R E G I O N A L B U S I N E S S G ROW T H global markets is rapidly becoming a daily focus. The region has invested extensively in developing an infrastructure that is encouraging and supporting business growth in international markets. In 2008, federal, state and local officials celebrated the opening of Port Lansing, located at Capital Region International Airport. Port Lansing is an international port of entry into the country with a United States Customs and Border Protection operation of the Department of Homeland Security in Lansing. U.S. Customs and Border Protection officers are on-duty to process international passengers and airfreight coming into the country. The Airport has also received the designation of Foreign Trade Zone No. 275, which offers international businesses the potential to defer, reduce, or eliminate duties, improving cash flow and operational efficiencies.
Whether you are a young professional starting a career and looking for lively nightspots, starting or expanding a business, a family desiring safe neighborhoods, parks and great schools, seeking an advanced degree or looking forward to enjoying life as you ease into retirement, Greater Lansing has much to offer you. We invite you to take full advantage of a lifestyle that is tough to match in any other community. GREATER LANSING GOES GLOBAL For some, the term “global economy” might seem overused. In Greater Lansing, the notion of entering or expanding into 22
The Lansing Regional Chamber of Commerce is also helping lead a new state of Michigan exporting initiative that will further encourage the region’s growth in international markets. Through the Michigan Economic Development Corporation’s Pure Michigan STEP program, LRCC will coordinate communication for international activities for businesses in the 19-county central Michigan region. Greater Lansing is also fortunate to have many businesses whose long time success in global markets is often used as a model to emulate by other organizations seeking international opportunities. Perhaps most notable for their success is Neogen Corporation, a worldwide leader in the manufacture and sale of food and animal safety products. Forbes magazine has added Neogen to its list of the Best Small Companies in America for six consecutive years, and nine times in the past 11 years.
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A LEADER IN THE KNOWLEDGE-BASED ECONOMY Lansing’s growing insurance industry is leading the way in helping the region make the transition to the knowledgebased economy of tomorrow. Greater Lansing is home to several major insurance companies, including Jackson National Life Insurance, Auto-Owners Insurance Company, Accident Fund Insurance Company of America, Delta Dental, Farm Bureau Insurance, Michigan Millers Insurance, The Doctors Company, Fincor Solutions and Physicians Health Plan of Mid-Michigan. The insurance industry has continued to grow during the past decade and now employs more than 8,000 people in the Greater Lansing region. The presence of so many strong and growing insurance companies has caused many to consider Greater Lansing as the Insurance Capital of Michigan. TECHNOLOGY, RESEARCH & INNOVATION Michigan State University is a world leader in research and innovation. MSU is making significant steps to help unleash its research potential into the commercial marketplace. The U.S. Department of Energy awarded Michigan State University the Facility for Rare Isotope Beams (FRIB). FRIB will provide intense beams of rare isotopes (short-lived nuclei not normally found on Earth). The facility’s research could benefit a wide range of fields including medicine, materials science, physics and national security. The $550 million research project is estimated to bring 400 jobs to Michigan. As an economic development accelerator, the FRIB will result in an estimated $1 billion in new economic activity. The facility is already attracting top nuclear researchers and engineers from around the world. The development of FRIB was