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Automation Alley, MichAuto, Detroit Regional Partnership and Advancing Macomb report workforce, site-readiness and nonprofit support work
Summary
County economic development partners reported progress on advanced manufacturing membership and capital infusion, talent pipeline programs, site-readiness work and nonprofit capacity-building tied to county funding.
Four regional economic and community development organizations briefed the Macomb County Board on programs they say support manufacturing, workforce development and nonprofit capacity in the county.
Automation Alley reported that more than 500 of its members are in Macomb County and that 35% of county manufacturers now participate in the network. The group said it facilitated roughly $2.8 million in capital investment for 85 small manufacturers and more than $11 million in defense-related revenue. Automation Alley highlighted Project Diamond, a distributed 3-D printing network that the group said has recorded more than 50,000 print jobs and has supported small manufacturers in the county.
MichAuto described its focus on the industry transition captured by the acronym CASE (Connected, Automation, Shared, Electrification). MichAuto representatives emphasized talent and workforce programs, referenced a newly available R&D tax credit worth up to $2 million for qualifying firms, and said they are convening roundtables and positioning facilities such as the Romeo engine plant for potential reshoring opportunities.
The Detroit Regional Partnership (DRP) summarized its decade-long target of creating 50,000 new jobs in Southeast Michigan and attracting $10 billion in investment; the DRP said it has supported nearly 36,000 jobs and nearly $10 billion in investment to date. The DRP outlined a Verified Industrial Properties (VIP) program co-funded by federal and regional partners to improve industrial site readiness through geotechnical and utility work and said it recently invested roughly $400,000 in Macomb County sites to get them project-ready.
Advancing Macomb described work supporting local nonprofits through resource navigation, a nonprofit accelerator program, a community impact fund and a capacity-building grant program. The presenter said the accelerator has graduated an initial cohort, has leveraged foundation funding (including from the Ralph C. Wilson Jr. Foundation), distributed $45,000 in capacity grants this year and is acting as fiscal sponsor on a pedestrian bridge project across the Clinton River spillway.
Why it matters: presenters emphasized workforce and site readiness as the county’s primary assets for attracting manufacturing investment, and they described programs intended to move small manufacturers into new technologies and to prepare land and communities for new projects.
Q&A highlights: Commissioners asked how these organizations work with local planning departments and municipalities on zoning and site readiness; the DRP said it will provide a sample ordinance and an industrial site readiness playbook for communities. Commissioners also asked about program funding; the DRP and MichAuto said their core models combine public partnership support with corporate sponsorships and federal grant funding for particular programs.
Ending: Commissioners received the presentations and asked staff to continue coordinating site maps and community outreach ahead of the county’s budget process.
