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“It’s the ecosystem in the city that would better support entrepreneurship and innovation,” he said, declining to be more specific until council sees the plan.

About 600 new jobs are being created by attracting employers like Kauth (auto parts), APAG (electronics), and Quicken Loans, which announced a new downtown tech centre in the renovated former Fish Market building at Chatham and Ferry streets. Between 100 and 150 Quicken jobs are expected. The Detroit-based Dan Gilbert firm was attracted by the availability of skilled employees such as programmers, who are in short supply on the other side of the border.

“I really think the Quicken Loans story is really exciting because it has the potential to become much larger than the original place where it started,” said Dilkens, who is intent on working very closely with the company to help attract talent. He talked about improving the city’s image to recruit skilled people, and favours buying the vacant Paul Martin building from the federal government for $1 so it can be provided to a new employer like Quicken.

“I think Quicken Loans could be the catalyst, and I think if we do it right and if Quicken Loans does it right, it would create the opportunity to attract that creative class, those software engineer type folks as well, down to the City of Windsor,” said Dilkens.

“The same opportunities that Quicken saw, having locations on both sides of the border, exist for many, many companies.”