Michigan’s Benson has familial, professional ties to company pushing data center project in Saline

Ryan Friedrichs, vice president of Related Companies and husband of Michigan Secretary of State Jocelyn Benson, is a vice president in the company that is now pushing the development of a 1-gigawatt Oracle and OpenAI data center in a rural Washtenaw County township.

The connection between Friedrichs and the data center was first reported by conservative news outlet The Midwesterner. The Detroit News also previously reported that Friedrichs was a registered lobbyist in Michigan for the company, although Benson’s campaign provided proof that his lobbying license was terminated for the state in May.

Still, his role as the vice president of Development with Related Companies, which is the parent company of Related Digital, which is developing the project, has opened up questions about potential conflicts of interest if Benson should win the Democratic gubernatorial primary and go on to win the race for governor next fall.

Related Companies is based in New York and owned by Stephen Ross, a billionaire who also owns the National Football League’s Miami Dolphins. Ross has had close ties to Benson’s over the years, as she was the CEO of the Ross Initiative in Sports for Equality. He has also donated to her campaign for governor to the tune of $8,325, according to Benson’s July campaign filing with the state.

The multi-billion dollar data center project would be the largest such data center in Michigan history, a facility expected to create 2,500 union construction jobs and 450 permanent jobs on site, with 1,500 more planned throughout the community to support the center.

Construction on the project is expected to begin in early 2026, with Related Digital and Oracle Cloud developing the facility as part of Oracle’s partnership with Open AI. DTE Energy confirmed it will supply 1.4 gigawatts of load for the facility, marking its first contract with a data center.

Whitmer: Multi-billion-dollar Saline Township data center ‘largest investment in Michigan history’

But the project is only moving forward after a legal settlement was brokered between the developer and the host community, which has opposed the project. A Washtenaw County judge approved a settlement between Related Digital and Saline Township, with the developer and the owner of the 575 acres of farmland slated for the project filing suit after the Township Board voted 4-1 against rezoning the land for the project.

Environmental activists have also warned that data centers can deplete groundwater aquifers and disrupt ecosystems through thermal pollution of surface waters, in addition to pollution with PFAS, methane and other harmful chemicals. They also have raised concerns for utility  ratepayers who might be affected by the project.

Michigan Attorney General Dana Nessel has since filed a notice with state energy regulators intervening in DTE Energy’s request to approve two contracts allowing them to supply power to the data center.

As The Midwesterner noted, Friedrichs cheered on the data center project on social media, including his LinkedIn page.

Michigan Advance reached out to Benson’s campaign for comment and to answer three questions.

The Advance asked the campaign if Friedrichs would step down from his role at Related Companies if Benson becomes governor and the data center project moves forward, considering he would be involved in a company that has a clear state business interest.

The campaign was asked if Benson supported AI data centers and more specifically the Saline Township project, considering the ecological damage environmental advocates say they can cause and other community concerns.

On the perception issue, Benson’s campaign was asked if they were worried about the optics of the candidate’s husband being so closely tied to a controversial project.

The campaign, in an emailed response, did not directly answer those questions and sent over two statements from campaign manager Nikki Goldschein and Benson supporter state Rep. Carrie Rheingans.

Goldschein did at least address the question of whether Benson supported the project being led by the company that her husband works for.

“Transparency and job growth will always be at the forefront of Jocelyn Benson’s administration and she’s made that clear from Day 1 of this campaign,” Goldschein said. “This new data center will create thousands of jobs in SE Michigan, but Jocelyn knows that neither this nor any other data center can be built at the expense of Michiganders’ already high electricity bills or access to clean water. We look forward to seeing these concerns addressed as public engagement on this project moves forward.”

Rheingans touted Benson’s commitment to transparency.

“Jocelyn Benson has successfully led our state’s second-largest agency for the past seven years, demonstrating unwavering commitment to transparency, integrity, and efficiency on behalf of the people of Michigan,” Rheingans said. “To suggest that her ability to lead as governor would be compromised because of her husband’s professional work is not only unfounded but frankly sexist. Her record speaks for itself: Jocelyn Benson has proven time and again that she is more than capable of leading effectively, independently, and in the best interest of all Michiganders.”