Reports Upjohn Research home page 1-1-2014 Accelerate: Economic Development Strategy and Prosperity Plan for the I-69 Thumb Region George Erickcek W.E. Upjohn Institute for Employment Research, [email protected] Bryan Bommersbach W.E. Upjohn Institute for Employment Research Don Edgerly W.E. Upjohn Institute for Employment Research Brian Pittelko W.E. Upjohn Institute for Employment Research Claudette Robey W.E. Upjohn Institute for Employment Research, [email protected] See next page for additional authors Follow this and additional works at: https://research.upjohn.org/reports Citation Erickcek, George A., Bryan Bommersbach, Don Edgerly, Brian Pittelko, Claudette Robey, Jim Robey. 2014. "Accelerate: Economic Development Strategy and Prosperity Plan for the I-69 Thumb Region." Report prepared for Genesee County Metropolitan Planning Commission. https://research.upjohn.org/reports/213 This title is brought to you by the Upjohn Institute. For more information, please contact [email protected]. Authors George Erickcek, Bryan Bommersbach, Don Edgerly, Brian Pittelko, Claudette Robey, and Jim Robey This report is available at Upjohn Research: https://research.upjohn.org/reports/213 Economic Development Strategy and Prosperity Plan for the I-69 Thumb Region Executive Summary December 8, 2014 1 2 Accelerate: Economic Development Strategy and Prosperity Plan for Region 6 Acknowledgments W.E. Upjohn Institute for Employment Research George A. Erickcek Bryan Bommersbach Don Edgerly Brian Pittelko Claudette Robey Mohr Partners Cleveland Jim Robey CIB Planning Carmine P. Avantini Flint and Genesee Chamber of Commerce Justin Sprague This report could not have been completed without the guidance and assistance of the members of both the Region 6 Steering Committee (List 1) and the CEDS Steering Committee (List 2). The membership of these active commit- tees represent almost all aspects of the business and government services sectors in the region, including economic development, education, workforce development, planning, transportation, and government administration. 3 4 Accelerate: Economic Development Strategy and Prosperity Plan for Region 6 Table of Contents Executivive Accelerate a Strategy for the Region . 3 SummaSummaryarya Planning Process . .4 Accelerate the Economic Landscape of Region 6 . 6 Demographics . .8 Talent . 10 Quality of Life . 12 Goals & Objectives . 14 Appendix - Full Report . 22 Appendix - Table of Contents . 24 5 TheThe Accelerate is the culmination of a collaborative planning process for a seven-county area spearheaded by the Flint & Plan Genesee Chamber of Commerce and the Genesee Lapeer Shiawassee (GLS) Region V Planning & Development Commission, resulting in a coordinated Federal Economic Development Strategy and State Prosperity Plan. This document ties together the U.S. Economic Development Administration Comprehensive Economic Development Strategy (CEDS) and the Region 6 Prosperity plans into a single, unified plan expressing a shared economic vision for Shiawassee, Genesee, Lapeer, St. Clair, Tuscola, Huron, and Sanilac counties. Accelerate creates an economic roadmap for unified actions in the region leading to new jobs, international marketing opportunities, and investment. These actions will both strengthen and diversify the regional economy. The roadmap will also help guide the coordinated efforts by local communities across the seven counties in a manner that will positively impact the region as a whole. to cause something to happen sooner or more quickly 6 Accelerate: Economic Development Strategy and Prosperity Plan for Region 6 As required by with 5 representatives from each county, 3 of which PlanningPlanniingi each funding agency, represent the private sector. this plan has been The Regional Prosperity steering committee also has Procesocessesses driven by its steer- roughly 20 representatives that primarily represent the ing committee. The public sector, service providers, and the education sec- federal requirements tor. For the purposes of this plan, each county also had for a CEDS steering an advisory committee to the larger steering committee. committee are that The county advisory committees met monthly to at least 51 percent of review data, participate in the SWOT session, assist with the committee is rep- project identification and prioritization, and make plan resented by the private recommendations to the larger steering committee. sector. For this reason, the Final plan approval will be a recommendation from the CEDS steering committee has advisory committees to the steering committee who will 20 members across Shiawassee, ultimately recommend approval by each county’s board Genesee, Lapeer, and St. Clair counties of commissioners. Obtain Funding Plan Approval •US Economic