Automation Alley Ex-CEO Ken Rogers Tribute

ANN ARBOR – Ken Rogers, the longtime executive director of Troy-based Automation Alley and former deputy Oakland County executive, passed in February. Rogers was a deputy Oakland County executive, working under then Oakland County Executive L. Brooks Patterson, when Patterson founded Automation Alley in Oakland County and put Rogers in charge.

Both hoped to stem the outflow of thousands of auto-related jobs from Oakland County while also creating better training for high-tech workers. Rogers rapidly built up the industry and high-tech promotion group, at first focusing on county job growth, but soon networking throughout southeast Michigan.

By 2014, Automation Alley had become so effective at bringing high-paying, high-tech jobs to metro Detroit that Patterson cut Rogers loose from any remaining obligations to Oakland County government. That meant Rogers could work full-time at running what he’d groomed to be a self-sustaining membership group.

By Mike Brennan|2021-03-07T11:08:01-05:00March 6th, 2021|ESD, mitechtv, News|

About the Author: Mike Brennan

Founder of Michigan News Network, and serves as CEO, as well as Editor & Publisher of MITECHNEWS.COM. Brennan has worked since 1980 as a technology writer at newspapers in New York, NY, San Jose, CA., Seattle, WA., Memphis, TN., Detroit, MI., and London, England. He co-founded and served as managing editor of Pacific Rim News Service (SEATTLE), which developed a network of more than 100 freelance journalists in 17 Asia-Pacific countries.