User:42-BRT/sandbox

INIT SE

Company type	Societas Europaea
Founded	1983
Founder	Gottfried Greschner
Headquarters	Karlsruhe , Germany
Website	genfare.com

Week 1: Toying with Disaster

• Air date: September 9, 2004
• Apex project manager: Bradford
• Mosaic project manager: Pamela
• Task: Develop a new toy for Mattel. The product deemed most viable would be the winner.
• Judges: Donald Trump; Carolyn Kepcher; George H. Ross
• Trump monologue: Be Quick But Be Careful – To be quick and not careful is a bad decision. Trump prefers when his employees carefully take their time and make the right decision; but a good decision made quickly is the best combination.
• Result: The team with mostly men (Mosaic) developed a line of mutated animal Transformers called "Crustacean Nation". The team with mostly women (Apex) developed a radio controlled car called the "Meta-morpher" with parts that interchange.
• Winning Team: Apex
  • Reasons for win: The Mattel executives felt that Apex's product was more innovative, and would generate more money over time due to potential sales of add-on packs containing new parts.
  • Reward: Dinner with Trump and Melania Knauss.
• Dramatic tension: When deciding on corporation names, Raj clearly disliked his team's name (Mosaic), as he wanted to name the team "Empire," and thought Mosaic was a "fruity toot" name; the name was also criticized by Trump. Trump was also puzzled that Raj decided to carry a cane during the first task. On Apex, Bradford struggled to fit in with his otherwise all-female team, and Stacie J. completely alienated the members of her team during the wait before a winning team was decided. On Mosaic, Pamela makes fun of the weight and haircuts of the children in the focus group, which offended Carolyn.
• Losing Team: Mosaic
  • Reasons for loss: Trump felt that their toy was generic and lacked a unique selling point, and that their presentation was inferior to Apex's.
• Sent to boardroom: Pamela, Rob, Andy
  • Firing Verdict:
    • Several team members state that Rob did not contribute as much as he could have, but Rob claimed he was underutilized. He also curtly cuts off Carolyn in the boardroom when she interrupts him to ask a question.
    • Although he came up with the "Crustacean Nation" concept, Andy insisted that he was brought into the final boardroom simply because of his youth.
    • Ultimately, Trump was not impressed with Rob, feeling he could've contributed more even though he wasn't asked.
• Fired: Rob Flanagan – for not being assertive in the task or coming forward with his ideas, and for disrespecting Carolyn in the boardroom. While Pamela lead the team to defeat with the poor presentation, and he questioned Andy's youth, he felt both had potential and decided Rob's inability to contribute and poor enthusiasm made him the obvious choice for firing.
• Notes:
  • On September 14, 2004, Mattel announced that they would begin producing the winning toy under the name Morph Machines. It debuted in early 2005 at a retail price of $30.
  • Episode One Recap at NBC.com
  • Read the Episode 1 Recap at Yahoo!'s Apprentice 2 Website

Week 2: Scoop Dreams

• Air date: September 16, 2004 (A special 2 hour version aired on NBC on September 18)
• Apex project manager: Ivana
• Mosaic project manager: Kelly
• Task: Create, develop and market a new flavor of ice cream with the Ciao Bella Gelato Company for the Trump Ice Cream Parlour.
• Judges: Donald Trump; Carolyn Kepcher; George H. Ross
• Trump Monologue: Get Organized – A lack of organization is a lack of leadership and without leadership, success is impossible.
• Result: Mosaic developed a flavor made of various types of doughnuts. Apex's flavor was based on Red velvet cake.
• Dramatic tension: Although both teams initially struggled to find a place to market their ice cream, Mosaic made a critical error when they left their business plan in the open for Apex to read. The men also struggled dealing with John, after he demanded that the team forgo any sort of lunch or snack breaks so that they could sell ice cream all day and not spend any profit. When Raj stated that he had hypoglycemia, which would be grievously aggravated by not eating anything during the day, John started yelling at Raj, accusing him of being lazy and making up excuses. Kelly then told the team that every man would get $5 to buy some food during the day, and when John tried to argue against this, Kelly simply told him "Got it. It's noted," and then gave everyone (including John) the petty cash.
• Winning Team: Mosaic
  • Reasons for win: They made almost $250 more than the other team. Although they had to buy their own ingredients (namely doughnuts), they opted to give a portion to the Leukemia-Lymphoma Society as a marketing gimmick, which successfully boosted their sales. Kelly also ended up choosing a good location, which was near the Times Square branch of Toys "R" Us (the briefing location in the previous task), because he remembered Trump calling it the country's busiest toy store. Raj also suggested that the men wear bowties in the style of old-fashioned ice cream men. After they won, project manager Kelly asked Trump if their entire winnings could be donated to the charity, to which Trump agreed.
• Reward: Dinner at the Petrossian
• Losing Team: Apex
  • Reasons for loss: Apex started somewhat later than Mosaic, and were forced to move from their original sales location near the TKTS center when existing street vendors demanded to see their permit (it was not clear that they actually needed one for the task). In the process, Apex became separated, and their carts lost contact with each other for several hours. Apex tried to bring the carts back together, but Stacie J. misidentified their location as the junction with 7th Avenue, when they were actually standing at the junction with Broadway. Though they eventually got the carts back together, and Jennifer C. made a bulk sale to a restaurant near the end of the day, the time lost when the carts were separated ultimately proved too much to overcome.
• Initial Boardroom: Ivana was castigated for her disorganization and loose leadership. Bradford mispronounced Carolyn's name, which visibly irked her. Ivana stated that Stacie J. was responsible for losing the cart for as long as they did and that she needed supervision. George was puzzled that the team couldn't see each other, as 7th Avenue and Broadway are only half a block apart. Trump asked Bradford to be frank about Ivana's performance, noting that he was the only person in a position to do so, thanks to his immunity. This led to Bradford offering to waive his exemption, and he stated that because he felt like he performed to the best of his abilities, he did not need his immunity. Even though Apex collectively agreed that Ivana was a poor leader, they unanimously thought that Stacie J. presented a bigger liability.
• Sent to boardroom: Ivana, Stacie J., Jennifer C., and Bradford. Ivana selected Jennifer C. and Bradford to go into the boardroom so they could advocate against Stacie J., and believed that because they had been the strongest performers on the task, this would give Trump no choice but to fire Stacie.
  • Firing Verdict:
    • While Bradford was happy to advocate for Ivana, Jennifer C. became angry at being brought back, and focused most of her criticism on Ivana rather than Stacie.
    • Trump didn't like Ivana's indecision, particularly about which contestants she would bring to the boardroom.
    • Trump also felt that Jennifer C. should not have been brought to the boardroom, given her help in securing sales, but became annoyed, and considered firing her, when she repeatedly interjected.
    • Despite her error over the cart's location, Trump did not hold Stacie J. accountable for the loss, and heavily implied that Ivana would have been fired had Bradford not surrendered his immunity, as Carolyn repeatedly criticized Ivana's leadership.
    • Overall, Trump was especially concerned with Bradford (whom he explicitly identified as the strongest contestant in the final boardroom), and that his impulsive decision outweighed Ivana's bad leadership, Jennifer's interruptions, and Stacie not working well with the team, because Trump believed that Bradford would be able to instantly destroy a business with a stupid decision such as his.
• Fired: Bradford Cohen – for his rash decision to waive his exemption and volunteer to come back to the Final Boardroom, despite being deemed the strongest on the team.
• Notes:
  • Bradford became the first candidate to ever leave Trump Tower without his luggage, not having packed his bags due to his exemption. He likely received his luggage from crew members sometime after his firing.
  • As a result of his firing, Bradford has the dubious honor of lasting the shortest amount of time of any successful first-episode project manager (in any incarnation of the show).
  • Episode Two recap at NBC.com
  • Read the Episode 2 Recap at Yahoo!'s Apprentice 2 Website

