economic development

Insurance company expansion giving Lansing's economy a big boost

Steve Carmody — Tue, 30 Apr 2013 16:26:06 +0000

Jackson National Life Insurance Company says it plans to spend $100 million on a new office complex in Lansing.

The life insurance and annuities company is headquartered in the capital city.

The expansion will add a thousand jobs of all types.

Mike Wells is Jackson National’s president. He says their growing business has outgrown the complex they built a decade ago.

Can Detroit be the next 'Comeback Kid'?

Stateside Staff — Wed, 10 Apr 2013 19:21:11 +0000

Who doesn't love that quintessential story of the underdog who battles and claws his or her way out of some apparently impossible challenge. David and Goliath, Rocky Balboa, the 'Miracle on Ice' are all great underdog stories that never cease to captivate the minds of people.

Will Detroit be the next great underdog story to make the list?

Stateside: Abandoned cities that bounce back

Stateside Staff — Mon, 25 Feb 2013 22:05:57 +0000

The Detroit Future City plan, released by Detroit Mayor David Bing's Detroit Works Project, offers both short term action and long term plans to rebuild the city.

The report, created over a two year period, intends to improve the quality of life and business in Detroit and also sets goals for the future.

What could cities facing similar situations learn from Detroit? And what has been done in cities outside of Michigan?

June Manning Thomas and Margaret Dewar are professors of urban and regional planning at the University of Michigan and are editors of the book "The City after Abandonment," a collection of essays from top urban planning experts.

Michigan Radio's Cynthia Canty spoke with Thomas and Dewar about the next steps outlined in the plan for Detroit and what its future will hold.

You can listen to the full Stateside interview above.

Commonwealth of Belle Isle: The world's next city-state?

Michigan Radio Newsroom — Wed, 16 Jan 2013 20:04:26 +0000

Belle Isle inspires big dreams.

First there was the state’s attempt to photoshop Belle Isle into a "Pleasantville"-style utopia of dog walkers and picnics.

Now, a group of wealthy investors want to buy Detroit’s island park for $1 billion, secede from Michigan, and develop the 982 acres into the Commonwealth of Belle Isle, a Singapore-like city-state with its own laws, customs, and currency.

Stateside: Recovery Park, big plans for redevelopment in Detroit

Mercedes Mejia — Thu, 20 Dec 2012 22:35:25 +0000

Recovery Park is a project hoping to revitalize the city of Detroit and get people working.

Gary Wozniak is the President and CEO.

He has big plans for Recovery Park involving everything from growing Tilapia, to processing foods, and establishing a 30-acre farm scattered throughout the city.

“So the models that we’re looking at are a combination of the community gardening that’s happening in Detroit, the indoor agriculture that’s being promoted by Michigan State University and then a lot of the larger indoor models in Europe, predominately in the Netherlands,” Wozniak says.

A new urban agriculture ordinance will certainly play a big in making this redevelopment project a reality.

The idea started with Self Help Addiction Rehabilitation or (SHAR), a Detroit based substance abuse treatment program.

SHAR’s mission is to transform individuals with addiction and those recovering a chance at a new life.

Wozniak has a very personal mission as well.

Stateside: When body parts become commodities

Michigan Radio Newsroom — Wed, 28 Nov 2012 21:58:52 +0000

For some, the idea of body parts functioning as units of exchange is unsettling.

But for Dr. Adam Lutzker, the concept is one worth investigating. Lutzker teaches at the University of Michigan- Flint, where he recently gave a lecture entitled “Human Body Parts as Commodities.”

Born from a teaching strategy used to spark his students’ attention, the lecture challenges what we view as viable commodities.

“A commodity is anything that is produced for profit and bought and sold. With a commodity, we tolerate the fact that not everyone will get them. This was the debate- should things be treated as commodities? Should they be treated as rights?” said Lutzker.

Michigan 4th worst in gender-based income inequality

Michigan Radio Newsroom — Fri, 19 Oct 2012 19:33:07 +0000

Mitt Romney’s “binders full of women” comment from the second presidential debate became an instant Internet meme, but it also brought attention to the issue of income inequality based on gender.

It’s an issue with particular relevance for Michigan.

The state ranks fourth in the country for the largest pay gap between men and women.

Forbes: Detroit ranks 3rd in adjusted wages compared to national average

Michigan Radio Newsroom — Mon, 16 Jul 2012 17:21:37 +0000

Detroit has the third highest average annual income out of the 51 largest metropolitan areas in the country.

Shocked? Let me explain.

Forbes Magazine and the Praxis Strategy Group re-ranked the incomes in these 51 cities after adjusting for cost of living. Not surprisingly, it turns out a dollar goes a lot farther in Detroit than in, say, New York City or Boston.

