Tom Walsh: Creative corridor in Detroit no longer so far-fetched. Of all the fanciful schemes over the past 30 years for reviving Detroit's desiccated economy, I've long thought the kookiest might be a "creative corridor" of artsy types who would somehow give our bedraggled city an air of coolness. Now I'm thinking it's not so kooky. Blame my change of mind in part on F. Thomas Lewand, big shot attorney, Democratic Party power broker, deal maker on downtown sports stadiums, overseer of the 2003 bailout of Detroit Medical Center -- and now, a fortnight away from his 65th birthday, an incoming student at the College for Creative Studies.
Lewand likes to paint. And he has decided, as he nears the Big 6-5, that it's time to seriously apply himself and find out whether he can really be good at it. He has been accepted into CCS's fine arts program as a sophomore this fall. That's how Lewand met CCS faculty members Brian Barr and Lauren Rice, husband-and-wife collaborators on a venture called PASSENGER Center for Contemporary Art. Amen to that. OTHER VOICES: Small biz can help lure young talent to state. Originally Published: September 11, 2011 8:00 PM Modified: September 20, 2011 2:09 PM It is important for Michigan to retain and attract young talent, especially in technical fields. Companies locate where there is a strong talent pool, and business growth is dependent on it. We need talent to migrate to Michigan. Companies will follow and put the economy on a growth track. Small businesses don't have the resources to implement high-speed rail, shrink Detroit to its urban core, or hire by the thousands.
But when we do something, we can do it quickly. The people who promote our state are not the target audience of their promotion efforts. The target audience values growth over security, excitement over consistency. People say: "Go to Silicon Valley, or Route 128. " We must tell this audience that life in Michigan is much better than the perception. Talk to people making life decisions. If everyone does small, simple things, Michigan will become a destination for talented young people. Venture for America provides a program for young, talented grads to spend 2 years in the trenches of a start-up with the goal that these young graduates will become socialized and mobilized as entrepreneurs moving forward. | Venture for America. Five Detroit Companies Offer Employees Cash Incentives to Live Downtown -- DETROIT, July 25. DETROIT, July 25, 2011 /PRNewswire/ -- Blue Cross Blue Shield of Michigan, Compuware Corporation, DTE Energy, Quicken Loans Inc. and Strategic Staffing Solutions today announced a five-year, more than $4 million Live Downtown initiative that will provide cash incentives to employees who choose to move to Downtown Detroit and live where they work and play.
Live Downtown is a talent attraction and retention strategy to rebuild Detroit's core, which is an economic development imperative for the reinvention of the region's urban center. This plan will offer incentives to the approximately 16,000 eligible full- and part-time employees in Southeast Michigan from the five Detroit-headquartered companies. Not only will Live Downtown attract more residents, it will be a catalyst to renovate and convert more of our beautiful downtown historic landmarks to new housing units.
It will also serve to create strong neighborhoods, which, in turn, will attract more residents and retail. Hope College, other schools help students develop their business ideas. T.J. Hamilton photos | The Grand Rapids PressSamantha Wolffis has started a clothing company through a Hope College program that assists students with launching new ventures. She uses recycled sweaters to make her mittens. EAST GRAND RAPIDS — When Samantha Wolffis could not find a job during Hope College’s 2009 winter break, she created one. Only two years after the 21-year-old had an I-can-do-this moment with a pair of sweater gloves, she transformed her parents home into a mitten factory for her business, Thumbs Up Creations.
Entrepreneurial college students such as Wolffis may not be having an easy go in the traditional job market, but communities and educational institutions nationwide are working to foster their independent business ambitions. Entrepreneurship programs are not new, but colleges are racing to revamp their versions in hopes of creating an “ecosystem” of innovation and, more importantly, to have the next hot idea sprout from their institution. Getting with the program. Companies head back downtown. In a bid to attract younger employees, more companies are moving out of the 'burbs and back in to cities. By Laura Vanderkam, contributor In April, Quicken Loans bought Chase Tower, a 505,000 square feet, 14-story high rise office building occupying a full city block in downtown Detroit's central business district.
