Live Downtown Residency Incentives Reflect Tangible Momentum For Detroit

Daniel J. Loepp

| 3 min read

Daniel J. Loepp is President and Chief Executive Officer of Blue Cross Blue Shield of Michigan. Mr. Loepp has directed sweeping initiatives and innovations that have led to a historic transformation of BCBSM and health care in Michigan. He played a major role in modernizing the state’s health care delivery system in a process that led to enactment of new laws that transformed BCBSM to become a nonprofit mutual insurance company in January 2014. Mr. Loepp has led BCBSM initiatives to improve health care quality and slow cost increases, saving nearly $1.5 billion through several programs that have garnered national attention and served as models implemented across the country. Under his leadership, Blue Cross Blue Shield of Michigan is helping to revitalize and strengthen Detroit, Grand Rapids and Lansing. In 2011 and 2012, Blue Cross moved 3,000 BCBSM employees into downtown Detroit and the company is one of the largest employers in the city’s Central Business District. In Lansing, BCBSM subsidiary AF Group transformed a long abandoned power plant into a national headquarters. Mr. Loepp has stood by a commitment that BCBSM should be a driving force for good in Michigan’s core cities. It is reflected in BCBSM’s workforce diversity and inclusion efforts, supplier partnerships and community initiatives. In his tenure, BCBSM has been named Corporation of the Year in Finance and Insurance Services nine times by the Michigan Minority Supplier Development Council. The company has also been named one of America’s Top Organizations for Multi-Cultural Business Opportunities by DiversityBusiness.com and ranked five consecutive years as one of the top 10 Regional Companies for diversity by DiversityInc magazine, including being ranked No. 1 for consecutive years in 2015 and 2016. Mr. Loepp was honored as a 2016 recipient of the Edward N. McNamara Goodfellow of the Year Award. He was selected as Michiganian of the Year by The Detroit News in 2013. Mr. Loepp joined Blue Cross in 2000. In 2011, 2012 and 2013, he served as board chair of the Blue Cross and Blue Shield Association (BCBSA), an organization that includes all 36 Blue Cross plans and provides health coverage to more than 106 million Americans.

As a native Detroiter, I’ve heard plenty of talk over the years about rebirth and revitalization. Much of it, sadly, amounted to very little concrete action. That’s why I’m so proud that Blue Cross Blue Shield of Michigan is part of a new initiative to strengthen some of the city’s premier neighborhoods by bringing in more residents. Announced today, Live Detroit follows the ongoing move of 3,000 Blues employees from the suburbs to downtown Detroit. It’s also the latest entry in a growing list of ways the Blues are actively supporting Michigan’s core cities. Live Downtown is a joint initiative between Blue Cross, Quicken Loans, Compuware Corp., DTE Energy and Strategic Staffing Solutions. The five companies, which claim nearly 16,000 employees, are offering a collective $5 million in cash incentives to employees who choose to move to or stay in downtown Detroit. Eligible participants can receive:
  • $20,000 toward the purchase of a new home
  • Up to $5,000 in matching funds to renovate the exterior of a home
  • Up to $3,500 ($2,500 the first year and $1,000 for the second) for a new rental
  • Up to $1,000 for an existing rental
The incentives will apply to six neighborhoods: Downtown, Midtown (including Cass Park and Brush Park), Woodbridge, Corktown, Eastern Market and Lafayette Park. The program is modeled after the success of Live Midtown, a similar employee incentive program created by Wayne State University, Henry Ford Health System and the Detroit Medical Center. I grew up on Detroit’s east side, graduated from Detroit De La Salle High and am now fortunate enough to head an organization that will soon have 6,000 employees working downtown. So I feel a personal stake in the city’s rebirth, and I’m proud that our company is putting our words into action. It’s safe to say our partners in Live Detroit feel the same way. That’s why Quicken Loans founder Dan Gilbert is working to build “Webward Avenue,” his vision of a new digital startup economy in downtown Detroit. Quicken is also moving thousands of its own employees downtown from the suburbs and is currently leasing space in the Compuware Building, which itself set off a flurry of positive momentum when it opened in 2003. It’s why S3 is expanding its presence in the city, creating jobs with help from the Blues and other partners. And it’s reflected by DTE, which has long made the city its home and invests in the communities it serves. Together, we know what the rest of the world is slowly discovering: that Detroit is a great place to live, work and play, a place that is quickly assembling a critical mass of artists, designers, entrepreneurs and other young professionals drawn by the city’s incredible history, culture and a tangible sense of what’s possible. Daniel J. Loepp is president and chief executive officer of Blue Cross Blue Shield of Michigan.

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9 Comments

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Blues Perspectives

Nov 16, 2017 at 12:49am

Hi Anyssa, This program did end a few years ago. Thanks for reaching out!

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Anyssa Jones

Nov 15, 2017 at 9:07pm

Is this on-going or expired?

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Alicia K

Aug 10, 2011 at 9:05pm

There are a lot of good schools in Detroit. But of course the one's with the bad reputations get the most attention. Taxes are high in any big city. Compared to NY, LA, and Chicago, the cost of living in Detroit is significantly lower. The downtown/midtown areas are some of the most promminent in Detroit and they have had no issues with EMS or other emergency response time. If this is something you're interested in, I would suggest research in the area that appeals to you before you completely dismiss the notion from what you see on the news. I was born and raised in Detroit and I have family and friends in Detroit who not only survive but thrive.

D
Dan

Aug 3, 2011 at 1:03pm

What about Lansing? We are moving downtown also. Will any of these incentive be offered here?

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La Trice R. Herring

Aug 2, 2011 at 3:47pm

What makes an incentive an incentive? will the local lofts and apartments have viewings/tours of the properties. Some of the complexes offer "incentives" aside from the ones offered by employers. Some of the other corporations previously had other incentives that per their employees far surpassed what is offered here; but hey, every little bit counts.

MI Blues Perspectives is sponsored by Blue Cross Blue Shield of Michigan, a nonprofit, independent licensee of the Blue Cross Blue Shield Association