The Detroit Regional Chamber's transportation, distribution and logistics (TDL) initiative, TranslinkeD, is working to develop TDL and supply chain assets in southeast Michigan, northwest Ohio and southwest Ontario to bring jobs and investment. This is a report on the initiative's progress from March - July, 2011.

1. THE DETROIT REGION’S
OPPORTUNITY
March 1 – Creating Jobs by Developing the
July 31, 2011 Transportation, Distribution and Logistics Sector
A Report on Progress to:
• New Economy Initiative for Southeast Michigan (NEI)
• Michigan Economic Development Corporation (MEDC)
Carolyn Gawlik
Detroit Regional Chamber Foundation
One Woodward Avenue, Suite 1900
Detroit, Michigan 48232

2. The Detroit Region’s Opportunity
The Detroit Region’s Opportunity
C R E AT I N G J O B S B Y D E V E L O P I N G T H E T R A N S P O R TAT I O N ,
DISTRIBUTION AND LOGISTICS SECTOR
Table of Contents
BACKGROUND .................................................................................................................... 2
REVIEW OF GRANT FUNDS EXPENDED TO DATE ............................................................... 2
PROGRESS IN MEETING OVERALL PROGRAM OBJECTIVES ............................................... 2
WORKSTREAMS ................................................................................................................... 3
BENCHMARKS AND METRICS ACHIEVED............................................................................ 4
Workstream 1 ........................................................................................................................................... 4
Workshop 1 ............................................................................................................................................ 4
Workshop 2 ............................................................................................................................................ 5
Workshop 3 ............................................................................................................................................ 5
Survey Results: Hub Capability Perceived Importance vs. Region’s Perceived Performance . 5
Workstream 2 ........................................................................................................................................... 7
Workstream 3 ........................................................................................................................................... 7
Regional Freight Study ......................................................................................................................... 7
Freight Infrastructure Study ................................................................................................................. 8
Workstream 4 ........................................................................................................................................... 8
Workstream 5 ........................................................................................................................................... 9
Website ................................................................................................................................................... 9
Social Media .......................................................................................................................................... 9
Newsletter ............................................................................................................................................ 10
Workstream 6 ........................................................................................................................................ 10
SIGNIFICANT EVENTS OR CONDITIONS THAT HAVE IMPACTED ABILITY TO MEET PROJECT OBJECTIVES
........................................................................................................................................... 11
ADDITIONAL INFORMATION THAT MAY BE OF INTEREST............................................... 11
APPENDIX A: FINANCIAL SUMMARY ............................................................................... 12
APPENDIX B: TRANSLINKED PROJECT MAP ..................................................................... 13
APPENDIX C: PROJECTED STRATEGIC OUTCOMES .......................................................... 14
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3. The Detroit Region’s Opportunity
BACKGROUND
In 2007, the Detroit Regional Chamber embarked on a mission to leverage the Detroit region’s transportation
assets for business attraction. The importance and value of the region’s freight movements are monumental for
the national economy. Few areas in the country can match the number and variety of assets in this region. Our
history in manufacturing and logistics related to the automotive industry has given us access from the major
international ports to the heart of manufacturing and production in the United States. TranslinkeD was
introduced at the 2008 Mackinac Policy Conference and was made of Detroit Regional Chamber and Detroit
Regional Economic Partnership members to strategically plan our future logistics and mobility resources.
TranslinkeD’s focus is to develop the Detroit area into a globally recognized northern border supply chain
cluster.
In spring of 2010, the Detroit Regional Chamber and Michigan State University released a study concluding
that Metro Detroit could create up to 66,000 new jobs and $10 billion in new annual economic development
if the region develops a coordinated, cross-border supply chain management strategy. That fall, the New
Economy Initiative for Southeast Michigan and the Michigan Economic Development Corporation granted the
Detroit Regional Chamber Foundation an award to develop a regional logistics and supply chain hub in the
Detroit trade area. This report describes the activities of the Detroit Regional Chamber Foundation on this
work from March 1 through July 31, 2011.
