PROGRESS2012

“The challenge is this: Will this community be able to provide a strong and educated

workforce to this company?”

“I continued the long process of following lead after lead on the

internet trying to land a full time position with absolutely no luck.”

“We have seen growth in a few of our local industries. We have community

leaders coming together to craft creative solutions to community issues.”

“I believe we will see moderate economic

improvement overall in Battle Creek and Michigan

in 2012 and 2013.”

“Rural areas will be most successful in what economic developers see as

the traditional disciplines of business retention and expansion.”

“By working, living, and playing in our community, our medical sta!, associates, and volunteers bring

greater stability to our quality of life.”

T H E E X P E R T S E D I T I O N

“One person is all it takes to start this

trend.”

BATTLE CREEK ENQUIRER

FEB. 26, 2012

3 PROG

RESS 2.26.2012 Creative ways to meet the recovery challengeI love Battle Creek! This is my home

town. It is my deepest desire to see this city, my friends and neighbors, grow and prosper.

The economy has not been good to Battle Creek or Michigan for a decade. But, there are faint signs that our state is getting back on track. Now a pertinent question is: What can Battle Creek learn from other cities to prepare for economic recovery? We might also ask: What can they learn from us?

I believe Battle Creek has weathered the storm better than some during Michi-gan’s economic crisis. Don’t get me wrong – I know there are folks out there who have lost their jobs, are struggling to keep their homes and don’t know how to cover all the bills. We all share deep concern for our neighbors. But our unemployment has run below the state average. We have seen growth in a few of our local industries. We have community leaders coming togeth-er to craft creative solutions to communi-ty issues.

A few Michigan cities have taken inventive steps to meet the challenges. The Michigan Municipal League has sponsored several pilot projects to challenge communities to find cre-ative solutions to building a sense of place. The purpose is to build a community where creative thinkers want to live, businesses

want to grow, and families want to stay. Alpena and its neighbors have developed

Artown Michigan, an interconnected collec-tion of communities with cultural events, activities, shops, galleries and businesses along the Lake Huron coast. Key lessons learned from the project – leverage your existing strengths and reach beyond your typical partners. The organizers also pushed participants to think bigger and broader.

Lapeer looked at non-motorized transit differently to build a more extensive trail network to connect parks, K-12 schools, commercial districts, nature preserves and a community center. Many of the parts were in place, but needed to be better show-cased. This led to enhanced wayfinding sig-nage, dramatic entries, and better connec-

tions to the riverfront. Key lessons learned – build on existing momentum, and details, even very small ones, matter on the human scale. Experience your plans first-hand.

In Lathrup Village, high volumes of cars move through the community on busy

ABOUT THIS YEAR’S PROGRESS EDITION

For the 2012 edition of our annual Progress section, we went to local, regional and state leaders and asked them to write essays on pressing issues in the business world today.Each expert was given a topic on which to expound.You can join the conversation by commenting on the essays at battlecreekenquirer.com.

THE EXPERTSusan BaldwinMayor of Battle Creek

THE TOPICLeading economic recovery

3 Susan Baldwin, Battle Creek mayor4 Rob Covert, Oaklawn Hospital CEO5 Rep. Jase Bolger, speaker of the Michigan House6 Karl Dehn, president and CEO of Battle Creek Unlimited6 Ron Kitchens, CEO of Southwest Michigan First8 Cindy Ruble, executive director, Educators Task Force9 Alan Hooper, economic development director, Consumers Energy10 Bonnie Hildreth, executive director, Barry County Foundation

11 Rob Behnke, Pennfield Township supervisor12 Kelli D. Scott, Calhoun County administrator13 Denise Brooks-Williams, president and CEO, Bronson Battle Creek14 Franklin Peterson, Springfield city manager16 Tom Frame, formerly unemployed17 Brenda Hunt, CEO, BC Community Foundation18 Charlie Kelley, Center for Community Progress19 Patty Meyer, co-owner, Meyer’s Toy World20 Cheryl Peters, executive director, Generation E Institute21 Kara E. Beer, executive director, Battle Creek Area Chamber of Commerce

TABLE OF CONTENTS

See BALDWIN, Page 4

Balloons prepare to take off from near Dexter Lake Church of Christ during last August’s 2011 U.S. National Hot Air Balloon Championship. AL LASSEN/FOR THE ENQUIRER

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4 Oaklawn is an anchor of Marshall economy

In the summer of 2010, Marshall’s mayor appointed an advisory com-mittee to develop a plan for long-range hospital expansion. Many pre-

sentations were made to the committee including a report by the W.E. Upjohn Institute for Employment Research, which studied the economic impact of Oaklawn Hospital on the Marshall area. I’d like to share some of the findings that economist George Erickcek delivered in his September 2010 report.

In 2009, Oaklawn employed over 800 jobs within Calhoun County and paid out $40.8 million in wages. The study showed that for every 10 jobs that Oaklawn cre-ated, approximately 2.5 additional jobs were generated for other businesses in the area. When those indirect jobs were combined with Oaklawn’s, the result was about 1000 jobs and $50 million in wag-es.

In his report, Erickcek described Oak-lawn as an anchor to the area’s econom-ic base, and explained that if the hospital closed, those 800 jobs and the $50 million that they bring to the area, would not like-ly be replaced by another hospital coming to town, as was the case in Albion in 2002 when Trillium Hospital closed, dealing a severe blow to the community.

In addition to providing direct and indi-rect jobs, quality health care is a very important component to successful eco-nomic recruiting. When businesses and individuals are shopping for homes, the two most common questions asked about the quality of life center on schools and health care. Large companies and retir-ees are especially interested in the qual-

ity and accessibility of hospital care. Two other economic benefits of the

hospital are that it keeps local dol-lars from leaving the community while drawing new dollars into the communi-ty. Every weekday close to 1000 employ-ees, patients, vendors and visitors are in downtown Marshall because of Oaklawn, with well over half of those people com-ing from out of town.

Oaklawn’s contributions to the commu-nity as a nonprofit entity are immeasur-able. First, in 2010 Oaklawn’s Community Benefits Report exceeded $17.7 million. This represents the amount of charita-ble or under reimbursed medical care, as well as other financial or in-kind donation of resources to community outreach pro-grams such as the schools, service orga-nizations, local projects, or free or subsi-dized programs that promote community health or community building.

In addition, the hospital’s steady growth over time has directly impacted the num-ber of jobs that the hospital provides, which favorably impacts the number of people who live in our community and

contribute to the tax base and influence home values. In addition, Oaklawn con-tributes property taxes at the higher non-homestead rate on all housing or office properties used for non-hospital purpos-es.

With the opening of our new surgery center this month, Oaklawn currently employs over 925 employees in Calhoun County and it is projected that growth will lead to the addition of several hundred additional jobs over the next 20 years. Most of these jobs are mid-to-upper-level in terms of salary and benefits, providing opportunities for advancement that keep families rooted in the community.

New legislation is making times more challenging for health care providers, which is why local support has increas-ingly become a critical component to Oak-lawn’s survival. In 1976, shortly after I became CEO at Oaklawn, a state health agency sought to close all hospital OB departments that weren’t delivering 500 babies a year. At the time we were aver-aging fewer than 325 births a year. About

500 people from Marshall traveled to a Kalamazoo hearing to protest that bill, influencing the agency not to go through with the proposal.

Today the Oaklawn Birth Center is home for the delivery of nearly 700 babies a year. Oaklawn has about 125 doctors on active medical staff, and services over 30 specialties. I will nev-er forget the support that the people of the Marshall area provided the hospital when its Birth Center was threatened, and that support has never wavered over the past 36 years. In fact, I think it’s stronger than ever, and it’s because of that support that we’re able to contin-ually improve and expand upon the ser-vices and medical care that we offer the people of this region.

Since 1925, Oaklawn Hospital and the community have enjoyed a wonderful tradition of partnership that has been an important part of success for both in the past and will remain a critical foun-dation for their mutual strength in the future.

THE EXPERTRob CovertCEO, Oaklawn Hospital, MarshallTHE TOPICHow health care contributes to the local economy

Southfield Road that divides neighbor-hoods and cuts off the business district. Residents cannot safely cross on foot, or comfortably walk along their main road to shop, and patronize their local busi-nesses. The project is still under way but plans include changes to the physi-cal street design and encouraging entre-preneurial activity to grow more busi-ness and build a civic center. Key les-sons learned – bring your tenacity to the project, and understand that some peo-ple and ideas are slow to change.

