Leap

WE BUILD A STRONGER COMMUNITY FOR ALL, WORKING EVERYDAY TO GROW, RETAIN AND ATTRACT BUSINESS TO THE REGION.

BUSINESS ATTRACTION DIVISION PROVIDES ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT SERVICES AND PROGRAMS THROUGHOUT THE METRO LANSING REGION (INGHAM, EATON, AND CLINTON COUNTY). THE DIVISION HAS A PROACTIVE BUSINESS EXPANSION, ATTRACTION AND RETENTION TEAM THAT WORKS DIRECTLY WITH KEY BUSINESSES IN TARGETED INDUSTRIES DOMESTICALLY AND INTERNATIONALLY TO PROVIDE ASSISTANCE AND INCENTIVES THAT RESULT IN THE CREATION AND RETENTION OF JOBS AND INVESTMENT IN THE LANSING REGION. THIS IS ACHIEVED BY REGULAR COMMUNICATION WITH REGIONAL BUSINESSES, REAL ESTATE SITE SELECTION COMMUNITY, COLLABORATION WITH REGIONAL MUNICIPALITIES AND WORKING WITH LOCAL UNIVERSITY AND COLLEGES TO ATTRACT AND RETAIN TALENT. TWO PROJECTS WERE EFFECTIVELY RECRUITED TO OUR REGION, INCLUDING A CHINESE FOREIGN DIRECT INVESTMENT (FDI) SOFT LANDING PROJECT OF A TECH COMPANY. THE TWO ATTRACTION PROJECTS CONSTITUTED $2,500,000 IN PLEDGED INVESTMENT AND THE CREATION OF 35 JOBS. ANOTHER TWO BUSINESS EXPANSION PROJECTS WERE FACILITATED, AN AUTOMOTIVE SUPPLIER IN DELTA TOWNSHIP AND TECHSMITH'S NEW HEADQUARTERS PROJECT ADJACENT TO MSU CAMPUS. THESE TWO PROJECTS TOTALED AN ADDITIONAL $34,875,000 IN PLEDGED INVESTMENT AND 200 JOBS. OF THE 235 IN TOTAL COMMITTED JOB CREATION, 100% OF JOBS ARE ABOVE $12/HOUR (SINGLE PERSON ALICE THRESHOLD WAGE +30%), 98% ARE ABOVE $15/HR, OVER 25% ARE ABOVE $20/HR, AND OVER 20% ARE ABOVE $29/HR (ALICE FAMILY OF 4 THRESHOLD WAGE). BUSINESS ATTRACTION CONDUCTED 51 REGIONAL SITE SEARCHES WITH 41% OF THEM LED BY LEAP, RECEIVED 4 DIRECT LEADS FROM SITE LOCATION CONSULTANTS, AND WAS AWARDED $120,500 IN MEDC SITE READINESS GRANT FUNDS FOR 4 INGHAM COUNTY SITES. 18 EPA ASSESSMENT GRANT PROJECTS WERE INITIATED OR COMPLETED, WITH 33% CONVERTING INTO LEAP PROSPECTIVE PROJECTS. LEAP'S MEDTECH ADVISORY GROUP WAS ESTABLISHED IN FEBRUARY AND THEN QUICKLY PIVOTED TO SUPPORT HEALTHCARE SUPPLY CHAIN MOBILIZATION DURING COVID-19 OUTBREAK, WITH OVER 30 SUPPLIER CONNECTIONS MADE IN MARCH AND APRIL. LEAP LATER SECURED CONDITIONAL APPROVAL FOR $813,000 IN EDA GRANT FUNDS FOR THE MEDTECH INITIATIVE ALONG WITH $107,000 IN MEDC CDBG MATCHING FUNDS. 54 BUSINESS RETENTION VISITS WERE CONDUCTED DESPITE THE DIFFICULTIES OF NO IN PERSON VISITS SINCE PANDEMIC BEGAN.

