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News in
Brief
Join Christine Greve (Regional Director of the
Michigan Small Business and Technology Development Center) and
Katherine Redwine (Supervisor and Reference Librarian) as they
present a seminar covering what it takes to start a
business, why a business plan is necessary, the myth of
?free money,? available information and assistance, and more.
The seminar will be located in the lounge of the Grace A. Dow
Memorial Library from 6:00 to 8:30 p.m. on Thursday, November
10, 2005. Attendance is free. View
their calendar of other training sessions here.
In mid-October, Midland Tomorrow will launch its
newly redesigned website. Designed by Rehmann
Consulting, a subdivision of Midland Tomorrow investor The
Rehmann Group, the website features more streamlined
navigation with easier access to key information. It will
function as a clearinghouse for information on Midland
Tomorrow services and events. The new site will feature links
to our Annual Report and a draft of the Tri-County Profile we
have created jointly with Saginaw Future and Bay
Future.
Midland Tomorrow is pleased to welcome new
members to our 2005-2006 Full and Executive Boards. To our
Full Board, we welcome Jean Goodnow, Delta College; Don
Riegger, Deloitte; Roland Weaver, County of Midland; Angela
Hine, National City; Jonathan Lauderbach, Currie Kendall PLC;
Bill Moneypenny, MITECH+; and Jim Whitlock, Dow Corning
Corporation. To our Executive Board, we welcome Bill
Moneypenny, MITECH+; and Don Hall, Fairview Inn. In addition,
we would like to recognize our outgoing Full Board members:
Pete Boyse (Delta College), Dick Ferrando (Deloitte), Jim
Luginbill (Comerica Bank), Bill McKinstry (Bullock Creek
Schools), Ted O?Neil (Midland County Commissioner) and Donna
Jo Varner (MITECH+). Thank you for your service to Midland
Tomorrow!
Michigan Economic Development Corporation
President and CEO James Epolito announced on October 4 the
launch of a year-round, online calendar
of minority business events to kick off the annual
observance of Minority Business Development Month in October.
The calendar covers a wide range of activities from networking
events to entrepreneurial training and awards celebrations.
According to the latest U.S. Census data, Michigan is home to
more than 35,000 minority-owned firms.
Great Lakes Entrepreneurs? Quest?s Business
Plan Competition has received funding and will be
relaunched in 2006. The mission of the Great Lakes
Entrepreneurs? Quest, and its business plan competition, is to
continually encourage and educate entrepreneurs on the
creation, start up and early growth stages of high- growth
businesses within the state of Michigan. This will be
accomplished by linking entrepreneurs pursuing high-growth
opportunities with access to a statewide network of community
resources, expert advice, high quality education, management
talent and capital at every stage of development. To learn
more, contact Midland Tomorrow at (989) 839-0340 or by email.
The 2005 Michigan
Defense and Innovation Conference will be held October
24 and 25 at the Four Points Sheraton Inn in Ann Arbor. For
only $25 per attendee, this conference offers guidance from
federal research program managers and current contractors on
how best to work with their given organization, information
about how to get involved in a DoD contract, and opportunities
for one-on-one meetings with key contacts.
During its August 22 session, the Saginaw Valley
State University Board of Control voted to amend the
University?s patent policy to give students ownership of
the inventions they create while at SVSU. According to
Ronald R. Williams, Dean of the College of Science,
Engineering and Technology, the change will encourage students
to pursue innovative ideas and will also benefit the local
economy. Working for Saginaw neurosurgeon E. Malcolm Field,
SVSU students Cam Gzym and Zach Schulz have
already created an instrument to be used during spinal
fusion surgery on the cervical vertebrae in the neck. The tool
holds and releases bone grafts for the neurosurgeon to make
bone graft surgeries easier and more accurate.
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Midland Tomorrow Consultant
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Dear Ryan,
Welcome to the October issue of Growing Our Future!
We?ve packed this issue full of news and events of interest to
you and your business: statistics on small businesses?
per-employee burden, information about peer-to-peer business
support, resources for women- and minority-owned businesses,
information on federal hurricane contracting opportunities,
and much more.
