Spotlight: Midland, Michigan

Good morning #ChamberWorld! It's going to be a great day! 

Midland Business Alliance: New + Next in Midland Business


Each month, I’ll share what is new and next in Midland Business – intentional commentary, industry trends, program opportunities, and aptly, new project info. I look forward to sharing a peek into the Economic Development ecosystem!

New business + talent attraction is a key element of economic development, meant to create and bolster industry clusters, value- and supply-chains and to provide the educated, trained talent hub to meet the needs of our business community. Secondarily, increases in commerce and residents means greater vibrancy, diversity and community growth. In this forum, I continually note talent attraction as the most critical challenge, universally expressed across all industries, regardless of business size.

The success of community attraction is rooted in infrastructure - inclusive of systems, assets and amenities that support the lives of residents and its businesses. This includes water, streets, railways, airports and utilities, though also includes items more nebulous - availability of attainable housing, childcare availability and connectivity, to name a few. (Side note: For more information on the MBA's Broadband / Internet Connectivity work, reach out to Tina Lynch!)

Both business and talent attraction and existing business growth require that our community create capacity in its less tangible infrastructure. For clarity, a few assist requests from our business connection conversations:

"We (Company A) are considering an expansion, requiring 165 additional employees, we're confident that we can recruit the talent, but when HR asked about the housing environment here in Midland, we're concerned about the availability of 1-2 homes, much less 165. We'd hate to do it, but we may have to locate these people elsewhere"

"We relocated 30 employees to Midland and hired around 100, but our day shift ends at 7. Can you help us find childcare? There are 25 employees on day shift that have kids who are mostly wait-listed, but even those providers close at 5/5:30. Additionally, we've an overnight shift, does Midland have providers that offer overnight care?"

"Help Requested. We've a handful of summer interns that desperately need housing in order to make it work. Do you know of any rentals that would accommodate a summer lease - every open rental we've called won't accommodate a short term lease (also, the price points are such that each would be paying 50-60% of their wages in rent."

 
In Midland County, we are incredibly fortunate to have assets and amenities that far exceed that of similarly-sized cities - beautiful, mid-mod architecture, wonderful recreation, nature-based places and school systems that mold the next generation of leaders. To be sure these assets are playable in the game of attraction, we've to prepare for the priorities, needs and lifestyles of those we're attracting. Aligning those elements with the development of attainable housing and childcare - employing curiosity and informed creativity to build capacity for each.

--- Nicole Wilson, Vice President, Economic Development
EcD Industry News

· Michigan ranked #9 in Site Selection magazine 2022 Prosperity Cup; the Prosperity Cup is awarded to the most competitive states based on an index of 10 criteria, including project, capital expenditure and job creation data

· Michigan #18 in Chief Executive’s 2022 ranking of Best and Worst States for Doing Business.

· Michigan ranked #2 in the country in Credible’s list of states where the economy has recovered the most from COVID-19.

· Michigan ranked #3 in sustainable development practices by Site Selection magazine's 2021 Sustainability Rankings.

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