Deadline day for Lansing's old Red Cedar golf course

Steve Carmody — Fri, 06 Jul 2012 05:01:01 +0000

Developers have until late this afternoon to submit their ideas for what to do with a former Lansing city golf course.

The twelve acres of the old Red Cedar golf course rests on the border of Lansing and East Lansing.

Gov. Snyder calls for local ideas for solving Michigan's urban problems

Steve Carmody — Mon, 18 Jun 2012 22:41:59 +0000

Flint business and civic leaders sat down with Governor Snyder today to discuss possible solutions to the city’s problems.

The closed-door session focused on crime, education, economic development and other urban issues.

Need tips to help get through the recession? Get Midwest money help from CNN's experts

Micki Maynard — Fri, 02 Dec 2011 18:51:35 +0000

The recession has played havoc with personal finances all over the Midwest, whether you’re starting from scratch, or trying to stretch your budget to get through these hard times.

It can be hard to get good advice on what to do.

Rest easy. We’re offering some Midwest Money help.

Two of the country’s leading experts on personal finance issues — CNN’s Ali Ve lshi and Christine Romans– are teaming up with Changing Gears to provide some answers.

Each week, Ali and Christine tackle pressing financial dilemmas on their CNN program, Your Money, and they’ve compiled their tips in the new book, How to Speak Mon ey: The Language and the Knowledge That You Need Now.

Here’s your chance for Midwest Money advice.

Send us anything that’s on your mind, from retirement, to job hunting, to your mortgage and more.

We’ll pose your questions to Ali and Christine, and publish their answers every day during the week of Dec. 19. And, if they pick a question that you sent in, you’ll get an autographed copy of their new book.

Post your questions here.

Airport tax deal gets approval from Lansing, DeWitt Township

Steve Carmody — Tue, 25 Oct 2011 02:55:26 +0000

A proposed expansion plan for Lansing’s airport took a big step forward Monday night.

The Lansing city council and DeWitt Township both approved a deal to share tax revenues from the airport.

Some city council members say they’re concerned Lansing is giving up control as part of the deal.

Bob Trezise is the city’s economic development director. He says the deal shows what must be done to make regional cooperation work.

Governor Snyder, Going to China

Jack Lessenberry — Wed, 24 Aug 2011 14:56:48 +0000

http://stream.publicbroadcasting.net/production/mp3/michigan/local-michigan-983234.mp3

The other day, Gov. Rick Snyder’s office announced he would be going to China next month. Actually, he will be going to both China and Japan, on a whirlwind, week-long trip that will begin with his attending a trade association meeting in Tokyo.

This will be a high-powered trip. Along with him, the governor will be taking Mike Finney, the director of the Michigan Economic Development Corporation, known as MEDC; the state agriculture director, and four other economic development officials.

The reason for the trip, the governor’s communications director said, was to talk about why investment in Michigan is a good idea, and also to promote our state’s farm products.

Politicians often get criticized for taking junkets abroad -- sometimes rightly so. But not only is this trip a good idea, it is terribly necessary and way overdue. In Toledo, just to our south, Chinese businessmen have spent millions to buy land along the Maumee riverfront, which they plan to develop for a variety of uses.

Lansing voters will decide future of eastside parkland

Steve Carmody — Tue, 23 Aug 2011 03:38:21 +0000

Lansing voters will decide in November if the city can sell 12 acres of city parkland for future private development. A divided city council last night agreed to put the question on the ballot. There's no developer or actual plan on the table yet for the Red Cedar golf course land.

Bob Trezise is the president of the Lansing Economic Development Corporation. He says the making the land available will help the city market it to potential developers.

“It strikes us as a great area to try to develop."

Several city council members questioned whether the city should focus on getting previous economic development plans working before starting new ones. Councilman Eric Hewitt voted against moving the parkland sale before the voters. He says the city's track record in similar projects is not good.

"We’ve had all these other ‘visions’…we’ve had lots of ‘gateways’…but none of them have seemed to come about.”

Mayor Virg Bernero says the proceeds of the sale of the Red Cedar land could be channeled into improving Lansing's other city parks.

Lansing city council may consider sending golf course question to voters tonight

Steve Carmody — Mon, 22 Aug 2011 05:01:01 +0000

The Lansing city council may agree tonight to ask voters to decide if part of a closed city golf course can be sold. The land is being eyed for future business development.

The proposal to sell part of the closed Red Cedar golf course has been stuck in a Lansing city council subcommittee since last spring. Some council members said they wanted more information.

City Council President A’Lynne Robinson is optimistic the council can get it unstuck this week.