The past month has been an eventful one for Midland
Tomorrow. At the end of September, we said a wistful goodbye
to our departing CEO, Jen饠 Velasquez. Unbeknownst to Jen饬 she
was to become one of the award recipients at our third annual
Awards Luncheon on October 3. The event drew a capacity crowd
to honor local businesses, organizations and entrepreneurs for
their efforts to strengthen our local economy. Overall, it was
a success ? although it did run past the scheduled ending
time. We apologize for the length and thank all the attendees
for their patience.
We hope this month?s information continues to prove
helpful. As always, we welcome your feedback to help us make
our newsletter even better. Please enjoy this second issue!
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Velasquez
Leaves Midland Tomorrow |
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After eight years at Midland Tomorrow, six of them spent as
CEO, Jen饠Velasquez has left the organization. On October 1,
she moved to The Herbert H. and Grace A. Dow Foundation to
become their first Executive Director. In her new role,
Velasquez will research applicants for foundation grants,
conduct other research and support the foundation?s
leadership.
?Over the
past eight years, I have been extremely blessed to work with
such a strong and diverse board of directors and talented
staff,? Velasquez said. ?Together, we have enjoyed significant
success, bringing many jobs to the County and expanding our
investors from seven to 102. With such a strong staff and an
engaged board of directors, I am confident the transition will
be seamless and the organization will continue to be
successful.?
Scott Walker, Midland Tomorrow?s Economic Development
Manager, will serve as Interim Director of the organization. A
search will be conducted by the Executive Board of Directors
to find a new Chief Executive Officer; a successor is expected
to be announced by the end of 2005. We wish Jen饠all the best
in her new role! |
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Awards
Luncheon a Success |
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Midland Tomorrow?s third annual Awards Luncheon was a
success. Held on October 3, 2005 at the Valley Plaza Resort in
Midland, the Luncheon celebrated the achievements of ten local
businesses, organizations and individuals (plus one departing
CEO) that have contributed to Midland?s economic development
over the past year. Over 300 business, education, foundation
and nonprofit leaders attended the event.
Congratulations again to the ten recipients of a 2005
Midland Tomorrow Award: The Apothecary Shoppe Pharmacies; The
Dow Chemical Company; International Engineering &
Manufacturing, Inc.; The Savant Group; The County of Midland;
Brenda Flory; Kathie Fuce-Hobohm; The Herbert H. and Grace A.
Dow Foundation; Michigan State University; and Saginaw Valley
State University. Many thanks go out to the members of our
Board of Directors, the staff of Valley Plaza Resort, and the
numerous other people who collaborated to make the Luncheon
successful.
We are aware that this year?s Luncheon ran beyond the
scheduled ending time. We are already working to ensure next
year?s event has a timely start and conclusion. If you would
like to provide feedback on this or other aspects of this
year?s Luncheon, please feel free to email Scott Walker or
Ryan
Richards. You can also contact us via phone at (989)
839-0340. We welcome your input. |
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New Tax
Abatements Create and Retain Jobs in Midland
County |
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Midland Tomorrow was pleased to assist with tax abatement
efforts for the following projects over the past year:
The Dow Chemical Company: Abatements for Projects
Daytona, Saran SAPHIRE II and Penoxsulam rice herbicide
CM Rubber Technologies: New tire recycling plant and
equipment
McKay Press: Abatement for a new color digital press
Precision Torque: Abatement for a 7,000- square-foot
addition to their facility
Dow Corning Corporation: Abatement for Core Products
business
McKay Press: Abatement for a Kimori sheet- fed
press; roof replacement
Dow Corning Corporation: Two abatements for
specialty chemical business
To learn more about incentive programs available in the
State of Michigan, please contact Midland Tomorrow by email or by phone
at (989) 839-0340. |
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Federal
Hurricane Contracting Information Center
Formed |
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U.S. Commerce Secretary Carlos M. Gutierrez has announced
the creation of the Department of Commerce Hurricane
Contracting Information Center (HCIC), an interagency effort
to provide a centralized location for information and services
available throughout the government geared to help in the
contracting process. The HCIC will help U.S. businesses,
especially minority and small businesses, participate in the
Gulf Coast rebuilding efforts.
