Hear Tim Herman, CEO of the Genesee Regional Chamber of Commerce,
launch the Partners for Progress initiative (3:52).

Partners for Progress launched

(FLINT, MICHIGAN, MARCH 27, 2008) The Genesee Regional Chamber of Commerce launched a new initiative titled Partners for Progress at its Annual Meeting, held Thursday, March 27 at the Sarvis Center on the Cultural Center Campus. Read the articles from The Flint Journal.

Partners for Progress is designed to promote the activities of the Regional Chamber, its members and other private and public sector organizations across Genesee County.

"Partners for Progress is a program that will focus attention on the positive attributes and assets of this great community," said Tim Herman, CEO of the Regional Chamber. "In the past year our community has been described as the third most miserable city and one of the most dangerous places in the United States in the national press. I believe those stories misrepresent our community. Partners for Progress is about telling the real story of Genesee County."

At the annual meeting Herman gave examples of many local projects initiated in the last 18 months that have had a positive impact on the community:

• The Mott Foundation awarded a $10.3 million dollar grant to Bishop International Airport to ensure the expansion of a new intermodal center—a project that will bring new jobs to the community.
• 220 acres of General Motors property is being sought by an outside investment firm so that a world class railroad intermodal center can be developed.
• Genesee County landed a deal with San Francisco-based Parking Carma and a new hi-tech business is headed to Flint.
• The Community Foundation is moving its headquarters to downtown Flint and loft apartments and new businesses will follow in the same building
• Despite a setback last summer when their building partially collapsed, the Rowe Building owners pledged to finish the project and move over 100 employees into downtown Flint.
• Wade Trim and WNEM announced that they will move to new facilities that will be completed this summer on Saginaw Street.
• The University of Michigan-Flint announced that student dormitories will be built and opened by fall 2008. Those dormitories are now more than half rented.
• The Flint Institute of Arts and the Flint Institute of Music have completed multi-million dollar major renovations and are taking their place as the premier fine arts and performing arts institutions in Michigan.
• The Ruth Mott Foundation and C.S. Mott Foundation provided funding to refurbish the county’s premiere shopping location for fresh fruits, vegetable and more—the Farmers Market—and thousands flock to this landmark every week.
• Kettering University announced plans for a facility dedicated to developing new science and technology opportunities in the region. The University will construct an approximately 12,000-square-foot, multi-tenant facility called the Kettering University Science and Technology Incubator Building.
• The Regional Chamber and the Genesee County Land Bank joined forces to preserve 500,000 square feet of the Great Lakes Technology Center. That space is now called the Genesee Business Center and serves as an incubator space for new businesses.
• Last week, Mott Community College announced it is now home to the Institute for Medical Simulation, a state-of-the-art laboratory facility housing human patient simulators for medical training purposes.  The Institute for Medical Simulation is an innovative, uniquely structured laboratory facility featuring advanced human patient simulators – computerized, life-like mannequins used to help train medical professionals for jobs open in this community today.
• Keep Genesee County Beautiful, another Ruth Mott Foundation funded program partnered with businesses across Genesee County and landscaped 18 gateway sites with beautiful flowers and other perennials.

"These projects have one common thread," said Herman. "Every project was accomplished by a member of the Genesee Regional Chamber of Commerce. It’s time this community takes pride in itself and the many excellent institutions and businesses that make Genesee County a great place to live, work and play. In the future, every time there is a good announcement to be made we’ll make it under the banner of Partners for Progress so the community knows the Regional Chamber and other private and public sector organizations are working hard to re-invent Genesee County."

The Partners for Progress initiative was initiated by the Regional Leadership Council, a group of 40 for profit and nonprofit organizations that are part of the Genesee Regional Chamber of Commerce. Prior to the Regional Chamber’s re-organization in 2006, the RLC was known as the Focus Council.

"The Regional Leadership Council has done an excellent job of organizing and launching this program," said Dr. Julianne Princinsky, President of Baker College Flint and RLC Chairperson. "We have needed to focus on our strengths is this community for far too long. Partners for Progress gives us a way of doing that and a way to invite every organization in the community to join in the job of re-building our community."

For further information contact:
Stan Blood
(810) 600-1418
sblood@thegrcc.org