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CBP
Application Process and Form Changes
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MEDA has changed the process to a mostly electronic application with
hopes of a quicker and easier certification process.
The
new criteria's of certification/recertification are as follows:
1. Materials are due
June 1st of the park's inspection year. This allows
the inspectors' time to inspect before the winter months. Parks will
be notified in December of their upcoming spring recertification.
2.
There will be only
one form for all certifications/recertifications (you
will still need to send us updated covenants and site maps). This
form will be sent to you as an Excel
spreadsheet. For the first (re)certification the park
manager/owner has to fill out the blank form, for following years, they
will get the form emailed back to them with a copy of the most
current covenants on file, and they will only need to make the
necessary changes. You can see the new CBP certification/recertification form
here.
3.
First time applicants you can find the new form on the website.
Currently certified parks must contact
MEDA for their previous years form.
4.
The inspectors will be given a new handout to give to
the parks after inspection; this form will give tips and a checklist
on how to start using the marketing benefits that come along with
certification.
Please
contact the MEDA office with any questions.
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2012
Upcoming Park Inspections
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Below is a list of the parks that are scheduled for recertification
in 2012. Inspectors and park managers/owners please be aware of your
upcoming inspection. MEDA staff will send you the
new form shortly, but you can also find it here.
Northern
Lower Peninsula
First
Street Business Park
Pere
Marquette Industrial Park
White
Cloud Industrial Park
Centreville
Industrial Park
Greenville
Industrial Park
Three
Rivers Airport Industrial Park
Big
Rapids Township Airport Business Park
Grand
Ledge Willis Industrial Park
Samuel
Combs Industrial Park
South
Ithaca Industrial Park
St.
Louis Woodside Industrial Centre
Williamston
I-96 Industrial Park (Phase 1)
Donald
E. Shelton Industrial Park
Edward
F. Redies Industrial Park
Haggerty
Corridor Corporate Park
DON'T
FORGET TO HAVE YOUR MATERIALS IN BY JUNE
1ST SO THAT THE INSPECTORS HAVE A
CHANCE TO INSPECT BEFORE SNOW FALL.
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Dart
Development Announces Ground Breaking
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Press
Release
Lansing,
Michigan, September 6, 2011: Dart Development Group will break ground
this fall on the first speculative building in Phase II of Oakwood Executive
Park in
Lansing. Site preparation is underway at the location, the corner of
Pine Tree Road and Development Drive. The new building will offer
real and personal property tax abatement opportunities to qualifying
tenants through Delhi Township. Specifications of the new building
include:
- 40,000
total square feet available
- Suites
from 10,000 square feet and up
- Each
suite will include: a truck dock, a grade level door, 28 foot
clear warehouse space, and a finish to suit office area
"We
are running out of room. We have leased over 40,000 square feet this
year and our occupancy at the park is at 95%. This new building will
offer up to four companies a great place to do business," said
Marsha Zimmerman, Marketing Manager of Dart Development.
Dart Development Group's last spec building was 40,500
square feet - which they completed in 2010 and is now fully leased.
The new spec building reflects their continued confidence in the
region's potential.
Oakwood Executive Park or call 1.888.DART.001.
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CNC
Machining Centers Coming to Mersen
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The
Daily News
GREENVILLE
- Mersen USA has been receiving some very important shipments all
week.
Two
large CNC machining centers will be delivered on a total of 19
flatbed trucks.
This
is the single largest investment that Mersen has made in its
Greenville facility (Greenville
Industrial Park) since they
purchased Graphite Engineering in 2006.
"From
the city's perspective, we appreciate the company investing in the
community," City Manager George Bosanic said. "We are
fortunate to have a company that is well managed and experiences
consistent growth despite the economic challenges."
The
total investment included a 14,000 square feet addition, one large
CNC vertical turning lathe with a footprint of 29 inches by 33 inches
and one large CNC bridgemill with a footprint of 30 inches by 43
inches.
The
two machines will enhance Mersen's already dominant presence in the
graphite machining industry and increase its ability to machine large
cross sections of material with extremely high precision for a wide
array of industrial applications.
Office
and Human Resource Manager Karen Thomas said this is a multi-million
dollar project.
"Mersen
produces the largest billets of isostatic graphite in the
world," said Mitch Taylor, general manager, in a press release.
"It only makes sense that we have a resource within the Mersen
Group to machine billets of this size, this investment puts Mersen in
a very good position for the future of our industry."
Mersen
USA is part of the Mersen Group located in France. It was previously
known as Graphite Engineering and Sales Co. The Greenville site has
more than 35 years of experience in machining graphite materials.
As
one of the largest machine shops within the Mersen Group, Greenville
is able to satisfy its customer's demands with quick response
deliveries and quality machined parts.
Industries
that they serve are aluminum, OEM and end users of high temperature
vacuum furnaces, aerospace, refractory, solar and many more.
Separate
from this investment, Mersen has purchased just over 10 acres of
property adjacent to the existing facility and will provide enough
room for future expansion.
"This
is evidence of Mersen's commitment to the Greenville plant and
ensures that we will remain a significant resource for the high
temperature activity for Mersen," Taylor said.
The
machines are scheduled to be fully operational by November of this
year. Both have the capability to machine metal and graphite.
Mersen
has been experiencing steady growth, hiring is expected along with
this expansion, but job creation is not a guarantee.
