Sterling Heights and Warren are putting real money behind their defense ambitions, signing off on a three-year, roughly $1.3 million agreement with AECOM to speed up the Arsenal Alliance, the two cities' joint push to protect and grow the defense corridor along Mound and Van Dyke roads. The consulting deal will bankroll strategy, marketing and workforce-development efforts aimed at helping local suppliers compete for federal defense work. City officials say the tab will be split between the two municipalities, with each chipping in about $250,000 per year.
Council approvals and contract details
The Sterling Heights City Council signed off on the AECOM Great Lakes Inc. agreement on March 17, and Warren's council followed on March 24, greenlighting a 36-month consulting contract to run the Arsenal Alliance operation. According to Sterling Heights, the advisor is tasked with chasing federal and private funding, coordinating a wide cast of stakeholders and leading the creation of a regional defense industry strategic plan.
What AECOM's team will do
AECOM's blueprint leans heavily on research, branding, federal engagement and workforce pipeline programs, and names AECOM Vice President Chris Brewer as project director, with partner roles for The McKeon Group and Detroit-based firm BasedOn. As reported by C&G News, the scope includes marketing, lobbying and supplier outreach designed to position the corridor to win more defense contracts.
Scale of the corridor
Materials presented to council members point out that Macomb County businesses have landed more than $61 billion in defense contracts over the past 25 years and that county firms took in about 63% of Michigan's federal defense awards in 2023. Local leaders are using those figures to make the case for a coordinated, region-level strategy to capture reshoring and supply-chain opportunities tied to national defense priorities, according to Sterling Heights.
How the adviser was picked
The Arsenal Alliance executive committee trimmed a stack of proposals and held finalist interviews before recommending AECOM for the job, local reporting shows. C&G News reports that the committee judged AECOM's mix of federal-engagement work and place-based branding to be the most comprehensive pitch among the respondents.
Why local leaders say it matters
Officials say the Alliance is meant to protect and grow jobs while helping small and mid-sized suppliers crack the federal procurement world. Second Wave/Metromode notes the shared corridor supports roughly 47,000 direct jobs and about $8.7 billion in wages, and ClickOnDetroit reported the cities hope the Alliance will translate into more federal contracts and supplier wins for Macomb County firms.
City officials say AECOM will begin stakeholder outreach and develop the strategic plan over the coming months, with specific programs and measurable targets expected to follow. Hoodline previously covered the Alliance's launch last year in a piece on the defense-industry rollout, and this new contract marks the initiative's first paid advisory phase as the two cities shift from vision to execution.
