Flint & Genesee
ECONOMIC ALLIANCE
Flint & Genesee
ECONOMIC ALLIANCE
Every division of the Flint & Genesee Group works to advance prosperity for the region and its residents. The Flint & Genesee Economic Alliance does this by identifying, securing, and supporting business development projects that create long-term impact with new jobs and investments. The division also supports startups to cultivate an entrepreneurial ecosystem.
Selling the Community
In 2022, the Flint & Genesee Economic Alliance responded to 48 Requests for Proposals, putting Genesee County in the running for more than $168 billion of potential investment in available sites and land. It also reached 121 unique companies through retention visits and attraction meetings with current and prospective companies, respectively. A recurring theme throughout many of these conversations was the simple yet compelling line, “This is what opportunity looks like.”
While many new conversations began, several ongoing discussions continued with companies ready to realize that opportunity. By the end of 2022, the division had closed five major business development projects that will result in nearly $363 million of private investment and the creation of 393 jobs. These include:
Ashley Capital’s Flint Commerce Center. The redevelopment of the former Buick City site is expected to result in a 3.5 million-square-foot, state-of-the-art light industrial space. It will represent the largest investment in North Flint in decades.
The expansion of American Recreational Products, a subsidiary of National Composites, in the city of Fenton. The company—which manufactures boats—had reached its capacity at its Owosso facility and will use its new location to accommodate its existing business as well as a new fiberglass product line.
The Garden Building, a mixed-use development in Grand Blanc. The focal point of the 30,000-square-foot building will be a four-season, European-style biergarten, located directly adjacent to Physician’s Park.
The expansion of Island Plastics, a subsidiary of ACI Plastics Inc. (ACI), in Flint. ACI plans to invest in an existing facility in the city of Flint to construct a state-of-the-art system where it will recycle post-consumer low-density polyethylene material for resale to various industries including energy, automotive, and consumer goods. The company anticipates processing 25 million pounds of waste per year through the reuse of this plastic.
Mara Technologies USA Inc., a subsidiary of Invotek Group Inc. The company will manufacture broadband communication amplification hardware from its new U.S. headquarters in Grand Blanc Township.
By the end of 2022, the Economic Alliance had met and exceeded both of its three-year goals for dollars invested and jobs created—in just two years.
Buick City brownfield site
ACI Plastics unveils new, state-of-the-art $10 million recycled plastics processing facility
Reaching Small & BIPOC-owned Businesses
Flint & Genesee Business Bridge kick-off event
Grow & Gather events inform minority-owned small business owners about the benefits of the Flint & Genesee Business Bridge
In 2022, the division continued to create programming and offer services driven, in part, by the findings of the 2021 Genesee County Business Landscape Survey. Specifically, the study had found that 59% of small businesses in Genesee County were led by someone who is Black, Indigenous, and/or a person of color (BIPOC), and just over half of these businesses were in their first five years of operation. Considering that 67% of BIPOC-owned businesses cease operations before their sixth year of business in Genesee County, support for these businesses is especially critical.
To address barriers to success for these businesses, the Economic Alliance contracted with I’m Building Something Consulting, LLC to help create an online directory of BIPOC-owned businesses. The Flint & Genesee Business Bridge, located at DevelopFlintandGenesee.org, aims to serve the interests of prospective vendors and clients/consumers alike.
With grant support from the Ruth Mott Foundation, the Flint & Genesee Business Bridge directory launched with an official kick-off event at New Jerusalem Full Gospel Baptist Church in Flint. There, attendees heard from local business owners, attended panel discussions covering business certifications and resources available to minority-owned businesses in Flint & Genesee, and presented their products and services to more than a dozen different buyers.
Additionally, of the 15 grants awarded through the Moving Flint Forward Grant (MFF) program funded by General Motors, 13 were awarded to minority-owned small businesses to support business growth and community engagement. In addition to providing financial support, the program also supported building business capacity by providing one-on-one counseling, connections to other small business resources, and help with implementing grant-focused activities.
