Motor City’s successes due partly to abundance of nonstop flights
One of the best ways to boost a city’s economy is to increase its volume of direct flights.
That was among the messages amplified by a business-centric panel at the Tulsa Regional Chamber’s Intercity Visit to Detroit.
Detroit, which is minutes from the Canadian border, has about 1,400 international firms in its region, municipal officials said. Not coincidentally, Detroit Metropolitan Wayne County Airport has 123 nonstop flights to 42 states and 19 countries.
“Companies ask about those nonstop flights and ease of travel because our businesses are very global in nature,” said Maureen Krauss, president and CEO of the Detroit Regional Partnership. They have customers all over the world and they want that access.”
With a metro population of about 1 million, Tulsa is about a fourth the size of Detroit. And Tulsa’s nonstop flights are proportionately fewer, with 22 directs to 19 cities.
Tulsa International Airport has no international flights but has planned a $41 million federal customs facility, set to be completed in late 2025, that will allow for nonstop, international flights to and from Tulsa for the first time.
“It is an advantage for us,” Krauss said of Detroit’s abundance of direct flights. “I would just say look at demand. Look at the markets that make the most sense and look at those connectors and see which is the best one you can use.”
More than 125 attendees from across northeast Oklahoma – including city and county elected officials, business leaders, regional partners, education administrators and young professionals – participated in the three-day Intercity event, which ended Oct. 9.
Krauss participated in an economic development panel discussion with Kevin Johnson, president and CEO of the Detroit Economic Growth Corporation; Dr. Ted Jones, senior director of Talent Initiatives for Global Detroit; and Kevin Vettraino, planning director of the Southeast Michigan Council of Governments. The talk, moderated by Tulsa Regional Chamber Executive Vice President and COO Justin McLaughlin focused on a number is topics, including regionalism and forging a city’s identity.
While grappling with how best to attract and keep talent, cities such as Detroit must deal with what Johnson described as the “success curse.”
“What happens is that there’s a cost-of-living dynamic that’s associated with growth,” Johnson said. “How we as cities manage that is the challenge of our time. We have two of the greatest universities in the country (University of Michigan and Michigan State University). But graduates are out-migrated to other parts of the country because the demand for engineers is so high.
“So, we have to create an affordable housing platform so those who are here can remain here. For those who want to be here, we have to make sure we have a quality-of-lifemeasure that keeps them attracted to a place like Detroit.”
As for business attraction, Krauss said it’s important for municipal leaders to be non-territorial.
“The only people who really care about the borders of communities are the politicians and the tax collectors,” she said. “The economies are regional. Talent is regional. The supply chain is regional.
“We’ve realized that when we combine our regional assets, we’re much more adaptable and we win more.”
Two clusters that have helped bolster Detroit’s economic development are education and medicine, also known as “Eds and Meds.” Henry Ford Health recently broke ground on a $2.2 million expansion, the largest healthcare investment in city history.
Also in the works is University of Michigan Center for Innovation, a $250 million academic campus scheduled for completion in 2027.
“The moment that the region started to embrace Detroit’s brand, everything started to come together,” Johnson said. “I think that’s within the last 10 years.
“So, embrace Tulsa. Promote it. Merchandise it. Market it. Because the region will benefit.”
Johnson moved to Detroit from Atlanta about a decade ago.
“In Atlanta, I found that it takes you a lifetime to make lifelong friends,” he said. “In Detroit, it takes you 15 minutes. That’s the difference. It’s the people.”