Bob's Update - September 28, 2009
I'm encouraged and energized by some of the great things happening in Washtenaw County.
We've heard in the news
recently that the economy may be turning around. Let's hope that these signs
point the way to recovery for our region. We know that we've got a long way
to go, but these are just a few of the many recent steps in the right
direction.
- Michigan Life Science and Innovation Center: Last week
I attended the grand opening of the MLSIC, an incubator for biotech and
life science companies in southeast Michigan. This regional collaboration
between Ann Arbor SPARK, Michigan Economic Development Corporation (MEDC),
the Esperance Family Foundation, New Economy Initiative for Southeast
Michigan and Wayne County is exciting news for Washtenaw County. Access to
this type of facility and the numerous resources are just the thing we need
to encourage economic development in Washtenaw County. And while we may not
receive tax revenue from commercial property taxes because the facility is
located in Wayne County, we are anticipating an increase in residential
property taxes from people moving to the area. Take a look at the
press release to learn more about the MLSIC.
- Systems in Motion opens an office in Pittsfield
Township: You may have heard the exciting announcement last week
about Systems in Motion, a California-based information technology company,
opening its new office in Pittsfield Township. This is very good news for
Washtenaw County. It's encouraging and reassuring to know that we remain a
leader in attracting high tech companies to the area. Systems in Motion
will be hiring over 1,000 people to staff this new office - this is
encouraging news for those that are unemployed and it also means we will
see an increase in both commercial and residential property tax revenue. To
read more about this exciting announcement take a look at
the article on Ann Arbor.com.
|
"Bob's Update" is a weekly message to Washtenaw County employees from County Administrator Bob Guenzel. eWashtenaw publishes these columns when they are deemed timely and useful to the wider community. Please contact Administrator Guenzel with your comments. |
- IMPACT 2009: Later this week I plan to attend the Ann Arbor Chamber's Impact 2009, an annual public policy conference. The Chamber is partnering with the Ann Arbor Region Success (AARS) championed by Strategic Planning Director Anthony Vanderworp. AARS aims to ensure smart, successful community growth. It has brought together over 70 community leaders, principally from local business, government, education and non-profit enterprise, to identify the most critical actions to achieve long-term community success. This conference will bring leaders together to continue planning great things for this community and this is important work.
These three items are just a few examples of great things happening in our community. Thanks so much for all you do to make this a great place to live and work.
