MEGA-P- Building Economic Prosperity in Washtenaw County
What is MEGA-P? 
It’s not just another acronym – it literally means a really, really big partnership! MEGA-P's goal is to provide workforce and economic development services that support the growth and prosperity of the businesses and citizen of Washtenaw County --exceeding expectations for service and quality.
MEGA-P fuses together the resources of the major workforce
and economic development organizations in Washtenaw County. By working
together the partners leverage their resources to connect businesses with
existing workforce & economic development services and to assist the
citizens of the county.
MEGA- Partner Organizations
Ann Arbor Area Chamber of
Commerce
Ann Arbor SPARK
Eastern Michigan University
University of Michigan
Washtenaw County/etcs Ypsilanti Area Chamber of
Commerce
History and Innovation
MEGA-Partnership was formed in 2006 by Washtenaw County government to focus on talent/workforce /economic development priorities in Washtenaw County, Michigan. Led by executives from government, education, business and workforce/economic development organizations, it aligns priorities and creates business solutions for employers to ensure extraordinary community impact.
Results and Outcomes
The Ann Arbor/Washtenaw County region, located in southeast
Michigan, has been heavily impacted by the decline of the automotive
industry. In 2007 the largest private employer in Ann Arbor, Pfizer’s
R&D Center announced that it was closing (3000+ jobs). This news
presented a massive challenge.
The community, through the MEGA-Partnership, banded together in a way that
is rarely found. By coordinating many organizations and establishing clear
relationships among partners, the reach, effectiveness and resources of the
whole increased. The innovation of the program is in the delegation of
duties; with each organization playing a focused role, the Partnership
accomplishes and achieves more. Washtenaw County’s Workforce Development
Board led formation of the Partnership.
The Partnership, led by Washtenaw County ETCS , includes leaders from the
Ann Arbor and Ypsilanti Area Chambers of Commerce, Ann Arbor SPARK(economic
development), Chelsea Community Hospital, Cities of Ann Arbor and Ypsilanti,
Concordia University, Eastern Michigan University, MichBio, University of
Michigan, and Washtenaw Community College.
Planning and implementation are done together with resources being shared..
Some of the accomplishments to date are:
* Expanded and improved outreach within the employer community
* Developed a coordinated response process for plant closings and
lay-offs
* Created and Co-funded a Talent Enhancement Director position
* Conducted a Community Talent Survey and Labor Assessment study
* Obtained a $1 million grant from the State of Michigan in response to the
Pfizer closing
* Launched Career Change Boot Camps, Hot Shots career networking for
professionals, Mix and Mingle for entrepreneurs, A Talent Primer for
Start-Ups, and the Cultural Ambassadors programs
* Established over 30 Access Points, a community and faith based effort to
bring workforce assistance to neighborhoods
* Developed programs and resources to support Entrepreneurs of all types
including technical assistance and training funds to over 20 start-up
companies.
As the MEGA-Partnership moves forward its efforts are focused on:
• New Business Models- Solo Practitioners – Half of the registered
businesses in the county are sole practitioners. Thus a focus is to learn
more about the needs of these people and to develop services to assist
them.
• Talent Ecosystem Development –Address and support the growth of an eco-
system of jobs in Washtenaw County to allow people to build and sustain a
career here.
• Company Growth Support - Providing assistance to smaller companies to help
them grow and to keep them in the county. This year’s efforts will focus on
the eastern portion of the county.
• Developing a Center for Transitioning Talent- The intent is twofold 1) to
develop a seamless internship process and link with k-12 students, college
students and transitioning adults and 2)– assisting people through community
outreach in these hard economic times This center caters to retired CEOs
and
autoworkers and ties to the new Ypsilanti Economic Development
Plan
• Marketing the Assets of the Community to Attract Companies and
Talent
• Implementing a Trailing Spouse Program – create and develop opportunities
for trailing spouses.
• Entrepreneurship Support – Continuing to increase support of entrepreneurs
of all kinds
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Significant Achievements: |
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Much has been accomplished through the enactment of
MEGA-Partnership surrounding plant closings and business attractions.
Here are two (2): |




