For a long time Tweddle Group's tech workforce worked everywhere. A few staffers were in its Clinton Township-based headquarters, while more worked here and there at other offices. They really didn't have one place to call their own until a few weeks ago.
That's when the automotive communications and publishing firm opened its newest office in downtown Detroit. Tweddle Group took over the 8th floor of the
Palms Building, which is known as the home of
The Fillmore Detroit theater. The 7,000-square-foot space will house 30 tech workers, with more to follow.
"Within a year we expect it will be up to 50 people," says Paul Wilbur, president & CEO of
Tweddle Group. "If we keep growing we will add more."
The 65-year-old business specializes in information and publishing for automotive suppliers -- things like owner and user manuals. Tweddle Group has spent recent years moving these into different digital platforms, such as mobile apps or interactive systems in vehicles.
Tweddle Group currently employs 700 people, half of which work at its headquarters in Macomb County. The company also has offices throughout North America and in China, Italy, and Belgium. It recently closed its Novi office as part of the effort to consolidate its tech development team in downtown Detroit, choosing the Palms Building because of its location on Woodward Avenue near the concentration of tech startups on between Campus Martius Park and the stadiums.
"It feels like that is the tech hub that is just starting to boom right now," Wilbur says. "We want to be a part of that."
Source: Paul Wilbur, president & CEO of Tweddle Group
Writer: Jon Zemke
Read more about Metro Detroit's growing entrepreneurial ecosystem at SEMichiganStartup.com.