In the News

CEO Corner

2008.01
Cynthia J. Pasky

A lot of people were surprised, to say the least, in December when the New York Times Sunday Travel Section included Detroit on its list of "53 Places to go in 2008."

Not the management team from Strategic Staffing Solutions' 20 branches in the U.S. and Europe.

Each year we bring our key staff from around the country and the world to Detroit for workshops that help get the year off to a great start and keep us all on the same page. Each year our meeting is here in Detroit. And each year our managers eagerly await the chance to come to here.

They look forward to unique venues such as the Museum of African American History, the Motown Museum, the DIA and other attractions. And as they have become veteran Detroit visitors they go back to restaurants and nightspots they have gotten to know in past years and want to revisit.

That's one of the reasons why events like the North American International Auto Show, the Super Bowl and the Final Four that will be here in 2009 are so important to our future as a city. Yes, they create jobs in the short run in the entertainment, food and beverage segment of our economy. But more importantly, they bring thousands upon thousands of visitors from around the country and around the world to see for themselves that the old stereotypes of Detroit are way out of date. They see for themselves that this is a vibrant city is in the midst of a dramatic rebirth with a wide array of attractions to appeal to any visitor.

Our 2008 All Staff conference will take place later this month. We'll be bringing in some 200 executives from around the U.S. and Europe. They can't wait to visit the newly renovated DIA, the new MGM Grand Detroit, the new Motor City Casino, a number of other new restaurants and entertainment spots and that most Detroit of events, the North American International Auto Show.

Year after year, the auto show is one of the highlights of the year in Detroit. But it would be a mistake to take it for granted. Other cities are trying to chip away at our show and steal some of our glory.

The longer we argue and delay on plans to expand Cobo to meet the expanded needs of the show and other convention needs, the more time we give the other cities to cut into our territory. It's about time our elected leaders recognize the value of Cobo to the entire region and get serious about making the improvements that must be made.

For this year, I know our S³ managers are excited about coming back to Detroit and excited about the 2008 auto show.

I suppose we could move the conference around to different cities. But I know we'd have to fight our managers to do that.

They know why the New York Times, after looking around the world, picked Detroit as one of "53 places to go in 2008." And they can't wait to get back here.