"I cannot underestimate what we've termed 'The Google Effect.' It's a worldwide brand that means something to a lot of people. They are a young, hip, growing company that hires good talent and sets up offices in cool places." - Spark spokeswoman Elizabeth Parkinson on the Internet search engine giant's impact on Ann Arbor.
It's been two years since Google Inc. opened its Ann Arbor AdWords office with eight employees housed above a restaurant on South Main Street.
It was a small but auspicious start - but one that would soon become a beacon of light in the darkening economic gloom that settled in the area after Pfizer Inc. announced in early 2007 it would shutter its Ann Arbor research center and take away more than 2,100 high-paying jobs.
Since that first day on Sept. 18, 2006, the Ann Arbor Google operations have moved to larger quarters in the newly renovated McKinley Towne Centre on East Liberty Street at Division Street and its local payroll has grown to about 250 (the company won't give exact figures).
The local office is still a long way from the company's initial growth projections of creating 1,000 jobs in the area within five years. It needs to reach that goal by the end of 2011 to take full advantage of the tax breaks the state offered to lure the Internet giant to Michigan. More here.
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