Week 3: Send in the Crowns

• Air date: September 23, 2004
• Prologue: There was a massive argument among the women before the task even began, with Maria, Ivana, Sandy and Stacy R. openly telling Stacie J. that they considered her mentally unstable and did not wish to continue working with her. Elizabeth and both the Jennifers did not question Stacie J.'s state of mind, but still considered her the weakest on the team.
• Apex project manager: Elizabeth
• Mosaic project manager: Kevin
• Task: Develop a launch promotion for Crest's newest flavor of toothpaste. Each team was given a budget of $50,000, with the winner chosen by executives from Procter & Gamble, Crest's parent company.
• Judges: Donald Trump; Carolyn Kepcher; George H. Ross
• Trump Monologue: A Penny Saved is a Penny Saved – Trump is basically quite critical of the budget that is set. This could possibly be a typo, because the saying is typically A Penny Saved is a Penny Earned.
• Dramatic tension: Stacie J. did little to help win over her Apex teammates when she suggested giving away over a thousand tubes of toothpaste, an amount which was far more than they could feasibly carry, forcing them to spend much of the morning transporting it to their location. On Mosaic, Andy came up with an idea to purchase an insurance policy for a million dollar giveaway, intending to set the giveaway up so that in all likelihood no one would win, with the policy protecting them if anyone did win. However, Procter & Gamble forbade Mosaic to have the giveaway, saying that there were too many legal problems. The team were forced to come up with a new idea at the last minute, and a dejected Andy realized he would almost certainly be fired if the team lost.
• Result: Apex hired Mike Piazza to endorse the toothpaste for a fee of $20,000. Mosaic, after an aborted attempt to give away $1,000,000, gives away several smaller prizes of $5,000, with circus performers entertaining the crowds.
• Winning Team: Mosaic
  • Reasons for win: The Procter & Gamble executives felt that Mosaic's promotional event was inferior to Apex's, and that it lacked a central theme. Despite this, the event still went well and raised enough buzz that, combined with Apex's fatal blunder, the team were still awarded the win.
  • Reward: Dinner on RMS Queen Mary 2
• Losing Team: Apex
  • Reasons for loss: Despite determining that Apex hosted a better event (mostly due to Piazza's involvement), the Proctor & Gamble executives . Elizabeth blamed Maria because of her sloppy contract negotiations, which allowed the company in charge of producing their publicity material to invoke an overtime clause and inflated their original $1,850 estimate to a final price of $6,950.
• Sent to boardroom: All of Apex. - Initially Elizabeth chose Maria and Stacie J. for the Final Boardroom, but Trump became concerned with Apex's feelings concerning Stacie. He called everyone from Apex back to the boardroom to discuss their feelings about Stacie J.'s behavior during the first task.
• Firing Verdict:
  • At first, Trump didn't understand why Ivana was not brought back into the boardroom, because she was responsible for monitoring the budget and only allotted $500 (1% of the total budget) for overspend, which wasn't nearly enough to handle a major budgetary crisis. Elizabeth disagreed and said that Maria and Stacie J. were both more responsible for the loss than Ivana (although Elizabeth had the opportunity to bring Ivana back).
  • Trump felt that Elizabeth was a poor leader for not even knowing Apex had exceeded their budget until the task result was announced, and that Maria should have taken accountability for the bad deal she made.
  • Trump asked why Stacie J. was brought back, and Maria then brought up the incident with Stacie J. in the first task and how everyone on the team was very frightened by it resulting in Trump requesting all of Apex to come to the Final Boardroom.
  • When the entire team was brought back, all the women agreed that Stacie J. acted very oddly; Ivana went so far as to call Stacie J.'s actions "borderline schizophrenic," and Sandy and Stacy R. in particular viciously attacked Stacie J., saying they didn't feel comfortable being in the same room as her and would not even trust her with menial work.
  • Although Stacie J. insisted that she wasn't crazy, and Jennifer M. pointed out that Stacie hadn't displayed any more strange behavior in the previous two tasks, Trump told her that something must have happened because her entire team was concerned with her behavior.
• Fired: Stacie Jones Upchurch – for being a distraction within her team and due to fears that she is mentally unstable based on her behavior from the first task and Apex's reaction to it. Although Elizabeth was believed to be a poor leader, and Maria was criticized for the deal with Piazza, Trump didn't want someone who was "out-of-control" working for The Trump Organization.
• Notes:
  • For the first time in the American version of The Apprentice, the entire team is called back into the boardroom by Trump.
  • Episode Three recap at NBC.com
  • Read the Episode 3 Recap at Yahoo!'s Apprentice 2 Website

