As GM tries desperately to stay in business with a (hopeless) merger with Chrysler, Kimberly Taylor (courtesy of Paul Franklin) sends us this first person report about visiting Detroit.
"We stayed in the Renaissance Center, the symbol of largesse for the greatest automaker in the world. The quiet halls, unleased spaces and an obviously deteriorating downtown could have been a sign of July, or a sign. This week, the first part of October, we returned for three days of meetings with auto people, including the big three. The news the first morning was that General Motors may be offering the Renaissance Center to the highest bidder. I walked away with a feeling of tremendous sadness. Sadness for the proud and loyal workers, for the dreams gone awry, for the country. We saw many good industry friends whom we’ve known for a long time and we met many new people but as I left today, I felt like I had witnessed something important about the people, how the companies are coping, and a desperate need for leaders." Part 1 of 3
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