located in Van Buren Township in the heart of the Detroit Region Aerotropolis. The facility was expected to bring approximately to 1,200 jobs to the region, and was constructed in Visteon Village home to the Visteon Corporation, ironically in Chapter 11 at the time of the announcement. GE's plans included leasing current office space as well as construction of a new $100 million, research and development facility to house GE engineers who will focus on advanced manufacturing for alternative energy as well as aircraft engine and gas turbine technologies. The software center will develop applications to support GE business systems and advanced technology groups. It will also be a training hub for GE IT personnel from around the world. Appearing before the Detroit Economic Club, Immelt was joined by Michigan Governor Jennifer Granholm, Sen. Carl Levin, and Sen. Debbie Stabenow. Together they hailed the GE announcement as not only important in the development of a new technology future for the US but also important in Michigan's "comeback", a state hit the hardest by the downfall of the automotive manufacturing sector. As Granholm stated, "For a hundred years, we have been an automotive economy and we clearly need to diversify. This summer is going to be tough. But if we are shrewd and strategic and make key investments, we will emerge leaner, meaner, stronger and greener." Wayne County Executive Robert Ficano saw the arrival of GE as integral in the development of the Detroit Region Aerotropolis, likening it to the impact of Hewlett-Packard on Silicon Valley. As Immelt stated, "Companies like GE never travel alone," Immelt said. "We tend to bring suppliers and other people with us. At the end of the day, it could equal another couple of thousand jobs.". In 2013, GE announced that it would add 300 more employees at the complex within two years. Projects Bring Focus on Aerotropolis as Transit and Logistics Hub Wayne County Executive Warren C. Evans, who was elected in 2014 to succeed Ficano, eliminated the county's Department of Economic Development Growth Engine. Evans, however, decided to keep Aerotropolis functional despite restructuring efforts by the county to address structural and budget deficits totaling more than $120 million. Under Evans, several projects brought renewed attention to Aerotropolis as a transit hub in 2017 . An Amazon fulfillment center, Penske logistics operation, and Brose manufacturing facility were started in the district and expected to create