Through its relationship with the Economic Development Council of Livingston
County, Ann Arbor SPARK staff worked on many new opportunities and
strategic initiatives in Livingston County. While successes have been shared
over the past year in quarterly updates, these are our top three success of
2018.
Livingston County sees new investment from Canadian tree
seedling company
Canadian-based PRT Growing Services
Ltd. announced plans to construct up to 30 greenhouses and open crop
production compounds to produce more than eight million various tree seedlings
annually, including red pine, jack pine, and black spruce. Most of the product
is already under contract to the State of Michigan for re-forestation along
with other Great Lakes states, local communities, and private firms. With
nursery operations throughout Canada and in Oregon and Alabama, PRT is North
America’s largest producer of container-grown forest seedlings. PRT takes pride
in being a major player in North American forest sustainability and
replenishment.
Ann Arbor SPARK was introduced to the company through the Michigan
Economic Development Corporation (MEDC) and its international attraction team.
SPARK coordinated introductory meetings with Hamburg Township officials and
made referrals to local construction firms for PRT to bid the work through. PRT
plans to begin seeding the first crop in March 2019 to begin servicing its customers
throughout the Midwest. SPARK is also ensuring that PRT’s Human Resources team
in Canada is connected with talent programs and other resources in Michigan to
recruit the approximately 50 new jobs the operation will require. Overall, the
project brought a $4 million investment to Livingston County. Construction of
the greenhouses is complete and PRT plans to begin operations in March 2019.
Livingston County Manufacturing Day 2018
More than 275 participants in Livingston County, including
students, teachers, and chaperones joined Ann Arbor SPARK, Mott Community
College, LESA, and 13 Livingston-based companies to explore manufacturing career
opportunities during the first annual Livingston
County Regional Manufacturing Day.
The Livingston County event was one of many national MFG Day
Celebrations, helping to inspire the next generation of manufacturers. The
Livingston County event had the largest turnout per capita for any MFG Day
event with less than five years of participation. This year’s event was funded
through a grant that SPARK received from the MEDC to implement MFG Day in the
five-county greater Ann Arbor region. The event was organized by a committee of
engaged volunteers from the Chambers of Commerce, Schools, Mott Community
College, Michigan Works, the Workforce Intelligence Network, and Ann Arbor SPARK.
Planning for Manufacturing Day 2019 activities is in
progress and we look forward to another inspiring year.
CPV plans for a natural gas power plant in Livingston County
Ann Arbor SPARK staff is working with Competitive Power Ventures (CPV), a power
generation company headquartered in Maryland, as the company considers constructing
a natural-gas-fired power generation facility in Handy Township, investing up
to $1 billion.
In 2018, CPV Mason Road, LLC optioned 145 acres in the
southeast corner of the township, near the Fowlerville Proving Grounds. The
company now begins a two-year due diligence period, allowing time to assess
whether the location is suitable for one of their facilities. The proposed power
plant would burn natural gas to generate electricity and the proximity of the
proposed location to natural resources plays a leading role in CPV’s local
interest. Once completed, this project will be one of the largest single
investments made in Livingston County by a business.
2019 is gearing up to be a busy year for our businesses in Livingston County and SPARK continues to work with employers, schools, and other partners to address the region’s talent needs. Among our activities, we look forward to bringing more career awareness for students and promote the Hot 50 Jobs Michigan will need to develop in the years to come. Livingston County will continue to be a place where innovative ideas can create real solutions to meet the needs of our local employers and the community as a whole.
Contributed by Marcia
Gebarowski, the director of business development in Livingston County.
The post 2018 Top Livingston County Successes appeared first on Ann Arbor SPARK.
Source: SPARK