Week 4: The Last Supper

• Air date: September 29
• Prologue: Kevin, Jennifer M., and Raj lambasted the women for their treatment of Stacie J., and Elizabeth is attacked for choosing her to go to the boardroom in the previous episode, much to Elizabeth's annoyance, as she had actually brought Stacie back for wasting the team's time with the bulk delivery, rather than her past behavior, despite being told consistently that was not why they lost.
• Apex project manager: Jennifer C.
• Mosaic project manager: Raj
• Task: Open a new restaurant in 24 hours. Each team would be given an empty space in Manhattan. They would be responsible for selecting a chef and decor, and stocking the restaurant. The team whose restaurant scored the highest on the Zagat Survey would be declared the winner.
• Judges: Donald Trump; Carolyn Kepcher; Bill Rancic
• Result: Apex chose an Asian fusion theme, while Mosaic went with standard American cuisine.
• Trump Monologue: Be Respected – There are several varied traits of a leader, however respect is the common trait in all of them, without respect one can not be a leader.
• Dramatic tension: Stacy R. and Jennifer M. met with Zagat's people beforehand and tried to convince Jennifer C. that going with the complicated Asian fusion concept was a bad idea, but Jennifer C. stuck with it anyway. Apex continued to struggle throughout the task, and Elizabeth even had a breakdown when she felt that she was being set up for failure. Stacy R. took offense at Jennifer C.'s judgment of two Jewish women who were over-critical of their restaurant, and they clashed over this before the boardroom.
• Winning Team: Mosaic
  • Reasons for win: Their restaurant received a very positive review from the survey, scoring 61 points overall, and outscoring Apex in all aspects except, ironically, the actual food. They won mostly due to the strong scores in the customer service and décor areas.
  • Reward: A meeting with Rudy Giuliani, former mayor of New York City.
• Losing Team: Apex
  • Reasons for loss: They scored 57, losing narrowly by 4 points, but did particularly worse in the decor and service category than Mosaic. The women were also reprimanded for the restaurant's overall appearance, for although they had chic style clothing and a nice modern look to their restaurant, it did not fit with their middle-class locale. Guest judge Bill Rancic also noted that Apex did not have a lot of energy throughout their service and seemed very tense, which the women blamed on Jennifer C's abrasive leadership.
• Sent to boardroom: Jennifer C., Elizabeth, Stacy R.
  • Firing Verdict: Trump felt Apex should have hired a cleaning crew the night before like Mosaic to avoid fatigue the next day. He was also surprised that Sandy was not called back to the boardroom, because she was responsible for the poor design in the restaurant. Because of this, Trump and his advisors suspected that Elizabeth and Stacy R. were brought to the boardroom mainly for personal reasons.
• Fired: Jennifer Crisafulli – for her bad leadership and terrible decision making, which included not bringing in Sandy for the boardroom, bringing in Elizabeth and Stacy R. for personal reasons, and for her comments on the Jewish women. Trump saw no reason to fire Elizabeth or Stacy R., and called Jennifer C.'s firing "easy".
• Notes:
  • This episode aired on Wednesday, September 29, instead of the series's usual Thursday, due to a conflict with a presidential debate.
  • Bill Rancic, the previous season's winner, fills in for George Ross on this task.
  • During the initial boardroom scene, the women argued about many aspects of the task, prompting Carolyn to step in ad berate them for their unprofessional behavior, especially Jennifer C., who constantly interrupted despite being asked many times. Carolyn stated that she, as a woman in business, was embarrassed by the contestants' behavior.
  • Jennifer Crisafulli was fired from her job at a real estate agency in Manhattan the day after this episode aired. The firm cited her comments regarding the Jewish women as the reason for her dismissal.
  • When the men were briefing about customer service, it seemed Chris was the only one who had expertise in customer service. He used numerous curse words when talking about how to be a server and told the men he "hates the public" to their laughter. Raj later said he hoped Chris could put his grudge behind him.
  • Episode Four recap at NBC.com
  • Read the Episode 4 Recap at Yahoo!'s Apprentice 2 Website

Week 5: Lights! Camera! Transaction!

• Airdate: October 7
• Corporate shuffle: Trump sent Pamela over to Apex and appointed her as the project manager for this task, setting up the "battle of the sexes" once again.
• Apex project manager: Pamela
• Mosaic project manager: Chris
• Task: Select a product from the QVC inventory and sell it on-air. The winner would be the team that has the most gross sales.
• Judges: Donald Trump; Carolyn Kepcher; George H. Ross
• Trump Monologue: Price is Right – The right price is extremely important, if the price is marginally high it can kill the marketed products or restaurant, if it is marginally lower it can do wonders, pricing is very important.
• Result: Apex chose a cleaning product called "It Works!". Mosaic went with a more costly electric sandwich maker.
• Dramatic tension: Pamela begins her leadership of Apex with a speech where she admonishes the team for their behavior, and during her speech, Pamela criticizes them for interrupting and not paying attention to people when they are speaking. Raj and Kelly disagreed over the price of the sandwich maker; Raj argued that setting it at a slightly lower price might lead more people to buy it, but Kelly insisted that it should be sold for more than the $70 price point. Chris, the project manager, accepted Kelly's idea, and although it annoyed Raj, it was key in getting the victory for Mosaic.
• Winning Team: Mosaic
  • Reasons for win: Mosaic won very narrowly, beating Apex by just $10, despite selling far fewer units.
  • Reward: Tennis practice at the Arthur Ashe Stadium with John McEnroe and Anna Kournikova. During the reward, Raj tempts the fates and makes a pass at Anna, who agrees to date him if he can return any of her serves. He fails, and is forced to run around the Arthur Ashe Stadium in his boxers while John, Anna and the rest of the men hit tennis balls at him.
• Losing Team: Apex
  • Reasons for loss: Despite an overall strong effort, the team just fell short. Trump felt that if they had dropped their price a little lower, it would have boosted their sales by enough to carry them to victory.
• Sent to boardroom: Pamela, Stacy R., Maria
  • Firing Verdict: Trump expressed admiration for Pamela for being able to switch over to Apex and become the project manager, but he was also concerned that she couldn't admit defeat. Pamela repeatedly claimed that the teams tied, but both Trump and his advisors strongly disagreed, and they felt that it was the price of the item which caused Apex to lose. Pamela, however, believed that Apex would have won if their item was priced even higher. Stacey R. also criticized Pamela's laid-back approach to the legal work involved in the task leading to tell Trump, "If you want another Enron on your hands Mr. Trump, here's Pamela."
• Fired: Pamela Day – for her overconfident leadership, lack of assessment skills, and for setting the price of the item too high, which ultimately caused her team to fail. Trump also felt that she couldn't admit her defeat and mistakes, that she was a poor judge of her team's skills, and assigned them to the wrong jobs.
• Notes:
  • This is the fourth week in a row that Apex has lost a task, and the fourth week in a row that Mosaic won a task.
  • Episode Five recap at NBC.com
  • Read the Episode 5 Recap at Yahoo!'s Apprentice 2 Website

