Economic Development

The Southwest Michigan Planning Commission is a federally designated Economic Development District, serving Berrien, Cass and Van Buren Counties. One of our main functions as an EDD includes preparing an Comprehensive Economic Development Strategy (CEDS) with an annual CEDS update, with full revisions every three to five years. Check out the CEDS and CEDS update for a current regional profile, a listing of 2009 and 2010applications for federal funding, and a set of Goals and Objectives to guide the SWMPC and its member organizations toward comprehensive economic development strategies.

 

The SWMPC’s current Economic Development Initiatives include:

 

• Working with the Michigan Association of Regions, the Land Policy Institute at MSU, and regional stakeholders (including the 360 Group) to plan for a regional strategic growth plan that, in consort with our CEDS, will link with similar plans in other regions to provide a statewide framework for place-based economic development.
• Continue the development of the 360 Group as a regional economic development entity focused on collaboration, education and dialog.
• A close look at the system of economic development within the region addressing the number of individual economic development entities and the prevalence of overlapping services, incorporating an exploration of regional Social Asset Mapping;
• Strengthening of the relationship between the SWMPC, the CEDS, and EDA project funding, including the development of specific criteria, incorporating a project’s relevance to regional economic health, to rank projects seeking EDA funding;
• Strengthening of the relationship between the SWMPC, the CEDS, and non-EDA funding & support.

 

Current Projects the SWMPC is working on to address the 2009 CEDS goals and objectives, and other economic development goals within the region are:

 

• Venture Quest 2011 Business Plan Competition
• Improving the Funding Opportunities page
• Updating our system of publishing regional applications for federal funding
• Regularly convening a group - the 360 Group - as a forum for sharing economic development proejcts and initiatives, engaging members in shared projects, and building out an action plan from the CEDS.

 

The SWMPC receives funding from the U.S. Economic Development Administration to create an update the Comprehensive Economic Development Strategy. A handful of the region's more local economic devleopment partners include:

• Berrien County Community Development
• Cass County Economic Development
• Van Buren County Economic Devleopment
• The American Planning Association Economic Development Division

 

 We’d appreciate your input on any of these project and initiatives. Please contact Matthew Aslesen by email (aslesenm@swmpc.org), phone (269-925-1137 ex 13), or call to schedule a meeting.