MEDC President Visits St. Joseph County
Sturgis Journal - 10/04/04 - CENTREVILLE - St. Joseph County economic successes, opportunities and challenges were topics of discussion when Michigan Economic Development Corporation President and CEO Donald Jakeway visited the county last week. Jakeway, who has been making a circuit of all the Michigan counties during his first year with the MEDC, spent the afternoon by first attending an economic state of the county presentation at the St. Joseph County Intermediate School District offices. John Hayes, Director of Economic Development for the city of Sturgis, Joseph Bippus, city manager of Three Rivers and David Allen, executive director for the St. Joseph County Economic Development Corporation, each reported on the projects in their respective areas. The economic presentations were followed by a reception in the Business Development Center at Glen Oaks Community College, where Jakeway met county business and industry leaders. Jakeway addressed the audience and related his feelings about hailing from a rural area. "I grew up in a small community," Jakeway said. "There’s something rich about a small community. There area a lot of people looking for that." He went on to convey the advantages quality of life in a small community can offer when attracting new business to an area. "Company employees want to find a place they can call home," Jakeway said. "They want a good education system. They aren’t looking for rush-hour traffic and crime." Jakeway said when talking to a prospective new manufacturer, economic development officers representing a community must first pass the quality of life issue. "Otherwise you don’t even get to discussing incentives," he said. Jakeway solicited questions from the audience and Tom Meyer, owner of Meyer Ventures in Three Rivers voiced concern over the deteriorating quality of Michigan roads. "There’s nothing more important than infrastructure," Jakeway said. "I heard a great presentation about U.S. 131 today. That’s a pure economic driver of getting product from point A to point B." He said he believes Michigan is making progress with road improvements, which will have positive economic benefits throughout the state. Jay Newman, superintendent of the St. Joseph County Intermediate School District, asked Jakeway about his views on how the MEDC might help promote and nurture entrepreneurship. "We’re missing teaching people how to follow an entrepreneurial dream," Jakeway said. "We’re teaching people how to get a job and work, but it’s more than Economics 101 or a civics class. My suggestion would be to develop an entrepreneurial program to put to work in the school system." Jakeway also suggested there is an abundance of entrepreneurial talent in the county. "It’s a matter of challenging those folks," he said. He mentioned the Service Corps of Retired Executives (SCORE) as a great resource and catalyst for exposing students to entrepreneurialism.