Week 6: Crimes of Fashion

• Airdate: October 14
• Apex project manager: Maria
• Mosaic project manager: John
• Task: Select a designer and develop a clothing line to present at a fashion show for buyers from several upscale department stores. The team with the highest revenue from orders wins.
• Judges: Donald Trump; Carolyn Kepcher; George H. Ross
• Trump Monologue: Know Your Market – Trump reflects on all his endeavors, and discusses the importance of the demographic the product is catered towards.
• Result: The women's team worked very smoothly, completing the task without any major problems and had a designer who accommodated them by walking them through most of the steps. The men's team floundered throughout the task, partly because their designer was not helpful.
• Dramatic tension: Several women on Apex believed that Elizabeth was a distraction, and Maria had to divert her away from the group in order to get the task done more efficiently. On the men's team, Kelly rose to occasion by organizing the team, even though Raj was slowing the team down and John was the project manager. Mosaic's designer also failed to complete production of the clothes. Part of this was attributed to Raj constantly getting information, wasting time, and leading to an argument with Kelly during completion.
• Winning Team: Apex with $22,060.
  • Reasons for victory: Apex made roughly triple the sales revenue of Mosaic. While their overall execution of the task was virtually flawless, Maria was widely credited as having been the perfect choice to lead the team due to her knowledge of the industry.
  • Reward: A celebrity party with Cirque du Soleil
• Losing Team: Mosaic with only $7,735.
  • Reasons for loss: In stark contrast to the other team, Mosaic's execution of the task was an absolute disaster. The team's products were priced too high and unanimously condemned as unappealing by the buyers due to their fabric choices. John proved an extremely ineffective leader, with Kelly taking more of a leadership role in John's stead.
• Sent to boardroom: John, Kevin, Andy
  • Firing Verdict: Trump felt that Mosaic set their prices too high, which resulted in lower sales. Pricing fell under Kevin and Wes' responsibility, but John chose to let Wes go back to the suite and bring Andy with Kevin instead. This decision baffled Trump and his advisors, especially since John had the option to bring back both Kevin and Wes along with Andy.
• Fired: John Willenborg – for making a variety of fatal mistakes throughout the task as Project Manager/Team Leader, which included choosing a bad designer, not being involved in the pricing decisions, allowing Kelly to lead the men over him, and for not bringing Wes back to the boardroom, despite his responsibility for the products' poor pricing.
• Notes:
  • Episode Six recap at NBC.com
  • Read the Episode 6 Recap at Yahoo!'s Apprentice 2 Website

Week 7: Barking Up the Wrong Tree

• Airdate: October 21
• Apex project manager: Jennifer M.
• Mosaic project manager: Wes
• Corporate restructuring: After the project managers were chosen, Trump told both of them to select three players that they did not want on their team. The chosen players would go to the opposing team, leaving them with three men and three women each. Jennifer M. chose Sandy, Maria, and Stacy R. to go to Mosaic. Wes chose Raj, Chris, and Kevin to go to Apex.
• Task: Create a dog service business in the Central Park area and organize a sales event, with the winning team being the one that makes the most profit.
• Judges: Donald Trump; Carolyn Kepcher; Allen Weisselberg
• Trump Monologue: Sell Your Ideas – Similar to last season's monologue Believe in Your Product, Trump talks about the necessity to have faith in one's products or ideas in order to sell them successfully.
• Winning Team: Apex, with nearly triple the sales revenue of Mosaic.
  • Reasons for victory: Apex was able to expand their services beyond washing by offering dog massages and nail clippings. As a result, they earned $307.41 in sales revenue.
  • Reward: A meeting with Michael Bloomberg.
• Losing Team: Mosaic
  • Reasons for loss: Mosaic got off to a late start and was unable to come up with a solid business plan. Andy also left the team's cellphone in a taxicab, leaving the team unable to coordinate between different locations. Wes struggled dealing with Stacy R., who spent most of task arguing with Wes when he shot down her ideas. Their total was $122.12 in sales revenue.
• Sent to boardroom: Wes, Andy, and Stacy R.
  • Firing Verdict:
    • Trump was astounded that Andy could make such a basic mistake as losing the team's cellphone, but Andy was able to make an eloquent defense of himself.
    • Wes was accused of having been a follower rather than a leader on many of the tasks, with Andy stating that Kelly had led this task more than Wes did.
    • Stacy R. was criticized by Carolyn for having no stand-out skills after seven tasks, with Stacy blaming Wes for not listening to her. Trump rebutted that Stacy also had a responsibility to communicate more effectively, putting the onus on her.
• Fired: Stacy Rotner – for being unable to sell her ideas, making too many excuses for her shortcomings, and for being a weak contributor throughout the interview process. Despite Andy and Wes's critical mistakes on the task, Trump saw more potential in them over Stacy R., who was widely deemed as ineffective and distracting throughout the process.
• Notes:
  • Episode Seven recap at NBC.com
  • Read the Episode 7 Recap at Yahoo!'s Apprentice 2 Website

Week 8: A Tale of Two Leaders

• Airdate: October 28
• Apex project manager: Elizabeth
• Mosaic project manager: Andy
• Task: Create a recruiting ad campaign for the New York Police Department with Donny Deutsch's advertising firm.
• Judges: Donald Trump; Carolyn Kepcher; George H. Ross
• Trump Monologue: You Have to Love It – In order to work for Trump, he needs to see a genuine drive and dedication that is visible by how much potential employees love what they do.
• Winning Team: Mosaic
  • Reasons for win: Despite constantly battling with Maria (who wanted more sexuality in the ad) and Kelly (who felt they should go with a more militaristic theme), Andy stuck to his original concept of an emotional appeal, and made an advert asking viewers when they last saved a life or made their family proud. Deutsch felt it wasn't even close, and awarded the win to Mosaic.
  • Reward: Watching their ad played on a large screen in Times Square.
• Losing Team: Apex
  • Reasons for loss: The team went with a theme promoting the idea of the NYPD as a military force battling terrorism, which was heavily pushed by Chris and Raj. Not only did this not fit the original brief, but the execution also made it look like New York City was a police state, which Donny said would more likely deter potential recruits than encourage them to join. Elizabeth constantly rejected ideas and wavered on the ones she did have, only opting for the military theme at the last possible moment and proved to be such a weak leader that both Chris and Kevin threatened to take control via plotting a coup from her at various points in the task.
• Sent to boardroom: No final boardroom – During the initial boardroom, the entire team blamed Elizabeth for the loss. The entire team attacked Elizabeth for her poor performance including Raj & Chris in which they told Trump the military theme for the commercial was the only direction they went in as a result of her terrible leadership in which Jennifer M. commended them. In an Apprentice first, After Elizabeth chose to bring back Chris & Raj (who was responsible for promoting the military idea in the video), Trump decided there was no need and fired Elizabeth on the spot, due to her actions being the crux of the team's failure. George felt the same result would happen should a final boardroom take place and Trump said that was a "no brainer" and didn't want to waste the team's time.
• Fired: Elizabeth Jarosz – for producing a horrid commercial, her terrible, weak, ineffective, and incompetent leadership on this task, as well as the previous one in Week 3, two failures as Project Manager/Team Leader, inability to control the team, being too indecisive, horrible decision making, and losing the respect of her team as a result. Elizabeth mentioned early in the episode she was a crappy leader on the previous task she has lead.
• Notes:
  • This is the first time in the history of The Apprentice that a candidate was fired without the need of a final boardroom.
  • After Elizabeth's elimination, Trump rarely said "sorry" to the people who was still sitting without a final boardroom.
  • Episode Eight recap at NBC.com
  • Read the Episode 8 Recap at Yahoo!'s Apprentice 2 Website

Redbox also rolled out its Rubi coffee kiosk featuring Seattle's Best Coffee in 2012 at up to 500 locations. Outerwall, formerly Coinstar, decided to close its Rubi business in December 2013 then sold that business in 2014 to Feniks, a Seattle start up food tech company.

