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Warren officials said last week’s announcement by General Motors that salaried workers who have been working remotely for the past two years due to the Covid-19 pandemic will return to the office three days a week is a positive for the city’s economy.
“I’m very happy,” said Warren Mayor James Fows. “This will help our small businesses, restaurants, gas stations and all businesses in Warren.”
The GM Global Technical Center is located on 710 acres in Warren, bordered by Van Dyke Avenue and Mound, 12 Mile and 13 Mile roads. It is located directly across Van Dyke from Warren City Hall and houses 23,797 employees when they are not working remotely.
“Those 25,000 GM employees are good customers for Warren businesses, so it’s good for everybody,” Fows said. “I welcome people back to work at the Tech Center.”
Warren Community, Downtown and Economic Development Director Tom Bomarito believes the return of Tech Center workers to the office will be positive for business in the city.
“I’m very happy with GM’s announcement,” Bommarito said. This should be a big arm for our small businesses in Warren.
Although he won’t be back in office until early in the year, local businesses are pleased with the development. Many local restaurants rely on GM employees to fuel their lunch and after-hours crowds, and employees at GM’s tech center have noticed a significant drop in profits since they started working remotely.
“We absolutely feel the loss of our GM customers,” said Laura Nahad, owner of Malone’s Tavern on Van Dyke Avenue, just north of the Tech Center. “This was our bread and butter at lunchtime – at least half of our lunch customers. We used to have a great happy hour and lots of retirement parties.
Nahad said many of her GM customers have remained loyal and stopped by any day they were in the office.
“We have a lot of regulars and the ones who come into the office twice a week have told us that they come every time they work at the tech center,” Nahad said. “That would be a great thing.”
GM expects a more detailed timeline on plans for workers to return to the office three days a week by the end of October.
Earlier this year, the Warren City Council voted not to approve plans for a city center development on Van Dyke beyond the Tech Center. The proposed funding for the project was mentioned primarily by the council, but the remote working status of the tech center staff was also discussed. The council is concerned that if GM employees are not present full-time on the Tech Center campus, there will not be enough support for a retail center with a boutique hotel.
Fows said he never gave up on the idea of a downtown location, and he believes the return of GM Tech Center workers to the office will help spark new interest in the downtown project.
“This could definitely be an opportunity to reimagine the downtown,” Fows said. “This boosts the bottom line for all of our businesses in Warren. When GM goes, Warren goes, so we want their employees to shop here in town.”
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