2008 Woodie Awards
Google rep featured at Michigan Press conference
Chan Park
Issue date: 2/12/07 Section: Science & Technology
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With the recent loss of Pfizer's research laboratory in Ann Arbor, the crowd was interested in what Google had offer to Michigan. Grady Burnett, head of Google's online operations, spoke at the Michigan Press Association's winter conference in Grand Rapids, Mich, on Feb. 2.
Grady presented a multimedia presentation to the publishers and reporters at the conference. A University of Michigan graduate, Grady was enthusiastic about Google's move into Ann Arbor.
"We looked at Michigan, and we said, 'This is an unbelievably diverse, talented, intellectual base of people that could really help us grow our company,'" said Grady.
He commented on how Michigan's university system, including U-M and Michigan State University, gave it an advantage over other locations that Google was considering for its AdWords department.
The move for Google was not a light step, considering that most of its revenue comes from this department. AdWords lets Google sell keywords to advertisers, which show up when a user accesses Google's website to search using that keyword.
Google relocated its AdWords advertising department to Ann Arbor in Sept. 2006.
Google is planning to invest between $20 to $50 million into Ann Arbor, which is expected to create a net gain of $165 million for its local economy.
Grady recognizes the impact that Google had, and will have, in Michigan.
"I saw a lot of my friends at the time who really wanted a job in technology," said Grady. "And in a lot of cases, they didn't see those opportunities in Michigan. And so a lot of those people ended up, at that time, leaving and going to Silicon Valley or going to New York or going to Boston or going to London or overseas. But they would have preferred to stay here."
Grady presented a multimedia presentation to the publishers and reporters at the conference. A University of Michigan graduate, Grady was enthusiastic about Google's move into Ann Arbor.
"We looked at Michigan, and we said, 'This is an unbelievably diverse, talented, intellectual base of people that could really help us grow our company,'" said Grady.
He commented on how Michigan's university system, including U-M and Michigan State University, gave it an advantage over other locations that Google was considering for its AdWords department.
The move for Google was not a light step, considering that most of its revenue comes from this department. AdWords lets Google sell keywords to advertisers, which show up when a user accesses Google's website to search using that keyword.
Google relocated its AdWords advertising department to Ann Arbor in Sept. 2006.
Google is planning to invest between $20 to $50 million into Ann Arbor, which is expected to create a net gain of $165 million for its local economy.
Grady recognizes the impact that Google had, and will have, in Michigan.
"I saw a lot of my friends at the time who really wanted a job in technology," said Grady. "And in a lot of cases, they didn't see those opportunities in Michigan. And so a lot of those people ended up, at that time, leaving and going to Silicon Valley or going to New York or going to Boston or going to London or overseas. But they would have preferred to stay here."
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