Development Administration •Michigan Regional Prosperity Initiative •MEDC Regional Prosperity Initiative Draft Plan •Public Comment Draft Develop Timeline •Public Hearing Draft (County Board of Commissioners’ Approval) Convene Action Groups Research & Data Gathering •I-69 International Trade Corridor CEDS Steering Committee •Accelerate I-69/Thumb Region Pre-SWOT Survey •County-level Economic Development Advisory Groups •County SWOT Assessments •I-69 Thumb Regional Prosperity Advisory Committee •Listening Sessions •EMCOG CEDS Steering Committee •2-Day Charette •Multiple Data Sources/Studies 7 By the Numbers: Economic Landscape Employment Period covering 2009-2013 Export Industries Region 6 State National % % % % 4.1 2.1 2.9 19.5 % Bureau of Labor Statistics Census of Employment and Wages Other 20.4 Manufacturing Unemployment *As of September 2014 9.0% Region 6 State National Wholesale/Logistics 5.8% Finance & Insurance 15.9% Healthcare 7.1% 6.7% 5.7% 8.1% Bureau of Labor Statistics Administration 7. 8% 13.6% Farm Tourism (Arts & Hospitality) Regional Economic Models Inc. (REMI) Household Income Commuting Patterns Households 28.5% Simply Surviving* 25% Jobs filled by people outside the region Households Living in Residents who 17% Poverty commute to jobs 47% outside the region *Based on statewide A.L.I.C.E. (Asset-Limited, Income-Constrained Employed) Project by Source is U.S. Census Bureau, Census on the Map, 2011 the Michigan Association of United Ways 8 Accelerate: Economic Development Strategy and Prosperity Plan for Region 6 The Region 6 The loss of employment opportunities in the region has EconomicEconommicm landscape of the I-69 hindered population growth and decreased consumer Thumb region is spending, causing economic hardship to thousands of Landscaandscapecapeca very diverse, includ- families. A full quarter of the households living in the I-69 ing thousands of Thumb region are Asset-Limited, Income-Constrained acres of productive Employed (A.L.I.C.E.), struggling in poverty or simply farmland, hundreds surviving on budgets that allow for no savings. of miles of shoreline, But the region is not an economic island. As many as major international 147,200 of its working residents commute outside of the transportation routes, region to work, while 65,000 individuals who reside out- revitalized metro areas, side of Region 6 drive into the I-69 Thumb region to work. and several vital smaller Employment trends in the seven-county region are cities. Despite the region’s di- improving. The area’s four largest sectors—healthcare, versity, its residents and business- retail, government, and manufacturing—account for es share many of the same opportuni- less than 50 percent of the region’s employment base, ties, assets, and challenges that can be more effectively yet many employers are having difficulty finding quality acted upon by a coordinated effort. workers; the future employment gains in the region will During the recession, the region’s unemployment rate be aided by qualified workers. topped 16 percent. In August of 2014, the unemploy- ment rate dipped to 7.1 percent, but nearly 28,000 resi- dents still remained unemployed. 9 By the Numbers: Demographics Land Distribution Population Tuscola County 48% 6% Genesee County 93% 8% of Land in Region 6 is Rural Shiawassee County % Sanilac 5 County 60% 19% of Population St. Clair County 4% in Region 6 10% Resides in Lapeer County Urban Areas Region 6 Huron County U.S. Census Bureau 2013 U.S. Census Bureau 861, 000 estimates, 2013 Total Population in 2013 Percent Growth 25.0% Region 6 by Age 20.0% State Projected Population of 15.0% 20-29 year olds in 2020 10.0% 13.5% 5.0% 0.0% 0-910-19 20-2930-39 40-4950-64 65+ Regional Economic Models Inc. (REMI) 10 Accelerate: Economic Development Strategy and Prosperity Plan for Region 6 In 2013, an percentage, African Americans represent just less than 11 estimated 861,000 percent of the region’s total population and primarily reside Demogrraphicsaphic individuals lived in in Genesee County (93 percent). Evenly distributed across Region 6. Nearly the region, Hispanics make up 3.2 percent of the region’s 50 percent of the total population; Asians and Native Americans account for region’s population less than 1.0 percent of the region’s population. resides in Genesee As is true throughout the nation, the region’s population is County, with another aging. By 2020 the region will be losing many of its more 19 percent living in experienced workers through retirement, thus creating the St. Clair County. Overall, real possibility of a skills shortage. In addition, the number nearly 60 percent of the re- of senior residents living in the area will only increase, gen- gion’s residents live in urban erating a changing level of demand