The month of May was a whirlwind as the BDC and Monroe County's Administrator Mike Bosanac presented the I-75 Corridor Study to the communities that are adjacent or near the corridor.

The Study, which was conducted by OHM Advisors and managed by a working group consisting of County Commissioners Mark Brant and Gary Wilmoth, Monroe Township Supervisor Al Barron, Mayors Robert Clark (City of Monroe) and David Davison (City of Luna Pier), Monroe County Planning Director Rob Peven, Monroe County Administrator Michael Bosonic, Port of Monroe Director Paul LaMarre, Consumers Energy's Dennis Marvin, and last but not least, BDC's Board Chairman and President of Monroe Bank & Trust, Doug Chaffin.

The Plan recommends "What We Grow, Where We Grow and How We Grow." The How We Grow has resulted in six plan pillars that are designed to move Monroe Forward over the next several years. The pillars, which are listed below, will be phased in over the next several months:

• Prepare for Investment
• Grow Strategically
• Enhance the Local Image and Brand
• Grow Monroe as a Logistics Gateway
• Improve the local Quality of Life & Strengthen Tourism
• Improve Workforce Development/Talent Pipeline

BDC President and CEO, Tim Lake, stated, "It has been a great working with this team on generating a plan and strategy that will help move Monroe County forward. I feel confident the research conducted by the consulting group is sound and on point, and the action steps developed by the working group will reap rewards in the years to come." 

The Monroe County Link plan is an easy read and will provide an overview of the strategy for the County over the next few years. 

Are you having a difficult time sourcing certain items for your business? Find your next supplier at our  Greater Ann Arbor Procurement Summit being held on August 23. Your participation will result in a targeted experience allowing your purchasing team to meet with several pre-qualified suppliers of your choice in one day. There is no cost to participate.This summit is part of the larger Pure Michigan Business Connect program.

Please contact BDC Vice President,  Charlene Page, with your interest and to obtain a copy of the buyer's need worksheet. The Summit is being presented by Consumers Energy and will  be held at the Michigan International Speedway. More information about becoming a supplier will be available in July. 

In early June, the Michigan Department of Education approved the MCTC Early College. The MCTC is a partnership between the nine public school districts, the Monroe County Intermediate School District and the Monroe County Community College. The MCTC allows students, who are interested in CTE careers, begin their post-secondary path while in high school.

Beginning in the fall of 2017, students will have the opportunity to earn both their high school diploma and substantial college credit through an additional fifth year of study.

MCTC is an 11-13th year early college program for high school students enrolled in a CTE program who want to pursue a technical certificate or an associate’s degree. Students must follow an approved program of study leading to a certificate or degree. The certificate or degree is a career credential and is the capstone of the extended CTE experience.

What does this mean for Monroe County businesses? MCTC provides quality work-based learning programs which are developing America’s most valuable resource—its people; helping them gain the skills, technical knowledge, academic foundation and real-world experience they need to prepare for high-skill, high-demand, high-wage careers—and keep America working—in every sense of the word. This learning is aligned with the interests of business and industry—and the interests of our nation.

To learn more, visit the MCTC website or contact Jennifer LaDuke, Monroe County CTE Director (734-322-2720).

MB&T Assembly Room May 24, 2017

Congratulations to Tracy Oberleiter and the Monroe Bank & Trust Team for another great MB&T Economic Update.

Interesting information was presented relating to single family home permits. Bedford and Berlin Township led the way with Ash and Frenchtown Townships close behind on the number of permits being filed per community. Housing prices are still raising with inventories still at a low. Monroe's average selling price of a single family home was $155K, which is also back to the level of 2007. 

The featured speakers for the event were Dennis Dobbs of Consumers Energy and Tom McKittrick of Forsite Development.

Mr. Dobbs is Vice President of  Enterprise Project Management and provided a timeline for the plant, which operated from 1952 to 2016. Interestingly, the plant had recently set a company record for 679 continuous days of operation.  In 2010, the decision by Consumer's to decommission the J.R. Whiting Power Generation facility in Luna Pier was announced and the company began working with the community as they have throughout the process.

Mr. McKittrick and his company, Forsite Development, have a long history in dealing with decommissioned power generation facilities along with other industrial sites. Based in Charlotte, North Carolina, the company prides itself in its ability to manage large scale sites with environmental challenges. Perhaps their most notable project to date is the ReVenture Park™, an ambitious reinvention of a nearly 700-acre former superfund site along the Catawba River into Charlotte’s First Eco-Industrial Park.

Although the transfer of ownership will not be complete until the Michigan Public Service Commission provides their approval, Tom is ready to start moving on the project. He expects the demolition phase to take up to two years. During that time, he will be actively working to develop new usages for the site; one such use might be as a transload facility and with rail infrastructure on site and I-75 within a mile, it seems a logical location.

The BDC is ready, willing and able to assist Tom and his team. We look forward to working with them as the site is repurposed and provided a new economic benefit for the region.

The wealth of information that was presented at the Monroe Economic Update 2017 is available at https://www.mbandt.com/economicupdate/.

 

> Technical skill, relationships and leadership are the foundation of The Mannik & Smith Group, Inc. and have been not just a tradition, but a way of doing business for more than 60 years. We welcome them as a new BDC Investor!

When we asked Mannik & Smith about their group, they replied, "People are the heart of our company. Continuous training in current technology and encouragement to be creative while remaining faithful to our core values solidifies that our employees are our most appreciated asset. A knowledgeable and technically savvy staff creates the ability to positively impact the value of our projects. Comprehensive services, along with talented and dedicated professionals, combined with the culture of the company set by Jaan Mannik, PE and C. Michael Smith, PE create a benchmark for professional service companies in the Midwest. 

Civil engineering today is a much more complex profession than when we completed our first project in 1955. The need to understand zoning, permitting and environmental laws and regulations has become equally as important as the engineering itself. As an Engineering News Record Top 500 Engineering Firm, MSG has the depth of human and technical resources necessary to provide the exceptional level of skill and breadth of expertise required to successfully deliver even the most demanding land development and infrastructure projects."

  >> Are you interested in investing in the BDC?  If you are interested in contributing to the economic development of Monroe County or want to learn more, please give us a call (734-241-8081) or email us at bdc@monroecountybdc.org