DTE Energy 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.
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.”
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.”
