A full room of stakeholders joined Lenawee Now on Friday, January 4th for an informational meeting and discussion with executives from the recently formed Detroit Regional Partnership.
The Detroit Regional Partnership is tasked with marketing the business opportunities in Southeastern Michigan’s region as well as generating more leads for the 11 counties within the partnership.
Barry Matherly, the CEO chosen to lead the organization, informed the group about the new nonprofit, a spinoff of the Detroit Regional Chamber’s business attraction unit Destination Detroit. He recently moved to the area from Virginia and is currently touring the region to learn more about the counties. He was joined by Justin Robinson, the vice president of Business Attraction for the Detroit Regional Partnership.
“We did not want to start with what we think we know,” Matherly shared with the group. “We wanted to talk to people in the region to find out what’s really happening.”
The Detroit Regional Partnership is currently working to identify a new name that will be used to market the Southeast Michigan region both nationally and internationally. The organization will absorb the five employees from Destination Detroit and will add 10-15 additional staff in the next year. The team will also focus on developing a larger business pipeline to bring more opportunities to the region.
“I can’t emphasize enough the benefit of being part of this regional partnership,” Jim Van Doren, Executive Director of Lenawee Now, remarked during the event. “They represent us around the world and it’s been a valuable partnership for our communities.”
During the event, the team at Lenawee Now educated Matherly on the demographics of Lenawee County, and Lenawee Now’s talent initiatives and entrepreneurial programs. Jim Van Doren also highlighted the attributes of the county that would be attractive to business looking to relocate including cost-effective land options, affordable cost of living, a proactive approach to talent development, county-wide collaboration, and community support for industrial business.
The event ended with roundtable discussion where community officials and representatives from local organizations as well as Michigan Economic Development Corporation shared opportunities, strengths, and successes from recent years. Some of the most notable mentions were Planewave Instruments, Inteva Products, Kirchoff Automotive, the Croswell Opera House, ProMedica, and Kiwanis Trail.
“I’ve worked with Lenawee Now for a few years and their organization really is one of the best in class economic development organizations in the region,” said Robinson during the roundtable. “You all really should be proud of that. They are a big innovator in the region when it comes to programs, talent, and marketing.”
“I was surprised by the level of inter-connectivity and collaboration evident among the group as well as the sophistication of Lenawee Now’s programs,” said Matherly.
To learn more about the Detroit Regional Partnership: