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 or things that we’re doing that will allow the rest of the state to improve at a more rapid pace, we think it’s in our best interests to do it. We think as the rest of the state gets better, the Ann Arbor region gets better. Read more in today’s Business Review article.

Also, Open Source partnerships with the University of Michigan, Eastern Michigan University, Washtenaw Community College, and the University Research Corridor are making it possible to leverage educational resources, accelerate technology transfer and retain knowledge workers. Through our commitment to Open Source, Ann Arbor SPARK will continue to grow businesses in the Ann Arbor region…and help transform Michigan into a national hub of economic activity. Read more in the SPARK 2008 Annual Report.

Today we welcome Stephen Forrest, vice president for research at University of Michigan as Ann Arbor SPARK’s new board chair.  We thank Rick Snyder who served as chairman since SPARK’s formation in 2005.

Jonathan S. Newpol, executive vice president, Thomson Reuters was elected to the board of directors.

New members joining the SPARK Executive Committee are:

• Carsten Hohnke, Ann Arbor City Council Member and president, West Pole, Inc.
• Trevor F. Lauer, vice president marketing, DTE Energy
• Mark Ouimet, Washtenaw County Commissioner and founder, The Ouimet Group
• Dave Tatman, plant manager, GM Powertrain Willow Run Site

Over the last year, the results of Ann Arbor SPARK’s work have led to:

• 40 successful business expansion projects in the region
• $225 million in new investments in the community
• Commitment of 2,033 new jobs and retention of 1,561 jobs
• 11 new businesses attracted to the region
• Support of 41 start-ups though Ann Arbor SPARK’s Business Accelerator
• More than 100 educational, networking and career enhancement events, including the bi-annual Entrepreneur Boot Camp

Ann Arbor SPARK has also assisted 350 regional companies with candidate searches and more than 3,000 job seekers with employment searches.

Michael Finney, SPARK President & CEO

Ann Arbor SPARK has taken steps to pilot this approach to economic development by designing initiatives and committing resources that are meant to be openly available and shared statewide. These resources include business incubation, talent enhancement, pre-seed funding, and cross-region assistance with development projects. By sharing with and learning from others, Michigan wins.

Instead of viewing other communities within Michigan as competition for business location and expansion, we view the world as the primary threat to our economic prosperity…the true competition. In today’s global market, where companies can offshore business and operations, and business corridors like Boston, San Francisco, and Austin Texas are thriving, transformational thinking in economic development is a necessity.

There are several economic programs that are “open source” and currently delivering jobs, talent and other resources to Michigan:

• Michigan’s SmartZone network has provided the infrastructure needed to attract, retain and grow business.
• The Michigan Life Science and Innovation Center is a state-of -the-art wetlab incubator designed to support life science start-up companies from through SE Michigan.  This project is a collaborative effort among MEDC, Wayne County Economic Development, Esperance Family Foundation, New Economy Initiative of SE Michigan and Ann Arbor SPARK’s Foundation.
• The Michigan Pre-Seed Fund Capital Fund, a collaborative effort among Michigan’s SmartZone network, has provided nearly $5 million in funding to 30 emerging technology businesses.
• The Michigan Innovation Equipment Depot, a collaborative effort among Michigan’s SmartZones, Ann Arbor SPARK, MEDC, MichBio and Pfizer, has provided nearly $6 million in high-value laboratory equipment and supplies to emerging life sciences companies across the state.
• The Economic Development Coalition of Southeast Michigan whose members include economic development organizations located SE Michigan is working with local, state, and federal government to secure necessary funding to support activities of the six business accelerators within Southeast Michigan.

Several “open source” Ann Arbor region programs are yielding

results and hold potential as a model for other communities in the state. With the decline in manufacturing and loss of Pfizer jobs in the Ann Arbor region, talent initiatives have been a cornerstone of economic development efforts. Programs like Hot Shots, that connects employees and employers in a fun “happy hour” format, or Mingle & Match, a sort of “speed-dating” for start-ups and potential employees, have been highly effective in supporting the retention of talent in our region and placing high-value knowledge workers in growing companies.

A steady stream of entrepreneurs seeking ways to accelerate their business provides impetus for regional economic development activities. Programs like Entrepreneur Boot Camp are foundational resources for new businesses; BioArbor and the Annual Collaboration for Entrepreneurship showcase the entrepreneurial success needed to support Michigan’s new economy. Leveraging educational resources throughout the region is integral to economic development. Ann Arbor SPARK’s partnerships with the University of Michigan, Eastern Michigan University, Washtenaw Community College and the University Research Corridor increase the success of technology transfer and keep valuable knowledge workers here in our community – creating, innovating and thriving.

There are examples throughout the state of what’s working in economic development – examples that are open and available to all. Like the software industry mavens and high technology businesses we need to attract to help move Michigan forward, adopting an “open source” mentality has amazing potential to attract businesses, innovators and talent to our state.