Good Things Happening in Clinton County
CCEA MOVING FORWARD
The Clinton County Economic Alliance (CCEA) is now 2-1/2 years old. Over that time, much has been accomplished. More on that in the February issue. To insure continued progress the Leadership Board has entered into a contract with the Resource Development Group to assist them with their fund raising efforts. The new three year fund raising effort will kick off at the CCEA’s annual meeting this coming Tuesday, January 12. Chip Holcombe of Resource Development Group will be present to provide an overview of the fund raising project.
Greg Main, President and CEO of the Michigan Economic Development Corporation (MEDC), will be the keynote speaker at the annual meeting and will outline MEDC’s economic development efforts for 2010. The session will start with Mr. Main speaking at 7:00 -7:15 a.m. Breakfast will immediately follow. If you are interested in attending, please contact the CCEA office at 517-669-1345 or
czarnecki@ccea.org to reserve your seat.
Clinton County Economic Alliance,
in sponsorship with
Clinton Memorial Hospital and Consumers Energy,
cordially invites you to attend our
January 12, 2010, Annual Meeting
7:00 – 9:00 a.m.
at The Mint Restaurant in St. Johns.
Breakfast served at 7:20 a.m.
Annual Meeting from 7:30 – 9:00 a.m.
Please join us in welcoming guest speaker
Greg Main, President & CEO of
Michigan Economic Development Corporation.
Kindly RSVP at 517-669-1345
Clinton, Ionia and Shiawassee Counties and the Michigan Department of Management and Budget Hosting Seminar to Help Local Companies Win State Contracts
To help local business owners win state contracts, Clinton, Ionia and Shiawassee counties are joining with the Michigan Department of Management and Budget to host a "Buy Michigan First" seminar (
www.michigan.gov/buymichiganfirst.) This event will be held on Friday, February 12, from 9:00 a.m. to Noon at the St. Johns RESA, 1013 South U.S. 127, St. Johns, Michigan. Registration check-in begins at 8:30 a.m.
Rebecca Nevai, Buy Michigan First vendor outreach coordinator will speak on topics such as about bidding opportunities, how to register as a State vendor, free resources for research and bid preparation, and navigating the State contracting process. The State's Department of Management and Budget, Purchasing Operations, has a portfolio of 1,100 contracts, worth billions of dollars.
Other speakers will include regional representatives from the Procurement Technical Assistance Centers, or PTACS (
www.ptacsofmichigan.org) and Small Business Technology and Development Centers, or MI- SBTDCs (
www.misbtdc.org). These organizations offer a variety of free services to business owners. The PTACs services include free bid matching services, and assistance researching and bidding on federal contracts. The SBTDC’s services include free assistance with marketing plans, business plans, financial and organizational assessments. The MI-SBTDC program is partially funded by the U.S. Small Business Administration.
The Business Development Unit, within the State's Department of Management and Budget, Purchasing Operations supports the Buy Michigan First initiative, which seeks to encourage Michigan businesses, including under-represented groups, to compete for Michigan contracts. The unit travels around the State and delivers presentations and seminars to Michigan business owners about contracting opportunities and navigating the State contracting process.
Clinton County Youth Business Venture Competition
The jobs of the future will come from new enterprises not in existence today. Where those new ideas pop up will most likely be the locations the new businesses take root. It is for those reasons the Clinton County Economic Alliance initiated the Clinton County Business Venture Competition. If we can excite our young folks to think about new business ventures, hopefully some of those will bear fruit and prosper here in Clinton County.
Nine high school students and two middle school students submitted applications explaining their new business ventures. Five business plans dealt with a new product and four involved providing a new or existing service. One middle school student submitted an application to provide a service and the other a product. The students will explain their new business venture to a panel of judges on January 12 at RESA in St. Johns. We hope these students also participate in a regional business plan competition sponsored by Prima Civitas.
The following young men and women submitted applications:
Sillow Outerwear – James Jackson, DeWitt High School
Baskets by Brianne – Brianne Feldpausch, Fowler High School
Anderson’s Sport Shop – Zach Anderson, Ovid-Elsie High School
Sweet Creations - Dustin Morrell, St. Johns High School
Baker’s Dozen – Craig Koenigsknecht, Fowler High School
Road Kill, Inc. – Ashlynn Weller, Ovid-Elsie High School
Exquisite Events – Megan Verchereau, DeWitt High School
Down River Fishing Guide – Casey Harless, DeWitt High School
Superior Aerospace – Nicholas McCoy, DeWitt High School
Ovid-Elsie Kid Fun Center – Ty Pardee, Ovid-Elsie Middle School
Tyler’s Snow Plow Guards – Tyler Ott, Ovid-Elsie Middle School
It is hoped that the Youth Business Venture Competition can become an annual event in the county. We hope more and more young folks begin to think about a new product or service that they can turn into a new business venture and those new businesses grow and prosper in Clinton County.
