Leap

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

REGIONAL GROWTH DEPARTMENT- PROVIDES ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT SERVICES AND PROGRAMS THROUGHOUT THE METROPOLITAN LANSING REGION (INGHAM, EATON, AND CLINTON COUNTIES). THE DIVISION FOCUSES ON PROACTIVE BUSINESS EXPANSION, ATTRACTION AND RETENTION 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. FIVE PROJECTS WERE OFFICIALLY RECRUITED AND ANNOUNCED IN 2023, INCLUDING $77 MILLION IN PLEDGED INVESTMENT AND OVER 200 NEW JOBS FROM AN AUTOMOTIVE MANUFACTURER FOR NUTS AND BOLTS. TWO OTHERS MARK FOREIGN DIRECT INVESTMENT SUCCESSES FROM CHINA IN AUTOMOTIVE. THE OTHER COMPANY IS HIGH TECH SOFTWARE COMPANY THAT INTEGRATES INTO AUTONOMOUS BUSSES BASED OUT OF TURKEY. ADDITIONALLY, ANOTHER THREE BUSINESS EXPANSION PROJECTS WERE FACILITATED IN 2023 CONSTITUTING OVER $25,400,000 IN PLEDGED INVESTMENT AND OVER 256 JOBS CREATED, INCLUDING STRONG INVESTMENT FROM THE MOBILITY SECTOR. FOR ALL 8 PROJECTS, THE AVERAGE RANGE SURPASSED $23.97 / HOUR, WELL OVER 200% OF THE ALICE SINGLE ADULT WAGE THRESHOLD. BUSINESS ATTRACTION CONDUCTED 94 REGIONAL SITE SEARCHES, HOSTED 16 PROSPECTIVE COMPANY VISITS, AND CONDUCTED 58 RETENTION VISITS. BUSINESS ATTRACTION CONTINUED IMPLEMENTING AND CLOSING OUT THE $120,500 GRANT FROM THE MICHIGAN ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT CORPORATION TO BETTER PREPARE VACANT INDUSTRIAL SITES FOR DEVELOPMENT ACROSS 4 INGHAM COUNTY SITES. LEAP'S MEDTECH ADVISORY GROUP AND BUSINESS ATTRACTION TEAM ALSO COMPLETED IN 2023 ITS EDA GRANT FOR THE CREATION OF A LANSING REGION MEDTECH BRANDING WHICH INCLUDED A NEW LOGO AND WEBSITE.

SITE-READINESS FUNDS- IN 2022, LEAP SECURED FIVE SEPARATE MICHIGAN BUILD READY GRANT AGREEMENTS TOTALING $3.4 MILLION. FUNDS FROM ALL FIVE GRANTS WERE SCOPED AND SPENT IN 2023 TO BE SPENT ON VARIOUS SITE PREPARATION EXPENSES SUCH AS REAL ESTATE ASSEMBLAGE FEES, ENVIRONMENTAL DUE DILIGENCE COSTS, INFRASTRUCTURE PLANNING COSTS, AND VARIOUS ASSOCIATED PROFESSIONAL SERVICES RELATED TO PROPERTIES ACROSS CLINTON, EATON, AND INGHAM COUNTIES. WHILE MUCH OF THE FUND BALANCE WAS EXPENSED DURING 2022, THE SCOPE OF WORK FOR THESE GRANTS CLOSED OUT INTO 2023.

ULTIUM PROJECT- IN JANUARY OF 2022, THE MICHIGAN STRATEGIC FUND APPROVED $66.1 MILLION THROUGH A STRATEGIC SITES READINESS PROGRAM (SSRP) GRANT AGREEMENT WITH LEAP, IN WHICH LEAP ACTS AS THE FIDUCIARY AND ADMINISTRATOR OF DOLLARS SCOPED TO SUPPORT PUBLIC INFRASTRUCTURE COSTS NECESSARY IN ORDER FOR DELTA CHARTER TOWNSHIP TO PROVIDE THE ULTIUM HIGH VOLUME ELECTRIC VEHICLE (EV) BATTERY CELL MANUFACTURING FACILITY WITH WATER, SEWER AND WASTEWATER SERVICE, AND SIMILARLY FOR THE LANSING BOARD OF WATER & LIGHT (BWL) TO PROVIDE ULTIUM THE ELECTRICITY ENERGY REQUIRED BY THE PROJECT. THE ULTIUM PROJECT IS A $2.6 BILLION INVESTMENT, THE LARGEST IN THE HISTORY OF THE LANSING REGION. DELTA TOWNSHIP AND BWL ARE BOTH SUB-GRANTEES TO LEAP UNDER THIS INFRASTRUCTURE GRANT PROJECT, AND AN MOU IS IN PLACE WITH ULTIUM ITSELF AS THE PRIMARY END USER BENEFITING FROM THE NEW PUBLIC INFRASTRUCTURE. IN 2023, THERE HAVE BEEN MANY SIGNIFICANT IMPROVEMENTS TO READY THE INFRASTRUCTURE FOR THE NEW FACILITY. BWL CONTINUES TO WORK DILIGENTLY AND WILL LIKELY CONCLUDE THEIR PORTION OF FUNDING INTO 2024. DELTA TOWNSHIP WORKS CONTINUALLY ON THE WASTEWATER COMPONENT INTO 2024.