First Ford employees move into Michigan Central Station, marking start of what could be 'second act' of automotive revolution

DETROIT (WWJ) — Ford officials say Tuesday could be a day we look back on in 50 years as the beginning of a second “automotive revolution” in the Motor City.

Employees with Ford’s Model e division and Integrated Services teams officially moved into Michigan Central Station in Detroit’s Corktown neighborhood on Tuesday. It’s the latest step in integrating the newly renovated train station .

It comes after a six-year renovation of the historic building that now becomes the hub for a mobility innovation district. Detroit, earning the “Motor City” moniker, was the hub for auto innovation in the 20th century and this positions the city and the company to start a “second act,” according to Marin Gjaja, Chief Operating Officer of the Model e division.

“We have a new opportunity. Electric vehicles represent an opportunity for us to transform our company, the industry, and, ultimately by extension, the city,” Gjaja told WWJ Newsradio 950’s Jon Hewett.

“So if we’re successful, people will look back at this 50 years from now and say there was that moment in time when Detroit and Ford and a lot of other people worked together to create something special and new and that was the beginning in the complete change in the fortunes of the city, of the industry and Ford as well,” Gjaja said.

While the Model e division — which focuses on future technology and developing the latest innovations for the next generation of EVs — and the Integrated Services teams moved in on Tuesday, more than 100 startups and tech companies are already on-site nextdoor in the New Lab building, creating what is hoped to be the future ecosystem of mobility in the city.

The move symbolizes the potential for Detroit to become the “global epicenter of talent and innovation” for the auto industry of the future, according to Michigan Central CEO Josh Sirefman.

Sirefman said Tuesday is a day to remember, as it marks the first time since the early 1980s that professional jobs are in the tower of the train station.

Peter Stern, head of Ford’s Integrated Services, envisions the Michigan Central campus as something comparable to Silicon Valley, the region in Northern California well-known for its technology innovation.

“Before I came to Ford, I spent seven years working in Silicon Valley. And the thing that made Silicon Valley magic was that it brought people together — startups, established tech companies — and basically mashed together all their best ideas to result in a culture of continuous innovation,” Stern said.

“That was Bill Ford’s vision for Michigan Central. It’s for us to bring together the best people across Ford and a broader ecosystem to create amazing, transformative ideas around mobility and to be able to do that in Detroit,” he said.

Tuesday also marked the start of public guided tours at Michigan Central. The 90-minute tours are available for $20, though most tours are already sold out through the end of the year. More information can be found on the Michigan Central website.