REVIEW OF GRANT FUNDS EXPENDED TO DATE
The attached spreadsheet provides a financial summary of the Transportation, Distribution, and Logistics (TDL)
project (see Appendix A).
At this point, the grant managers anticipate no revisions in the budget.
PROGRESS IN MEETING OVERALL PROGRAM OBJECTIVES
The TranslinkeD project includes collaboration with Michigan State University, Wayne State University,
Southeast Michigan Council of Governments, key business leaders and transportation, distribution and logistics
leaders, academic and research thought leaders, and economic development organizations throughout
southeast Michigan, northwest Ohio, and southwest Ontario.
The project has been divided into several workstreams (see page 3).
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4. The Detroit Region’s Opportunity
WORKSTREAMS
• Recommendations for a regional entity, together with an organizational
structure that can be implemented and sustainably funded (working
jointly with Michigan State University)
1 • Establishment of a base investor group to promote and build the
logistics industry through the regional entity
• Development of supply chain pilot projects to demonstrate the value
proposition for an international TDL hub (collaborating with lead
2 organization Michigan State University)
• Design a truly regional economic development strategy for the TDL
sector – informed by NEI – and conduct the appropriate economic
3 analyses
• Development of an education campaign to inform key stakeholders
(collaborating with lead organization Michigan State University)
4
• Creation of a unified TDL brand strategy, marketing messages, and
marketing plan for the region
5
• Provision for the necessary contractual services and appropriate
administrative support
6
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5. The Detroit Region’s Opportunity
BENCHMARKS AND METRICS ACHIEVED
Workstream 1
The Detroit Regional Chamber worked with Michigan State University, Wayne State University, and SEMCOG
to hold a series of three workshops focused on the design of a regional intermediary. Key stakeholders
representing industry, universities, and economic development groups throughout the region contributed to the
success of these workshops by providing valuable input of regional opportunities and challenges, thorough
analysis of benchmark data, and thoughtful discussion. Detailed presentations and results of each workshop
can be found at www.translinkeddetroit.com.
Workshop 1
March 11, 2011
41 attendees
The March 11th workshop challenged participants to assess and prioritize hub capabilities, evaluate regional
hub organizational and governance models, and identify the next steps in creating a regional logistics
intermediary. Four main categories of capabilities are supply chain expertise, economic development,
strategic infrastructure/intermediary funding, and collaboration. The region was assessed in each of these
categories relative to eleven other logistics hubs in the U.S. and Canada.
Attendees determined the most critical capabilities of a successful hub are customer service and reliability,
supply chain labor, hub operations cost, strategic corridor identification, understanding the global landscape,
marketing, international border, airport capability, interstate highways, rail network, streamlined government,
and community involvement.
Four governance models were reviewed: port authority, port authority “lite,” public/private partnership, and
industry collaborative. Strengths and weaknesses for each were documented, and necessary model
refinements were noted.
HUB CAPABILITIES
•Economic competitiveness and lowest supply chain cost to
serve
Supply Chain Expertise •Supply chain sustainability
•Infrastructure/modal support
•Competitive tax environment
Economic Development •Ability to serve global markets
Strategic Infrastructure/ •Infrastructure support and capabilities
Intermediary Funding
•Joint commission or authority
Collaboration •Strategic alliances
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6. The Detroit Region’s Opportunity
Workshop 2
April 29, 2011
35 attendees
The April 29th workshop worked to finalize the design of the regional intermediary and develop a plan for
organizational implementation. Participants determined metrics for measuring hub success. Primary metrics are
the number of direct and indirect jobs created and the economic development activity measured in dollars.
Secondary metrics include the number of new businesses attracted, the business retention rate, the ratio of
public/private investment, and the volume and value of inbound and outbound shipments. Attendees assessed
how the benchmark cities compared in these categories. One key finding is that the Detroit-Toledo-Windsor
region already compares quite favorably in the volume and value of shipments.
Participants discussed the fit of a public/private partnership organizational model in the region. Obstacles to
implement this model were identified, and opportunities to mitigate potential issues were reviewed.