Looking at the broader landscape of small business in Flint & Genesee, the Small Business Help Desk continued to offer support services to area entrepreneurs and startups by meeting with 271 unique small businesses in 2022. The division also partnered with Local Initiatives Support Corporation (LISC) Flint to help six local businesses successfully secure a collective $48,000 in zero-interest loans through the crowdfunding platform Kiva.
In 2022, the division continued to create programming and offer services driven, in part, by the findings of the 2021 Genesee County Business Landscape Survey. Specifically, the study had found that 59% of small businesses in Genesee County were led by someone who is Black, Indigenous, and/or a person of color (BIPOC), and just over half of these businesses were in their first five years of operation. Considering that 67% of BIPOC-owned businesses cease operations before their sixth year of business in Genesee County, support for these businesses is especially critical.
To address barriers to success for these businesses, the Economic Alliance contracted with I’m Building Something Consulting, LLC to help create an online directory of BIPOC-owned businesses. The Flint & Genesee Business Bridge, located at DevelopFlintandGenesee.org, aims to serve the interests of prospective vendors and clients/consumers alike.
With grant support from the Ruth Mott Foundation, the Flint & Genesee Business Bridge directory launched with an official kick-off event at New Jerusalem Full Gospel Baptist Church in Flint. There, attendees heard from local business owners, attended panel discussions covering business certifications and resources available to minority-owned businesses in Flint & Genesee, and presented their products and services to more than a dozen different buyers.
Additionally, of the 15 grants awarded through the Moving Flint Forward Grant (MFF) program funded by General Motors, 13 were awarded to minority-owned small businesses to support business growth and community engagement. In addition to providing financial support, the program also supported building business capacity by providing one-on-one counseling, connections to other small business resources, and help with implementing grant-focused activities.
Looking at the broader landscape of small business in Flint & Genesee, the Small Business Help Desk continued to offer support services to area entrepreneurs and startups by meeting with 271 unique small businesses in 2022. The division also partnered with Local Initiatives Support Corporation (LISC) Flint to help six local businesses successfully secure a collective $48,000 in zero-interest loans through the crowdfunding platform Kiva.
Flint & Genesee Business Bridge kick-off event
Grow & Gather events inform minority-owned small business owners about the benefits of the Flint & Genesee Business Bridge
Making Talent Connections
Talent continued to be a significant concern for area businesses, and the division’s Talent Connection Services helped connect job seekers to 250 open job opportunities with Genesee County employers. To support these efforts, in late 2022, the Economic Alliance and area partners piloted the first-ever “Flint & Genesee Talent Tour.”
The event brought together clients from organizations working with underserved residents and returning citizens, including St. Luke N.E.W. Life Center, Catholic Charities, and Re-Connections, for a tour of Lear Corp. The job seekers, who previously attended job readiness and interview training from GST Michigan Works!, had the opportunity to hear from the human resources department and a union representative before touring the manufacturing floor, where the Flint facility builds car seating systems for General Motors.
Flint & Genesee Talent Tour at Lear Corp
By showing job seekers first-hand what the work environment is like—the upsides and the downsides—the Talent Tours aim to better prepare job seekers for the workforce and to improve the likelihood that employers will hire qualified candidates who will stick around. In 2023, the partners will come together monthly for additional tours, which will be held at different manufacturing companies throughout Genesee County.
Government Contracting
In late 2022, all 90+ Procurement Technical Assistance Centers (PTAC) moved from the oversight of the Defense Logistics Agency to the Department of Defense’s (DoD) Office of Small Business Programs. The transition introduced new policies and practices, including allowing the centers to serve a wider variety of businesses.
The Flint & Genesee Economic Alliance PTAC—renamed the East Michigan APEX Accelerator in early 2023 as part of the transition and rebrand—facilitated $63.7 million in federal, state, local, and subcontracting opportunities, including two first-time contracts, for clients throughout Region 6 during the DoD fiscal year.
Over the course of 2022, PTAC obtained 115 new clients, delivered 1,009 counseling hours, and hosted 33 events.
PTAC was renamed East Michigan APEX Accelerator in early 2023
