July 18, 2013 2:21 PM
Aerotropolis rebrands as VantagePort as part of 25-year build-out plan
By Bill Shea
The Detroit Region Aerotropolis Development Corp. said today it will call itself VantagePort as part of a rebranding marketing effort.
Oakland, Calif.-based Applied Storytelling Inc., a brand management firm with an office in Detroit, was hired to handle the renaming effort, the aerotropolis said in a statement. Additionally, New York City-based global site selection and economic development consulting firm Greyhill Advisors Inc. was hired to develop the strategic plan for the aerotropolis.
Some of the steps in the plan include:
Oakland, Calif.-based Applied Storytelling Inc., a brand management firm with an office in Detroit, was hired to handle the renaming effort, the aerotropolis said in a statement. Additionally, New York City-based global site selection and economic development consulting firm Greyhill Advisors Inc. was hired to develop the strategic plan for the aerotropolis.
Some of the steps in the plan include:
- Implementing a marketing and business development program, incorporating the new name.
- Identifying business targets by industry sector.
- Creating a formalized land development program.
- Developing the brand and value proposition and related materials.
The aerotropolis also said Tim Keyes, the former economic director for the city of Romulus, has formally been named its first CEO. Crain's first reported his hiring last week. Keyes started the job July 1 and is tasked with deploying the steps recommended by Greyhill.
The aerotropolis, on land in Huron Township, Romulus, Taylor, Van Buren Township, Ypsilanti and Ypsilanti Township, was formed and expanded as a Wayne County-led push for economic development and logistics projects. It encompasses 60,000 acres around Detroit Metropolitan Airport in Romulus and Willow Run Airport near Ypsilanti.
The aerotropolis is built around a business-friendly regulatory atmosphere in that zone aimed at attracting air logistics companies via tax breaks and streamlined paperwork to the location encompassing the two airports.
The county-run project is predicted by its backers to create 64,000 jobs and $10 billion in annual economic impact by the time it is built over 25 years.
The entities involved in the quasi-public corporation that oversees the aerotropolis include Wayne County, Washtenaw County, Belleville, Huron Township, Romulus, Taylor, Van Buren Township, Ypsilanti, Ypsilanti Township, the Wayne County Airport Authority, Business Leaders for Michigan and DTE Energy.
Wayne County Executive Robert Ficano first began to seriously push the aerotropolis concept in 2008, touting airports elsewhere in the world that have evolved as mini-cities with an airport at the focal point. From there, rings of economic develop around the airport include aero-related logistics businesses, manufacturing, residential, retail and entertainment.
The aerotropolis, on land in Huron Township, Romulus, Taylor, Van Buren Township, Ypsilanti and Ypsilanti Township, was formed and expanded as a Wayne County-led push for economic development and logistics projects. It encompasses 60,000 acres around Detroit Metropolitan Airport in Romulus and Willow Run Airport near Ypsilanti.
The aerotropolis is built around a business-friendly regulatory atmosphere in that zone aimed at attracting air logistics companies via tax breaks and streamlined paperwork to the location encompassing the two airports.
The county-run project is predicted by its backers to create 64,000 jobs and $10 billion in annual economic impact by the time it is built over 25 years.
The entities involved in the quasi-public corporation that oversees the aerotropolis include Wayne County, Washtenaw County, Belleville, Huron Township, Romulus, Taylor, Van Buren Township, Ypsilanti, Ypsilanti Township, the Wayne County Airport Authority, Business Leaders for Michigan and DTE Energy.
Wayne County Executive Robert Ficano first began to seriously push the aerotropolis concept in 2008, touting airports elsewhere in the world that have evolved as mini-cities with an airport at the focal point. From there, rings of economic develop around the airport include aero-related logistics businesses, manufacturing, residential, retail and entertainment.
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