Regarding an operating board, key areas the group considered centered around striking a balance between
having a board large enough to be representative, yet small enough to be nimble. The need for a champion
was clearly expressed.
Workshop 3
June 10, 2011
31 attendees
The June 10th workshop focused on synthesizing the results of a survey conducted of all prior workshop
participants and invitees from both the Opportunity Assessment and the Regional Intermediary Design
workshops. Respondents expressed their thoughts on the importance of each hub capability and the current
regional performance.
Survey Results: Hub Capability Perceived Importance vs. Region’s Perceived Performance
1 = not important 1 = lagging
5 = very important 3 = average
5 = above average
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7. The Detroit Region’s Opportunity
Those surveyed identified existing obstacles to implementing a successful regional intermediary.
Cultural Mindset 3.92
Funding for Infrastructure 3.89
Regional Collaboration 3.69
Global Perception of Region 3.64
Competitive Hubs 3.22
Promoting Hub Capabilities 3.03
Value Proposition Design 2.92
Operating Board Structure 2.81
1 1.5 2 2.5 3 3.5 4 4.5
1 = minor challenge, 5 = major challenge
OPEN-ENDED SURVEY RESPONSES
"This seems like a great opportunity to coalesce behind logistics
and supply chain with real job generation and growth potential
that plays to our strengths and capacity to perform if we will just
work together."
"Thank you for "Very
"Keep building important
the momentum taking on this
challenge and and
for this." strategic
keep up the
great work!" work. Let's
get
going."
Respondents urged the proposed intermediary to emphasize specific regional strengths. These included the
airport, skilled supply chain labor, interstate highways, and the international trade corridor.
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8. The Detroit Region’s Opportunity
Workstream 2
The Chamber continues to support the work of MSU and A.T. Kearney on several pilot service bundles that will
demonstrate the value proposition for moving freight through the region. A seminar was held on April 1,
2011 to present the opportunities to a diverse group of potential firms. The intermediary design workshops
also encouraged attendees to refer potential firms. The objective is to identify three to five different types of
client companies for the value proposition demonstration.
Workstream 3
Regional Freight Study
The design of a regional economic development strategy for the TDL sector will be informed and influenced
by the outputs from the first two workstreams. In May 2011, an RFP was released to perform an extensive
regional freight study.
This project undertakes a comprehensive, data-driven analysis of regional freight movements and
opportunities focusing on trade corridors, trade lanes, and other corridors of opportunity. The freight study
builds upon the Opportunity Assessment for a Regional Supply Chain Hub published in May 2010 by
Michigan State University and the Detroit Regional Chamber.
The overall goal is to identify and develop freight-related economic development opportunities by conducting
a regional freight analysis with the objectives to obtain and analyze data and forecast freight by mode of
transport.
A key purpose of the study will be
to develop a freight flow summary
that will document existing regional
freight movements by commodity,
mode, volume, and value. The
summary will also include, but not
be limited to, freight flows from
relevant corridors of competition
including the Port of Halifax, Port
of Montreal, and Port of Virginia.
This project will also summarize
economic trends and forecasts that
would impact the study area and
detail strengths, weaknesses,
opportunities and threats that could
affect freight-related economic
development opportunities in the
study area.
The base area of this project is
defined as southeast Michigan,
northwest Ohio, and southwest
Ontario. This study involves truck,
rail, water, and air freight flows to,
from, within, and through the
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9. The Detroit Region’s Opportunity
region. Many freight flow origins and destinations extend beyond these boundaries, so the study must
consider the linkages to state, national, and international freight systems and markets.
Key deliverables include the following:
• Document current freight flows by commodity, origin and destination, mode, volume and value
• Analyze current freight flows and identify trends by industry and corridor to anticipate future freight
movement needs
• Identify deficiencies in the corridors as they relate to freight movement
• Identify key industries, major shippers, and carriers in a freight system market analysis
• Highlight value-added services currently being performed to the freight, the logistics companies
currently providing these services, and how the study region could fit
• Compare the cost and timing of moving freight through this regional supply hub to the cost and timing
of existing or alternative routes through other regions
• Identify freight bottlenecks and other operation and safety deficiencies
• Forecast future freight flows by corridor, mode and commodity
Based on thorough review of the submitted proposals, the Chamber has sourced the regional freight study to
supply chain consulting firm TranSystems. The 14-week study will identify freight-related economic
development opportunities and forecasts in the region.
