The bid for Amazon’s HQ2 has been submitted – and now we wait. Actually, we don’t wait. We revel in the knowledge that at some level, we have already won. We may or may not get the ultimate prize of the headquarters, but in the quest to jointly woo Amazon to Windsor-Detroit, Dan Gilbert’s organization and the City of Windsor have drawn well-deserved attention to our region’s unique strength as a cross border powerhouse. Let’s not stop at Amazon, though. Starting now, let’s be more vocal about this international gem to attract other commercial opportunities.
Windsor-Detroit is ripe for a variety of collaborative business efforts that can create even more jobs in business, education, tourism, manufacturing and hospitality, as well as ancillary organizations that support them. Forward thinking business leaders have already developed relationships that position Detroit-Windsor in technology, healthcare and innovation. Looking at my own story, I was a single mother of two young children three decades ago and had to balance my career aspirations with life’s challenges and what I then saw as a restricted geography. I quickly changed my thinking, though, and began to view our region through an international lens. This mindset shift opened me up to opportunity and adventure – and even the establishment of our Detroit office in 2002. I have loved every minute of the Detroit-Windsor interchange. And what’s not to love? This unique positioning fueled development of cross-border relationships for me and my firm that spurred commerce, partnerships, friendships and shared enthusiasm for the richness of our region.
And so I ask the broader Windsor/Detroit business community, are your company and its people taking full advantage of the benefits of living, working and innovating in our international region? If not, what are you waiting for?
Kay Douglas is founder and president of Douglas Marketing Group (DMG), celebrating more than a quarter century of providing art- and technology-infused, relationship-based marketing solutions. DMG is the visionary behind the marketing brand management software and visual roadmap, DMG Big Picture Landscape® and its companion software, ROIAlly®, the strategic marketing return on investment budget tracker. With offices in Detroit, Mich., and Windsor & Welland, Ontario, the full-service marketing and communications firm brings a global view to local, regional and national campaigns and cross-border partnerships. Learn more at https://www.experiencedmg.com