What do all of these community suc-cesses have in common? A real commit-ment to collaboration and cooperation, and support for creative thinking. There is also an understanding that the process can be as important as the final result. It

builds inclusiveness, buy-in, unexpected resources and valuable partnerships.

So what have we done here in beautiful Battle Creek that we can teach others? Lots – never doubt what we can accom-plish when we put our minds to it. We can pull off fantastic, over-scale events like the World’s Longest Breakfast Table and the Field of Flight Air Show & Balloon Festival. Or we can organize delightful, neighborhood projects like the Commu-nity Gardens and Festivus, the BCMAMS recent winter celebration.

We can also teach our Michigan neigh-bors how to get a workforce ready to meet the high tech needs of today’s employers. Battle Creek Unlimited has partnered with Kellogg Community College to pro-vide customized training. The Regional

Manufacturing Technology Center is an innovative, community driven training facility. Training is available to individ-uals on a walk-in basis or can be sched-

uled to meet an employer’s needs either at their facility, at the RMTC, or at anoth-er remote location. These creative solu-tions are “out of the box” thinking from traditional training.

We can show communities how to help students and adults find money to attend college or other postsecondary training. School and community leaders have built the Battle Creek College Access Network - a coordinating body for college access programs in the Greater Battle Creek area. The project stresses academic preparation and success throughout ele-mentary, middle, and high school, and provides information about and access to financial resources to make college affordable. The options are made possi-ble through Battle Creek CAN’s partner-ships, collaboration, programming, and network-building.

What are our lessons learned? We can’t stop talking, exploring or sharing ideas.

The more we understand the challeng-es and opportunities that are out there, the better we can craft solutions. Don’t be afraid to try a new approach. Support “out there” thinking. And most impor-tantly, have a positive outlook.

Let’s remember to work across seg-ments – business, education, govern-ment, labor, neighborhoods. Let’s invite young leadership to the table and lis-ten to their ideas. We want a communi-ty which recognizes that quality of life is critical to attracting talent. We need to create places where workers, entre-preneurs and businesses want to locate, invest and expand. We want a hometown where families play and grow.

Together, we can build that sense of place.

Together, we can make the economic recovery happen for Battle Creek and teach other communities how to get the job done.

BALDWINContinued from Page 3

In addition to providing direct and indirect jobs, quality health care is a very important component to successful economic recruiting. When businesses and individuals are shopping for homes, the two most common questions asked about the quality of life center on schools and health care. Large companies and retirees are especially interested in the quality and accessibility of hospital care.

Now is no time to rest in economic turnaroundThe ability to find a career in Mich-

igan, and keep our children and our grandchildren here in our state, are the top two economic

challenges facing our families. As I look back at last year, I am proud of the mag-nitude of changes the Michigan Legisla-ture enacted. Yet, as I look forward, I am determined to tackle the work still ahead of us.

At the end of 2010, newspaper headlines were asking how to solve a more than $1.5 billion budget deficit and an unemploy-ment rate in this state of 13 percent. As jobs left our state, many young families had to leave to find work elsewhere in the country. This was separating families and hurting the budget and future of our state. The economy and, in particular, a lack of jobs, are key issues.

Now, headlines are asking what the state can and should do with a $450 mil-lion surplus. Moving companies report the out-migration of Michiganders has been stopped. The unemployment rate has fallen by nearly one-third, to 9.3 percent, through the creation of 80,000 private sec-tor jobs. Still, this rate is too high because too many Michiganders are out of work. We need to return to a time when mov-ing companies were moving people into our state.

The poor economy as a whole is the dis-ease that we must cure for Michigan’s sur-vival – the struggle with budgets and the inability to fund all we would like to are merely symptoms of that disease. Govern-ment does not create jobs, however, it can create an environment in which the true job providers – entrepreneurs, small-busi-ness owners and large employers – can thrive. That’s why I firmly believe that to make Michigan a better place to find a job, we must make Michigan a better place to provide a job. We have reformed taxes, workers compensation, unemployment and welfare, and eliminated hundreds of regulations to improve our jobs climate.

We must continue our work to change course from the past.

In the past year we crafted a structur-ally sound budget, we paid down long-term debt and we put money away in the state’s savings account. We eliminated the deficit and now have a surplus. We paid off $5.6 billion in long-term debt, which means about $2,400 in debt burden has been removed from every child in Michi-gan. We did it the earliest it had been done in 30 years and we did it all while reduc-ing the overall tax burden on Michigan taxpayers.

We led by example by cutting legisla-tive pay, reducing legislative benefits and ending legislative retiree health-care, including the elimination of those that I and almost every member of the House would have received had we not voted to eliminate these overly generous benefits.

We improved opportunities for students to get a better education by reforming teacher tenure, lifting the cap on charter schools and creating a statewide anti-bul-lying policy. We must continue to focus on ensuring every child has access to a variety of opportunities in education, and that each educational choice is a top qual-ity option.

We made changes to government employee compensation to make our gov-ernment more efficient. We implement-ed a true four-year limit on welfare bene-

fits to help break a generational cycle of dependency.

The urgency facing Michigan families created urgency within the Legislature. Thankfully, I don’t see that urgency at the Capitol letting up. We must avoid bicker-ing and blame. We must set aside parti-san politics.

We must continue to do what is best not for the next election, but for the next generation. Specifically, we need to again structurally balance the budget this year ahead of its due date, and do so with a pri-ority on jobs, public safety, education, and roads. We need to deposit additional mon-ey into our state’s savings accounts and continue to pay down debt. We need to reform the Personal Property Tax, con-tinue to reform government employee retirement benefits to provide savings to

taxpayers, and adopt efficiencies that will allow for more investment in our roads and infrastructure.

Challenges still exist in our state, and that is why we must never believe our work is done. We cannot be complacent; now is no time to rest. Too many people in Michigan still aren’t working. Too many small businesses are worried about keep-ing their doors open. Because of this, too many families are struggling.

The best social program is a job and the number one solution to solving Mich-igan’s economic and budgetary problems is to get more people working. We must continue to look at ways to make Michi-gan an attractive place for job providers to start, grow and succeed. Above all, we must seek to continue moving Michigan forward together.

THE EXPERTRep. Jase BolgerSpeaker, Michigan House of RepresentativesTHE TOPICEconomic challenges facing Michigan families, and what can be done to remedy them.

5 PROG

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Legislators work last summer on the floor of the Michigan House of Representatives. Members of the Legislature took pay cuts and reductions in benefits as state government worked to overcome a $1.5 billion deficit. LANSING STATE JOURNAL

For the past three years, our region, state and nation have endured one the worst economic recessions in decades. Since last

year’s late third quarter, though, we’ve seen signs of recovery. In the past 60 days I’ve seen more positive news sto-ries and reports on our economy – region-ally and statewide – than in a long time. With a recovery under way, it raises the question: Are the pieces in place for Bat-tle Creek to see its share of economic growth?

Some global matters could temper my optimism – the euro zone debt crisis and the U.S. credit rating among them – but I believe we will see moderate econom-ic improvement overall in Battle Creek and Michigan in 2012 and 2013.

Numerous local, state and global fac-tors affect our community’s economic performance, but this overview focuses on three major assets – employers, work-force and real estate – that will impact Battle Creek’s recovery and future eco-nomic success.Employers : I have a lways been

impressed with the overall quality and resiliency of the many great employers here – small, medium and large compa-nies alike. After navigating through a dif-ficult recession, and natural disasters in Japan and Thailand that impacted many of our auto suppliers, our employer base is well-positioned for growth.

Battle Creek has seen several company expansions completed or announced in the past 18 months, with 2012 job oppor-tunities anticipated in sectors including equipment manufacturing, aviation, met-al fabricating, food manufacturing, food protection and research.

Private investments totaling $76 mil-lion have been completed or started in Fort Custer Industrial Park in the past 12 months, and over $86 million in private investments have occurred downtown over the last three years, with employ-ment opportunities following.

