Detroit to Former Yahoo Employees: Come to the Motor City

DETROIT, April 9, 2012 /PRNewswire/ -- A group of Detroit businesses are encouraging the more than 2,000 recently laid off Yahoo employees to consider bringing their talents to the Motor City.

Quicken Loans, Detroit Venture Partners, Rockbridge Growth Equity and Fathead.com are among the downtown Detroit-based companies interested in hiring hundreds of technology and marketing professionals formerly employed by Yahoo.

The group has created a website, www.ValleytoDetroit.com, for these technology and Internet marketing pros to upload their resumes.  The companies will immediately begin interviews and have committed to fly final candidates to Detroit to introduce them to the wide-range of established and start-up companies that have sprung up in the city's emerging technology corridor over the past two years, creating the vibrant arts and entrepreneurial renaissance in Detroit that has gained the city national acclaim.

"Detroit is quickly emerging as one of the nation's best kept secrets when it comes to technology, Internet and mobile-related jobs," said Josh Linkner, CEO and Managing Partner of Detroit Venture Partners, a Detroit-based high-tech venture capital fund.  "We know that there is a great deal of talent inside of Yahoo – especially in marketing and web development, and we're encouraging those who have been impacted by job cuts to consider Detroit as the next stop in their career.

"In the DVP portfolio alone we have 12 start-ups that we think would be attractive to those looking to regain the excitement of working in a creative, collaborative and entrepreneurial environment," Linkner added.

The offer comes on the heels of last week's announcement that Twitter will be opening a Detroit office at the historic M@dison Building in downtown Detroit, a state-of-the-art technology and business incubator that houses many of the region's top start-up companies. 

"We are creating an exciting urban core for young, energetic and creative professionals who want to affect the outcome of an entire region," said Bill Emerson, CEO of Quicken Loans, who has consistently ranked in the top-10 of Computerworld's 'Best Places to Work in Technology' over the past decade.  "Not only does Detroit make for a great place to start or grow a business, but it's also a great option for those who want to be on the ground-floor of rebuilding and reinventing a great American city."

The businesses involved in the initiative will match candidates with hundreds of open positions and immediately begin phone interviews.  Face-to-face meetings will then be scheduled in Palo Alto during a recruiting event in May, and a smaller group of candidates will be flown to Detroit for interviews and a tour of downtown businesses and start-ups who are hiring. 

About Detroit Venture Partners:
Detroit Venture Partners (www.detroitventurepartners.com) is a venture capital firm that invests in seed and early-stage technology companies with a strong emphasis on Detroit-based startups.  In addition to capital, the company provides hands-on coaching, mentorship, support, and resources to help drive growth and success.  The firm was founded in 2010 by Josh Linkner, Dan Gilbert and Brian Hermelin and joined in 2011 by Earvin "Magic" Johnson as its fourth partner. By backing the next generation of Detroit entrepreneurs, DVP aims to create jobs, urban density, and hope.

About Quicken Loans Inc:
Quicken Loans Inc. is the nation's largest online home lender and a top five retail lender. The company closed a record $30 billion in retail home loan volume across all 50 states in 2011. Quicken Loans generates loan production from five web centers located in Detroit, Ohio and Arizona. The company also operates a centralized loan processing facility in Detroit, as well as its San Diego-based One Reverse Mortgage unit. Quicken Loans ranked #1 in customer satisfaction among all home mortgage lenders in the United States by J.D. Power and Associates in 2010 and 2011. "QuickenLoans.com" has been named "Best of the Web" by Forbes and Money magazines. The company ranked in the Top 10 of FORTUNE magazine's "100 Best Companies To Work For" in 2012 and has placed among the top-30 companies on FORTUNE's list for the past nine years. It ranked in the Top-15 of Computerworld magazine's "100 Best Places to Work In Technology" for seven years in a row.

Quicken Loans was named #1 in the Detroit Free Press' 'Best Places to Work in Michigan' List in 2010 and 2011. The company moved its headquarters and 3,700 of its more than 5,000 team members to downtown Detroit. Another 1,000 team members are expected to move to downtown Detroit in mid 2012. For more information about Quicken Loans, please visit us on the web at www.quickenloans.com, on Twitter at @QLnews, and on Facebook at www.facebook.com/QuickenLoans.

About Rockbridge Growth Equity, LLC:
Rockbridge Growth Equity, LLC is a private equity firm that invests in financial and business services, consumer-direct marketing, and sports, media & entertainment industries.  Based in Detroit, Michigan, Rockbridge owns equity stakes in Ready Financial Group, Protect America, Northcentral University and One Reverse Mortgage, and is affiliated with other leading businesses in its target sectors including Quicken Loans, the Cleveland Cavaliers, Title Source, Fathead, Xenith and ePrize. For more information on Rockbridge Growth Equity, visit www.rbequity.com.

SOURCE Detroit Venture Partners