EDS Consolidates Locally to RenCen

Stuart Doyle, SVP of EDS, said the building is now being renovated, with carpet being pulled up and other changes. "When they're done with that, we'll start moving in," Doyle said.

The technology company worked out a lease negotiation with General Motors Corp., who owns the building, to take over the entire facility. Doyle said most of the company's employees are co-located with clients, but that the 500 Tower, once it's full, may be one of the largest collections of EDS employees in one place in the world.

The Plano, TX-based firm is consolidating leases nationwide. The company has many offices in the Detroit area, and has a regional headquarters in Troy. However, many EDS employees are spread out around the many GM facilities located across the Detroit area. Since GM consolidated many of its offices into the RenCen after purchasing the large facility on the Detroit River, EDS decided to follow, Doyle said. "It's good for us to be as close to our largest client as possible," Doyle told GlobeSt.com.

He went on to say that when leases start running out at the various offices the company now uses, the employees will be transferred to the 500 Tower. "You could call it a consolidation effort," Doyle said.

EDS officials told GlobeSt.com that the company owns four buildings in Southeast Michigan, and leases space in 25 buildings. The city vacated the Travelers Building in Southfield as part of this consolidation effort.

Doyle said the building has been remarkably redone, and that the city has been very welcoming to EDS. "There's lots of high-tech companies moving into Detroit, and it's an important place for the company's largest client in Detroit, but it only represents 13% of the company's business."

The automaker bought the Renaissance Center complex in 1996 for a new headquarters, and has been working on a $500-million redevelopment of the one-million-sf landmark on the Detroit River. The building had been used by many tenants prior to 1996, and had actually been constructed with Ford Motor Co. assistance. After GM bought the building, it took over many floors of the five towers.

The RenCen has four 39-story office buildings and a 73-story Detroit Marriott Renaissance Center Hotel. The retail portion of the project, located in the lower levels has been configured to create clusters for retail and service firms, and include a five-story atrium mall overlooking the Detroit River.