Preparation and planning paid off as more than 400 business and community partners joined the Flint & Genesee Chamber at our recent Annual Meeting.
It was a great celebration of our 2013 results and the progress the region is making toward economic growth and revitalization.
As we took a look back, we saw evidence that our reinvention efforts are working to bring diversification, job creation, strong business climate, innovation, and build investor confidence. We saw a major increase in investment and jobs. Our region is gaining recognition as one of the fastest growing college towns in America. We broke ground on the Karegnondi Water Pipeline and we brought down Genesee Towers to make way for new development. It is clear that Flint & Genesee is making great progress toward creating a sustainable and more prosperous region.
For those of you who were unable to attend, some highlights of the Chamber’s 2013 report card includes:
- $442 million in investment and government contract value; a 455 percent increase over 2012
- 1,974 jobs created and retained
- $120 million in tourism economic impact
- 621 teens were hired for summer jobs through SYI employers
- 192 businesses became members of FGCC
For more specifics on our 2013 results, you can visit the Newsroom on our website at flintandgenesee.org to see Annual Meeting news releases or download a copy of the annual report.
As most of you know, Mark Reuss, GM’s executive vice president of Global Product Development, Purchasing & Supply Chain was scheduled to speak but had to go to Washington D. C. for the hearings at the last minute. Gerald Johnson, vice president of GM North America Manufacturing spoke at the meeting and delivered a great update on GM’s Flint projects and announced that the company has expanded their successful Student Corps program into Flint. The program will provide 10 students from Flint Southwestern high school with paid internships and the opportunity to give back to their neighborhoods. These students will form a team, select a community project, set a budget for and complete the project throughout the summer; and will be supported by GM retiree mentors.
I want to thank all of our partners for your ongoing support and engagement in creating a better Flint & Genesee. We look forward to continuing the good work!
Tim