Ann Arbor SPARK Assists Applicants with Recovery Zone Bonds
Ann Arbor SPARK is assisting applicants with funding available through Recovery Zone Economic Development and Facility Bonds. Appropriated through the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009, Recovery Zone Bonds provide reduced rate financing and stimulate economic growth in Recovery Zones. In Washtenaw County, over $33 million is available through the Recovery Zone Facility Bonds program. An additional $17 million is available in the City... [Read More...]
SPARK’s Jennifer Owens Testifies to Commerce Department
WHO: Jennifer Owens, Ann Arbor SPARK’s vice president, business development WHERE: United States House of Representatives Commerce Department Committee on Science and Technology WHAT: Owens will give testimony to the Commerce Department Committee on Science and Technology on the importance of manufacturing in economic development. She will discuss how manufacturing is critical to the success of innovation-based start-ups that require partners... [Read More...]
Jennifer Owens Joins Ann Arbor SPARK
On December 7, Jennifer Owens will join Ann Arbor SPARK as its new vice president, business development. In this role, Owens will support efforts to attract and retain new businesses to the Ann Arbor region. “Jennifer’s experience in economic development is an asset that directly supports Ann Arbor SPARK’s efforts to expand the region’s economy,” said Michael A. Finney, Ann Arbor SPARK’s CEO. “As we continue to look at ways to bring... [Read More...]
A2 Ranked 7th “Mighty Micro” by AreaDevelopment Online
excerpted from AreaDevelopment Online When Richard Florida published The Rise of the Creative Class in 2002, a new dialogue among economic development professionals started: Does a city’s concentration of “creative” knowledge workers impact its economic output? Prior to Florida’s book, Next Generation Consulting (NGC) made a related discovery: Young knowledge workers said that where they lived was more important than where they worked. Furthermore,... [Read More...]
Open Source Economic Development and Statewide Cooperation
At Ann Arbor SPARK, our immediate goal is to promote economic development in the Ann Arbor region. But our larger focus is ensuring long-term growth and viability for the entire state of Michigan — something that can best be achieved through a process we call Open Source Economic Development. We don’t view any place in the state of Michigan as competition to us. We view the rest of the state as partners. If there are things that we can do... [Read More...]