COVID-19 RESPONSE SPECIAL PROJECTS: IN MARCH OF 2020 LEAP'S TEAM WAS MET WITH THE PUBLIC HEALTH CRISIS AND RESULTING ECONOMIC CRISIS THAT SWEPT ACROSS THE GLOBE IN A MERE FEW WEEKS. LEAP'S PRIMARY ROLE IN RESPONDING TO THIS EMERGENCY WAS THE ADMINISTRATION OF SMALL BUSINESS RELIEF FUNDS IN THE FORM OF MANY GRANTS AND A FEW LOANS TO THE SMALL BUSINESS COMMUNITY THAT WAS REELING FROM PUBLIC HEALTH-NECESSITATED SHUTDOWNS AND OPERATIONAL LOSS RESULTING IN THE IMMEDIATE CUTTING OF THOUSANDS OF JOBS SENDING THE UNEMPLOYMENT RATE UP TO THE POINT OF MAKING APRIL 2020 THE WORST SINGLE ECONOMIC MONTH IN US HISTORY. I LEAP WOULD ADMINISTER $10,320,000 IN RELIEF FUNDS AWARDED TO 782 SMALL BUSINESSES OVER THE NEXT 12 MONTHS. IN 2021, LEAP ADMINISTERED THREE ADDITIONAL COVID-19 PANDEMIC-RELATED SMALL BUSINESS ASSISTANCE PROGRAMS TO PROVIDE FUNDING FOR WORKING CAPITAL AND/OR COVID-19 RELATED EXPENSES. IN PARTNERSHIP WITH THE STATE, LEAP LAUNCHED THE MICHIGAN SMALL BUSINESS SURVIVAL GRANT PROGRAM TO ALLEVIATE IMPACTS FROM THE STATE HEALTH DEPARTMENT'S GATHERINGS AND MASK ORDER. FROM OVER 1,000 APPLICANTS, LEAP AWARDED 194 DISPROPORTIONATELY AFFECTED SMALL BUSINESSES AND NONPROFITS $15,000 GRANTS, TOTALING $2,910,000. IN THE SUMMER OF 2021, LEAP CONTRACTED WITH INGHAM COUNTY TO ADMINISTER AN $11 MILLION PROGRAM INGHAM COUNTY SUNRISE GRANT PROGRAM USING ITS AMERICAN RESCUE PLAN ACT (ARPA) FUNDING WITH THE INTENT TO PROVIDE SHORT- AND LONG-TERM SMALL BUSINESS ASSISTANCE. IN THE SHORT-TERM, THE SUNRISE GRANT PROGRAM ADDRESSED THE IMMEDIATE PANDEMIC-RELATED FINANCIAL HARM TO SMALL BUSINESSES AND NONPROFITS WITH TARGETED GRANTS THAT ADDRESS ARPA FUNDING GAPS, HISTORIC ECONOMIC HARM TO SOCIALLY DISADVANTAGED POPULATIONS AND THE AREAS OF GREATEST NEED IN INGHAM COUNTY. LONG-TERM SUPPORT OF SMALL BUSINESS TECHNICAL ASSISTANCE WILL BEGIN IN 2022. LEAP WORKED TO BUILD A THOROUGH, OBJECTIVE, AND BIAS-MITIGATING PROGRAM, UTILIZING DOZENS OF REVIEWERS A COMMITTEE APPROACH THROUGHOUT OF MULTIPLE DIVERSITY, EQUITY & INCLUSION (DEI) PARTNER ORGANIZATIONS TO ENSURE THE COMMUNICATED NETWORK AND TECHNICAL ASSISTANCE WAS AS BROAD AND INCLUSIVE AS POSSIBLE. THE RESULT OF THIS DELIBERATE APPROACH WAS THAT 84% OF SMALL BUSINESS AWARDS WENT TO UNDERREPRESENTED BUSINESS OWNERS AND 90% OF NONPROFIT AWARDS HAD BOARDS WITH UNDERREPRESENTED LEADERSHIP. TO ENSURE APPLES TO APPLES COMPARISONS, APPLICATIONS WERE REVIEWED ACROSS THE FOLLOWING INDUSTRY GROUPS: RETAIL/GOODS/SERVICES; TOURISM/HOSPITALITY; NEW BUSINESSES DURING THE PANDEMIC; SOLE PROPRIETORS; NONPROFITS; RESTAURANTS/EATERIES/TAVERNS; CHILDCARE FACILITIES; AND INCUBATORS/ESOS. IN TOTAL, AFTER ALMOST 1200 ELIGIBLE APPLICATIONS, 630 GRANTS MOSTLY IN THE INCREMENTS OF $5,000 - $25,000 WERE AWARDED TOTALING $8,120,000. ADDITIONALLY USING ARPA FUNDS IN THE FALL OF 2021, LEAP WAS CONTRACTED BY CLINTON COUNTY TO RUN A SIMILAR PROGRAM WITH $2 MILLION FOCUSED ON GRANTS TO IN-NEED RETAIL/GOODS/SERVICES BUSINESSES, SOLE PROPRIETORS, AND RESTAURANTS/EATERIES/TAVERNS IN THE SHORT-TERM AND TECHNICAL ASSISTANCE IN THE LONG-TERM (TO BEGIN IN 2022). IN TOTAL, AFTER 185 ELIGIBLE APPLICATIONS, 107 BUSINESSES WERE AWARDED IN THE RANGE OF $10,000-$25,000, TOTALING $1,640,000 IN GRANT FUNDING. LEAP ALSO ADMINISTERED ON BEHALF OF THE LANSING ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT CORPORATION THE LANSING CARES PROGRAM, PROVIDING 20 FORGIVABLE LOANS TO NEGATIVELY IMPACTED SMALL BUSINESSES, TOTALING $346,000 IN FUNDS DISTRIBUTED TO SUPPORT OPERATIONAL EXPENSES.

BUSINESS DEVELOPMENT DIVISION: THROUGH A CONTRACT WITH THE CITY OF LANSING AND THE LANSING ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT CORPORATION (LEDC), LEAP MANAGES ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT SERVICES AND PROGRAMS. LEAP ADMINISTERS AND PROVIDES STAFFING TO THE LEDC, THE LANSING TAX INCREMENT FINANCE AUTHORITY (TIFA), THE LANSING BROWNFIELD REDEVELOPMENT AUTHORITY (LBRA) AND FOUR CORRIDOR IMPROVEMENT AUTHORITIES. LEAP ALSO MANAGES GRANTS ON BEHALF OF THE CITY INCLUDING THOSE FROM EPA, MEDC, MDEQ AND DOE. ADDITIONALLY, LEAP MANAGES A BUSINESS FINANCING LOAN PROGRAM, FAADE IMPROVEMENT PROGRAM AND COORDINATES BOND FINANCING FOR MAJOR LBRA, TIFA AND LEDC PROJECTS ON BEHALF OF THE CITY OF LANSING.