states in the entire country when it comes the number of engineers we have. This is literally a headline in The Detroit News, tonight:
Drivers still key as GM heads to driverless future
I guess my point is that Lansing is lucky to have all three of its legs, and that GM isn't going away any time soon, and will probably, in fact, reinvent itself again as a technology innovator. They are investing in all kinds of technology start-ups. The idea that we shouldn't be proud of the industry or treat it as some kind of burden needs to stop.
The LSJ reported on Mayor-Elect Schor's department heads. The most notable rearrangement of city government is that neighborhood concerns have been spun off from the Planning Department, and will now constitute the office of Neighborhoods and Civic Engagement, and will be overseen by Andrea Crawford, who is currently Lansing's neighborhood resource coordinator. Lansing's new EDC director will be Brian McGrain, a sitting Ingham County Board of Commissioners member representing parts of Lansing.
The one most important to me, the planning department director Bob Johnson, is one I don't see on the list, either as having been moved to another office or quitting. Maybe they are trying to work something out with him. He's been really good for the city. Everyone else in the major offices looks to be staying on.
EDIT: The Lansing City Pulse clarifies this. It looks like the EDC has been folded back into the planning department, so McGrain will now be both the director of planning and of the EDC.
In other news, the new sculpture down at Michigan and Museum is named "Portrait of a Dreamer," and was the result of the Arts Impact Project, which was a partnership including LEAP (Lansing Economic Area Partnership) and the Arts Council of Greater Lansing. This may have been mentioned here a year or so back. The next piece of art is planned for the southside. The city committed $175,000 for these two pieces. From the city's instagram page:
Really curious to see what they have planned for the southside, and I'm glad to see the city's recommittment to public art after a bit of a hiatus. BTW, saw this one tonight. For whatever reason, photos seem to make the sidewalk look thinner than it is. It's not as much of an obstruction as I thought it was; there is still plenty of room for pedestrians to go around it.
Finally, Gongwer News Service is reporting that the last geothermal well on the grounds of the capitol was drilled last Friday, so we'll likely be seeing the site filled back in fairly soon, at least up to a point since this still requires quite a bit of technical work at grade.
@The_Lansing_Magnate I wouldn't consider Demmer a GM supplier, they do list automotive as an industry they're involved in but they primarily do defense and aerospace work. There are tons of suppliers in the area, here's a (probably incomplete) list of the major GM suppliers:
-Magna Powertrain
-Magna Dexys
-Woodbridge
-Bridgwater Interiors
-Alliance Interiors
-Yazaki
-3 Dakkota Plants (Keller Rd, Holloway Dr, Grove Rd)
-Android Industries
-Ryder Logistics
-Yanfeng
I'd bet that most of those places have close to or over 200 employees, some quite a few more. I wouldn't argue that the bulk of these are great jobs but even the line jobs probably don't pay much worse than the entry level state or insurance industry jobs.
There's also a number of non GM auto suppliers and non auto related manufacturers. One of the more interesting sounding companies I came across was Eckhart, a company that designs automated production lines, assembles them in house to test and then disassembles, ships and installs them on site. Probably some of the more advanced manufacturing in the area goes on at Pratt and Whitney, which has a good sized complex on the south side manufacturing jet engine parts.
@MichMatters Exactly, the auto industry and manufacturing in general is a huge asset. Manufacturing brings in tons of outside money and there are plenty of engineering, management, machinist and highly skilled maintenance jobs to go with the assembly line jobs.
It would be great if we had another industry to replace GM in our community but I am pretty sure that while maybe not growing, they will be here for a long time to come. What I would like to see is the land that GM has left, and the huge surface lots that are no longer used redeveloped. Whole new neighborhoods could fit into those areas. I think a mix of smaller industrial sites with commercial and residential development [like most of Lansing] would be successful.
On the Capitol, I noticed that they have entirely surrounded the building with a fence and are digging up part of the front lawn. I assume it is part of the geothermal well project. Are there plans for the re-landscaping of the lawn that have been published? I was wondering about the plans for an underground visitors entrance. It would make sense to do both projects at the same time, but I don't think they funded the visitors center.
I, for one, am very proud that we make some very good vehicles here in Lansing. Insurance is a great business have here but they cannot match a new Cadillac or Camaro in the driveway for Christmas. I think we really should be connecting the present GM with the past by promoting the "car culture" of Lansing. Plant tours, watch your car being made, and other promotions to raise awareness of what they make behind those big white walls. Create a downtown or Michigan Ave "GM storefront" with all the newest models on display in the big windows. They did that in NYC why not here? Sponsor more cars shows, rallies, classic car races, that could be combined with all kinds of different events and markets. I think many people still love cars, and I hope we make them here for a long time to come.
@Hood: That was great information. Thanks. Still makes me think GM is the clear #3 economic pillar in Greater Lansing, which is undoubtedly a very important role. I wouldn't want to see GM leave.
@gbdinlansing: GM World in the Renaissance Center in Detroit shows off the company's latest models to the public. I don't see them spending the money on something similar in Lansing, unfortunately.
I do think there is room in Lansing for more automotive-themed attractions or businesses. Near Detroit they turned an auto garage into a restaurant that plays up the region's automotive heritage (Vinsetta Garage), and you practically can't get a seat in the place it's so popular. The Dolson in Charlotte makes nods to automotive manufacturing and is also going gangbusters (the name references an old car model). Granted both places also serve good food, but I do think the auto theme really connects with people.
I think a smartly planned auto-themed business in REO Town would be a smashing success.
Well, this came out of nowhere. He won't be around to see it through, but Virg invited the public to help design a new outdoor amphitheater in Riverfront Park on the 7th.
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Many of us have been talking about this a long time. The existing one in the park is too small and in total neglect. I'd hope the new administration sees something like this through. It would make events like Common Ground better, and would just generally improve the park given what it's used for.
Maybe the REO museum and local dealers could fund a display of locally produced vehicles as a placemaking project, that says Lansing is a place that builds and makes things. This could include Spartan Motors and anything we make in Greater Lansing.
Another update since the November one. It appears they did in fact end up cutting down most of the giant pine/furs on the backside of the lot on the north end of the site, which is a disappointment. As far as I can tell, only one of them is left. However, I guess this points to something that points to possible imminent development on the lot.
Speaking of lost trees on Cedar. I also noticed that while the BWL also got rid of tree they talked about at Mount Hope United Methodist at the corner of Mt. Hope and Cedar, it seems someone also got rid of all the trees on the Cedar-side of the old Walter French Academy kitty-corner. I don't understand that, as they weren't obstructing any wires that I can tell since the building is set so far back from the street, so maybe it's a sign of redevelopment finally coming.