INIT SE (an initialism of Innovative Informatikanwendungen in Transport) is a German multinational supplier of software and equipment for public transit systems. Based in Karlsruhe, INIT supplies automatic vehicle locators and other intelligent transportation systems, planning and dispatch software, passenger counting systems, and fare collection equipment.

History

INIT entered the North American market in 1999, establishing a U.S. office in Chesapeake, Virginia.

References

Bedrock Management Services (formerly Bedrock Real Estate Services) is an American real estate firm headquartered in Detroit, Michigan. Founded in 2011, Bedrock is controlled by Dan Gilbert through holding company Rock Ventures. One of the largest real estate companies in Detroit, Bedrock owns many of the tallest and most historic buildings in the city's Downtown and Midtown cores, and is often considered the most influential developer in the 2010s revitalization of downtown Detroit.

Bedrock Management Services

Company type	Private
Industry	Real estate
Founded	2011 (2011)
Founder	Dan Gilbert Jim Ketai
Headquarters	Detroit, Michigan, United States
Key people	Kofi Bonner, CEO
Services	Real estate development Leasing Property management
Parent	Rock Ventures
Website	www.bedrockdetroit.com

History

In 2009, Quicken Loans, then wholly owned by Dan Gilbert, began the process of moving its headquarters from Livonia, a Detroit suburb, to downtown Detroit. As part of the move, the company acquired Chase Tower in April 2011. Bedrock was founded later that year to manage Gilbert's real estate holdings.

Notable properties

Listed by date of acquisition.

• Chase Tower (2011)
• Chrysler House (2011)
• One Woodward Avenue (2012)
• One Campus Martius (2014)
• Ally Detroit Center (2015)
• Tower City Center (2016)
• Buhl Building (2017)
• Courtyard by Marriott at Millender Center (2019)

Downtown Detroit security

Given Bedrock's large presence in Detroit, security cameras on the company's buildings capture activity throughout much of Downtown; per a Detroit Police official, Bedrock's cameras cover nearly every street and alley in Downtown. These cameras are monitored at a control center at The Qube, and operators notify authorities of emergency situations. Bedrock has also been known to provide recordings to the police in criminal investigations.

In addition to the cameras, Bedrock commissions private security guards to patrol downtown streets. These patrols began in 2013 in response to cuts at the Detroit Police Department amid the city's bankruptcy. The company initially contracted with Securitas to provide guards, before switching to rival firm SecurAmerica in 2018. Allied Universal acquired SecurAmerica in 2021, and subsequently took over Bedrock's patrols. Bedrock also contracts with City Shield Security Services, a Detroit-based firm.

Controversy

Bedrock's security measures are widely credited with improving the safety of downtown Detroit; at the same time, they've drawn criticism over privacy concerns.

2015 American Coney Island incident

A

Free Press surveillance

In 2015, reports began to circulate that Bedrock was monitoring cameras in the offices of the Detroit Free Press, which are located in the Bedrock-owned Federal Reserve Building.

2019 security guard strike

The Renaissance Center, commonly known as the RenCen, is a complex of seven connected skyscrapers in downtown Detroit, Michigan, United States. Located on the Detroit International Riverfront, the RenCen is owned by General Motors, and houses the company's world headquarters. It consists of a Marriott hotel, six office towers, and a shopping mall and atrium. The RenCen is one of the world's largest commercial complexes, with 5,552,000 square feet (515,800 m²) of usable space, and its central tower has been the tallest building in Michigan since its completion in 1977.

John Portman was the principal architect for the original design. The first phase consisted of a five-tower rosette rising from a common base. Four 39-story office towers surround the 73-story hotel rising from a square podium which includes a shopping center, restaurants, brokers, and banks. The first phase officially opened in March 1977. Portman's design brought renewed attention to city architecture, since it resulted in construction of the world's tallest hotel at the time. Two additional 21-story office towers (known as Tower 500 and Tower 600) opened in 1981. This type of complex has been termed a city within a city.

Despite the name, the hotel portion is not affiliated with the Renaissance Hotels chain, also owned by Marriott.

Government

Walled Lake operates under the council-manager form of government. It is governed by a 7-member city council, consisting of a mayor elected to two-year terms, and six other councilmembers elected to staggered four-year terms. Councilmembers serve at-large, and are elected in a nonpartisan capacity in odd-numbered years. The council elects one of its members to serve as mayor pro tempore.

Current councilmembers

Councilmember	Serving since	Term expires
Linda Ackley (mayor)	2013
Casey Ambrose
Mindy Fernandes
Tamra Loch
Bennett Lublin
John Owsinek
Ryan Woods

The city council appoints a city manager, who oversees the day-to-day operations of the city.

Federal, state, and county legislators

Walled Lake is located in Michigan's 11th congressional district, currently represented by Democratic Rep. Haley Stevens.

In the Michigan House of Representatives, Walled Lake is located in the 49th district, currently represented by Republican Rep. Ann Bollin. In the Michigan Senate, Walled Lake is located within the 13th district, represented by Democratic Sen. Rosemary Bayer.

Novi is split between two districts on the Oakland County Board of Commissioners: the 14th, represented by Democrat Ajay Raman, and the 15th, represented by Democrat Gwen Markham.

History

The idea was first conceived by Henry Ford II, the Ford Motor Company Chairman of the time. In 1970, to bring his idea to life, Ford teamed up with other business leaders to form the Detroit Renaissance. This was a private non-profit development organization which Ford headed in order to stimulate building activity and revitalize the economy of Detroit. Henry Ford II sold the concept of the RenCen to the City and community leaders. Detroit Mayor Roman Gribbs touted the project as a complete rebuilding from bridge to bridge, referring to the area between the Ambassador Bridge, that connects Detroit to Windsor, Ontario, and the MacArthur Bridge, which connects the city with Belle Isle Park.

