'Knowledge economy' is the goal

DATELINE: GRAND BLANC TOWNSHIP

GRAND BLANC TWP. - Township officials are aiming to help move the region from a nearly obsolete manufacturing economy to a "knowledge economy" by persuading high-tech companies to set up shop here.

A proposed "technology village area" was at the heart of a four-hour symposium Wednesday at Genesys Conference Center that drew more than 200 residents, business leaders, government officials and developers.

"We have one goal: to bring our kids back home," said symposium organizer Keith Edwards, the township's community development director. "We send them off to college, and they don't come back."

The area will be bounded by McWain Road to the west, Ray Road to the south, Cook Road to the north and Saginaw Road to the east. It will be bisected by I-75.

Several speakers, including one from the Brookings Institution, discussed different aspects of competing in a global market with cutting-edge, technology-based businesses.

Maureen Donohue Krauss, deputy director of economic development in Oakland County, said her team traveled around the world to successfully recruit information technology companies to the county.

"You can do it," she said. "You can change your economy for the better."

But Ed Donovan, senior vice president of the Genesee Regional Chamber of Commerce, warned that businesses will build in the township only if they can make money.

"It all boils down to capital," he said. "In the end, that will decide who comes here."

The township also must offer a high quality of life for company employees, said Faron Supanich-Goldner of Michigan State University's Center for Community and Economic Development.

John Austin, a senior fellow at Brookings Institution, listed the region's marketable assets, including the Great Lakes, good highway systems and top-ranked schools.

Among local pluses are Bishop Airport, Genesys Regional Medical Center, the University of Michigan-Flint and the Buick Open.

Norma Hagenow of Genesys unveiled the hospital's plan to build an institute of health and well-being - part of a larger plan to create 2 million square feet of businesses on its sprawling campus.

But there are minuses to overcome: high unemployment, falling income levels, lost "entrepreneurial zip" and racially segregated cities, Austin said.

"That really hurts us, and it hurts us in Genesee County," he said. "A lot of people want to live in cities. Our cities can be attractive and viable."

Donovan said the township needs to focus on its goal and collaborate with others "to create this corridor that could define the future for possibly the next 100 years in Grand Blanc."

The township's next step will be to continue to collect information and hold workshops seeking input from stakeholders, said Rod Arroyo of Birchler Arroyo, the township's planning firm.

"We are excited," said Township Supervisor Jeffrey Zittel. "This is the first step in a great vision."