Today, we are aware of recent recruit-ment at companies like Johnson Con-trols, Denso, Duncan Aviation, Covance, II Stanley, Systex, NexThermal, Rosler Metal Finishing, Post Foods and oth-

ers. Job opportunities include entry-lev-el, administrative, semi-skilled, skilled technical positions, and engineering. In addition, new business interest in Battle Creek is high and hopefully will result in expanded employment opportunities for years.Workforce: Unemployment levels

remain high. Many more unemployed individuals are out there and may not be included. A major challenge, here and nationally, is quickly matching job opportunities with available workers as employers increase sales and production levels.

Among contributing factors is the fact that the extended recession resulted in longer unemployment for many individu-als, and substantial re-training and work-force preparation may be necessary to meet employers’ requirements. Kellogg Community College, Goodwill Industries, MichiganWorks, United Way, W.K. Kel-logg Foundation and other organizations have been focusing on this issue, and I expect new collaborative approaches in the coming months will enhance existing workforce development programs, add new programs, and streamline delivery of services to provide better economic

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6 Two takes on regional economic development

THE EXPERTKarl DehnPresident and CEO, Battle Creek UnlimitedTHE TOPICAre the pieces in place for Battle Creek to see its share of economic growth?

THE EXPERTRonald KitchensCEO, Southwest Michigan FirstTHE TOPICDo we need regional collaboration to advance economic development?

Getting over the hard times

will take a coordinated

e!ort

There is a famous line in the mov-ie Cool Hand Luke: “What we have here is a failure to commu-nicate.” I believe that in South-

west Michigan, we not only have been his-torically guilty of failing to communicate but, even more deadly, we have failed to collaborate. Which as sins go, in today’s world, is detrimental.

The Merriam–Webster Dictionary has two definitions for collaboration:

1: “To cooperate with or willingly assist an enemy of one’s country and especially an occupying force.”

2: “To cooperate with an agency or instrumentality with which one is not immediately connected.

Too many times, we, in Michigan, have treated collaboration as something taw-dry as described in the first definition. Over the past decades, our treatment, as such, has caused us to lose ground in com-parison to our global competitors. The reality is that we should be embracing the second definition.

We are stronger, have more capac-ity and thus more ability to compete for economic investment and growth if we come together in a spirit of collab-oration. Which is not to say that, if we come together, we lose our sense of inde-pendence and self-determination. Rath-er, we must understand and support the idea that collaboration is a function of an enlightened self-interest. To paraphrase Zig Ziglar, “To get what you want, you have to help others get what they want.” That is the core of collaboration.

We have a great opportunity to collabo-rate in Southwest Michigan around build-ing our capacity to grow jobs and regional wealth by working together on the devel-opment of a regional vision that address-es the age-old question, “Who do we want to be when we grow up?” or better yet, “What do we need to do to be relevant and robust for the next generation?”

At Southwest Michigan First, we are embracing Governor Snyder’s vision to build a region that can compete on a glob-al basis in terms of not just job growth but the capacity of building people and institutions that have the most ability to establish opportunity for generations.

We are blessed in this region with some incredible organizations that on their own are good but, who have the chance to become great if they embrace the ideals of sharing expertise, capacity and knowledge. Partner-ships should be sought, not avoided.

A wonderful example of a partnership to be sought centers on the work of Bat-tle Creek Unlimited in the area of attract-ing and expanding Japanese companies to the region. BCU has been globally recog-nized for their leadership and expertise in this area. Southwest Michigan First has long leveraged that organization’s relationships and guidance on econom-ic development projects in this arena. It would make no sense for another group in the region to try to replicate BCU’s lev-el of expertise and experience; replica-tion would be a loss of time, strength and resources. Develop mutually beneficial partnerships.

As we continue to see collaborations develop between the private sector and faith-based communities, we need to embrace these partnerships and actively seek opportunities for the charitable, eco-nomic, education and local governmental sectors to create the coveted wins -– wins that our constituencies expect from us, wins that ultimately benefit us all, and wins that should be celebrated by all.

A sense of collaboration must pervade growth e!orts across region

I expect new collaborative approaches in the coming months will enhance existing workforce development programs, add new programs, and streamline delivery of services to provide better economic opportunities for participants.

We are stronger, have more capacity and thus more ability to compete for economic investment and growth if we come together in a spirit of collaboration. Which is not to say that, if we come together, we lose our sense of independence and self-determination.

See DEHN, Page 7

opportunities for participants. Given the direct correlation between a

community’s education attainment levels and personal income levels, raising educa-tional attainment levels will be THE most important way to ensure future econom-ic success. With the first class of Legacy Scholars set to graduate in June, great-er access to post-secondary education is available now and for future genera-tions.

As the global economy becomes technol-ogy-based, enhanced education in science, technology, engineering and math (STEM) will increasingly be required for employ-ment success. Construction for the Battle Creek Area Math & Science Center expan-sion downtown is to begin soon with pro-jected completion by fall 2013.

Battle Creek Public Schools has creat-ed a STEM learning school at Dudley Ele-mentary, with plans for enhanced STEM learning district-wide. Efforts to improve linkages between employers and educa-tion partners have resulted in approxi-mately 60 new internship opportunities committed by area employers to expose young adults to career opportunities in food science, healthcare, aviation, archi-tectural and industrial engineering. Prog-

ress is being made, but there is much work to do to raise education levels and work-force preparedness.

Real Estate: Quality and capacity enter the discussion when looking at the real estate inventory – vacant land sites and buildings – and our ability to accommo-date new or expanding companies. In the past two years, about 80 percent of new business prospects considering Battle Creek were exclusively considering exist-ing building spaces, given the large inven-tory and favorable prices for industrial and corporate spaces.

Fort Custer Industrial Park has several quality buildings from 20,000 to 307,000 square feet that are attracting interest. Within the 3,000 acre Industrial Park, numerous vacant sites ranging from five to 100 acres also exist. As the park has developed, the BCTIFA has acquired over 400 acres of land near I-94 over the past 17 years to support long-term growth.

Business and residential interest in downtown remains favorable, but lim-ited availability of building spaces in move-in condition remains a major chal-lenge. We continue to work with prospec-tive investors and developers in hopes the aggregated business demand will reach a tipping point where investments will move forward. Other commercial areas throughout Battle Creek possess good real estate inventories and opportuni-ties as well.

7 PROG

RESS 2.26.2012 DEHNContinued from Page 6

Essence Williamson, who teaches 5th grade at Dudley STEM School, runs her students go through an introductory exercise on the first day of the new school year in September. The STEM teaching concept figures in economic development efforts. JOHN GRAP/THE ENQUIRER

Think about a new business or a business expansion opportunity in the Battle Creek area. What comes to mind as a very impor-

tant question to be answered before a con-tract is signed or an expansion begins? The challenge is this: will this communi-ty be able to provide a strong and educat-ed workforce to this company?

The Battle Creek Area Educators’ Task Force (ETF) believes their work is to ensure the answer is yes, Battle Creek is the community where employers and employees want to live, work and edu-cate their children. The Task Force has thought a lot about this and wants to ensure that current and new business-es come to and grow in Battle Creek and Calhoun County. ETF is made up of Bat-tle Creek area educational leaders, col-lege presidents, community leaders and the Calhoun Intermediate School District Superintendent.

The Educators’ Task Force has a clear vision and goals to meet this challenge:

Goal #1: Every child will graduate from high school with the skills needed to continue their education and secure employment. School leaders and staff have reviewed the research and estab-lished indicators to inform us which stu-

dents are or are not on track to graduate. This information is used to develop flex-ible strategies and support structures to achieve 100% high school graduation.

Goal #2: Every child has the resourc-es available and skills needed to contin-ue their education following high school graduation. To accomplish this, educa-tional leaders are working in partnership with Kellogg Community College to offer every high school student the opportuni-ty to take at least one, if not many, col-lege classes while in high school. Task Force members believe this experience will allow students to be successful in col-lege and comfortable with the college set-ting.

Also, as part of this goal, ETF is part-

nering with others to ensure scholarship resources are available for high school graduates. The Legacy Scholars Program, Battle Creek College Access Network, the Battle Creek Community Foundation, and local school foundations, are working to strengthen their financial resources to achieve this goal. Additionally, local high school students are being introduced to and educated in future career opportuni-ties right here in the Battle Creek area. These experiences may influence a stu-dent’s educational choices following high school graduation and entice the young adult to come back to the Battle Creek area to live, work, and raise a family.

Goal #3: Every child achieves a mini-mum of one year of academic growth for one year of school. Task Force members are working together to establish ongoing student assessment measures to monitor individual learner growth and educators use this data to plan for the learning of each and every student.