If you have an opportunity to meet one of these young men and women, please congratulate them for their participation in this competition.
Michigan Projected to Lose a Congressional Seat
While not directly related to economic development issues, but having an impact nonetheless, Michigan is projected to lose a congressional seat. The Census Bureau released its latest population estimates. This data gives an indication of which states will gain or lose congressional seats in the 2011 redistricting process. Eight states are projected to gain one or more seats and 10 states are slated to lose one or more seats. States gaining are Arizona (+1), Florida (+1), Georgia (+1), Nevada (+1), South Carolina (+1), Texas (+4), Utah (+1), and Washington (+1). States losing one or more seats are Illinois (-1), Iowa (-1), Louisiana (-1), Massachusetts (-1), Michigan (-1), Minnesota (-1), New Jersey (-1), New York (-1), Ohio (-2),and Pennsylvania (-1). The Northeast and industrial Midwest is the loser. Loss of congressional seats may have an impact on federal funding priorities to the determinant of industrial Midwest.
Promoting Clinton County in Spring Hill, Tennessee
On December 17, the General Motors (GM) Spring Hill Transition Center hosted a Relocation Fair for those individuals thinking of transferring to the Lansing Delta Township (LDT) plant. The Clinton County Economic Alliance attended the event and had a booth with information on Clinton County. Our objective was to inform those returning to Michigan, the benefits of residing in Clinton County. Our observations included:
- Many individuals said they planned to rent rather then buy. They want to return to Spring Hill.
- Many former residents of Michigan said they thought the people in Spring Hill were very “friendly.”
- Some were hoping that G.M. would put a new line into the plant in a few years.
- G. M. owns a lot of land in Tennessee. Appears to be much larger then their Delta Township site.
- Eaton Rapids, Delta Twp., East Lansing, and St. Johns were other communities at the event.
SEARCHING FOR CLINTON COUNTY
Our new Web site
www.clintoncountyeconomicalliance.org has given us a global presence on the Internet. About half of the visits we receive each week come from referring sites. To help us drive more traffic to the site, please add a CCEA link to your own Web site. The more the CCEA Web Site is linked to, the higher it will appear on search engines such as Google. This helps raise awareness about our county throughout the world.
CLINTON COUNTY BY THE NUMBERS
Clinton County Unemployment Rate Continues To Be Among Lowest In State
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November 09 Unemployment Rate
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Clinton County
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10.1%
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Eaton County
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10.6%
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Ingham County
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11.8%
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Gratiot County
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14.0%
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Ionia County
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13.6%
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Shiawassee County
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15.4%
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State of Michigan
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14.1%
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Unfortunately our unemployment rate rose 1% from October to November, reaching 10.1%. With the exception of Livingston & Washtenaw counties, local jobless rates rose slightly in November as area labor force levels bumped upward with unemployed job seekers in search of holiday related seasonal employment. Clinton County was tied with Leelanau County, having the third lowest unemployment rate in the state.
BUSINESS SPOTLIGHT
Greenbush Farms, LLC
Dolce Vita Goat Dairy
20 GOATS & ONE MILK MAID
At Dolce Vita Goat Dairy, the tradition of southern Italian food, family and community lives on. For nearly 100 years, four generations of Spagnuolos have served up hospitality and food to communities in mid-Michigan. Family and tradition is the foundation of what we do – and what the old world way is all about.
Greenbush Farms is located just outside of St. John's, Michigan, and provide mid-Michigan with fresh, farmstead goat cheese that is handcrafted each step of the way. After milking the goats, the milk is carried from the milking parlor to the cheese processing room. Then, hand poured and ladled from the vat, the cheese is hung to drain, scooped by hand and carefully wrapped to present you with the freshest, smoothest chevre possible.
The three Dolce Vita varieties – plain cheese, maple-honey, and roasted red pepper are sold as spreadable cheese that has a consistency similar to cream cheese. All the recipes were developed by Spagnuolo, featuring fresh local ingredients including local maple syrup, local honey, and cinnamon in the popular maple-honey “OOH MAPLE” and red pepper blends. A new cheese is now being produced called “Bucksnort,” which is a bit spicer. Sue Spagnuolo is working on creating “logs and pyramids,” 6- and 8-ounce cheese products that can be sliced, rather than spread. “Goat cheese makes a great cheesecake; chefs really enjoy using it in dessert recipes,” Spagnuolo said.