The HCIC includes a website
that allows companies to register with government agencies
that are providing contracts to rebuild the Gulf Coast, and
provides basic information on doing business with the
government, e-mail alerts regarding specific contracting
opportunities, links to other government and local agencies,
and information about minority business services. The HCIC
also includes a call center (1-888-4USADOC) with
representatives from different government agencies onsite to
provide information on rebuilding opportunities. The HCIC will
provide information and add transparency to the contracting
process, but the responsibility of awarding contracts will
still remain with the specific government agencies.
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Small
Businesses Bear Largest Per-Employee Burden |
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A new study released by the U.S. Small Business
Administration?s Office
of Advocacy shows that American small businesses bear the
largest per-employee burden of federal regulatory compliance
costs. Firms with fewer than 20 employees annually spend
$7,647 to comply with federal regulations, compared with the
$5,282 spent by firms with more than 500 employees. In the
manufacturing sector, the per-employee compliance cost for
small manufacturers is at least double that for larger firms.
The report also shows that the 2004 annual cost of U.S.
federal regulations totaled $1.1 trillion. |
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Download and view the
report. |
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Peer-to-Peer
Small Business Support |
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The Michigan Small Business and Technology Center?s PeerSpectives
Network is now online. This network is a unique
opportunity for CEOs, presidents, and business owners to
receive timely insights from experienced peers; proven,
productive problem-solving methods; and unbiased knowledgeable
feedback.
For more information about becoming a PeerSpectives network
member, please see their Member
Guidelines, or to become a member, download a Member
Application. |
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Women and Minorities in Business: Updated
Statistics |
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New statistical data about women and minorities in business
is now available at the U.S.
Small Business Administration website. The site features
updated and preliminarily released information concerning
women and minorities in business, based on responses to the
2002 Survey of Business Owners conducted by the U.S. Census
Bureau. Included are all firms operating during 2002 with
receipts of $1,000 or more that filed tax forms as individual
proprietorships, partnerships, and any type of corporation
with certain exemptions.
For more information concerning this data, please contact
Ying Lowrey at the U.S.
Small Business Administration by email or by phone at (202)
205-6533. |
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Upcoming Events |
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The
American Chemical Society, Midland Section: Fall
Meeting: Held at The Dow Chemical Company Employee
Development Center in Midland, MI; October 14, 2005 from 10:00
a.m. to 5:00 p.m.
Hi-
Tech Tuesday - Tales from the Trenches: Postcards from the
Edge: Held at the Ann Arbor IT Zone in SPARK Central,
Ann Arbor, MI; October 18, 2005 from 5:00 p.m. to 7:00 p.m.
10
Steps to Landing Your First (Paying) Customer: Held at
the New Enterprise Forum in the Holiday Inn North Campus, Ann
Arbor, MI; October 20, 2005 from 5:00 p.m. to 7:30 p.m.
eXpo
2005 : Held at Vladimir's in Farmington Hills, MI;
October 27, 2005 from 8:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m.
NanoCommerce/NanoForum
2005: Held at McCormick Place and Hyatt Regency Hotel
in Chicago, IL; November 1, 2005 at 8:00 a.m. to November 3,
2005 at 5:00 p.m.
Hi-
Tech Tuesday - Tales from the Trenches: Ch-Ch-
Changes!: Held at the Ann Arbor IT Zone in SPARK
Central, Ann Arbor, MI; November 15, 2005 from 5:00 p.m. to
7:00 p.m.
Automation
Alley's Superhighway to Success: Held at the Pontiac
Silverdome in Pontiac, MI; November 16, 2005 from 9:00 a.m. to
4:00 p.m.
Presenting
to Investors: Does Your Presentation Enhance or Inhibit Your
Chances of Success: Held at the New Enterprise Forum
in the Holiday Inn North Campus, Ann Arbor, MI; November 17,
2005 from 5:00 p.m. to 7:30 p.m.
Lansing
IT Networking Club: Monthly Meeting: Held at The
Capital City Grill inside the Radisson Hotel, Lansing, MI;
December 15, 2005 from 5:30 p.m. to 8:00 p.m.
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