Business Attraction

“The I-96 Development Corridor is a cooperative effort between Ingham and Livingston County to promote manufacturing expansion in our communities and jobs for our citizens. As a representative of labor, I can assure you that there is a good construction force available to build your facility.”

Joe Guenther, Former Chair Ingham County Economic Development Corporation

“As President and CEO of Dunnage Engineering in Brighton, I can assure manufacturers that the I-96/CSX Corridor is an excellent location for industry. This cooperative marketing effort by both Livingston and Ingham counties is an example of the strong pro-business climate in mid-Michigan.”

Jerry Joseph, Former Chairman Economic Development Council of Livingston County

Provide an available, trained workforce by addressing employee housing, transportation and training issues.

Maintain a strong marketing program for all of Livingston County's industrial parks and locations

Develop infrastructure for light industrial, office research and corporate headquarter sites

Flint.................................32 miles

Ann Arbor.......................22 miles

Detroit.............................40 miles

Grand Rapids.................60 miles

Battle Creek...................49 miles

The I-96 Corridor offers the unique advantage of being located next to Michigan State University (MSU) and the University of Michigan (UM) with technology, research, education and foreign language resources. The Corridor’s location also offers a diverse range of industry that includes pharmaceutical, machine tools, plastics, heavy and light manufacturing, publishing, food processing, engineering and warehousing.

The I-96 Corridor is one of the most pre-eminent growth areas in North America. Top notch roads, rail shipping and air transit links connect central Michigan businesses to every market – both domestic and international. The Corridor offers a diverse mix of industries from a customer/supplier base of unparalleled depth and range.

Michigan State University is a research intensive, land-grant University covering 5,239 acres with more than 95 percent of 2,578 faculty members holding the highest degrees awarded in their fields.

The university serves 41,500 students in 14 degree institutions. A Center for International Studies is located on campus and international students from 120 foreign countries make up more than 5 percent of the enrollment. MSU’s outstanding reputation and influence stretch far beyond the United States. From agriculture to the sciences, and arts to business, MSU is recognized throughout the world as a premier university in its mission of teaching, research and public service.

Adjacent to the campus are five research parks and the university owned corporate research park. A cadre of senior international scientists staffs the Michigan Biotechnical Institute, a “Michigan Center of Excellence.” The university has a brilliant record in producing Rhodes, Marshall and National Science Service Foundation fellows, and places graduates in business, engineering and research careers worldwide.

Alaiedon Township, adjacent to Michigan State University, has excellent services to high-tech food processing industries in central Michigan. The Michigan Biotechnical Institute, located near

campus, can assist industries in industrial expansion from research to product development.

The State of Michigan has developed a Michigan Environmental Assistance Center to aid industries as a one-stop environmental permitting program for construction projects.

successful. Advantageous tools include the industrial development bonds available for large project financing. Likewise, the Michigan Jobs Commission and the local development offices have loans available to support small business expansion. These services are accessible to located industries in Williamston’s 150-acre certified light industrial park and the Corridor.

The Village of Webberville has developed one of the many certified industrial parks along the corridor. A certified park has all the necessary services, including water, sewer, roads, rail spur, proper

zoning and restrictive covenants – demonstrating that the industrial park is immediately available for construction. The Michigan Jobs Commission has grants available for the construction of additional infrastructure. The Webberville Development Authority also has an array of incentives, including tax abatement, inexpensive land and free utility hookups.

A 400 acre super-site has been identified in Leroy Township – served by I-96, M-52 and the CSX Railroad. Utilities are located adjacent to the site in the Village of Webberville. One of the most

important aspects of economic development today is the availability of trained employees. In the last Ingham County Employee Availability Study, 32 private agencies identified a large supply of highly-motivated prospective employees in the Corridor.

Employee training is available from Lansing Community College and the Ingham and Livingston Intermediate School Districts. Lansing Community College has the ability to furnish certified, technically-trained workers to companies locating in the Corridor. Skill Centers furnish general skills training including apprenticeships for the medal, welding, robotics and plastics industries.

Located in Livingston County, Handy Township is an excellent area for greenfield industrial development. The Village of Fowlerville is located in the central part of Handy. The Village and Township

have cooperative industrial development agreements in place, providing the extension of water, sewer and public safety services for the 600-acre site for large economic development projects. Tax abatements, infrastructure funding, CSX Rail access and great I-96 exposure are all strong reasons to consider handy Township for your next industrial project.

The Village of Fowlerville has an economic development vision, an active civic leadership and is friendly to business development. The village is able to assist projects with infrastructure and leverage

state and federal grant loan programs. Permits, zoning and site plan reviews are handled in a responsible and timely fashion. Water is an abundant natural resource throughout the corridor. The water supply systems meet national fire standards for business development.

Howell Township borders the western edge of the city of Howell and incorporates the M-59/I-96 intersection, CSX rail access and the Livingston County Airport. Howell Township is the hub of

Livingston County economic development opportunities. The township has all utilities in place, a 160-acre Certified Industrial park (Trans West) and excellent industrial sites. The Corridor offers extensive high-tech services, including a well-trained labor force and related support services.

Howell, the largest and most centrally located city in the corridor, has fostered extensive foreign investment. The city’s certified industrial park is occupied by international companies such as

Ogihara America Corp. and Marubeni Metal Banking. Having the availability of excellent telecommunication systems including fiber optics has been a major economic development attraction. Howell’s local Development Financial Authority promotes a friendly business climate to expand business investments.

Genoa Township, dissected by the I-96 Corridor, is the location of the Grand Oaks Industrial 200-acre area and several small industrial firms. The township is 50 minutes from the Detroit International Airport,

giving industry-convenient accessibility to international markets. The Livingston Educational Services Agency, Cleary College, Lansing Community College and Washtenaw Community College all contribute to excellent job training programs for small manufacturing companies.

Brighton is situated at the corner of I-96 and US-23, two major transportation arteries providing easy access to extensive consumer markets, and within eight hours of reaching greater than 50 percent of the

North American population. These routes are part of the North American trade transportation system connecting Canada and Mexico. CSX Railroad runs through the city and offers excellent development opportunity for industrial supply companies. Brighton promotes an excellent business climate for new and expanding businesses. The community has attracted a number of industrial supply companies such as Rockwell International, Refrigeration Research, Inc. and Brighton Interior Systems via local incentives.

located in the Kensington Pines Industrial Park, which is also home to Lucas-Varity/Kelsey Hayes and Thermofil, Inc. Green Oak Township has an extensive, well-trained workforce. The I-96/CSX Corridor runs across the northern edge of the township; US-23 runs south through the center of the township.

The University of Michigan is one of the nation’s top 25 academic institutions. The faculty has earned national and international recognition through Pulitzer prizes, MacArthur grants and other prestigious

awards. The university covers 2,817 acres with 208 major buildings, 12 undergraduate schools and collages offering 190 areas of study, one of the nation’s top-ranked research library systems, and 4,640 microcomputers/terminals serving 36,468 students. Michigan’s School of Business Administration earns top national ranking year after year in the fields of accounting, finance, human resources and marketing. Michigan College of Engineering graduates are global leaders in technology and are the forefront of worldwide innovation.