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CBP
Discussion Group on LinkedIn
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The
Michigan Economic Developers Association (MEDA) is always looking for
new ways to promote the Certified Business Park (CBP) program as well
as provide opportunities for park owners and operators to interact
and share ideas. This is why MEDA recently added a discussion group
for CBP owners and operators on the popular, business
connection-oriented social media website, LinkedIn. To access the CBP
Discussion Group click here.
If you don't already have a LinkedIn account, it is free and easy to
sign up for one. You can also access the CBP Discussion Group on LinkedIn
by going to the CBP Webpage and clicking the "Follow us on
LinkedIn" button. This group is open to the public, so anyone
interested in Certified Business Parks can join!
Go
there now! We have already started two discussions:
- "Have
you signed up for Google Analytics yet? If so, how are you using
it?"
- "What
methods do you use to market your Certified Business Park
webpage?"
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Monthly
Hits to CBP Pages Remain Steady
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Every
month MEDA updates their "2011 CBP Website Hit Report",
which gives CBP members an opportunity to see how many hits their
park's web page gets.
As
you will see on the report, hits to the site continue to be steady in
comparison to 2010. Click here to view the 2010 report.
If
you have any tips or advice on how you direct traffic to your CBP
site, please share with the MEDA staff so that we can pass it along
to the CBP community.
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Improve
Hit Results for Your CBP
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And other ways to benefit from Google Analytics
(Not
on Google Analytics yet? Email Jordan to find out how to start!)
1. Find your Simple URL!
Go to cbp.medaweb.org; click "CBP Simple URL's," which is
the last option on the left column menu. These URL's are easy to
remember, easy to share, and can be added to printed materials!
2.
Your park link could be added to the following partner websites:
b. Convention and Visitors Bureau
h. On those sites, consider the "Sites and
Buildings Available" page
3.
Your park link - with or without an
article - could
be added to the above partners' print or electronic newsletters.
4.
Remember to SHARE links. Offer to put their
link on your site and in your newsletter as well. Sharing links not
only builds partnerships, but it improves web hits!
5.
Check where hits are coming from on Google Analytics.
Make connections between the countries and cities that your CBP is
receiving hits. Is there a company from Japan local to you that might
have looked at your web page? Is there an industry in the area that
the hits are coming from and can you market to that industry?
6.
Check the dates of the web page hits on Google Analytics.
If hits are trending the same days, was a marketing piece put out in
that time period? Judge the effectiveness of the pieces that way!
7.
Make sure your CBP page is up to date!
According to Google, the more often you update your content, the more
often you will be visited by fresh bots. The MEDA staff is always
ready to update your page with new content. Contact the MEDA office
517-241-0011 with questions.
8.
Post on the CBP discussion board on LinkedIn.
Use the full name of your park or community on your page for more
chances to be picked up by search engines.
9.
Go to where your hits are coming from.
If a majority of the hits on your Analytics report are from a certain
area, see if there is a trade show or event that you could exhibit.
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MEDA
Region 4 - Highlights on Mid-Michigan
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 The
terms Central Michigan and Mid-Michigan are used interchangeably to
describe this region's proximity in the state. The Capitol of
Michigan, Lansing is located in Ingham County in Mid-Michigan.
Saginaw, Midland, Bay City and Flint are other major cities in the
region.
Central
Michigan's economy is primarily agricultural, which corn, sugar beets
and soybeans being the most grown crops, with strong job growth in
construction and hospitality. This region is very stable economically
with much help from General Motors, Michigan State University, the
State Government, and the Sparrow Health System.
The
area is connected to other regions of the state through an intricate
highway system, making commuting, traveling and hauling easy for
industries and individuals.
Mid-Michigan
is a busy destination, growing constantly, but maintaining a
hometown-heritage atmosphere in many of its towns and cities. The
inner part of the Thumb by Bay and Huron Counties surrounds the
Saginaw Bay. Towns that lace the Bay are filled with vacation homes,
cottages, golf courses, restaurants and boat charters are available among
many other activities.
In
the summer, there are many fishing and hiking destinations, such as
the Sleepy Hollow Campground in Laingsburg. Take your friends and
family out to a ballgame at the Lugnut Stadium in downtown Lansing.
Festivals include the Common Ground Music Festival in Lansing, the
Elsie Dairy Festival and the Pumpkin Festival in Caro. Finding your
way through a corn maze is easy here - there are several in the area!
In
the winter, hunting and ice fishing are popular sports. Shop and enjoy
the beauty of the Victorian homes Chesaning Christmas Candlelight
Walk or visit Jackson in November for the Rose Festival Christmas
Wish Craft Show - just in time for Christmas shopping!
Mid-Michigan
Certified Business Parks
Big Rapids Township Airport Business Park
Coleman Industrial Park
Eastwick Industrial Park
Grand Ledge Willis Industrial Park
Ithaca Industrial Park
Leslie Business Park
Oakwood Executive Park
Samuel Combs Industrial Park
South Ithaca Industrial Park
St. Johns Industrial Park
St. Louis Woodside Industrial Centre
Valley Center Technology Park
Webberville Business Park
Williamston I-96 Industrial Park (Phase I)
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Jordan Brown
Michigan Economic Developers Association
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Congratulations Recertifications!
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Albion Industrial Park
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