DTE Energy has announced it spent nearly $1.7 billion with Michigan businesses in 2017, and created or sustained 5,100 jobs across the state. The company exceeded its goal by more than $300,000. In the past eight years, DTE has spent more than $7.5 billion with local suppliers of goods and services, creating 16,000 jobs.
"In 2010, our chairman and CEO Gerry Anderson challenged DTE's leadership team to re-think the way we did business, and asked us to do more to support the state," said DTE Energy Chief Procurement Officer Anthony Tomczak. "We looked at how Michigan-based businesses could help us achieve our goals. We changed the way we purchased goods and services and significantly impacted the state we work and live in, too. We're proud of the difference we've made in the communities we serve."
Below are highlights of DTE's partnership with Michigan-based vendors, including dollars spent, number of businesses and jobs created or retained:
- In Southeast Michigan and Metro Detroit: DTE invested more than $1 billion with 1,312 companies, impacting 3,879 jobs.
- In West Michigan, DTE spent nearly $59 million with 225 companies, impacting 190 jobs.
- Northeast and Northwest Michigan: DTE invested more than $33 million with 165 companies, impacting 108 jobs.
- South Michigan: DTE partnered with 557 companies, spending nearly $169 million, impacting 547 jobs.
- Central Michigan: DTE invested nearly $19 million with 480 companies, impacting 60 jobs.
- Thumb Region: DTE spent more than $87 million with 802 companies, impacting 282 jobs.
- Upper Peninsula: DTE spent nearly $11 million with 53 companies, impacting 35 jobs.
DTE Energy is a founding member of Pure Michigan Business Connect, a public-private initiative that encourages companies to buy from Michigan vendors, and "connects" local companies on a variety of business opportunities.
Today, more than 70 percent of the funds that DTE spends with suppliers go to Michigan businesses, which demonstrates the competitiveness of Michigan's economy. The company also invested $510 million with Detroit-based businesses last year and, in 2018, will look to create or sustain 1,500 jobs through Detroit procurement.
For W-3 Construction, a Detroit construction services company, DTE Energy's focus on Michigan businesses translates into increased revenue and additional jobs. W-3 helps DTE build new substations to provide more reliable electric power for customers. DTE spent more than $1 million with W-3 in 2017, a 72 percent increase over 2016.
"We've been in Detroit for more than 30 years and established a track record of delivering high-quality, cost-competitive services to DTE," said Linda Turner, client relations manager for W-3. "The increased business from DTE has fueled our growth, allowing us to bring on additional full-time Michigan workers and hire more local skilled laborers for projects."
W-3 is among a growing number of veteran and minority-owned firms helping DTE to develop a more inclusive supplier base. Last year, DTE spent $441 million with diverse vendors and captured six industry-wide awards for its supplier diversity commitment.
DTE also encourages suppliers, like W-3, to buy and hire locally, and it provides networking opportunities so that vendors can develop business relationships with other Michigan companies.
"We host yearly seminars to teach business owners how to connect with our supply chain. We invite our largest suppliers to those seminars so that locally-owned small businesses can connect with them. Today, many of our suppliers are doing business with one another," Tomczak added.
