Weekly Rewind: Ann Arbor’s Business News Recap

A look back on this week’s economic development headlines, announcements, and other share-worthy news from the Ann Arbor region.

Ecosystem Headlines

• Ann Arbor SPARK has partnered with Michigan Works! and others on Washtenaw County’s SummerWorks program to help provide a talent pipeline to companies in our backyard, and give students from Ypsilanti and other areas awareness of careers here.

• Unemployment is Low, but Washtenaw County’s Workforce Still Faces Many Challenges: “The county’s unemployment rate in December was 2.2 percent, the lowest it’s been since 2000. However, Rich Chang, CEO of Ann Arbor-based NewFoundry, cites statistics compiled by the United Way of Washtenaw County that show that nearly a third of county households meet the definition of ‘Asset Limited, Income Constrained, Employed,’ often abbreviated as ALICE.”

• Ann Arbor SPARK’s director of research Alex West was on the Economic Development Secrets podcast.

• LLamasoft moves into its newly renovated space.

• Ann Arbor SPARK has a new series highlighting basic information on incentives to help guide companies when it could be a fit. The first in the series is about Michigan’s property tax abatement program.

Mobility News

• The American Center for Mobility announced the groundbreaking of a new event center at its Willow Run site with a targeted goal of June 2020 for completion.

• A2 Mobility Tech meetup hits 600+ members.

• Share your downtown transportation experience with SPARK! We’re looking at transit stories downtown as we explore a potential autonomous shuttle pilot in Ann Arbor. We’re gathering this information from a handful of companies that have a significant presence around downtown Ann Arbor.

Upcoming Events

• March 19: 2020 Washtenaw Economic Outlook luncheon
• April 15: Southeast Michigan PACE Summit

State Headlines

• Mark Burton named to be interim head of MEDC, following Jeff Mason’s retirement, as the MEDC’s board conducts a two-month nationwide search for a new leader.

• Detroit Metro Airport sees 1.5 million more passengers in 2019 than it did the previous year.

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