The City of Detroit is officially the new home for Eccalon, a cybersecurity and AI firm, after the company decided to lay down roots in the Motor City by setting up its headquarters at the former Icon Building at 200 Walker Street, as confirmed by Mayor Mike Duggan. The relocation of their corporate center is expected to spawn up to 800 new jobs in the area, with the Icon building also currently home to tenants like the Pensole-Lewis College of Business & Design, Detroit’s only historically black college or university (HBCU).
With some serious tech muscle pulling into Detroit, Eccalon's choice to bypass more predictable tech hubs speaks volumes about the city’s growing credibility in the high-tech landscape; the up to $71 million of capital investment and job creation averaging wages of $60.80 per hour is not just a pat in the back for Detroit's economic revival, but also a nod to its historical manufacturing prowess and evolving tech ecosystem. While most of the new roles will pay above the regional median wage, the range stretches from $25 to $100 per hour, covering diverse roles in engineering, IT, and business administration, among others, as detailed in the City of Detroit.
The move was heralded by Mayor Duggan, who said that “A successful high-tech company like Eccalon could have taken their headquarters to Silicon Valley or Austin or Chicago but saw Detroit as the best place for them to flourish and grow,” indicating the city’s repositioning as a top-tier destination for tech innovation. Meanwhile, Eccalon’s Chairman & CEO André Gudger underscored Detroit's allure as a center of excellence for various high-tech endeavors, mentioning “Eccalon will help attract and train skilled talent in cybersecurity, artificial intelligence and digital manufacturing and nurture a resilient and adaptive workforce,” as per details in the City of Detroit.
Eccalon's technology arsenal includes advanced tools and projects ranging from cybersecurity platforms, such as Project Spectrum, which helps contractors meet Department of Defense compliance, to LYNX, a virtual network assisting businesses in engaging with the DoD, and then Valion Cloud, which gears businesses up for DoD contracts by keeping them within cyber compliance boundaries, Sacha Chessie, which is a cost-effective Autonomous Underwater Vehicle (AUV) designed to cater to a variety of missions with extended sensing time. Their focused approach on combining essential services for government and commercial use while creating a hub for tech knowledge aims to boost the city's profile on the tech map. Kevin Johnson, President & CEO of the Detroit Economic Growth Corporation, noted that “Eccalon will be a powerful addition to our community, and their decision to build in Detroit demonstrates their confidence in our future,” and that sentiment is reinforced by their community-centric initiatives which include training and education partnerships with local HBCUs and public schools.
