Mortgage lender Quicken Loans has selected IPG Mediabrands‘ UM to handle media following a lengthy competitive review dating back to January of this year. UM is in the process of opening a permanent office in downtown Detroit to serve Quicken Loans, which is headquartered there.

“We went through a very intentionally long process to make sure we found the perfect partner, not just from a collaboration and media buying and strategy standpoint, but also the right partner from a cultural standpoint,” says Casey Hurbis, chief marketing officer at Quicken Loans. He notes that real estate was a key factor in the media agency decision, as Quicken Loans is focused on the development of its hometown.

Billionaire Dan Gilbert — founder and chairman of Quicken Loans, as well as founder and chairman of Quicken’s holding company owner Rock Ventures — has poured billions into revitalizing Detroit and has been a driver in getting companies to invest in the city.

UM currently has a temporary office in Detroit and plans to open a larger space, which will be roughly 20,000 square feet in size and house around 150 staffers, in the First National Building in downtown Detroit. The office will supplement UM’s existing office in Birmingham, Michigan, which serves clients including Fiat Chrysler Automobiles.

“We think that Detroit is such a vibrant community from a technology standpoint and creative standpoint,” says Scott Russell, president, central region of UM, noting that the new space offers the opportunity to serve other client groups as well.

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