The Detroit Renaissance announced the first phase of construction in 1971, receiving primary financing from the Ford Motor Company. It soon became the world's largest private development with an anticipated 1971 cost of $500 million. The principal architect was John Portman, the architect behind the Westin Peachtree Plaza Hotel and the Peachtree Center in Atlanta, Georgia; the Embarcadero Center in San Francisco, California; and the Bonaventure Hotel in Los Angeles, California.

The city within a city arose. The first phase of Renaissance Center opened on July 1, 1976. For phase I, the facade of the first five towers was covered with 2,000,000 square feet (186,000 m²) of glass, and used about 400,000 cubic yards (310,000 m³) of concrete. This did not include the additional glass used for the atriums. It also cost $337 million to construct, employing 7,000 workers. The heating and cooling systems for the buildings were housed in two-story concrete berms facing Jefferson Avenue. Other phases that included residences, additional office and retail space were never constructed.

When the Renaissance Center opened, the cylindrical central tower was originally the flagship of Westin Hotels. The top three floors of the hotel hosted an upscale restaurant, The Summit, that rotated to allow a 360 degree view. The shopping center in the podium originally housed high-end boutiques, but now contains a greater complement of restaurants in the retail mix. In its first year of operation it generated over $1 billion in economic growth for the downtown. Detroit Renaissance continued to interact with the city, by contributing to a variety of projects within the downtown area in the ensuing decades.

In 1977, managed by Western International Hotels, the central hotel tower of the Renaissance Center opened as the Detroit Plaza Hotel. It became the world's tallest all-hotel skyscraper surpassing its architectural twin, the Westin Peachtree Plaza Hotel in Atlanta. Its opening ended the Penobscot Building's 49-year reign as the tallest building in Michigan. The hotel was later renamed The Westin Hotel Renaissance Center Detroit. In 1986, it was surpassed in height by The Westin Stamford in Singapore. Since, the Renaissance Center's central tower has held the distinction as the tallest all-hotel skyscraper in the Western Hemisphere.

On April 15, 1977, Henry Ford II and Detroit mayor Coleman Young unveiled a plaque commemorating the private investors whose funds made the project possible. Later that evening, 650 business and society leaders attended a benefit to celebrate the Renaissance Center's formal dedication. The money raised from the $300-per-couple tickets went to the Detroit Symphony Orchestra.

GM World exhibit inside the Renaissance Center, c.2009

Detroit hosted the 1980 Republican National Convention at Joe Louis Arena; during this event, both presidential nominee Ronald Reagan and former President Gerald Ford reportedly stayed at the Renaissance Center.

The "city within a city" concept was duplicated in the suburb of Southfield, when the Southfield Town Center office complex - with five inter-connected golden skyscrapers and an overall area of 2,200,000 square feet (200,000 m²) - was constructed from 1975 to 1989. In the ensuing years, the Renaissance Center would face competition from the growing suburban office market.

In 1987, the elevated Detroit People Mover transit line began operation with a stop at the Renaissance Center.

General Motors ownership

In 1996, General Motors purchased the complex and moved its world headquarters from what is now the historic Cadillac Place state office complex in the New Center district, to the Renaissance Center, in downtown Detroit. Meanwhile, Ford Motor Company maintained offices in one of the towers in the center. Before the acquisition, Sibley's Shoes had its headquarters in the center.

GM acquired the Millender Center, a neighboring mixed-use complex, in 1998.

2000s renovation

In December 2001, General Motors unveiled the Wintergarden retail atrium. Designed by Skidmore, Owings & Merrill, it rises 103 feet (31 m) tall at its highest point opening direct access to the International Riverfront. In addition, the atrium contains 150,000 square feet (14,000 m²) of retail space and 40,000 square feet (3,700 m²) of contiguous main floor exhibit space which was used by the media during Super Bowl XL.

Architects' initial design for the Renaissance Center focused on creating secure interior spaces, while its design later expanded and improved to connect with the exterior spaces and waterfront through a reconfigured interior, open glass entryways, and a winter garden. By 2004, GM completed an extensive $500 million renovation of the Renaissance Center. This included a $100 million makeover for the hotel. Among GM's first actions was to remove the concrete berms facing Jefferson Avenue. The renovation includes a lighted glass walkway which encircles the interior mezzanine for ease of navigation, while the addition of the winter garden provides riverfront access and a view of Canada. A covered skyway over Jefferson Avenue connects to the Millender Center, Courtyard by Marriott - Downtown Detroit, and Coleman A. Young Municipal Center.

In July 2010, Blue Cross Blue Shield of Michigan announced plans to lease 435,245 square feet (40,435.6 m²) of Tower 500 and Tower 600 and relocate 3,000 of its employees from its building in Southfield, Michigan.

In January 2015, General Motors announced its intent to renovate much of the complex to make it more inviting as a destination for visitors to Detroit. In 2018, the GM World showroom was renovated.

In June 2015 the Ren Cen 4 Theatres theater complex announced that it was closing. With the end of Ren Cen 4, the city of Detroit has one first-run theater remaining, along with three independent theaters.

The Renaissance Center is owned by General Motors. The hotel in the central tower is now managed by the Marriott hotel chain and is called the Detroit Marriott at the Renaissance Center. The 1,298-room hotel is one of the largest operated by Marriott. The rooftop restaurant (which previously had revolved) received a $10 million renovation and was operated by The Epicurean Groups's Coach Insignia (closed in 2017). It served Coach wines, a product of the Fisher family whose legacy includes Fisher Body, a name which is part of GM history.

The Renaissance Center's renovation provides for the prospect of continued development and restorations throughout the city. Architectural critics have touted the city's architecture as among North America's finest.

In July 2007 portions of Asian Village, a development of restaurants in Suite 2653 in the GM Center (200 Renaissance Center) with Asian cuisine offered, opened. The center was designed to evoke street food stalls within East and Southeast Asia.

In 2011, the Renaissance Center added colored LED lighting on the top of its towers (Towers 500 and 600 utilize traditional blue floodlights to illuminate their top floors). General Motors added a large illuminated LED corporate logo which also displays GM divisions. The animated logo and illuminated LED color bands around the towers can be used to support special events and may be seen from Comerica Park, home of the Detroit Tigers. The renovation of TCF Center convention and exhibit facility incorporates similar blue neon lighting along riverfront promenade.

In July 2015, the complex was re-branded as "The GMRENCEN." Its logo was modernized and "Reflecting a New Detroit" was introduced as the new tagline. A photo-journalistic advertising campaign launched to "shine a spotlight on the people in Detroit who make remarkable contributions" to the city.

Towers 500 and 600 were acquired by Friedman Real Estate, a firm based in the suburb of Farmington Hills, in December 2023.

