Development group's help to result in 2,446 new jobs

Date: June 20, 2007
By: Y KATHERINE YUNG, FREE PRESS BUSINESS WRITER
Source: Detroit Free Press

The Michigan Economic Development Corp. said Tuesday it is helping five companies expand in the state and supporting two retail and commercial redevelopment projects, resulting in 2,446 new jobs.

The bulk of the jobs will come through redeveloping Universal Mall in Warren.
The two economic redevelopment projects selected for state assistance are Universal Mall and a vacant industrial building in downtown Grand Rapids.

At Universal Mall, which opened in 1965, 600,000 square feet of new retail and commercial space for multiple stores will be built and a 100,000-square-foot anchor building and a multiplex theater will be rehabilitated. The project is expected to create as many as 2,000 jobs when the mall is redeveloped.

The Grand Rapids project will house a production facility and tasters' room for Founders Brewing Co., creating 16 jobs and preserving 21 others.

All the companies receiving state and local tax breaks and credits:

• Hitachi Automotive Products (USA) Inc.: The auto supplier plans to expand its Farmington Hills technical center, creating 100 jobs at the company. It will receive a state tax credit valued at $1.3 million over seven years. The City of Farmington Hills has approved a 6-year tax abatement worth $859,000.

• LMS North America: The Belgium-based engineering services firm plans to expand its operations in Troy. The move will create 50 jobs at LMS. The company will receive a state tax credit valued at $686,000 over seven years, up to $25,000 in job training funds and a 12-year tax abatement from the City of Troy worth $30,697.

• Media Genesis Inc.: The Madison Heights Web site developer plans to move into a larger facility in Royal Oak. The move will generate 155 jobs at the company. Media Genesis will receive a state tax credit valued at $1.3 million over seven years. The City of Royal Oak reduced the selling price of a property it owned next to Media Genesis' new building by $45,742. The company could use the property as a parking lot.

• General Mills Operations Inc.: The subsidiary of General Mills Inc. will expand its Yoplait yogurt factory in Reed City. The larger plant will lead to 25 jobs. The company will receive a state tax credit valued at $166,000 over seven years, $500,000 in community development block grant funding for wastewater treatment plant improvements and a 12-year tax abatement worth $5 million from Reed City.

• Signa Group Inc.: The manufacturer of aluminum extrusions, also known as Whitehall Industries, will expand its facilities in Ludington and Pere Marquette Township in Mason County. The move will create 100 jobs at the company. Signa will receive a state tax credit worth $704,000 over seven years and local tax abatements worth $413,000 over 12 years.

Contact KATHERINE YUNG at 313-222-8763 or kyung@freepress.com.

100 People = 1.2 Million Dollars

So, yeah, United Way wants to help people and families be more financially stable. How do you propose you do that? For starters, lets promise to pay attention to the tools we already have available but annually go untapped -- lets start with the EITC -- Earned Income Tax Credit.

Did you know that in Metro Detroit, over 20% percent of those eligible did not receive the credit. And with more people in poverty in the suburbs (270,000) than the city (261,000), this is a regional issue. Millions of dollars are left unclaimed every year, but you can do something about it.

Want to help in a meaningful and powerful way?

We calculate that with 100 volunteers, Southeast MI will gain over 1.2 million dollars in tax returns this year.

Put another way, imagine earning over $10,000 for others for just 20 hours of work?

Sign up today, and learn a marketable skill while making a difference in your community. Call United Way’s Volunteer Center at (313) 226-9430, or e-mail eitc@uwsem.org, for details. Impact Community, Empower Yourself.

If nothing else, forward the message along to your family and friends, co-workers and neighbors. They may be in need or know those that could use the credit. Or call 2-1-1 to learn more about accessing help.

Bottom line -- pay it forward, get involved, and see the results.

Asset Building

We've written on the importance of economic security and the value of Individual Development Accounts (IDAs) in our community before.

This week, members of United Way for Southeastern Michigan and over 1,000 practitioners, researchers and policy advocates have convened in Phoenix, AZ for the 2006 Assets Learning Conference hosted by the CFED. The sessions are packed with the latest research and findings from the field. To learn more, please visit the conference website here.

The morning began with The Assets Alliance, which provided a foundation for understanding what assets are and the essential role they have in improving lives and communities. For example, assets are generally thought of in three important categories: physical (homes, land, automobiles), financial (cash savings, retirement funds, investments) and human (education, work skills, psychological well being).

What do we mean when we say someone has achieved self-sufficiency and economic security?

For me, the conversation that struck the most resonant chord centered on the most basic yet essential question: What assets do people, families and communities need to achieve their aspirations?

Our needs are fundamentally about our ability to make choices -- decisions to enhance, develop and improve our quality of life.

Our first task is probably to widen our thinking. Though we must focus our efforts to make long term progress, we should encourage out-of-the-box solution building. The IDA program, for example, is a critical strategy to asset building, but alone it simply cannot answer all of the needs facing Southeastern Michigan.

How can we increase the choice sets available to achieve our goals? Are there unique cultural, historical, and institutional barriers we should be aware of in our efforts? What is United Way's role? Business? Practitioners? Policy makers? How can we better collaborate to build from our strengths as a region?

What do you think? What assets -- physical, financial, or human; personal, family or community -- would enhance the choices available for all to enjoy a better quality of life in Metro-Detroit? Share with us by emailing impact.strategy@uwsem.org

A Better Future ... Together

Our Regional Aspiration:

All People Across Southeastern Michigan have the Educational and Economic Opportunities Needed to Succeed and Thrive.

Think about those words.

What do you see? Do you see yourself gearing up some Saturday morning to go volunteer to make your community better? Do you see your children having fresh opportunities to meet their goals? Do you see yourself in that aspiration?

Can you see all of us working together to do something great as a region?

We can.

The true consensus that emerged from everyone that shared their voice was overwhelming. We are moving forward by focusing in on the vital few issues we can make progress on across Southeast Michigan.

We know it will not be easy. We know it will take time. But now we know that we have the region behind us, ready to make it work.

Please, join us & get involved today.

Economic Security

"The problem is not jobs, but rather the Grand Canyon between jobs and the skills sets required to complete them"

"Michigan's number one export isn't cars, it's people"

The need for economic opportunities is pronounced in Southeast Michigan; we heard it from every sector and through the seams of every voice in our interviews, focus groups and the community action survey.

People understood that the pathways towards economic success are universal to improving lives and communities. At United Way, we're working on these today through our IDAs and even our Women's Initiative work on early childhood literacy, which in the long run, will dramatically improve their chances towards self-sufficiency and economic success. We believe those are great efforts and just the start of partnerships and long term strategies which will go towards lasting change.

With such a large scope, we need to dig deeper into the research across the region to know the full scale of how United Way can leverage the community voice to make a difference in the area of economic security. We're currently engaged in that process.

What do you think? Are there great programs or services out there addressing these areas that United Way should know about?