He tried his damnedest to lure Amazon to Detroit and into his buildings, but in the end, Dan Gilbert's effort to secure the e-commerce giant's second headquarters came up short.
Quite short, actually. Detroit didn't even make it into Amazon's top 20 candidates.
While Detroit and Michigan's political leaders have chalked this up to a learning lesson, Gilbert, who spearheaded the region's Amazon pitch, has released a statement that, if we were to give it a title, we'd call "Detroit already great."
The billionaire founder and chairman of Quicken Loans shared the message via twitter. In the five-line statement, Gilbert refers to Detroit — the U.S.'s most impoverished and violent crime-ridden big city — as "the most exciting city in the country." He goes on to claim that if one were to walk around "town" for an hour, they would come away with a "very clear and deep understanding of the opportunities, optimism, and future of the Motor City."
The message is laid over an image of
Here's the statement in full:
"Obviously, we are all disappointed Amazon did not name Detroit as one of the 20 cities they will be further evaluating for their new 'HQ2.'
We are not deterred in any way, shape or form. Detroit is the most exciting city in the country right now and the momentum continues to build every single day.
All you have to do is spend an hour walking around town and you will have a very clear and deep understanding of the opportunities, optimism and future of the Motor City."
We have no doubt our best days are ahead of us. They are numerous large and small deals you will continue to see develop into reality in the months and years ahead.
Next.
DAN GILBERT."
We can't help but compare the note to the way Gilbert reacted the last time he lost something very big very publicly. In 2010, after LeBron James said he would be leaving the Cleveland Cavaliers for Miami, Gilbert authored an open letter to the basketball star that essentially called him a traitor and said the Cavs would be better off without him.
That message was typed in Comic Sans and equipped with an all-caps passage.
At least one other Twitter user appeared sorry to see Gilbert's comparatively measured response to the Amazon loss.
Comic Sans this, Dan
— Dave Scipione (@DaveScipione) January 18, 2018
Show them that you really mean business #CavsIn7