Freight Infrastructure Study
Additionally, the Chamber serves on SEMCOG’s Infrastructure Study Advisory Committee. SEMCOG is leading
an infrastructure study that will examine the region’s freight infrastructure from multiple perspectives. The
project will assess the transportation network’s ability to supply current and future freight-intensive southeast
Michigan industries with efficient and reliable goods movement. Connecting freight projects to economic
development will aid in making informed decisions about how to realize the best return on investment while
programming limited transportation funds while maximizing our transportation assets for their economic
development potential. The Study Advisory Committee is a working group that will provide expert insights
that will be used to guide the course of the study, review the study’s progress, and shape the study’s products
and recommendations.
Workstream 4
As part of the TranslinkeD initiative, the Detroit Regional Chamber seeks to inform and educate regional
stakeholders about the opportunity to develop the transportation, distribution, and logistics sector. Some
recent opportunities for education and program outreach included:
Engineering Society of Detroit
ESD Institute Global Freight Hub Symposium
March 2-3, 2011
Presentation: TranslinkeD
21st Annual Wayne State University – University of Windsor Symposium
“International Competition, Regulatory Coordination and the Future of the Auto Industry in North America”
March 31, 2011
Presentation: Developing a Bi-National Logistics Hub
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10. The Detroit Region’s Opportunity
Detroit Regional Aerotropolis Branding Workshop
April 7, 2011
Shape an authentic and uniquely compelling brand story to tell to new industries, investors, and supply chain
businesses through future marketing and promotional efforts
Mackinac Policy Conference
Economic Development Breakfast
June 2, 2011
Provided a Transportation, Distribution and Logistics program overview to a mix of public partners, private
sector leaders and government officials.
TransformeD Media Event at Southwest Solutions
June 22, 2011
Vision of TranslinkeD and how this transportation/logistical hub opportunity will spur economic development in
the city and region
Windsor-Essex Chamber Transportation Policy Committee Member
Ongoing
Works regularly on transportation related issues in Windsor, Essex County, Ontario, Canada and the United
States. Items related to supply and competition, framework legislation for industry, infrastructure investments,
airports, highways, ports, railways and border crossings are priorities for this Committee.
The Detroit Regional Chamber takes every opportunity to participate at community events and speaking
engagements.
Workstream 5
The inputs for creating a unified regional TDL brand, marketing messages and marketing strategy will flow
from the outputs of workstreams 1 – 4.
Website
To increase awareness of the region’s TDL potential and to develop the Detroit Regional Chamber as a
trustworthy and relevant resource of information regarding the TDL industry in the region, the TranslinkeD
website, www.translinkeddetroit.com, was overhauled in April and May of 2011. The site is also accessible
through the Regional Initiatives portion of www.detroitchamber.com. Website content was reorganized and
the copy was rewritten. A real-time stream of social media was incorporated to indicate fresh, ongoing
activity on the front page. Slides from the presentations at the Michigan State University workshop series were
added, along with updated facts and statistics about the region. The status of current TDL projects, such as the
Continental Rail Gateway, the Detroit Intermodal Freight Terminal, the New International Trade Crossing and
others were updated. New maps, studies, and other resources were added as well.
Social Media
Social media efforts for TranslinkeD were enhanced in order to engage
the public and increase awareness of the initiative. A revamping of the
TranslinkeD initiative’s Twitter account led to an increase in followers by
more than 100 percent from April to August. To keep TranslinkeD staff
aware of the latest news and information related to the TDL industry in
the region, several Google Alerts were set up to alert staff on a daily
basis when relevant articles are published on the web. TranslinkeD posts
tweets many times each day, linking followers to articles about freight
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11. The Detroit Region’s Opportunity
and supply chain in the region along with breaking news regarding the initiative. The steady stream of
information appears on the TranslinkeD Twitter feed and on the TranslinkeD home page. This establishes
TranslinkeD as a source of up-to-the-minute news and information on the industry, adding to the initiative’s
credibility while increasing awareness of the area’s TDL assets and updating the public on the work taking
place through the initiative. Several prominent outlets have posted re-tweets from TranslinkeD to their own
Twitter followers, including Governor Snyder’s communications director Geralyn Lasher, Macomb County
executive Mark Hackel, the Detroit News Hub, the Detroit Free Press and others.