FORTUNE -- Like many companies, Michigan-based Quicken Loans once thought a suburban location made a lot of sense. Space in office parks was reasonably priced, and employees could buy new single-family homes with yards and access to good schools. But a few years ago, the online mortgage lender began to think about a move to the city. For a technology company, "there is an opportunity cost of not being in an urban environment," says CEO Bill Emerson. "The youth of America, when they graduate, they're looking to go to an urban environment. " Lured in part by dirt-cheap real estate costs, Quicken Loans moved 1,700 employees from the suburbs into Detroit last year. Like follows like. New online tool for state entrepreneurs gets to know you, then tells you what you need - Crain's Detroit Business - Detroit News and Information. A new online referral system meant to help Michigan entrepreneurs start or build their businesses launches Friday. After several years of development, the nonprofit Matching Opportunities and Resources for Entrepreneurs — or MORE — Program plans to go live with the InsYght system, which gets to know the people it's helping through an online questionnaire.
InsYght will operate initially through links on the websites of three Southeast Michigan organizations: Brightmoor Alliance, TechTown in Detroit and Troy-based Walsh College . Once the system collects information to form a profile on each user, it prescribes the next steps that a person or company can take to meet goals and connects the user to specific resources and contact people who can help. The system is free and open to anyone looking to start or grow their business in Michigan. For example, a lot of entrepreneurial activity is happening on Detroit's northwest side in the Brightmoor neighborhood.
Report finds mixed reviews on Snyder's steps toward state reinvention - Crain's Detroit Business - Detroit News and Information. As lawmakers and the Snyder administration reach the home stretch for carrying out tax and budget changes, a new report from the Center for Michigan finds mixed views on Lansing's moves to "reinvention. " For example, the report from the nonpartisan think tank shows Michigan residents supporting a business-tax cut but favoring a modest reduction, as opposed to a major decrease such as the $1.7 billion cut that was part of tax changes passed last week. And "people aren't sure they buy that this is going to absolutely create jobs and improve the economy, just by cutting taxes," said John Bebow, executive director of the Ann Arbor-based center.
"For Rick Snyder, it's an opportunity to prove that his philosophy really works and to get the public on his side. If it doesn't work, our sense is that the public is going to take him up on his scorecard technique. People will be keeping their own scorecard on this. " One strong message: Support for spending on public education. OTHER VOICES: To prosper, state must add college grads - Crain's Detroit Business - Detroit News and Information. Virginia is one of the nation's leaders in prosperity. Its per capita income ranks seventh in the nation. It ranks sixth in the percentage of population with a college degree, and its seasonally adjusted March unemployment rate was 6.3 percent. Michigan is an economic afterthought. We rank 37th in per capita income and 34th in percentage of population with a college degree. Our seasonally adjusted April unemployment rate was 10.2 percent.
Virginia is getting ready to turbocharge its economy. The Georgetown University Center on Education and the Workforce has estimated that by 2018 63 percent of all of the nation's jobs will require some form of postsecondary education or training. The Indianapolis-based Lumina Foundation has figured out what it would take to have 60 percent of its population have a college degree by 2025.
Michigan needs to add 9,722 annually to meet that goal. We've seen this movie before, with bad results. The reason given by its CEO? Places like Virginia. iLabs. eCities is an annual research study that examines community-level factors that influence entrepreneurship, economic development, and job growth. Local communities who participate in the project receive benchmarking reports showing their performance at creating inviting business environments and encouraging entrepreneurial growth.
The focus of the project is to learn and share the “Best Practices” to attract entrepreneurial development and create business growth. Understanding the best practices and utilizing these concepts across Michigan will have a positive impact on the state’s economic future. For information and results from previous years, please visit our archives. Updates Congrats to all of our 2013 participating communities! Would you like to learn more about eCities?
Let the communities who have participated tell you about the project! The following organizations have graciously provided assistance to the 2013 eCities project: Key Sponsors : Partner Organizations: How To Create a Job. Changing Gears. The New Economy Blog - The Christian Science Monitor. Perspectives on economic changes under way in the US and around the globe Jasmine Boyle, 17, tries on a prom dress at the Glamour Gowns event in Los Angeles. Prom spending is down 14 percent from last year. (Lucy Nicholson/Reuters/File) Prom bubble? Spending on prom night falls sharply. By Karis Hustad, Staff Writer / 04.09.14 The prom bubble has burst, according to a new survey. After several years of rapidly growing prom expenses, this year prom spending is expected to drop 14 percent overall and as much as 27 percent in some regions of the country, according to an annual phone survey of 4,000 families conducted by Visa in January.
The average American household is expecting to spend $978 on the prom experience this year, down from $1,139 in 2013 after two straight years of sharp increases. "The prom bubble has finally burst! Teens are also picking up a larger portion of the prom-spending bill, accounting for an average of 44 percent of the prom costs. By Paula N. Terrible. By Paula N. CitySuccess_FINAL.