The rapid advances in today’s technology are redefining how employers think about their workforce, their manufacturing system, and their organization as a whole. Change-makers from across Lenawee, assembled at the Christian Family Centre to learn about emerging trends and available resources at the second Lenawee Economic Club Luncheon, on May 15, 2023.
At this event, 65 individuals from businesses, education, and non-profit sectors enjoyed networking and hearing about the emerging trends in business and technology and how companies could best leverage the changes from keynote speaker, Stephanie Ludwig.
Lenawee Now’s Executive Director, Pat Farver, shared what makes a community vibrant. According to Pat, the nature of economic development consists of anything that needs to be done to make the community an optimal place in which to work, live and play. These initiatives create regional business and workforce opportunities while retaining a unique community character.
Following Pat Farver’s remarks, Stephanie Ludwig, Program Manager of the University of Michigan’s Economic Growth Institute discussed technological innovations and opportunities available for Lenawee’s businesses to capitalize on these breakthroughs.
Before starting her role with the Economic growth institute, she gained over 15 years of experience in a plethora of fields, including healthcare, education, and retail. For the last three years, she has worked at the Institute for Economic Growth, as a project manager and recently made the transition to managing the program.
To begin, Stephanie discussed how the Economic Growth Institute (EGI) impacted the economy through its work in business. The institute worked with many different companies, including start-ups, existing businesses, and mature business owners seeking succession. Throughout her speech, she shared her passion for helping local manufacturers and building up the Greater Detroit Region.
It is the consensus among experts that in 2023, electric vehicles will be a significant part of the automobile market. The Supply Chain Transformation Center (STC) was created to help manufacturers in the region keep up with emerging trends. Stephanie’s vision for Detroit is to be a trendsetter in this area so that other places look to the Greater Detroit Region regarding the future of battery-powered vehicles and described how the STC could make this a reality for firms in the automotive industry.
To work with the STC, a firm must have less than 500 employees, operations in Genesee, Lapeer, Lenawee, Livingston, Macomb, Monroe, Oakland, Shiawassee, St. Clair, Washtenaw, or Wayne Counties, and have at least 10% of annual revenue from the mobility sector. If a manufacturer is eligible, the STC offers free business assessments, followed by partially grant-funded assistance to address issues uncovered in the assessment.
After Stephanie’s presentation, attendees enjoyed continued mingling as well as the opportunity to ask Stephanie more questions and further discuss the opportunities at large.