Future

On April 15, 2024, GM announced its intention to move its headquarters from the Renaissance Center to the under-construction Hudson's Detroit. No concrete plans have been announced for the complex after GM's departure, though the company's CEO, Mary Barra, has publicly committed to a reuse for the complex, though declined to rule out demolition.

Following the announcement, GM sold its remaining portions of the Millender Center to Bedrock Detroit, owner of the Hudson's development, in June 2024.

Location

A view of the Detroit International Riverfront from Belle Isle

The Renaissance Center is a riverfront property located along the Detroit River. Approximately one-mile north of the center are Comerica Park and Ford Field, the respective venues for the Detroit Tigers and Detroit Lions. The US portal of the Detroit-Windsor Tunnel emerges adjacent to the western boundary of the Renaissance Center. The Renaissance Center is also a station on the Detroit People Mover. Additionally a pedestrian skyway, over Jefferson Avenue, connects the complex to the Millender Center. Several blocks to the west of the Renaissance Center, along Jefferson Avenue, there are the Coleman A. Young Municipal Center, Hart Plaza, Huntington Place (formerly Cobo Center, home to events such as the North American International Auto Show and Youmacon) and the Joe Louis Arena (former home of the Detroit Red Wings). The University of Detroit Mercy School of Law is located just across Jefferson Avenue. The Renaissance Center's modernist architecture balances the city's panoramic waterfront skyline, a frequent feature in photography taken from Windsor, Ontario, across the river. From the top of Renaissance Center's previous Coach Insignia restaurant (closed in 2017), patrons were able to peer down upon the neogothic spires of the One Detroit Center and the city's Financial District skyscrapers and stadiums. The view from the top extended for 30 miles (48 km) in all directions.

Architecture

Renaissance Center from Jefferson Avenue

Aerial shot

The centerpiece is the 73-story 727-foot (221.5 m) luxury hotel with 1,246 rooms and 52 suites (1298 total guest rooms). Its height is measured from its main Wintergarden entrance on Atwater Street which faces the International Riverfront where the complex measures 14 feet (4.3 m) taller. Entirely owned by General Motors, the complex has 5,552,000 square feet (515,800 m²) of space. The main Renaissance Center complex rises from a 14-acre (5.7 ha) site. The complex is designed in the modern architectural style with glass as a main material.

Circulation Ring of Renaissance Center

The Wintergarden provides contiguous main floor exhibition space, which was used by the media during Super Bowl XL.

Famous for its cylindrical design, the central hotel tower's diameter is 188 feet (57 m). A lighted glass walkway radiates the mezzanine level and encircles the base of cylindrical hotel tower for ease of navigation. This ringed glass walkway is about 12 feet (3.7 m) wide and has a circumference of approximately 660 feet (200 m) or about one-eighth of a mile around. The ringed walkway's diameter is approximately 210 feet (64 m). It links to several other walkways in the complex. The five-story Wintergarden atrium leads into the central area which has an eight-story atrium lobby with rounded concrete balconies and terraces. The Highlands is located on Floors 71 through 73, which includes a restaurant, scotch bar, and special events space. The hotel has no floors labeled 7, 8, or 13. The hotel features a major conference center with 100,000 square feet (9,300 m²) of meeting space including a Renaissance Ballroom for up to 2,200 guests with 26,000 square feet (2,400 m²) for events, one of the largest in the United States.

John Portman designed the five-building rosette with interior spaces. In 1977, its central tower opened as the tallest hotel in the world. It remains the tallest all hotel skyscraper in the Western Hemisphere. The smaller cylinders on sides of all the towers house the elevators. The four surrounding 39-story office towers (100–400) each reach 522 feet (159 m) and have a total of 2,200,000 square feet (204,400 m²) of space. Each 39-story tower has a base five-story podium structure with 165,000 square feet (15,300 m²) for retail space for a total of 660,000 square feet (61,000 m²). A portion of the central atrium area houses GM World, a showcase for GM vehicles. Two 21-story towers (500–600), designed by Portman and constructed in 1981, reach 339 feet (103 m). GM gained control of Towers 500 and 600 in 2001. Tower 500 has 307,300 square feet (28,550 m²) of office space and an additional 14,485 square feet (1,350 m²) of retail space. Tower 600 has 304,200 square feet (28,260 m²) of office space and an additional 35,730 square feet (3,320 m²) of retail space.

Towers 100 and 200 front Jefferson Avenue. Towers 300 and 400 are on the main Wintergarden/Atwater Street entrance facing the Riverfront. The GM Renaissance Conference Center is located on the second floor of tower 300.

The design is consistent with the themes of Brutalist architecture, especially in the heavy massing of concrete on the lower floors, but the 2001 renovation has softened those features.

Redevelopment

GM Plaza and Promenade at the Renaissance Center along the International Riverfront

The redevelopment project included the work of many different architects including Skidmore, Owings & Merrill of Chicago, SmithGroup of Detroit, and Ghafari Associates of Dearborn who did the renovation of the office towers. The majority of the construction operations were led by Turner Construction Company. The structural glass and steel for the Wintergarden, the entrance lobby as well as the mezzanine glass walkway were contributed by Mero. The cost of the renovation does not include the cost for reconfiguring the streets around the Renaissance Center or the cost of the park along the International Riverfront.

The $500 million renovation of the Renaissance Center completed in 2003 has helped improve Detroit's economy. Together, GM's renovation of the Renaissance Center and the Detroit Riverwalk exceeded $1 billion; the project constituted a substantial investment in downtown. More than 10,000 people (of whom 6,000 are GM employees) work in the complex. Nearly 2,000 state workers now occupy GM's former office building, the restored Cadillac Place, in the historic New Center district.

The Wintergarden was added to the Renaissance Center in 2001, along with retail shops and restaurants.

The Wintergarden added to the Renaissance Center faces the Riverfront and provides panoramic views of the Windsor skyline. The complex connects offices, the hotel, retail specialty shops, restaurants, a jazz club, and a movie theater. The theater has since closed and been converted to offices. A pedestrian-friendly glass entryway has replaced the former concrete berms along Jefferson Avenue. The redevelopment provides the GM World display of vehicles, a restored hotel, a renovated rooftop restaurant, and the addition of GM's corporate logo to crown the top of the building. Construction of the lighted glass walkway facilitates ease of navigation encircling the interior mezzanine. Hines completed redevelopment of Towers 500 and 600 for GM in 2004.

