DTE Energy today announced it invested $2.5 billion with Michigan businesses in 2022, creating and sustaining more than 11,000 jobs across the state.
DTE has invested nearly $18 billion with Michigan-based suppliers since 2010, creating and sustaining 65,000 Michigan jobs. The company invests five times more with local businesses than it did a decade ago and continues to be a leader in driving Michigan’s economy. The company’s local spending in 2022 increased 13.5 percent over 2021. Last year, DTE also spent more than $894 million with diverse suppliers and $900 million with companies based in the city of Detroit.
“Doing business in the communities we serve puts people to work and drives Michigan’s economy forward,” said Jerry Norcia, DTE chairman and CEO. “Prioritizing partnerships with in-state suppliers is a big part of our commitment to improving people’s lives because it gives local businesses new opportunities to succeed. And the best part is these partnerships enable us to deliver higher quality, lower cost service for our customers.”
DTE partners with businesses throughout Michigan:
- Southeast Michigan and Metro Detroit: DTE bought nearly $1.9 billion in goods and services from more than 1,261 companies, generating and supporting at least 8,700 jobs.
- West Michigan: DTE spent $125 million with about 194 companies, creating and sustaining nearly 570 jobs.
- Northeast and Northwest Michigan: DTE invested nearly $19 million with 120 companies, positively impacting 85 jobs.
- South Michigan: DTE partnered with more than 315 companies, spending $255 million and adding or maintaining 1,170 jobs.
- Central Michigan: DTE invested $69 million with more than 83 companies, creating and sustaining nearly 310 jobs.
- Thumb Region: DTE spent $117 million with 126 companies, positively impacting about 525 jobs.
- Upper Peninsula: DTE partnered with more than 41 businesses, spending $20 million and generating and supporting nearly 90 jobs.
DTE is a founding member of Pure Michigan Business Connect, a public-private initiative that encourages businesses to buy from Michigan suppliers and connects local companies with in-state opportunities. DTE requires that most new bids include at least two Michigan companies.
“We’re glad to share our strategy for cultivating local suppliers with other companies and also learn from them because when our state’s economy grows, everybody wins,” Jaspreet Singh, Corporate Services vice president said.
The company has earned 54 supplier diversity industry awards since 2018 and has led organizations like the National Minority Supplier Development Council.
“Expanding opportunities for a diverse range of business owners is critical to ensuring the success of our state,” said Singh. “That’s why we seek out diverse small and medium businesses and connect them with new growth opportunities. We’ve replicated this success over and over again to generate thousands of jobs.”
Here are some of our valued business partners located near you:
Southeast Michigan
For The Roy Smith Company, a minority-owned DTE supplier headquartered in Detroit since 1924, the long-standing business partnership provides stability during turbulent economic times.
“When times get tough, having a good reliable customer like DTE is critical,” said Vice President Ryan Murphy. “It enables us to keep our staff and continue moving forward so we come out stronger on the other side.”
The company provides industrial gas, welding supplies and chemicals for DTE’s power plants and service centers. Murphy says the successful supplier relationship is built on similar values.
“DTE has such a huge emphasis on supplier diversity, and we feel the same way,” he said. “We like to do business with small, diverse-owned start-ups located in Detroit. We’ve learned from partnering with DTE that giving back and bringing new people into the fold grows a community.”
Karl Johnson, president, and chief financial officer of Diversified Chemical Technologies, also a minority-owned supplier agrees. The company operates out of a 375,000 square foot building in Detroit, providing maintenance, materials, and operational support at DTE’s power plants.
“DTE has a long-established commitment to making sure their supplier base looks like their customer base,” he said. “We connect with that because our passion is giving back to the community.”
West Michigan:
For Reed City-based Hydaker-Wheatlake, a history of delivering safe, high quality cost competitive services has translated into a growing partnership with DTE. After several years of working on DTE’s electrical system, the utility services firm won a five-year contract to maintain and upgrade the natural gas system in Grand Rapids and northern Michigan.
“We work well with DTE because we have similar values, focused on safety and customer service,” said Rob Stanko, Hydaker-Wheatlake senior vice president of operations. “We’re proud to help provide reliable natural gas for the people of Michigan. The increased business has allowed us to bring on additional workers and hire more local skilled labor for projects.”
Northwest Michigan
Tim Wellert, president of Northern Industrial Construction in Boyne City, says the steady stream of work from DTE enables his company to keep his work crews busy year-round.
It’s a family business that Wellert’s father started with a pick-up truck and a ladder in 2004. Not long afterwards, Northern Industrial Construction became a DTE supplier. Tim bought the business from his father four years ago, but it still maintains the same close-knit feeling. He says his crews are in and out of DTE facilities almost daily, traveling around Northern Michigan to do civil engineering and construction services work at compressor stations.
“It’s clear that DTE is committed to investing in their infrastructure,” Wellert said. “We’re proud to walk alongside them to get this work done to deliver safe and reliable natural gas for the people of Michigan.”
The Thumb area:
For Cass City-based Kappen Tree, a commitment to safety and great service laid the foundation for a successful, long-standing relationship with DTE. The company trims trees away from overhead power lines to help DTE deliver more reliable electric service to its customers.
Kappen began working with DTE in 1997. Today, they have 275 employees working for DTE and the business continues to grow.
“DTE trusts us and our Michigan workforce to consistently provide a good product for them and their customers,” said co-owner Jason Kappen. “That trust gives us strength and incentive to add more crews, buy more equipment and invest in the partnership.”
The company’s training facility in Kingston, Michigan is a good example.
“We remodeled the facility and left the trees standing on a large portion of the land,” Kappen said. “We use the trees for training and practice, and it’s helped every employee on our property work better and safer and be more efficient.”
Michigan companies interested in learning about bid opportunities at DTE can find more information at dteenergy.com/supplychain.