Newsletter
Over 1,300 individuals who have indicated an interest in the transportation industry and subscribed to the
TranslinkeD e-newsletter are contained in the Detroit Regional Chamber’s constituent database. On May 28
and July 27, e-newsletters were sent to these subscribers to keep them up-to-date on the initiative’s work. The
open rate for these e-mails averaged 15.5%, which is consistent with Business and Finance sector industry
averages (Source: http://mailchimp.com/resources/research). The click-through rate was over 25% of those
readers, almost ten times higher than industry average, indicating that readers are actively engaged and
curious about TDL in the region. On the days the e-newsletters were sent, website traffic spiked to more than
four times the daily average.
Workstream 6
In recent months, the Chamber has made key hires that are critical to the success of the TranslinkeD initiative.
Benjamin Erulkar will serve as the Chamber’s new Senior Vice President of Economic Development. Erulkar
recently served as Senior Advisor to the U.S. Chamber of Commerce where he directed the Corporate
Community Investment Program for ‘Fortune 500’ members of the U.S. Chamber’s Business Civic Leadership
Center. Previously, he served as U.S. Deputy Assistant Secretary of Commerce for Economic Development
during the Bush Administration. In this role, Erulkar directed and coordinated all operations of the U.S.
Economic Development Administration (EDA). Erulkar holds degrees from Harvard University (AB), John
Hopkins University (MA) and University of Pennsylvania Law School (JD).
Erulkar’s economic development experience and leadership will serve to ensure that the TranslinkeD initiative,
as part of the Chamber’s broader economic development effort, will play a major role in job creation and
investment.
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12. The Detroit Region’s Opportunity
In April, Kerry Sharp joined the DRC as the TranslinkeD Program Coordinator. Sharp previously worked for
United Way for Southeastern Michigan as a Blended Funding Associate and Compliance Manager. In this
role, she managed fifteen nonprofit agencies who received funding from UWSEM and Wayne County,
ensured their compliance with grant requirements, streamlined reporting processes and built relationships with
funders and fundees. She has an extensive communications background and experience in promotion,
branding, messaging, development and execution of communication strategies. Sharp holds a B.S. in
Advertising and Public Relations from Grand Valley State University.
In her new role, Sharp develops consistent and continuous messaging regarding the region and its supply chain
capabilities. She develops connections to key audiences and communicates information about activities and
accomplishments.
SIGNIFICANT EVENTS OR CONDITIONS THAT HAVE IMPACTED ABILITY TO
MEET PROJECT OBJECTIVES
There have been none to date.
ADDITIONAL INFORMATION THAT MAY BE OF INTEREST
TranslinkeD is in the process of developing a comprehensive organizational structure that will seamlessly
integrate all regional logistics initiatives while maintaining momentum. This structure will allow the region to
speak with one voice to key partners and customers internal and external to the region.