The cheese is seasonal and is not available year round. Cheese is available April through November, and in the winter Spagnuolo is aging cheese and making goat milk soaps and lotions.
Greenbush Farm is committed to sustainable practices and building vibrant communities by creating and promoting local products and services. Sue invites you to enjoy what she believes life should be about: family, community, service and, of course, food.
Where to Find Dolce Vita Goat Dairy Products
Farmers Markets:
(Seasonal)
Sat 8 am- 2 pm
Year-round Markets:
MICHIGAN ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT – TAXES DO MATTER
December 21, 2009
We were sent this article by Mr. Eckenstahler. You can form you own opinion as to whether taxes matter.
2010 TAX FOUNDATION BEST STATES REPORT
The Tax Foundation 2010 State Business Tax Climate Index ranks Michigan’s business tax climate 17 overall (up from 21 in 2009), ahead of almost all Midwest states except Indiana. However, closer study reveals Michigan’s non-competitiveness.
As every economic developer knows, taxes matter to business. This is especially true for economic developers who compete for business investment, especially with Indiana and Illinois communities perceived to have tax advantages over Michigan.
We all hear the cry, “it’s more expensive and harder to do business in Michigan.” The 2010 Tax Foundation data may lend truth to this statement.
Let’s look at individual rankings, especially for the three complaints we hear most as economic developers compared to our Midwest competition – business taxes, unemployment insurance and property taxes. Michigan ranks 48 in corporate taxes, 45 in unemployment taxes and 33 in property taxes, giving credence to the three major complaints that we routinely hear about in efforts to create jobs in Michigan.
This is an unpleasant reality.
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State
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Overall Rank
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Corporate Tax Index Rank
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Individual Income Tax Index Rank
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Sales Tax Index Rank
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Unemployment Insurance Tax Index Rank
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Property Tax Index Rank
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Michigan
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17
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48
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15
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9
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45
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33
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Illinois
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30
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27
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10
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41
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16
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39
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|
Indiana
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12
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21
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11
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20
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11
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12
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Ohio
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47
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38
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46
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37
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10
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49
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Wisconsin
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42
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29
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43
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19
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23
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25
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There is considerable evidence published by academics and various “think-tanks” offering strong arguments that “taxes do matter,” influencing business decision-making and population growth and migration.
(See: Rich States Poor States 09 where authors Arthur Laffer, Stephen Moore and Jonathan Williams provide an in-depth analysis of policies, some of which foster economic growth and prosperity in states like Utah, Arizona and Texas, others of which cause economic malaise in states like California, New York and Michigan.)
Overall, Michigan compares favorably in the Tax Foundation Index - “even getting better from a year ago.” However, near bottom index rankings for corporate income taxes, unemployment insurance and property taxes surely focus attention where other Midwestern states have distinct competitive advantages.
While Michigan’s sales tax rank is good for the consumer, likewise for individual income taxes, businesses taxes add to the cost of products made in Michigan.
We all know these higher businesses costs are added to the sales price of goods and services by businesses, in reality becoming a phantom tax paid each time we buy something in Michigan that is produced by a Michigan business.
The reality is that taxes do matter both to business and residents.
2010 CCEA Calendar
- Jan. 12, 7:00-9:00 a.m. – CCEA Annual General Membership Meeting
o Greg Main, President & CEO, Michigan Economic Development Corporation, will be the speaker. Held at the Saint Johns Mint Restaurant, 200 N. Clinton Avenue,
St. Johns.
o If you are a Michigan Business, the State of Michigan wants to do business with you. Come and learn how to increase your business activity by providing your product or service to the state. Learn how to register with the state as a vendor, and bid on more than 1,100 contract opportunities worth billions of dollars. Held at Clinton County RESA Office, 1013 S. U.S. 27, St. Johns. Call 517-483-1921 or email
sbtdc@lcc.edu to register.
o Confirmed date, time and location information is forthcoming and will be posted on our website, along with registration information.
o Held at the Clinton County Commissioners Board Room, 100 E. State Street,
o Held at Clinton County RESA Office, 1013 S. U.S. 27, St. Johns. Call 517-669-1345 or email
lehmank@cceami.org to register.
o Held at the Commissioners’ Board Room, St. Johns.
o Held at Clinton County RESA, 1013 S. U.S. 27, St. Johns.
o Held at Clinton County RESA, 1013 S. U.S. 27, St. Johns.