The RenCen's $133M Promise, Why AI Adopters Are Hiring, and First Thursdays Next Week

By Redic Grant, Founder & CEO, MRJ Consulting

From Redic's Desk

On Tuesday, Detroit's Neighborhood Advisory Council voted 8–1 to recommend a $133.3 million community benefits package for Bedrock and General Motors' $2.2 billion Renaissance Center redevelopment — the largest in the city's history, according to BridgeDetroit. The surface reading is the size of the check. The deeper reading is in the line items: $6 million for year-round small business pavilions with room for about 12 to 18 vendors, priority to Detroit small businesses, plus $3 million for small businesses in the neighborhoods. The deal still has to clear City Council's Planning and Economic Development Committee on November 12. But if it moves forward, a limited number of spots will go to the businesses that are ready when the door opens.

That's the same lesson that applies to AI visibility. Last issue, we looked at where AI gets its facts about your business. Projects like this bring new residents, visitors, and office workers downtown, and many of them will ask ChatGPT or Google's AI where to eat, shop, or find a lawyer nearby. The businesses that already show up clean, consistent, and trusted get those recommendations. Get ready before the door opens, not after.

In the Community: First Thursdays Is Next Week, Plus Three More Rooms

The thread we closed last issue is now days away: TechTown Detroit's First Thursdays & Coworking Concert Series is Thursday, November 5, 5:30–7:30 PM at 440 Burroughs. If you run a salon or barbershop, TechTown's "Get to the Bag: Digital Tools for the Modern Stylist & Barber" comes first, on Monday, November 2, 5:00–8:00 PM. For AI beginners, "AI & Automation: Build Night 101" is Tuesday, November 10, 5:30–8:30 PM, also at TechTown. And Open City's "People Buy the Why" panel on founder-led brands is Thursday, November 12, 5:30–7:30 PM at Terri's Detroit on East Warren.

That last title is a line worth keeping: people buy the why. AI tools are starting to work the same way, recommending businesses whose story and proof are easy to find. The community is the new college. Our own AI & Social Media seminar is still in the works; we'll post the date once it's confirmed.

What We're Watching: Small Businesses Using AI Expect to Hire More, Not Less

On October 8, the Federal Reserve Bank of New York published new analysis of the 2025 Small Business Credit Survey, covering 5,248 employer firms surveyed from September to November 2025. 46% said their business or employees use AI tools, and another 15% plan to start within a year. Among AI users, 31% reported increased sales from AI. The forward look is the surprise: net hiring expectations were +33 for AI users versus +15 for non-users, and net revenue expectations were +48 versus +21. Even after controlling for firm characteristics and past performance, AI users stayed 10 points ahead on hiring and 14 points ahead on revenue.

Why it matters for our clients: the fear is that AI replaces people. In this survey, the small businesses using it are the ones planning to grow and hire. The authors are careful to call these associations, not proof that AI causes growth. But nearly half of your competitors are already using AI. AI isn't the headcount cut — it's the growth plan.

This Month's Prompt: What Would It Take for AI to Recommend Me First?

Last issue's prompt showed you which sources AI relies on when it describes your business. This time, instead of asking what AI knows about you, you're asking what it would need to see to put you first.

If someone in [city] asked you to recommend a business like [business name], who would you name first today, and why? Compare [business name] to that business and list the three specific gaps — reviews, credentials, website content, or listings — that would most improve [business name]'s chances of being recommended.

Run it, pick the easiest of the three gaps, and close it before the next issue.

On Micah's Desk This Week

Micah is turning our best-in-city tracker into fix lists: for each client category, she logs who AI names first and the three gaps between that business and our client. She's building a review-request routine for clients whose biggest gap is reviews, and refreshing service-page content where AI couldn't confirm credentials. It all feeds our AI Readiness Audit scorecards. If you want your own three-gap list, let her know.

Where to Start

If the RenCen's small business spots go to whoever is ready when the door opens, the same is true for AI recommendations. Call us today at 313-437-2507 — no pitch, just a clear read on where you are and what to do first. Prefer to start on your own? Book an AI Readiness Audit at mrjcdetroit.com/book-online, or grab Chosen by the Machine in our shop. Ready to talk? Reach out at info@mrjcdetroit.com.

MRJ Consulting is a Detroit-based digital marketing and AI consulting firm helping law firms, nonprofits, financial institutions, and small businesses across Southeast Michigan build AI-powered marketing systems that actually work. Detroit-Built. Globally Focused.