Staying ahead of the curve in Sterling Heights, Michigan

Sterling Heights is an industrial-residential suburb in Macomb County Michigan. It has a lot of automobile related industry. This Detroit News article discusses how the city is surveying the largest 50 industrial employers in the city, to focus on retaining businesses.

Survey questions include:
• Why is your company located in Sterling Heights?
• Where does the majority of your labor force live?
• Does your business require specially trained workers?
• Do you foresee expanding or making an additional investment in your Sterling Heights facility? • How far does your company draw for your labor pool?

I think this is really important. I am involved in a project in a light industrial-residential community in Washington, DC. This community has warehouse, repair, wholesale food, and other "production-distribution-repair" businesses in a city that is pretty much white collar. People aren't working, even though there are many jobs nearby at food distribution businesses, the railyard for Amtrak and the subway system, and other places. Knowing where the workers come from, business needs, etc., is a big step in the right direction. So this Sterling Heights Michigan initiative really sticks out.

So does this work in San Francisco, "Industrial Land in San Francisco: Understanding Production, Distribution, and Repair".