Quicken urges others to move, too

Lender wants other businesses to join them at possible downtown hub.

Eric Morath / The Detroit News

LIVONIA -- As Quicken Loans/Rock Financial chairman and founder Dan Gilbert mulls a move to downtown Detroit, he's asking fellow business owners: "Who's coming with me?"

Gilbert, recalling a scene from the movie "Jerry Maguire," told The Detroit News that if he relocates his mortgage business, he won't be moving alone. In the film, Tom Cruise's character storms out of an office while challenging others to leave the established firm.

"If (a move) should to happen, it's not just going to be us. We expect there to be a commitment from a lot of companies at the same time," Gilbert said, adding Quicken should make a decision where to locate its headquarters within the next one to three months.

"We're having discussions with the mayor and the governor," he said. "We expect a decision fairly shortly."

Livonia-based Quicken is quickly outgrowing its existing headquarters. The company, which employs 4,600, is hiring about 250 a month and could break into the nation's top 10 lenders this year.

Based on the amount of incentives it would take to attract a company of that magnitude, Gilbert may be asking officials: "Show me the money."

Several states are wooing Quicken, but its headquarters search is mainly focused on southeastern Michigan, where more than three-quarters of its staff is located.

Mike Shore, a spokesman for the Michigan Economic Development Corp., said the state is working to ensure that Quicken remains in Michigan.

Gilbert may not have to look far for prospects to join him at a new downtown headquarters.

Fathead, a wall graphics company that he owns, is in Quicken's current headquarters.

Another contender is ePrize LLC, a Pleasant Ridge-based interactive marketing company in which Gilbert is a major investor.

EPrize CEO Josh Linkner said his company will outgrow its current location within two years.

"Locating near to Quicken is something we would consider," Linkner said. "I admire (Gilbert's) vision to create a tipping point in the city but we haven't made decision as to where we'll expand."

Compuware CEO Peter Karmanos Jr. said last week that he's ready to welcome Gilbert's company downtown. Karmanos moved Compuware from the suburbs to Detroit four years ago.

"There's not that many multibillion companies sitting in the Detroit suburbs" that could consider a move, he said.

"Eventually Rock will be headquartered downtown."

You can reach Eric Morath at (313) 222-2504 or emorath@detnews.com.