• FIRST® Robotics Championship to be held at Cobo Hall from Wednesday, April 24 – Saturday, April 27, 2019
  • Competition generates an average of $30 million in economic activity for Detroit and is expected to attract more than 35,000 attendees, including 15,000 students, from countries all around the world

DETROIT, April 24, 2018 – As 35,000+ attendees descend upon Detroit for the FIRST® (For Inspiration and Recognition of Science and Technology) Championship to watch teams from all over the world battle hand-crafted robots, Quicken Loans today announced its continued sponsorship of the globally renowned competition. As Detroit’s largest employer, Quicken Loans is also collaborating with PricewaterhouseCoopers and DTE Energy to provide field trips to more than 1,100 Detroit-area students, promoting the importance of STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics) education, while also providing inspiration to the City’s next generation of creators and innovators.

“Innovation is at the heart of what we do at Quicken Loans and our family of companies, and we can only achieve it through collaboration, relentless curiosity, and embracing an out-of-the-box approach to solving problems,” said Laura Grannemann, Vice President of Strategic Investments for the Quicken Loans Community Fund. “We are honored to sponsor FIRST as they cultivate those same qualities every day in students here in Detroit and across the world, knowing many of these students will become future leaders in STEM.”

In 2017, Quicken Loans announced its goal to secure computer science training for more than 15,000 Detroit students over a five-year period, further cementing its dedication to education and employment in STEM fields in its home city.

“As the world’s leading youth-serving nonprofit advancing STEM education, we are grateful for partners like Quicken Loans who share our vision in working to cultivate a talent pipeline that will embrace and occupy the jobs of the future,” said Don Bossi, President of FIRST. “Quicken Loans, through its sponsorship of the FIRST Championship and numerous educational and philanthropic efforts, regularly demonstrates its laudable and ongoing commitment to STEM.”

In addition to the sponsorship, Quicken Loans will provide more than 1,100 non-competing students from 77 Detroit-area schools the opportunity to attend and observe teams competing in the FIRST Robotics Competition, Lego League and Tech Challenge.

Elementary, middle and high school students from across the Detroit area will be bused to the FIRST® Championship at Cobo Hall in downtown Detroit. Students will tour the site and have the opportunity to watch and be inspired by fellow students from across the world as they compete.

FIRST is just one example of Quicken Loans’ investment in helping Detroit students build the skills needed to access the jobs of the 21st century. Through its ‘For More Than Profit’ philosophy, Quicken Loans has dedicated millions of dollars to career technical education, building STEM curriculum for all Detroit students. The nation’s largest residential lender also continues to grow its mentorship program. Since 2015, Quicken Loans team members have invested nearly 20,000 hours of time mentoring Detroit school students.

The FIRST Championship is being at Cobo from Wednesday, April 24 – Saturday, April 27, 2019. The competition generates an average of $30 million in economic activity for Detroit and is expected to attract more than 35,000 attendees, including 15,000 students, from countries all around the world.

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About Quicken Loans

Detroit-based Quicken Loans Inc. is the nation’s largest home mortgage lender. The company closed nearly half a trillion dollars of mortgage volume across all 50 states from 2013 through 2018. Quicken Loans moved its headquarters to downtown Detroit in 2010. Today, Quicken Loans and its Family of Companies employ more than 17,000 full-time team members in Detroit’s urban core. The company generates loan production from web centers located in Detroit, Cleveland and Phoenix. Quicken Loans also operates a centralized loan processing facility in Detroit, as well as its San Diego-based One Reverse Mortgage unit. Quicken Loans ranked highest in the country for customer satisfaction for primary mortgage origination by J.D. Power for the past nine consecutive years, 2010 – 2018, and also ranked highest in the country for customer satisfaction among all mortgage servicers the past five consecutive years, 2014 – 2018.

Quicken Loans was once again named to FORTUNE magazine’s “100 Best Companies to Work For” list in 2018 and has been included in the magazine’s top 1/3rd of companies named to the list for the past 15 consecutive years. In addition, Essence Magazine named Quicken Loans “#1 Place to Work in the Country for African Americans.”

For more information and company news visit QuickenLoans.com/press-room.

About the Quicken Loans Community Fund

The Quicken Loans Community Fund is the philanthropic arm of Quicken Loans, the nation’s largest mortgage lender. Its strategy focuses on investments in housing stability, entrepreneurship, education and employment, public space activation, and community sponsorships in Detroit. Through its for-more-than-profit model, the Quicken Loans Community Fund brings together for-profit businesses and non-profit investments, as the two are inextricably linked in revitalizing our future. The team is dedicated to investing alongside community partners throughout the Rock Family of Companies’ home cities: Detroit, Cleveland, Charlotte, and Phoenix.

Over the last two years alone, the Quicken Loans Community Fund has invested over $50 million in the Detroit community through investments in housing stability, entrepreneurship, education & employment and public space activation. The Quicken Loans Community Fund has organized team members to provide more than 500,000 volunteer hours nationwide, including 350,000 in Detroit. It is a proud sponsor of numerous programs, including Quicken Loans Detroit Demo Day, an entrepreneurial competition; the Built for Zero initiative, which aims to end chronic and veteran homelessness; and the Neighbor-to-Neighbor program, which educates local homeowners in danger of losing their home to tax foreclosure by providing resources, knowledge, and workshops about property tax exemptions.

The Quicken Loans Community Fund believes in doing well by doing good, and taking an active role in the improvement of the cities and neighborhoods Quicken Loans team members call home. As a direct result of its efforts, 98% of Quicken Loans employees stated they feel good about the ways the Quicken Loans Community Fund contributes to the community, according to a 2018 survey by Great Place to Work.

For more information, visit QuickenLoans.org, and see their For-More-Than-Profit booklet here.