The Riverfront Promenade was dedicated on December 17, 2004, and helped to usher in a return to recreational uses along Detroit's International Riverfront. GM played a key role in the transformation of the east riverfront with a donation of $135 million to the Detroit Riverfront Conservancy for the development of a world class riverfront promenade planned at $559 million, which included $50 million from the Kresge foundation. In 2011, the Detroit Wayne County Port Authority opened its new state of the art cruise ship dock and passenger terminal on Hart Plaza, adjacent to the Renaissance Center. Port authority bonds financed another 1,500 space parking garage adjacent to the Renaissance Center. Further upriver, the Roberts Riverwalk Hotel faces the east riverfront. In addition to the gradual continuation of the riverfront promenade, other planned projects complementing the Renaissance Center continue along the International Riverfont which include development of luxury condominiums, a cruise ship passenger terminal, retail, and entertainment venues.

Technical details and tenants

Renaissance Center structures, with selected dimensions and tenants

Building	Year	Stories	Height feet (m)	Area sq. feet (m2)	Principal tenant(s)
Central Tower	1977	73	727 (221.5)	1,812,000 (168,300) est.	Detroit Marriott at the Renaissance Center The Highlands. Previous tenants included The Summit Restaurant (including a revolving top floor), which was later replaced by Coach Insignia restaurant, which closed in 2017)
Tower 100 (Southwest)	1977	39	522 (159)	550,000 (51,100)	General Motors HP Enterprise Services United States Post Office
Tower 200 (Northwest)	1977	39	522 (159)	550,000 (51,100)	Ally Financial Headquarters Deloitte
Tower 300 (Northeast)	1977	39	522 (159)	550,000 (51,100)	General Motors The Renaissance Conference Center on level 2 contains 20,000 sq ft (1,900 m2) of meeting space.
Tower 400 (Southeast)	1977	39	522 (159)	550,000 (51,100)	General Motors OnStar CBRE Consulate-General of Japan, Detroit Consulate of Italy in Detroit Urban Science
Podium beneath Towers 100–400	1977	5	103 (31.39)	660,000 (61,300)	GM Showroom Food Court Exhibit space and retail
Tower 500 (River East Center)	1981	21	339 (103)	320,000 (29,700)	Blue Cross Blue Shield of Michigan. Includes 14,845 sq ft (1,380 m2) of retail space.
Tower 600 (River East Center)	1981	21	339 (103)	340,000 (31,600)	Blue Cross Blue Shield of Michigan Consulate-General of Canada. Includes 35,730 sq ft (3,320 m2) of retail space.
Wintergarden & Restaurants	2001	5	103 (31.39)	150,000 (14,000)	Andiamo Panera Bread
Wintergarden atrium	2001	5	103 (31.39)	40,000 (3,700)	Main entry and exhibit space
Renaissance Center total				5,552,000 (515,800)	Owner of complex: General Motors Property management firm: CBRE

In popular culture

International Riverfront and Rivard Plaza merry-go-round

The opening scenes of Thunder in the Skies, the seventh episode of the BBC science-history documentary Connections by James Burke, were visibly filmed in the then-new Renaissance Center (1978).

The Renaissance Center is featured in the film Action Jackson (1988).

In the film Collision Course starring Jay Leno and Pat Morita, the Renaissance Center is featured when Morita's character and Leno meet for the first time; Morita is considered a suspect and chased through the hotel (1989).

The 2008 crime thriller Killshot features an opening scene in which Mickey Rourke drives a blue Cadillac along Jefferson Avenue in Downtown Detroit where, in his role as hired hitman Armand Degas - nicknamed "Blackbird" - he enters the Marriott Hotel in the Renaissance Center to assassinate a mafia leader called "Papa", played by actor Hal Holbrook.

The film Bird on a Wire (starring Mel Gibson and Goldie Hawn) shot a chase scene inside the Renaissance Center (1990).

The opening scene of Renaissance Man shows Danny DeVito driving down Jefferson Avenue, late for a business meeting at the Renaissance Center, when he receives the phone call that fires him from his job. (1994).

The Renaissance Center is featured in the film Grosse Pointe Blank (1997).

In the Steven Soderbergh film adaptation of Out of Sight, the main characters meet in the revolving restaurant atop the Renaissance Center. The scene was filmed on location (1998).

The Renaissance Center was featured in the Kevin Costner and Joan Allen film The Upside of Anger. Costner's character plays a DJ for WRIF 101 FM, a real Detroit FM rock station, whose studio (in the film) is housed in the Renaissance Center (2004).

For the 2005 Major League Baseball All-Star Game, which was played at Comerica Park in Detroit, the center tower of the Renaissance Center was wrapped with an image of a large baseball smashing into the tower, with "4,612 FT" written below it to indicate the distance from home plate at Comerica Park. For Super Bowl XL, held at Detroit's Ford Field on February 5, 2006, a large National Football League logo was wrapped around the main tower just beneath the GM logo.

The Renaissance Center also hosted the major media for Super Bowl XL. GM offered the Wintergarden a venue for the annual Fash Bash, a fashion event and fundraiser coordinated by the Detroit Institute of Arts.

The History Channel's Life After People: The Series "Roads to Nowhere" episode featured the Renaissance Center.

It was used as a primary filming location for the film Real Steel, starring Hugh Jackman (2011).

In a book by Adrian Humphreys titled The Weasel: A Double Life in the Mob, the former driver of Jimmy Hoffa and a mob associate Marvin "The Weasel" Elkind stated that Hoffa is buried in the foundations of the Renaissance Center (2011).

The series finale of Motor City Masters was filmed in the GM World exhibit in the lower level of the Renaissance Center in 2014.

The Renaissance Center was prominently featured in a scene from the movie Need for Speed (2014).

The alternate cover of the Eminem album Recovery features the Renaissance Center in the background. His music video for "Lose Yourself" was filmed in Detroit, thus contains numerous shots of the city, including the building. Eminem's greatest hits album Curtain Call 2 (2022) album cover also features the Renaissance Center.

Notable events

The Renaissance Center has been used as the media center for Super Bowl XL with the Wintergarden serving as the backdrop for ESPN's Sunday NFL Countdown episode on the day of the Super Bowl.

The Rockin On the Riverfront Concert Series was held at a temporary concert venue across the road from the Renaissance Center on the Detroit riverwalk from 2011 to 2019. The concert series featured acts like Pat Benatar, Rick Derringer, The Guess Who, Blue Öyster Cult, Randy Bachman, Foreigner, Dave Mason, Starship, REO Speedwagon, Ace Frehley, Eddie Money, Loverboy, 38 Special, Steppenwolf, Vince Neil, Jon Anderson, and many more.

The Renaissance Center has also served as the media center for the Detroit Grand Prix since 2023.

The anime convention Youmacon had annually been hosted at the Renaissance Center from 2010 through 2022 where the space had been used to host panels, tabletop gaming, concerts, and much more. On October 30, 2015, the rock band Crush 40 performed at the Renaissance Center as part of the Youmacon anime convention.

External links

• Media related to 42-BRT/sandbox at Wikimedia Commons