Long before
Governor Snyder announced his emphasis on economic gardening this year, a team of educators began sowing the seeds of economic growth in Michigan. A partnership between
South Central Michigan Works! and
Michigan State University to administer the
Business Solutions Professional Program is in its fourth year.
The goal of BSP has been to save at-risk businesses by training work force-development agencies, economic-development groups, com
munity colleges and universities, and other organizations on techniques designed to keep businesses alive.
“We’ve been really happy to do it,” says Michael Polzin, associate professor at MSU’s
School of Human Resources and Labor Relations. “It’s been an awful lot of fun, as well as proving to be really successful.”
According to program administrators, 550 people have been trained through BSP, helping hundreds of businesses and saving thousands of jobs.
SCMW! approached Polzin and HRLR Faculty specialist Donna Winthrop to develop a curriculum for the program in 2006.
“It’s a rather serendipitous occurrence,” Polzin says of Gov. Snyder’s interest in economic gardening. “It is indeed a process of trying to grow the business in the state. We’ve recognized that for a long time.”
The BPS program, which is funded by the former
Michigan Department of Labor and Economic Growth is set to expire June 30. MSU and SCMW! hope to continue the program if funds are available.
“There is support for this program,” says Polzin, “and in a lot of ways we feel like our work is just beginning.”
Source: Michael Polzin and Donna Winthrop, MSU School of Human Resources and Labor Relations
Writer: Natalie Burg, News Editor
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