Goal #4: Every child is ready for school. The Task Force, in partnership with the Binda Foundation, the United Way, the W.K. Kellogg Foundation and other area agencies and organizations, is working to support the learning of Battle Creek’s youngest citizens. When a baby is born

in the Battle Creek area (the goal is to expand this to Calhoun County in the next two to three years), a family has the opportunity to have a Welcome Baby Bas-ket visit from highly trained and educat-ed family coaches. The coaches welcome the baby with a basket of baby essentials and ask parents, “What are your dreams for this beautiful child?”

The coaches assist the family in sign-ing up for Imagination Library (a book a month in the mail through the child’s 5th birthday), and work with parents to ensure their baby has a safe car seat and a safe sleep area. Before the coach-es leave they ask, “Can we connect back with you in a month as see how it is going? We want to support you as your child’s first and most powerful teacher.” At age 1, the family is introduced to toddler playgroups, and at age three and four the family is introduced to a high quality pre-school experience.

This educational plan is systemic and in partnership with others – to ensure all Battle Creek area students graduate from high school, continue their edu-cation and hopefully come back home to Battle Creek to start their own busi-nesses or to work for one of our many employers.

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8 Task force has a plan to make learning pay

THE EXPERTCindy RubleExecutive director, Battle Creek Area Educators Task ForceTHE TOPICIs there an economic case to be made for investing in education?

Do small towns face challenges? Sure. Are they insurmountable? Not nec-essarily. Are there opportunities? You bet. Several trends actually

favor small towns. These communities have attributes that contribute to an attractive quality of life. And, most importantly, they have assets.

Here’s a story: A village invited a wise wom-an to come to advise them about their future. As the villagers gathered, she asked, “Do you know what I’m going to tell you?” The village leaders were somewhat surprised and said, “Well no, that’s why we invited you.” The wise woman replied: “You will only learn what you already know. And, if you don’t know what I’m going to tell you, I can’t help you.”

Although confused, the leaders were certain this woman had wisdom important for their village. They invited her again; she came, and asked, “Do you know what I’m going to tell you?” The leaders were prepared and arranged for all present to shout Yes! The wise woman paused and then said, “Well, if you already know, I have nothing more to tell you”.

Frustrated, the leaders nevertheless invited the wise woman once again. She came, and, as expected, asked, “Do you know what I’m going to tell you?” In unison, half the villag-ers shouted Yes! and half No! As the crowd hushed in anticipation, the wise woman

spoke: “Will those who know tell those who don’t know. My work is done here.” She left, never to return again.

The leaders were dumbfounded, yet a young couple stepped forward saying, “Thank you! We now realize that any really important knowledge is already in our village, in our culture, traditions, and, most importantly, in our relationships with each other. We already have the wisdom we need, maybe no one per-son does alone, but, collectively, we’ll know what to do. We simply lacked the confidence to believe in ourselves.” As the young couple finished, all of the villagers applauded, and their leaders, although embarrassed, acknowl-edged the accolades.

This moral of this story reflects an essen-tial small town philosophy: “We need to use

what we have to get what we want.” It’s about assets, and for rural communities, these are virtually limitless.

Communities often focus on their deficien-cies, seeing the glass as half-empty. But, a change in perspective, looking at a glass half full, allows us to see the vast array of assets we have in terms of our resources, people, organizations and skills. And, even though these assets won’t automatically translate into success, they become the pieces of the puzzles necessary for new opportunities.

In many ways, small towns are out front in terms of adapting to a changing world. They are efficient and know to work within their limitations. As economist George Erickcek reminds us, “the secret to successful econom-ic development is adapting what we do well to what the world wants.” It’s that simple. What rural communities do well may not be in “hot” sectors or may not be high-tech, but success-ful small towns know it is better to apply their assets to what “markets” really want, today, rather than rely on the past.

Rural areas will be most successful in what economic developers see as the tradi-tional disciplines of Business Retention and Expansion. Sounds boring and unsophisticat-ed, right? Not really. By working with home-grown assets, we encourage Enterprise Cre-ation, the new and emerging strategy many

see as essential in reviving struggling econ-omies, rural or urban.

Business Attraction might work occasion-ally, but odds don’t favor it. Rather, the focus should be on attracting the pieces of an enter-prise, the final piece of a puzzle where the other three or four pieces already reside in the community. A community may have nat-ural resources, workers and access to mar-kets, but lack capital.

Some refer to this strategy as prospec-tus-based economic development. It is tak-ing what we have, our assets, and offering them in a package to secure the one or two elements we don’t have. It’s convincing those holding these missing pieces to come into a potentially successful venture with a com-munity that is ready. And, we don’t necessar-ily have to look outside the community for these last pieces. It’s better to find them local-ly. They may be assets we have had all along, just undiscovered or not previously thought of as the final pieces of a new puzzle.

Small towns just need a strategy that suits their situation. The internet has leveled the playing field for rural areas, and by focusing on their assets, these communities can recre-ate existing firms and create new enterprises that are truly competitive while offering own-ers and employees the opportunity to remain and enjoy the quality of life they appreciate.

Small towns must use their assets to get aheadTHE EXPERT

THE TOPICCan small towns succeed?

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Alan HooperConsumers Energy economic development director; chairman, Rural Partners of Michigan.

During one of the most challenging times in our country’s history, not only does the philanthropic com-munity have a role to play, we must

become engaged.In late April of 2005, I attended a Small

Town and Rural Conference hosted by the Michigan Rural Partners in Crystal Moun-tain, Michigan. A group from Barry Coun-ty, including our local United Way Director, the Chamber Director, the City of Hastings Development Director and her assistant and I listened to Milan Wall, from the Heartland Center for Leadership Development, talk about a framework for community sustain-ability called HomeTown Competitiveness. We were all struck by the similarities of the community Ord, Nebraska and our home-town. On the ride home, we talked about how we might be able to work together to bring this concept to Barry County.

In the fall of 2005, Consumers Energy Com-munity Development specialist Allan Hoop-er contracted with the Heartland Center, Nebraska Community Foundation and RUPRI to bring a HTC Bootcamp to Michigan. The Barry Community Foundation provided schol-arships for 7 community members to attend this training so that we could begin to formal-ly adopt this strategy of creating a come-back, give-back mentality here.

There are four pillars that are the focus of work: Leadership (encouraging civic engagement), Youth (providing opportunity for young people to earn a living), Entrepre-neurship (creating a culture the promotes and supports local entrepreneurs) and Communi-ty Assets (providing a sustainable approach to building family and community health and wealth, while protecting natural resources).

During the next few years, we would have many projects and programs that addressed the four areas and evolved into a group that regularly looked at not needs, but assets – and then how do we build on those assets. Let me share with you how intently the Barry Com-munity Foundation (and others) have identi-fied and embraced that role.

BCF held a board retreat to create a three-

year plan and to address the need to become more proactive with our unrestricted grant-making. Unrestricted funds are the funds that are available for investments back into the community – and we knew that we could have a bigger impact if we were more intention-al in our grantmaking. We came across the Healthy Community initiative of the Seattle Foundation and all began to click.

There are seven elements of a healthy com-munity: Access to Basic Needs; Health & Well-ness; Education; Economy; Arts & Culture; Environment; Neighborhoods & Communi-ty. It became apparent that we must invest in the efforts that would have a positive outcome in creating jobs, enhancing entrepreneurs – basically growing from within.

At the May of 2009 board meeting, the Board of the Barry Community Foundation voted to invest, over a three year period, 40% of the unrestricted grantmaking into a fund that would support a healthy economy – thus creating opportunities for our local residents to live and work in our county.

In the first year of the fund, the local hous-ing crisis created a decline in property tax revenue for our county – and their need to cut the budget significantly. Their decision to cut the funding toward the local Economic Devel-opment Alliance became our first opportunity to invest in our local economy – keeping the

doors open for the organization providing the support and expertise was essential.

In the years since that, we have had local donors step up and contribute to the Healthy Economy Fund. We have talked about creating a micro-enterprise loan fund. We have fund-ed the Creating Entrepreneurial Community match to work this Michigan State Universi-ty. We work with donor advised funds to sup-port transportation that allows for at risk stu-dents to attend a car restoration program at Gilmore Car Museum that has resulted in stu-dents attending college and obtaining certifi-cation in car repair and restoration.

We are privileged to work with a talented and dedicated cadre of professionals and vol-unteers. We see only ongoing opportunities for growth and innovation. We’re in a unique posi-tion to reflect on the past with an eye toward maximizing present opportunities and lever-aging our future potential.

Today the HomeTown Partnership is hav-ing a lasting impact on the future of Hastings and Barry County. Says Milan Wall, co-direc-tor of the Heartland Center, whose organiza-tion helped inspire the Partnership: “This is a progressive community with a strong val-ues-base, a creative vision for the future, and a well-devised strategy for community engagement to keep the wheels rolling in the right direction.”

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10 Philanthropic organizations must step up now

THE EXPERTBonnie HildrethExecutive director, Barry County FoundationTHE TOPICThe role of the philanthropic community in economic development.

All of us have heard the adage, “If I had a dollar for every time someone asked me that question I would be a millionaire.” Well,

that adage still holds true when residents asked about “economic development” and Pennfield Township. Unfortunately, it’s much easier to say “economic devel-opment” then it is to qualify for “econom-ic development” funding.

The vast majority of Townships in the State of Michigan cannot qualify for a number of “economic development” dol-lars for a number of different reasons. They either lack the necessary eligibility due to size (sometimes we’re too big and sometimes we’re too small), county loca-tion (sometimes monies are not available in a particular county because of income levels or lower unemployment rates) or federal rules that require the assistance of a paid consultant. For most of us, we are simply overwhelmed by the amount of paperwork needed as part of the appli-cation process. With limited revenues and no guarantees of success, it’s no wonder that only a handful of townships success-fully secure meaningful grant dollars.

It seems like every week of every month a new headline reads, “The City of, or the Village of” receives hundreds of thou-

sands of dollars (or in some cases millions of dollars) in grants for “economic devel-opment” or “economic improvements”. When was the last you read of a Township in the Battle Creek area receiving hun-dreds of thousands dollars (let alone mil-lions of dollars) in grant monies for eco-nomic development? While it is true that we may lack a specific downtown area or a comprehensive industrial park, we still have many of the same needs associated with economic development and econom-ic improvements.

For example, the need in Pennfield Township is infrastructure. The Township has set aside over 650 acres along Capi-tal Avenue, NE (Capital Avenue) between Pennfield Road and Morgan Road for “eco-

nomic development.” Right now, we lack a municipal sanitary sewer along Capital Avenue (the subdivisions to the south of Morgan Road and the properties next to the Township Hall have municipal san-itary sewer). Every developer we have spoken to in the past 3 years has empha-sized the need for sanitary sewer system to attract future development. Estimated cost: $1.3 to $1.7 million dollars.

And not every future commercial busi-ness will be permit to locate along Capi-tal Avenue due to the anticipated limited number of ingress and egress (driveways) permits which the Michigan Department of Transportation will issue; the Town-ship is also in need of constructing road-ways that run parallel along Capital Ave-nue. A number of years ago the Township developed and incorporated into its zon-ing ordinance a Corridor Preservation Overlay District that preserves land for the construction of these parallel road-ways. Estimated cost: $1.75 to $3.0 mil-lion dollars.

In an effort to secure funding, the Town-ship Board created a Downtown Develop-ment Authority (DDA) as well as a DD) Board made up of nine (9) individuals from our community. The DDA may engage in tax increment financing to help finance

development projects. So what can townships do to secure

economic development and economic improvement grant monies? By imple-menting the following points:

1) Education: Townships need to be bet-ter educated on where and when grant monies are available. Sometime you are notified and sometimes you are not. It’s up to you to find the right grant oppor-tunities.

2) Partnerships: Townships need to cre-ate partnerships with other organizations that may have better resources and knowl-edge associated with the grant application process.

3) Vision: Townships need create a viable vision for their future economic growth. No vision, no monies. It’s that simple.

4) Leadership: Townships need leaders who will see the process to its end. It’s one thing to locate a particular grant oppor-tunity; it’s another to secure it. Know the skill set of those working with you (as well their limitations). Resources will always be limited (that’s a given) so use them effi-ciently.

And with a little luck, we too will have the same opportunities to secure those economic grant monies that our neighbor-ing cities and villages already receive.

Townships struggle to win development aidTHE EXPERTRob BehnkePennfield TownshipSupervisorTHE TOPICDo smaller communities get a fair shake in economic development efforts?

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A 2002 report “Economic Analysis of Calhoun County: What Needs to be Done for the Future?” by the W.E. Upjohn Institute for Employ-

ment Research said the focus on economic development must not be limited to direct-ly encouraging business growth. Rather, it should include improving the quality of life to encourage population growth and a suffi-cient pool of qualified workers.

Almost 10 years later, this finding is still relevant. In addition to improved global economic conditions, attraction and reten-tion of talented individuals within one’s community are essential economic advan-tages to strive for.

One of the Calhoun County Board of Commissioners’ overarching strategic goals is “developing an economic, social and physical environment that attracts jobs and industries.” This goal has exist-ed since 2002, and maybe longer. The goal statement has defining language, howev-er, that is needed to help us focus on what exactly our role can be.

Such clarity is needed because county government is inherently limited in power and scope to only that authority given con-stitutionally and by state statutes.

As such, the County’s Economic Devel-opment Corporation’s stated purpose is “to review projects relative to economic development of municipalities under the provisions of Public Act 338 of 1974.” Our EDC has nine appointed community mem-bers and is supported by county admin-istration. Its structure and authority to facilitate certain economic-development incentives and strategies are important, whenever funding and/or development prospects emerge.

The action words describing our eco-nomic-development goal were carefully chosen. They include “promote,” “encour-age” and “enable,” to represent our under-standing of the relationship county gov-ernment is expected to have with pri-vate-sector organizations, which have the more significant challenge to continue to

thrive and provide meaningful employ-ment opportunities.

Recent examples show the county’s leadership and participation support our words. Our Hospital Finance Authority, established under Public Act 38 of 1969, has supported Oaklawn Hospital’s recent facilities projects by providing cost-effective bond issuance and refinancing arrangements. The county adopted a new Tax Sharing Policy in May 2011, establish-ing guidelines under which the county par-ticipates in tax capture and tax exemp-tion programs. Such programs are tools that, albeit sometimes controversial, often provide economic incentives for business relocation and expansion, and our recent-ly adopted policy underlines the Board of Commissioners’ desire to help spur job creation.

A few initiatives have been ongoing, and sometimes challenging. I have participat-ed for over a year—with economic-devel-opment representatives of Barry, Branch, Calhoun, Kalamazoo and St. Joseph coun-ties—in a group exploring creation of a Regional Comprehensive Economic Devel-opment Strategy.

The U.S. Economic Development Admin-istration says on its website (eda.gov) that this document is “designed to bring together the public and private sectors in the creation of an economic roadmap to diversify and strengthen regional econo-mies.” Although some of our communities do have individual economic-development

plans, we have not developed a multi-coun-ty regional strategy.

Another relates to the area near Fire-Keepers Casino, often mentioned as an area of potential development. Through our planning department, the coun-ty is convening Casino Corridor Plan-ning meetings involving representatives from Emmett and Marshall townships, the Michigan Department of Transpor-tation, the Nottawaseppi Huron Band of the Potawatomi, private landowners and the road commission to exchange plans for future land use and discuss possible coordinated zoning efforts along Michi-gan Avenue from Marshall Township to the Battle Creek border.

The county’s board, judiciary, elected officials and employees seem to recognize our work affects the quality of life within Calhoun County, which in turn impacts our ability to attract talented workers and new businesses. Our website, calhouncounty-mi.gov, invites visitors to live in, do busi-ness with, and visit Calhoun County. Even with shrinking state support and lower property tax revenues, our board contin-ues to allocate over two-thirds of our oper-ating budget toward ensuring public safe-ty and justice.

Technology improvements are a thrust within this year’s capital improvement plan, with the objective of providing more user-friendly environments within

our government and for those doing busi-ness with us.

The Calhoun County Land Bank Author-ity continues its mission of turning tax-reverted, abandoned, vacant and blight-ed properties into more productive, long-term use through demolition or renova-tion, and by partnering with Neighbor-hoods Inc. of Battle Creek, Battle Creek Unlimited and other nonprofits.

Our Board of Public Health has focused its strategic goals on improving some of Calhoun County’s most troubling health indicators and is offering pro-grams within schools. Many of us serve on local boards and committees focused on economic development. And although the road commission is a separate enti-ty from county government, I would be remiss if I didn’t acknowledge our roads and infrastructure as crucial assets to improve, given the county’s ideal loca-tion for commerce, along the I-69 and I-94 corridors.

County government’s role is limited in enhancing our talent base and other aspects contributing to economic growth. But, from my perspective, Calhoun Coun-ty has the economic advantages in place and the people willing to maximize them, using the momentum toward even more closely coordinated efforts to make our county more attractive for visitors, busi-nesses and our residents.

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12 County has role in job development, retention

THE EXPERTKelli D. ScottCalhoun County administrator/controllerTHE TOPICWhat are the county’s economic advantages, and what can be done to improve them?

County government’s role is limited in enhancing our talent base and other aspects contributing to economic growth. But, from my perspective, Calhoun County has the economic advantages in place and the people willing to maximize them, using the momentum toward even more closely coordinated e!orts to make our county more attractive for visitors, businesses and our residents.

Successful communities like ours pro-mote a business climate that will not only attract sustainable development, but also keep existing businesses.

When businesses consider locating in a new community they look for affordable housing, progressive schools, and a quality health-care system. Calhoun County is blessed to have all of those assets and more including world-class healthcare from Bronson Battle Creek Hospital.

As a mission-centered, not-for-profit organi-zation, Bronson Battle Creek is committed to addressing the healthcare needs of the entire community.

After more than a decade of affiliation with Trinity Health, we began a new partnership, this one with the Bronson Healthcare Group in 2011. Together we are sharing and adopt-ing “best practices” and building a regional-ly coordinated health system that is better for patients – and strengthens the communities across southwest Michigan.

Our highly trained and dedicated profes-sionals provide care with high values, coupled with a deep commitment toward mission, and being focused on our patients. Our medical staff brings great backgrounds and diversity with training from respected medical schools from around the world. Most of our associates live in the community they serve.

We do not take lightly our responsibility as our county’s largest hospital. Everything we do proves our ability to provide the right care, at the right time, and at the right place. We deliver on our promise of treating everyone who comes to us for care.

At Bronson Battle Creek, we are proud of not only our new Bronson partnership, but also our history of quality. We’ve been nationally recognized as one of the safest hospitals in the United States, and are committed to continu-ous improvement of our quality metrics.

Virtually all of our quality indicators are above state and national norms – and most are in the top quartile or decile. Bronson Bat-tle Creek has also been a national leader in the development of an electronic medical record, using information technology to assure consis-

tent standards of care and to reduce errors. Our creative new partnership with the Bron-

son Healthcare Group connects us to a high quality hospital that was the first in Michi-gan to receive the coveted Malcolm Baldrige National Quality Award and has been honored as a Thomson Reuters 100 Top Hospital.

In addition to offering exceptional health-care, we also promote healthier lifestyles, helping people understand their health risk factors and encouraging them to minimize those risks. We believe information empowers our community to act on its own good behalf to improve health status and, thereby, improve quality of life. BBC reaches outside our walls in more than 70 community partnerships that provide health education and screenings, sup-port groups and other community benefit ser-vices to improve health, and increase access to preventive healthcare.

BBC associates also provide key leadership to community activities. Each summer, BBC runs the field hospital for the Battle Creek Field of Flight Air Show & Balloon Festival, as well as being a major sponsor of two health days with health screenings at the county fair. Outside our community in years past, hospi-tal pastoral care leaders and members of the nursing and medical staffs have gone on mis-sion trips to the Philippines, Central Ameri-ca, the Caribbean, and Africa. Closer to home,

BBC associates are encouraged to volunteer time and expertise with local nonprofit groups through board service.

There is another side to our healthcare com-mitment to our community’s vitality—one that may not be as well known. Bronson Battle Creek ensures that safe, high-quality health-care services are available to all, regardless of their ability to pay. This past year, BBC pro-vided more than $19 million in uncompensat-ed healthcare benefits to the community.

Here is how that breaks down. Charity care amounted to over $6.5 million; we subsidized $5.6 million in shortfalls of Medicaid; unpaid costs with Medicare were nearly $800,000; community services including programs for the poor were over $2.2 million; and bad debt was $3.8 million. (Bad debt is those dollars that are written off as a loss to the hospital and classified as an expense). In total, we pro-vided more than $54,000 a day in free or sub-sidized care for our community.

BBC is a major economic engine for the community. As one of the top five employers in Calhoun County, we provide nearly 1,500 jobs and purchase millions of dollars in goods and services from businesses all across our county. By working, living, and playing in our community, our medical staff, associates, and volunteers bring greater stability to our qual-ity of life.

Quality healthcare crucial to quality of lifeTHE EXPERTDenise Brooks-Williamspresident and CEO, Bronson Battle Creek

THE TOPICHow does quality health care contribute to the economic vitality of the community?

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All communities experience chal-lenges when trying to successful-ly develop and execute local eco-nomic development strategies.

The greatest challenge for many is acquir-ing adequate resources to successfully attract long-term private investments. The resources necessary to be successful are many, and include items like adequate fund-ing, improved land, access to development incentives, and much more. An econom-ic development agency’s access to these resources will provide them the greatest advantage in attracting new development to a community.

Many small communities have difficulty accessing these resources, mostly due to limited revenues being dedicated to eco-nomic development activities. This can put them at a disadvantage among larg-er communities when competing for sim-ilar investments. Springfield does not have staff dedicated to actively pursue site selectors, nor does Springfield have funding available to undertake large-scale marketing campaigns, or to make nation-al/international site visits. This puts us at a disadvantage when competing for these specific types of investments with the well-funded economic development agen-

cies representing larger communities.While small communities lack access

to some of these important resources, many times they can create their own strategic advantages by embracing their small community characteristics. For example, many small communities are able to maintain close relationships with existing employers; these very relation-ships can facilitate reinvestment and/or new investments from the existing employers.

Additionally, there are many small and mid-sized companies in the Midwest that are positioned for growth, and many of these companies choose to not use exter-nal site consultants, but rather select sites

internally based partially on a communi-ty’s flexibility and attentiveness to their individual needs – small communities can often provide this. A great example is the recent investment by PulverDryer, USA, who was planning an expansion, and had an opportunity to locate their corporate world headquarters anywhere in Mich-igan. PulverDryer’s leadership under-took the search internally, and made it clear that they were seeking a communi-ty that would embrace them, encourage their growth, and be active and attentive to their needs over the long-term. Spring-field demonstrated an ability to meet those needs, and PulverDryer committed to our community.

Regardless of the size of the cities, those that put forth the best plan and the best effort will certainly have the greatest number of opportunities to attract invest-ments. Available resources play a big role in an agency’s ability to do this success-fully. Many times, local leaders judge the success of economic development efforts by the creation of new local jobs or tax revenues. I believe that the success of economic development efforts should be judged more regionally.

In a community like Springfield, where

we are a relatively small portion of the Battle Creek Metropolitan Area, our res-idents realize a very tangible benefit from the economic successes of the City of Battle Creek – even if it does not equate directly to new tax revenue for the City of Springfield. Many of our residents work for Battle Creek-based employers, or for organizations that support Battle Creek-based employers. Further, our Spring-field employers are not exclusively sup-ported by the Springfield economy – they are supported by the metropolitan area’s economy.

While it is challenging for Springfield to be competitive in attracting new develop-ment to our community, we are aided by the efforts of agencies like Battle Creek Unlimited, which has been very success-ful in attracting investments to Battle Creek that benefit the entire metropol-itan area.

Small communities can be competitive, but embracing a regional approach that limits competitiveness across local bound-aries and emphasizes the attraction of investments to the region will ultimate-ly result in the most successful economic development efforts and a strong, vibrant local economy.

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14 Regional growth efforts work for small cities

THE EXPERTFranklin PetersonSpringfield city managerTHE TOPICEconomic development challenges in a small community

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A year ago, after sending out hun-dreds of unanswered resumes, you said you remained optimistic. How about today?

Last year when you interviewed me I was indeed optimistic about finding a new job.

I did find a seasonal job for the second year in a row working as the District Sales Manager for Spirit Halloween Superstores in western Michigan.

Unfortunately this job lasted only from

mid-July through till mid-November. I once again felt as if some time during that employment I might run across an opportu-nity to take a full-time position with anoth-er company.

I did meet several people during this time who knew of positions currently available in the marketplace.

One of those job opportunities was a sales position for a marine facility here in Mich-igan.

I called the company and they invited me in for an interview.

The interview lasted almost 3 hours and went extremely well in my opinion.

I was taken back at one point in time when the owner of the facility asked me how old I was. I pondered the question for a moment, thinking to myself “Does he have any idea what federal law he just broke by asking me

He’s undaunted by periods of unemploymentTHE EXPERTTom FrameFormerly unemployed

THE TOPICLast year you were optimistic while unemployed. How about today?

See FRAME, Page 17

The Stewart Industries team has been in business for over 11 years as a qual-ified value added sub-assembler, manu-facturing a wide variety of products pri-marily aimed at the automotive and oth-er industry.

As a small business we have seen our share of business tragedy and success. The past 5 years have been no different when talking about the challenges that business like us face. Like many of our colleagues, because of our size we are ex-posed to more risk than larger business-es. What we rely on are our most impor-tant assets; our talent within our team.

Examples such as the economic down-turn, natural disasters overseas, and market adjustments within our part of the world, are a true reminder that we needed to continue to invest and focus on future growth in a variety of new and different ways.

Now in the midst of the economic recov-ery our team looks at its competitiveness as being paramount to our survival. Our future growth in this new emerging econ-omy is and will continue to be predicat-ed upon: 1) Our strategic vision2) Development of staff

3) Strength of our customer base.Although all three are important, the

role of our team and its development is what will allow our business to turn the economic corner. Over the past three years our goal is to continue to foster relationships that are both cost effective and helpful in meeting our goal.

In 2008 our business made the bold move to diversify from mainly automo-tive to other disciplines such as renew-able energy, military support and non-automotive related manufacturing. We looked toward a variety of entities for support in this area, such as the Michi-gan Economic Development Corp, Battle Creek Unlimited, and the Michigan Man-

ufacturing Technology Center. These entities supported our activi-

ties in three major ways: retraining and development of key associates, systems development and improvement, and fo-cused company branding. These support items and others allow business our size to become more competitive, focus on what we do best, and most of all, improve the development and retention of associ-ates.

Due to focused training and a firm com-pany vision, our team was able to retain approx 96 percent of its workforce during the periods of the economic downturn and natural disasters in Japan. These results alone made us realize that with state and local policymakers supporting funded training and other like initiatives, this

gives business an edge to compete and stay alive, while adding value to our lon-gevity.

Today, as we are move forward into 2012 and beyond, we are looking and planning for a more positive future.

Our optimism is encouraged by several factors: the support of our key customers through improved efficiencies and vol-umes, recovery of the U.S. economy and the stability of the global economy.

All things considered, and most impor-tant is that the small business be in a position to capitalize on any recovery or improvement. For without the prop-er technology, staff, customer base, or work force; any recovery garnered will not equal a positive impact on our local economy.

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that question?” I turned the question around and asked him how old he thought I was and he guessed way wrong, to my relief.

At any rate I never heard back from this company.

I continued the long pro-cess of following lead after lead on the internet trying to land a full-time position with absolutely no luck.

I once again qualified for unemployment and so I filed my claim and put my resume on the state of Mich-igan’s employment site.

A few weeks ago a com-

pany left a voice mail on my home phone telling me they had seen my resume on the Michigan site and they wanted to talk to me about a commercial sales position if I was interest-ed.

I returned the call and we set up an interview for the following Tuesday.

I arrived for the interview and I hit it off immediately with the interviewer who by the end of the interview offered me the position.

What was even more interesting in this situa-tion was I had to explain to the interviewer I had a slight problem with tak-ing the position immedi-

ately. I explained I was due for some major sur-gery in a few weeks and there would be some recov-ery time involved before I could take this position. I felt sure this had to be an immediate deal killer but to my amazement and joy the interviewer said this wouldn’t be a problem.

I’m having the surgery in early February, recover-ing at home and calling him when I feel up to working.

Great company, great opportunity and before they even know who I am they are willing to make an exception for my sur-gery.

Optimistic – YES I AM!

FRAMEContinued from 16

THE EXPERTErick StewartCo-owner, Stewart IndustriesTHE TOPICWhat role are smaller manufacturers playing in the state’s economic recovery?

The role of our team and its development is what will allow our business to turn the economic corner. Over the past three years our goal is to continue to foster relationships that are both cost e!ective and helpful in meeting our goal.

How communities employ their available assets determines what types of jobs are being created, the type of people and

employers attracted to the area and the overall quality of life for the residents. To create jobs in the long run, rural commu-nities need to invest in and capture val-ue from their two most powerful assets – people and places.

Investing in people should be the priori-ty and one way to do this is through small business development.

Small businesses are creating jobs. In Calhoun County from 1998 to 2008, busi-nesses with less than 10 employees have created 3,055 jobs while businesses with more than 100 employees have lost 7,830 (youreconomy.org). Priorities in econom-ic development policy should reflect this trend.

Two basic things that small businesses need are capital and services. Since most do not qualify for standard commercial bank loans, they need access to alterna-tive sources. In Michigan this alternative capital can come from different sourc-es, including nonprofits that funnel fed-eral program money into communities, revolving loan funds or money from com-munity foundations. These opportunities need to be supported, marketed and con-nected.

Small businesses need services to help them grow, particularly services based on real time information from their com-pany. While educational opportunities are important to grow businesses over time, what they really need are access to tools they would otherwise not have. This includes accounting and financial analysis, geographic information servic-es and marketing research. These tools help businesses make smarter decisions in real time, and be used by many differ-ent businesses in the community. These tools are located in a variety of places in communities around Michigan, including chambers of commerce, libraries, non-profits, and local units of government, but like the capital – they need to be con-nected.

When small business owners are armed with this type of support, it helps change the culture in the community. Taking risk is celebrated and failure can be accept-ed. It is in this type of environment where entrepreneurship grows and thrives.

Place is also an important concept in economic development, it means how land and public space is allocated and used. It is a resource that rural communities tend to undervalue because there is usually a

lot of it. It is attractive for manufactur-ers – look at the age and locations of fac-tories in Battle Creek: the oldest facto-ries are found downtown, and the newer plants have moved out to Fort Custer and elsewhere in the county.

Landing an employer that creates hun-dreds of jobs instantly is good for any community in these times. However, the easier a community makes it for some-one to come through tax incentives and cheap, developable land -- the easier it makes it for them to leave. Whole commu-nities can be held hostage by one employ-er and their decision to cut jobs or com-pletely move and it can be the other way around.

Communities can substitute tax incen-tives and cheap land by offering a skilled and educated workforce and strong com-munity amenities to entice any new man-ufacturing development.

Place also involves how communities interact with each other. Networks can be formed to support businesses region-ally and grow upon their existing indus-tries. Rural communities are net export-ers of resources, including the agricultural

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alternative resourcesTHE EXPERTCharlie KelleyCenter for Community ProgressTHE TOPICCreating jobs in rural communities

See KELLEY, Page 19

Small businesses need services to help them grow, particularly services based on real time information from their company. While educational opportunities are important to grow businesses over time, what they really need are access to tools they would otherwise not have.

The future is bright for local stores that focus on their strengths. Over the top customer service and quality products are two of

the most critical.At Meyer’s Toy World, we ask questions,

apply personal experience and make rec-ommendations. This helps our customers choose the best toy with the greatest inter-active play and educational benefits. This is important because many chain stores car-ry a toy simply because it ties into a heavi-ly promoted movie or television show. Great customer service means establishing a rela-tionship and providing guidance. Not just pointing out an items location on the shelf.

Product quality is often higher at a local store. In the mad race for the lowest price many man-ufacturers create models exclusively for the chain or discount stores. These often have less-er quality components and shorter warranties than the “regular” products. All of us are famil-iar with the phrase “you get what you pay for.” Some of the best products require customer

education and demonstration. That’s usually not available online or at a chain store.

The best way to keep a local retail store’s future bright and shining is to adopt a shop local attitude. Of every dollar spent at a local store 80 cents stays in the communi-ty. Contrast that to a chain store where only about 20 cents is re-invested. We can har-ness that 60 cent difference just by making an extra effort to check with a local busi-ness first when you are shopping.

Service, product quality are the key elements for thriving small businesses

THE EXPERTPatty MeyerCo-owner, Meyer’s Toy WorldTHE TOPICThe future for small business

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products it produces and ships elsewhere for processing. They can capture this lost value two ways:

One way is to help similar industries in the same region collectively advertise and promote their industry as a whole. They can reach a much bigger audience and market as a coalition than as individ-uals. For example, the bed and breakfast industry in Ludington faces stiff compe-tition from each other as there are more bed and breakfasts per capita there than anywhere else in the state. However, through the Ludington Historic Bed and Breakfast Association, they are able to market collectively and reach a much wider audience, bringing in more cus-tomers to the area and helping out each company in the process.

Another way is to work to use these regional identities to grow industry-spe-cific clusters. Extracting the natural resources is not where the money is at in the process of producing goods -- the real value in producing goods gets add-ed further in the process in things like processing, marketing and sales. Com-munities need to find ways to encourage the “high-value” industries to locate geo-graphically near the community that does

the extraction.That helps the community create desir-

able jobs that capture the value from the industry as a whole, not just be a piece of the chain. Look at the wine produc-ing regions in northwest Michigan. They have been able to chain together pieces of the process from extraction to bottling to marketing, as well as adding in tourism. This keeps the value that is added within the community.

There is a big difference between “eco-nomic development” and “community economic development”. Pure econom-ic development strategies involve cre-ating wealth, sometimes at the expense of the community. In a sense, it is cre-ating wealth while at the same time tak-ing away what make the community valu-able and stripping it of its ability to cre-ate wealth in the future.

Community based economic develop-ment on the other hand, involves strat-egies that work to create wealth while increasing the value of pieces of the puz-zle. It is like a machine that every sep-arate component can get stronger, not deteriorate, as it works.

Small communities can take control of their economic futures. They already offer a lifestyle and resources that its residents find attractive, and can further create desirable locations by investing in its people and places.

KELLEYContinued from Page 18

In today’s world, one can create a glob-al business from anywhere. Whether a person is entrepreneurial or intrapre-neurial, to develop a great local work-

force, individuals need to take what they love, figure out how it can serve the great-est number of people, and how it will pro-vide for their personal economic security.

As noted during last week’s National Entrepreneurship Week, we need to support job creation in our community as a means to economic growth and stability. We are a community of people with dreams, interests and talents. We have to encourage an envi-ronment where our best and brightest want to be a part of our community.

Ask a child what they want to be when they grow up and common answers will include doctor, fireman, astronaut, etc. Notice that most of these ambitions encompass doing good things, helping others, thus creating a better community.

“Life isn’t about finding yourself. Life is about creating yourself.” (Author unknown).

When we, as a community, nurture those goals, young people grow up more focused. Ultimately, our youth feel they are contrib-utors, have a purpose, and are valued. This keeps our best and brightest in the work-force.

These are the people who will remain in the workforce: entrepreneurs and intrapre-neurs who build strong communities. These same people instill those work ethics into their children. A strong, healthy workforce also values the idea of giving back, and such volunteerism makes our community a bet-ter place to live.

Education is the key to freedom, and with freedom we have more choices. When peo-ple place value on purposeful education, not just in showing up, but becoming engaged in the process, it doesn’t take long to acknowl-edge that it isn’t enough to have an inter-est or a passion; you have to get good at it to succeed.

We have a community that provides endless support. We have quality schools

that encourage young people to seek their dreams and expand their talents. They can volunteer, participate in school to work pro-grams, or any opportunity that will support the fact that they need their education.

When young people see the relevance of school and that school is the pathway to their goals and dreams, education and education-al achievement has value to them.

This equally encourages our best and brightest to learn and grow in our local workforce. It is our human nature that if something has value we respect it and want to be better at it.

Entrepreneurship education, especially, requires young people to develop relation-ships and network with business leaders in our community. Through those significant contacts, lasting relationships are formed.

Research supports the fact that when young people grow up with positive role models in their life, and they feel and expe-rience community support, they are more likely to have the desire to return to that community when it is time for them to raise their own family. And, when they come back, it will be as positive community members, contributing to economic growth and devel-opment.

In addition, those business leaders need to share what is needed in new skill sets and

innovation to help their businesses thrive and succeed.

When young people build on their inter-ests, search career pathways, and have ideas as to the needs of businesses, their decisions become more focused, their edu-cational plans become more purposeful, and their opportunities for success dramatical-ly increase.

Our post-secondary educational opportu-nities and training programs provide end-less opportunities for gaining knowledge and experience in any field. This too, pro-vides support for a young entrepreneur’s direction.

Opportunity can be in the form of jobs or the encouragement of job creation.

How do we keep our best and brightest in the local workforce?

We need to continue to create opportuni-ties for them to explore their dreams, inter-ests, and talents. We need to connect them to significant adult community members who will mentor and then serve as role models. We need to model behaviors that encourage excelling in education.

Finally, we need to continuously increase our community support system to encour-age and nurture innovation so we have con-tinuous job creation and opportunities for employment.

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0 Entrepreneurship a building block for areaTHE EXPERTCheryl PetersExecutive director, Generation E InstituteTHE TOPICHow do we keep our best and brightest in the local work force?

Small local businesses are the larg-est employers nationally and cre-ate two out of every three new jobs. The Small Business Act defines a

small business as “one that is independently owned and operated and which is not dom-inant in its field of operation.”

Small businesses employ more than 52 percent of the nation’s employees. This means that overall more Americans work for a company with fewer than 100 employ-ees than for a large retailer, with more than 500 employees. Small businesses have played a vital role in job creation, adding more than 5.1 million new jobs to our econ-omy since 2003.

Buying locally means that employment levels are more likely to be stable, and may even create more opportunities for local residents to work in the community. It is important to mention the importance that small businesses have on both the local and national economies. The Battle Creek Area Chamber of Commerce membership is rep-resented by over 85% small businesses (100 employees or less). Recently, we asked our members to complete a membership pro-file and interest survey and the results were optimistic. Though there are seeds that point to a more positive economic outlook, small businesses have yet to sow large scale

hiring plans. Majority of our business have added employees over the last year and will continue to grow in sales of their services.

The small business outlook for the nation-al economy still shows that the vast majority think our country is off on the wrong track. Small businesses are not sure if Ameri-ca’s best days are ahead or behind, and the threat of over-regulation continues to cause concern.

Economic uncertainty is still the over-whelming issue facing most small business-es, but there is increasing concern about the impact of regulation, and the federal debt and deficit.

Small businesses do not think the current regulation environment is good for their business. Only one out of ten small business

owners say the current regulation environ-ment is reasonable. Almost nine-out-of-ten (86%) of small business owners say they worry about regulations, restrictions and taxes and their negative impact on their ability to do business.

The vast majority of small business mem-bers find the Chamber’s work in educating the public on political issues and candidates valuable. So I strongly encourage our small business owners in Battle Creek to attend the Battle Creek Area Chamber of Com-merce’s – Rap with Your Reps event (held the second Friday of every other month), the next scheduled Rap with Your Reps event is Friday, April 13, 2012 at McCamly Plaza Hotel, 16th Floor.

Small businesses are the heartbeat of our community. They provide jobs, preserve neighborhoods, and fuel the local economy.

The Battle Creek Area Chamber of Com-merce encourages you to think about what three independently owned businesses would you miss if they disappear? So, stop in, say hello. Pick up something that brings a smile. Your purchases are what keep those businesses around. If half the employed population spent $50 each month in local-ly owned independent businesses (nation-ally) it would generate more than $42.6 bil-lion in revenue. Imagine the positive impact if three-quarters of the employed popula-tion did that.

For every $100 spent in locally owned independent stores, $68 returns to com-munity through taxes, payroll, and other expenditures. If you spend that in a nation-al chain, only $43 stays here. Spend it online and nothing comes home. One person is all it takes to start this trend.

Economic uncertainties haunt small businessTHE EXPERTKara E. BeerBattle Creek Area Chamber of Commerce executive director

THE TOPICThe future for locally owned businesses

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Small businesses are the heartbeat of our community. They provide jobs, preserve neighborhoods, and fuel the local economy. The Battle Creek Area Chamber of Commerce encourages you to think about what three independently owned businesses would you miss if they disappear?