DETROIT, January 7, 2011 — Last July Blue Cross Blue Shield of Michigan made public a plan to move approximately 3,000 employees to downtown Detroit. That plan will become a reality this year with the first group of employees moving into the GM Renaissance Center in May.
The first group of just over 200 employees will begin their work week in their new location in Tower 500 of the GM Renaissance Center on Monday, May 2, 2011. BCBSM already has about 3,000 employees in its two downtown Detroit campus locations on East Lafayette and Jefferson. The move from Southfield will bring its total workforce in Detroit to 6,000.
“We are excited about this move, which will enrich the downtown Detroit community. It is a tremendous example of our ongoing commitment to Michigan’s core cities,” said Daniel J. Loepp, BCBSM president and CEO. “Blue Cross has been a fixture in downtown Detroit for nearly 72 years. Bringing 3,000 additional BCBSM workers here will provide a significant boost to the downtown Detroit economy.”
The move of employees will continue throughout 2011 and beyond:
- Additional moves into the GM Renaissance Center’s Tower 500 will continue from April 30 through mid-July.
- The first moves to Tower 600 of GM Renaissance Center will occur in March 2012.
- Employees also will be moving to BCBSM’s office locations on Lafayette and Jefferson Detroit Tower during 2011 and 2012.
The move is designed to reduce long-term real estate costs, unify the culture for the Blues workforce and invest in Detroit’s future. Once the move is complete, BCBSM will become one of Detroit’s largest downtown employers (checking to see if we are largest private employer—City of Detroit and/or GM may have more), creating a campus extending from the Detroit Riverfront to Lafayette Avenue.
The move, along with other recent relocations in the state reinforces BCBSM’s long commitment to Michigan’s urban centers – the redevelopment of the vacant Steketee’s department store in downtown Grand Rapids into a thriving office center for BCBSM West Michigan operations; the pending relocation of BCBSM Lansing-area employees into downtown Lansing later this year; and the redevelopment of the vacant Lansing Board of Water & Light power station into national headquarters for The Accident Fund, BCBSM’s workers compensation subsidiary.
BCBSM also will remain a top employer in Oakland County. The corporate headquarters of Blue Care Network, BCBSM’s HMO subsidiary, will remain in Southfield. BCBSM also will invest in improving its conference center facility in South Lyon. More than 1,200 full-time and contractual employees work at both locations.
Blue Cross Blue Shield of Michigan, a nonprofit organization, provides and administers health benefits to 4.4 million members residing in Michigan in addition to members of Michigan-headquartered groups who reside outside the state. The company offers a broad variety of plans including Community Blue, Simply Blue and Healthy Blue Incentives PPOs; Blue Care Network HMO; BCN Healthy Blue Living; Flexible Blue plans compatible with health savings accounts; Medicare Advantage; Part D Prescription Drug plans; and MyBlue products in the under-age-65 individual market. BCBSM also offers dental, vision and hearing plans. Blue Cross Blue Shield of Michigan and Blue Care Network are nonprofit corporations and independent licensees of the Blue Cross and Blue Shield Association. For more company information, visit bcbsm.com.
