U.P. companies selected for economic gardening pilot project

A new program from the Michigan Economic Development Corporation has been launched to support small and midsized businesses across the state, and several Upper Peninsula businesses are among them.
    
There are 54 initial companies receiving business development support through the Pure Michigan Business Connect Economic Gardening Pilot Program. Support comes in four areas: strategy and management, market research, Internet and social media strategy, and geographical information systems.

"The goal of this program is to help these second-stage companies grow and in turn, generate new private investment and create new jobs for Michigan," says MEDC CEO and president Michael Finney. "The program is part of our toolkit for economic gardening that’s built on Michigan’s broad asset base of strong corporate enterprises, innovative entrepreneurs and rich technology resources."

The companies were chosen from nominations from local economic development representatives across the state. They were chosen based on the markets they serve, their growth potential, and their likelihood of benefiting from the services.

In the U.P., those companies are Andex in Escanaba, which makes packaging; Argonics in Gwinn, a manufacturer of polyurethane products; Creative Composites in Rapid River, which develops and makes advanced composites and lightweight armor systems; Superior Extrusion in Gwinn, which makes extruded aluminum products; and VanAire, Inc. in Gladstone, which manufactures valve automation hardware for several industries.

Writer: Sam Eggleston
Source: Michael Finney, Michigan Economic Development Corporation