ProQuest HQ leaving

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ProQuest HQ departing

Move to Dallas planned by end of year; effect on 600 employees unclear

ProQuest Co. announced late Wednesday that it will move its corporate headquarters from Ann Arbor to Dallas by the end of the year.

ProQuest employs about 30 corporate workers here. It was unclear this morning what, if any, effect the move would have on about 600 employees who work in divisions that are being sold by ProQuest.

And the hits just keep coming.

I take consolation in the fact that they were under investigation by the SEC and that the unit that employed most of their workers here in AA is being sold off, making it more likely at least that they will stick around.

[wolverine]

What is up with Dallas these days.

I'm so numb to these announcements now.

[detwaa84]

How bout we ALL just move to Dallas. Soon, nothing would be left here.

[RustTown]

What is up with Dallas these days.

I'm so numb to these announcements now.

[rivegauche]

What is up with Dallas these days.

I'm so numb to these announcements now.

[RustTown]

That's a surprise, as the 1980's saw Michigan with a flat population growth rate. In fact, it was such a slight population rise that it was technically a stagnation. Surprisingly, Michigan grew by nearly 7% over the 90's, and, even so far, growing faster than it did in the 80's.

[wolverine]

Drove past Pro-Quest, last night. Wow, is it hard to find. I don't think they are even located within the city of Ann Arbor, rather Scio township. Hmmm. It's not a big loss, those jobs will likely be recovered elsewhere, but still.

[nofunk]

This trend is worrying though, because we're talking about highly-skilled jobs and not just manufacturing losses that could be explained away as the result of an evolving workforce. Losing any jobs is painful, but losing white collar jobs seems to me more troubling because it indicates that our state is just not competitive enough to attract and keep any business.

There is a natural progression from production and manufacturing to services, research and development as an economy evolves. Losing manufacturing jobs is painful but a sign of progress; losing jobs across all skill types is a sign more profound flaws.

[RustTown]

Yes, you make a good point. I chalk this up to having a largely dysfunctional Detroit. The difference between Michigan and a lot of surrounding states is that they have big city magnates for these type of jobs. The rest of their states aren't much different than ours, in fact, some of the 'out-state' regions of places like Illinois are declining. I think a strong Detroit would stop a lot of this white-collar bleeding. We can't expect our secondary cities to carry the state. They just aren't built for that. As great as a city like Ann Arbor is, we need a well-functioning Detroit to bring the whole state up.

[Michi]

^Exactly. I challenge all of you to a quest to start making a mental tally of all the people you know who are leaving the state of Michigan for jobs or just for a new lifestyle elsewhere.

I would like to determine if my hypothesis that most people who are leaving are going to a big (ok significant-size) city: Chicago, New York, Los Angeles, Washington DC, Atlanta, Charlotte, Boston, Portland, Dallas, Houston, Orlando, St. Louis, Seattle, San Diego, Las Vegas, Phoenix, Minneapolis. I bet 99 of 100 people leaving Michigan are relocating to big cities. How many of the millions nationwide consider Detroit in their willingness to mobilize? Probably 1 of that 100. And once they got here, settled on housing in Royal Oak.

[michlady]

I work for ProQuest and only the headquarters of ProQuest Company is leaving. That means 30 people, the remainder are staying on as we were bought by a private company. ProQuest in the city limits. The place in Scio Twp that you are referring to is NAPC, a spin off of ProQuest. This information was misrepresented in the Ann Arbor News and a correction was printed. thought you would like to know.

[Michi]

^I did! Thank you.

[RustTown]

Economically, much like the Comerica move, this is not much of a loss, but moving a headquarters is a huge psychological blow to the communities from which they move. I'd give most people the benefit of the doubt that they realize that moving a headquarters doesn't meaning moving entirely out of a community, all of the time.