A look back on this week’s economic development headlines, announcements, and other share-worthy news from the Ann Arbor region.
Regional Updates
- Ann Arbor SPARK Awarded $2.4 Million Grant for Broadband Expansion in Washtenaw County
The funding will be used to build 20 miles of underground fiber optic cable, connecting downtown Ann Arbor and downtown Ypsilanti with critical broadband infrastructure. The Ann Arbor-Ypsilanti Corridor Fiber Optic Backbone project, accompanied by $600,000 in local funding, aims to create public broadband infrastructure that tech companies, the cities and businesses can utilize along the corridor for innovative products, affordable and reliable broadband, and company location. Listen to an interview between Lucy Ann Lance and Paul Krutko, SPARK president and CEO.
- Michigan Works! Southeast Reports Thousands of Job Openings
Mobility News
Entrepreneurial Ecosystem
Quick Hits
- Fast 50: Southeast Michigan’s fastest-growing companies of 2021 (Crain’s) – featuring Domino’s, Oxford, First National Bank in Howell, University Bank, and Bank of Ann Arbor.
- Midwest Rising: Why the Workplace of the Future is Michigan (Forbes)
- Ann Arbor brewery draws national attention with hard seltzer smoothie (Concentrate Media)