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Michigan Central continues to gain momentum this year

After reopening Michigan Central Station (The Station) in June, we welcomed nearly 170,000 visitors into the iconic landmark over the summer to marvel at its revitalization.

In July, Michigan Central founding partner Google’s immersive computer science education program, Code Next, became the first tenant to move into The Station’s office tower. The anchor of The Station’s youth programming floor, Code Next kicks off its Fall semester today.

Just last month, we announced that Yellow Light, a beloved local purveyor of coffee, doughnuts, biscuits, sandwiches and more, will soon open its second location inside The Station’s retail arcade.

And today we’re excited to mark another milestone in the growth of Michigan Central’s tech and cultural ecosystem: this morning, Ford begins moving into new offices inside The Station. Ford’s Model e and Integrated Services teams will occupy two floors of the historic building’s office tower, and another floor – set to open later this year – will provide flexible, collaboration space for any Ford employees to reserve and use once open. While these Ford innovation teams are new to The Station, they join hundreds of colleagues who have been working out of other spaces within Michigan Central’s 30-acre footprint – including members of the Ford Pro team who have been using The Factory building as a base of operations.

The Station’s newest tenants join Newlab at Michigan Central, which, in just over a year since its launch, has grown into a diverse community of more than 600 employees from 119 companies and startups. With entrepreneurs and inventors focused on fields like advanced aerial mobility, energy equity, and multimodal logistics, Newlab at Michigan Central provides an unparalleled testing environment that includes infrastructure like the first electrified public road and Bagley Mobility Hub, along with policy tools like the Transportation Innovation Zone, which allows for the safe fast-tracking of testing technology pilots.

True to Bill Ford’s vision for the site, built on an understanding of collaboration driving innovation forward, Michigan Central brings together private and public companies, entrepreneurs, community members, students, government leaders and more to co-create new products, services and technologies to benefit society locally and at large. As we welcome more Ford employees to Michigan Central, we aim to redouble our commitment to bolstering the local and regional innovation economy, and help innovate next-generation mobility solutions for people everywhere.

Josh Sirefman, CEO of Michigan Central said: “Years of dedication have transformed Michigan Central into a hub for entrepreneurs and top tech talent. We’re excited to welcome Ford, as this move fosters new collaborations among the public sector, private companies, entrepreneurs, startups, and community members. Together, we aim to future-proof Michigan’s status as a mobility solutions epicenter, creating jobs and propelling economic opportunities in Detroit.”

For more on the exciting milestones contributing to Michigan Central’s rapid growth, check this out: