Eaton Rapids : In the News

According to Doug Stites, of Capital Area Michigan Works!, entrepreneurship is possible for nearly everyone, and the Capital region is emerging as a great place for people to start a new business, take risks and seek out their passion or innovative idea. 

According to excerpts from the article.

Entrepreneur Magazine named East Lansing one of the top 10 college towns to start a business, CNN Money named Greater Lansing one of the 50 most business-friendly cities.

And most recently, well-known financial news organization Kiplinger's named Lansing one of the top 10 cities in the country for young adults.

Incubator space such as the East Lansing Technology Innovation Center, NEO Center and the Hatch is making it easier for individuals with great ideas and solid business plans to put it in action without needing much capital to start.

Read the entire article here.

Eaton County is expanding its filming locations to continue attracting Hollywood studios and state-issued film tax incentives.

According to excerpts from the article:

When producers for the MGM film "Red Dawn" were looking for a location with cliffs and rock outcroppings, the Michigan Film office suggested they travel to the Upper Peninsula

Fortunately for Eaton County, someone on the production staff had a 1950's topographical map of Michigan and came to Grand Ledge's Fitzgerald Park before making the trip to youper land, since it resulted in some of the $50-million budget for the production being spent at Eaton County lumberyards, hotels and food vendors.

"It just fell into our lap," said Eaton County Parks Director Dan Patton.

Read the entire article here.

Astraeus Wind Energy Inc., an affiliate of Eaton Rapids-based Dowding Machining, received $7 million in federal stimulus funding to build machines for wind turbine production.

According to excerpts from the article:

Astraeus Wind Energy Inc. won the largest grant among five Michigan companies that received a total of $15.5 million Wednesday.

The grants are expected to allow the five companies to retain or create 713 jobs over the next two years, Gov. Jennifer Granholm said in a statement.

Companies with 500 or fewer full-time employees were eligible to apply for the grants to get into the business of manufacturing renewable energy technologies such as wind, solar, geothermal and biomass.

Nearly 80 companies requested almost $198 million.

Read the entire article here.

2009 was a good year for the Capital region, which welcomed several important economic investments including the $550 million FRIB facility, the Technology Information Center (TIC) and IBM’s move to East Lansing.

According to excerpts from the article:

While Michigan felt the pain of the highest unemployment in the nation, the bankruptcy of GM and Chrysler, a tanking housing market and a sharp slowdown in commercial sales, East Lansing could point to the following developments:

1.) FRIB, okay, Facility for Rare Isotope Beams. The $550 million Department of Energy-funded nuclear physics research facility will be a science facility dedicated answering complex questions about the structure of matter, about the stars, about basic elements on our plan, event how the planet came into existence.

Its practical benefits, as well: $1 billion economic impact over the first decade, 180 new jobs for scientists, 5,800 one-year construction jobs, 220 spin-off jobs.

Read the entire article here.

Okemos-based Central Park Apartments is the first apartment complex in the Capital Region to participate in a Consumers Energy program designed to help green residential buildings and help the utility meet the requirements of a new state efficiency program.

According to excerpts from the article.

The 402 units at the apartment complex owned by East Lansing-based Eyde Co. are getting the upgrades this week. In coming months, similar work will be done at complexes near Michigan State University that are operated by DTN Management Co. of Lansing.

Consumers plans to spend $500 million over the next 5 1/2 years on energy saving programs such as this one. A surcharge Consumers started adding to customer bills in June will pay for the program.

The program, and similar efforts under development at the Lansing Board of Water & Light and other utility companies around the state, are part of a response to a state law passed last year that requires utilities to help customers save energy.

"This is probably the largest energy efficiency program that Michigan has ever launched," Consumers spokesman Dan Bishop said.

Read the entire article here.

The economic challenges facing the nation also offer economic opportunity to entrepreneurs willing to face them, says Michigan State University (MSU) Accounting Professor Sanjay Gupta.

According to excerpts from the article:

“There always are challenges in setting up a new business, whether in good times or bad,” said Gupta, chairperson of the Department of Accounting and Information Systems in the Eli Broad College of Business.

“However, there are some unique challenges budding entrepreneurs face, especially during the current economic downturn,” he said.

New entrepreneurs willing to take a chance may be catalysts in turning around the entire economy, but they need to adhere to sound business principles to succeed.

Read the entire article here.

Eaton Rapids-based Dowding Industries is encouraging area manufacturers to retool their business models to accommodate the growing wind energy industry in the state.

According to excerpts from the article:

Jeff Metts, president of Dowding Industries in Eaton Rapids, said those jobs and more could be replaced if Michigan becomes serious about fostering a wind energy industry. Those jobs would be created at places such as Dowding, where blades, turbines and other wind energy components would be engineered and manufactured.

And even though Metts was ready to move his company from Eaton Rapids to Iowa just two years ago, today he is pushing to create those jobs in Michigan.

Metts has met with the governor and government officials in Washington in an effort to get them to invest in Michigan's budding alternative energy industry. Currently, much of the wind energy industry is based abroad.

Read the entire article here.

The G-Merge project at the Eaton Intermediate School District Career Center bridges generations, bringing young people in the community in contact with residents at Burcham Hills Retirement Community.

According to excerpts from the article:

During the 2008-2009 school year, the students traveled by school bus once a month to Burcham Hills in East Lansing to interview residents about their backgrounds and life stories. The students were paired with elders, and spent time interacting and getting to know them. Students asked questions regarding the elders' heritage, family background, childhood to adult experiences, interests, hobbies and historical events. The students and elders shared thoughts and moments from each others lives. This experience gave students the opportunity to provide companionship and build relationships with their elders.

The students wrote about their G-Merge experience, and along with their instructor, Deb Collin, and paraprofessional, Margaret McDonnell, presented a collection of their writings and photos to the residents at Burcham.

Read the entire article here.

From 2005 to 2008, the state’s green industry grew by 7.7 percent, according to a study released by the Michigan Department of Energy, Labor and Economic Growth.

According to excerpts from the article:

It (the green industry) employs more than 109,000 people.The largest sector of the green industry, clean transportation and fuels, employs 40% of the state's green jobs workers.

Andy Levin, Deputy Director, DELEG: "These are people who need to put together the business and the education to create these green jobs, 'cause they know this is the future, they know this is where there's a chance to make money, and so they're coming together to figure it out."

The green energy event drew some high-wattage politicians. The US secretary of labor joined Governor Jennifer Granholm at the Lansing Center. Governor Granholm says creating green jobs is the key to pushing the state through these tough times. Labor Secretary Hilda Solis backs her up, calling green jobs the jobs of the future.

Read the entire article here.

Many suppliers and small manufacturers are shifting gears from auto parts to wind turbine components. About 700 Michigan manufacturers now do wind-industry work, including Dowding Industries in Eaton Rapids.

According to excerpts from the article:

"How do you ever leave GM? How do you ever leave these customers that were this powerful?" said Jeff Metts, president of Dowding Machining in Eaton Rapids. "I think a lot of suppliers struggle with that."

Parent company Dowding Industries began cutting back on the metal stamping and other work it did for the auto industry in 2000 before moving into wind-related work two years ago, Metts said.

Now, about 30 of Dowding Machining's 140 employees do wind-related work. Metts believes that number will grow substantially.

"I personally feel - and some people might think I'm nuts - I think we can employ about 5,000 people in Michigan in this wind industry business," he said, laying out long-term plans for multiple facilities dedicated to wind-turbine production.

Read the entire article here.

$1.2 million in transportation enhancements funded with federal stimulus funds will flow to three streetscape updates in Lansing, Webberville and Eaton Rapids.

According to excerpts from the article:

The projects were announced Thursday by Lt. Gov. John Cherry. Some of the projects had previously been planned as part of road and bridge improvements announced for Michigan.

More than $27 million in stimulus money will fund bike paths, sidewalks, streetscapes and other so-called transportation enhancement projects in 27 counties over the next two years.

"We are pleased that our transportation enhancement program for 2009 has been expanded by federal recovery funds that allow us to partner with more cities, townships, villages, and road commissions to make improvements that enrich communities and create jobs," state transportation Director Kirk T. Steudle said in a press release.

Read the entire article here.