When Clearcover, a growing digital auto insurance carrier, was looking to establish its first customer experience center, it cast a wide net across a host of Midwest cities. The Chicago-based company was born and bred in the Midwest and knew it wanted its second office to maintain the Midwestern values that fueled its mission – to provide outstanding customer service and a lower cost auto insurance option for customers across the country. The company evaluated several major cities in our region and, with an assist from DEGC and its state and regional economic development partners, chose to make its second home here in Detroit.
Clearcover leveraged Detroit at Work to test the quality of Detroit’s talent and went away impressed.
“Overwhelmingly the people of Detroit brought something really special,” said Heidi Craun, Clearcover’s Head of Customer Experience. “They had the communications skills we looked for – resilience, empathy, technical aptitude – all of which are critical components of being successful in customer experience roles.”
The City’s status as a rising tech hub was an added benefit and will allow the company to co-locate software engineers at the Detroit office.
Clearcover’s entrance into our market is a major win for a multitude of reasons. First, the company’s mission aligns with DEGC’s and the City of Detroit’s focus on creating good paying jobs for Detroit residents. Most of Clearcover’s positions do not require a four-year degree, yet pay an average salary of $59,000 and provide a strong benefits package. Notably, every Clearcover employee receives an equity stake in the company, making this a true investment in our community. Clearcover will work closely with Detroit at Work to hire and train Detroit residents for open positions at the new center. Importantly, employees will be able to work from home during the pandemic, providing the flexibility that workers need during this crisis.
Clearcover’s decision to locate in Detroit is proof of the City’s strong financial technology ecosystem. As an auto insurance industry disruptor, Clearcover is a unique addition to the other major Detroit-based financial services players including Quicken Loans, Ally Financial and TCF Bank. The DEGC has targeted the Fin Tech industry in its business attraction efforts and will continue to do so as our City’s economy diversifies.
Finally, this project illustrates what can be accomplished when DEGC works seamlessly with our partners at the state and regional level. The Michigan Economic Development Corporation and Detroit Regional Partnership coordinated closely with DEGC’s Business Development Team over several months (and through the impacts of the COVID pandemic) in order to present the most compelling Michigan/Detroit value proposition to support the company’s decision-making process. We’re proud of the teamwork that led to this exciting announcement.