I scream. You scream. We all scream for ice cream. That was the family chant on Sunday afternoon drives when I was a kid. It’s the same chant I used at the free, old fashioned ice cream social Comerica Bank held to celebrate the opening of its new Michigan headquarters in downtown Detroit.
It was a terrific event. A Tiger mascot hailed passersby and invited them in. The street in front of the headquarters on Lafayette was lined with tables, packed with people enjoying vanilla ice cream doctored up with M&Ms, Reese’s Pieces, Oreos, Butterfingers, and Health Bars just to name a few. You could top that off with chocolate syrup and whipped cream. The event attracted just 1000 “ice cream screamers.” Now that’s the way to celebrate a new headquarters!
Comerica invested $18 million in its Lafayette building and also renovated its two banking centers downtown – one at the Renaissance Center and the other at Fort and Washington. It also relocated more than 600 workers from its 500 Woodward location. In total, about 1,300 people will work at the Lafayette location, which will be renamed the Comerica Bank Center.
While Comerica’s corporate headquarters moved from Detroit to Dallas four years ago the company still maintains a strong presence in Detroit.
“Comerica is proud of its 160-year history of serving the residents and businesses of Detroit and Michigan,” said Thomas D. Ogden, president, Comerica Bank Michigan. “Our investment in our new Michigan headquarters reaffirms Comerica’s long-standing commitment to this community and brings most of our downtown Detroit employees together in one location.”
As part of its commitment to Detroit and its children Comerica Bank will hold a Backpackpalooza on August 27 from 11 a.m. to 2 p.m. at its new Michigan headquarters. Comerica Cares volunteers will distribute free backpacks to the first 1,000 students who attend. The backpacks will include school supplies including pencils, crayons, paper, glue, scissors, new books, hygiene items and a Comerica piggy bank. The program is part of a month long school supply drive the bank has run with Operation: Kid Equip.
