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MarketOne presents quarterly economic-development report to Cass County commissioners
Summary
MarketOne gave a quarterly briefing on projects, grants and land inventory in Cass County, citing recent wins, a $100,000 internet-mapping grant, project pipeline jobs and proposed housing initiatives.
Zack Morris of MarketOne presented the economic-development organization’s quarterly report to the Cass County Board of Commissioners Feb. 20, summarizing recent wins, ongoing projects and planned community-marketing efforts.
Morris said MarketOne’s purpose is to help primary employers — businesses that sell goods or services outside the region and bring capital back to the community — and to connect local businesses to state and federal resources. “If you have strong businesses, you’re gonna employ good people,” Morris said.
He reviewed recent grant and project wins in Cass County: a $100,000 grant to complete parcel-by-parcel internet mapping, assistance to the Cass County Land Bank and a $225,000 WRAP application for the village of Marcellus. Morris said MarketOne helped Midwest Energy Communications secure a grant to wire almost 16,000 addresses in southwest Michigan and helped Alliance Industries win a $25,000 MEDC grant.
On business development, Morris reported 18 new jobs created at a Mason Township project with 30 retained jobs and a projected $26 million economic impact from that single project. Since MarketOne’s engagement in the county, he said the organization has helped create 378 new jobs, retain 80 jobs and support roughly $206 million in capital investment and $235 million in broader economic impact (figures the presenter attributed to MarketOne’s tracking since around 2020–2021).
Morris also outlined community-development projects: a WRAP 2 application that would bring about $2.3 million to Cass County for 48 market-rate apartments in the Wajack area and related streetscape funding (he described a roughly $640,000 streetscape grant for the City of Dowajack). He said MarketOne is pursuing site-readiness funding and a marketing campaign to promote the Cass and Van Buren county area and its assets, including manufacturing facilities, outdoor recreation and downtowns.
Commissioners asked questions about specific projects and locations (including a new Jasper Plastics site in Dowajack across from Dowajack High School). Morris identified five active pipeline projects in Cass County that together could create about 74 jobs and nearly $31 million in capital investment if they all proceed.
The presentation was informational; no action or vote was taken.