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13. The Detroit Region’s Opportunity
APPENDIX A: FINANCIAL SUMMARY
Detroit Regional Chamber Foundation
TranslinkeD Department 53721 Report
As of June 30, 2011
Revenue and Expenditures Report
Oct 2010 - Sep 2012 Budget Oct 2010 - Jun 2011 Actual
Amount Percentage Amount Percentage
NEI Revenue $ 270,252.00 31% $ 50,921.21 36%
Chamber I/C Revenue 492,303.00 57% 80,739.86 57%
MEDC Revenue 99,878.00 12% 9,987.80 7%
Total Revenue $ 862,433.00 100.0% $ 141,648.87 100.0%
Salaries $ 366,843.00 42.5% $ 94,556.36 66.8%
Fringes 80,705.00 9.4% 15,755.71 11.1%
Travel 30,000.00 3.5% 10,967.61 7.7%
Hosting Seminars 16,000.00 1.9% 3,501.04 2.5%
Office Supplies 4,000.00 0.5% 957.61 0.7%
Postage 2,000.00 0.2% 0.44 0.0%
Printing 10,000.00 1.2% - 0.0%
Marketing Payments 122,130.00 14.2% - 0.0%
Contractual 150,000.00 17.4% 2,575.00 1.8%
Indirect Admin 80,755.00 9.4% 13,262.70 9.4%
Total Expense $ 862,433.00 100.0% $ 141,576.47 100.0%
Reconciliation of Payments Received and Amounts Deferred
Source of Funds Received Revenue Deferred
NEI $ 156,747.00 $ (50,921.21) $ 105,825.79
MEDC 9,987.80 (9,987.80) -
Total $ 166,734.80 $ (60,909.01) $ 105,825.79
Amount in Deferred Account 4000-53721.20 105,825.79
Amount to Reconcile $ -
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14. The Detroit Region’s Opportunity
APPENDIX B: TRANSLINKED PROJECT MAP
Current State of the Goal:
Opportunity:
Detroit Region: Creation of a
66,000 new jobs and $10
$1.6 billion in goods cross Transportation, Distribution
billion in investment within
the border daily and & Logistics Cluster of
10 years
235,000 TDL jobs exist Excellence
Status of Coordinated Work Efforts
Project Who’s Involved Actual or Expected Outcomes
100+ TDL professionals,
Completed May 2010
Past: What’s
MSU/DRC Phase I public/private stakeholders,
been done
Opportunity assessment identified potential
Workshops academics & economic
for 66K jobs, $10B investment over 10
(Series of 3) developers from across the
years
region
100+ TDL professionals,
MSU/DRC Supply Chain Completed June 2011
public/private stakeholders,
Intermediary Design Identified benchmarking info
academics & economic
Workshops Characteristics of an intermediary
developers from across the
(Series of 3) Regional capability assessment
region
To be completed Fall 2011
Analysis of trade corridors
Quantification of impact
TranslinkeD Freight Study DRC and vendor (TBD)
Present: What’s
happening now
Development of value proposition
Targeting shippers that will benefit from the
region
To be completed Spring 2012
Document supply chain & transportation
Infrastructure Study SEMCOG
conditions
Prioritize infrastructure investments
Selection process underway for pilot
companies
Michigan State University
Pilot Project Assess pilot company’s current supply chain
3-5 shippers
Implement improved supply chain strategy
Develop value proposition
Future: What we
need to do
Guide & direct strategic plan
Executive Steering
CEO-level stakeholders Engage broad support
Committee
Lead intermediary design and implementation
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15. The Detroit Region’s Opportunity
APPENDIX C: PROJECTED STRATEGIC OUTCOMES
Strategic Initiatives: Transportation, Distribution & Logistics
Local
≅ Local marketing & community outreach
≅ Streamlined government & regional collaboration
≅ Pilot implementation focused on leveraging business
partnerships
Regional
Intermediary Multi-State & Multi-National
≅ Multi-state & multi-national collaborative board
≅ Multi-state & multi-national strategic asset,
infrastructure & transportation plan
≅ Global branding, marketing & communication plan
≅ Supply chain management talent development
Build on Existing Strengths
≅ International trade corridor
Assets & ≅ Airports
Infrastructure ≅ Supply chain skilled labor
Integration ≅ Interstate highways
≅ Border crossing facilities
≅ Railroad network
Driven By:
≅ Shared, collaborative, and transparent approach
Economic
≅ Pilots to validate value proposition
Development ≅ Policy refinement
≅ Job creation
“Supply Chain Hub”
Marketing & ≅ Branding the geographic region
Communication ≅ Changing the cultural mindset
≅ Putting the region “on the map”
Workforce Assets
Talent & Education ≅ Top supply chain management educational programs
≅ Availability of human capital
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