What We Do
Our Mission:
Our Methods:
To preserve existing jobs and foster the creation of more jobs for our citizens and more tax revenue for our communities. To support and collaborate with initiatives to improve the quality of life for all Lenawee County citizens thus making Lenawee County the choice for new and existing business growth.
Lenawee Now functions as a project coordinator for both the communities we support and the companies we serve. Our efforts can be fairly simple, such as compiling information for a company to use in its decision making, or as involved as full project management for large company attractions / expansions.
This can include everything from:
• Connecting clients to proper resources
• Working with clients and or their site selectors to help determine a location for a project
• Managing the incentive paperwork and process
• Advising entrepreneurs on the process to create and grow a business
• Making presentations to key public and private decision makers
• Assist companies in finding and securing financing
• Recruitment of Talent and training efforts
When companies apply for local or state incentives, they fill out applications that require both job creation and investment estimates. Lenawee Now considers these projects a success after they are publicly announced or when the required approval process has taken place for the incentive sought by the company.
Our jobs and investment numbers are based on these project announcements provided by the companies. Whatever role we might play, we report jobs and investments for projects where we have played an active role in helping a company decide to move forward.
Executive Director Update
Lenawee Now continues to have a lot of positive things going on. Currently, one of our main focuses continues to be the new Align Center for Workforce Development building. Remodeling and construction is well under way and when finished it will enhance the skills and capabilities of our workforce. This will be a state-of-the-art training facility that will serve Lenawee County for generations to come. In addition, we are thrilled to announce that multiple companies are expanding their operations in our county, indicating a thriving business environment.
We continue to be successful in our employer collaborations, particularly with the chemical companies, auto dealers and wineries. By working together, we aim to foster innovation, share best practices, and drive economic growth in these sectors.
Exciting news! We have recently been awarded a grant to support our brownfield redevelopment activities. This grant will enable us to implement impactful initiatives and create opportunities for growth and development of these properties and put them back into productive use.
Turning our attention to downtown Adrian, we are pleased to report that several projects are progressing well. Notably, the Parkhouse project has gained significant momentum, promising to bring new life and vibrancy to the area. Additionally, a new housing project is underway on the old Bixby Hospital site, with plans for 63 new homes. You will see Bixby Hospital come down and work begin on the new housing in the next few months. This development will contribute to meeting the housing needs of our community. We are also seeing the beginning stages of the new Grand River Brewery taking form at the old Seasons site. We continue working with Tecumseh, Morenci Clinton, Blissfield and Hudson and are having success in moving new projects forward in their areas as well.
In summary, Lenawee Now is actively involved in a range of exciting initiatives and projects throughout the County. Our focus on workforce development, business expansion, collaborative partnerships, and community development reflects our commitment to fostering a vibrant and prosperous county.
Community Report Card 2019-2023
Please join us as we celebrate the successes of the last five years of our collaborative economic development efforts in Lenawee County.
Lenawee Now Metrics
These metrics track projects that are /were in our pipeline this period / YTD.
Metrics of Success are recorded when Lenawee Now assists projects that successfully create jobs and/or investment in the community.
RFP Responses:
of responses to prospect attraction
Other Services: # of services provided to clients outside of RFP responses. Attraction Visit: # of in-person visits from attraction clients.
The Call Program is Lenawee Now’s outreach program to local employers (private & public). These visits are made to build relationships, identify projects, and connect employers to community resources.
The project pipeline January 1, 2024 – June 30, 2024
Project Pipeline
Success Metrics
Call Program
mayhaveanimpactonourcounty. Wedo notcountjobsandinvestmentswherewe werenotdirectlyinvolved.
Call Program
The Call Program is a core economic development strategy that involves proactively outreaching and engaging with our existing employer base to determine where they face opportunities and challenges. These calls allow us to:
• Gather information about local businesses that can be aggregated to reveal trends
• Determine valuable resources that can assist in the client’s development
• Identify growth projects that require assistance
• Serve as an ombudsman between businesses and government
Proactive outreach helps companies address challenges before they become problems, supports their continued growth and helps them see that our area is invested in their success. Companies go where they are wanted and stay where they are appreciated.
Client Location Sector
Social Media Analytics
As of June 30, 2024
The number of times a post or story showed up in different users’ feeds throughout its lifetime.
Number of times that users engaged (liked, commented, shared, etc.) with a post during its lifetime.
Press Releases
LISD Tech Center Students Showcase Innovation In Nation’s Capital
Adrian, MI – June 27, 2024
In a room overlooking the White House, LISD TECH Center students Diego Juarez (Tecumseh) and Sam Solis (Onsted) recently represented Lenawee County in the nation’s capital as they presented a team project at a U.S. Chamber of Commerce Foundation event. Their project was part of the U.S. Chamber of Commerce Foundation's Employer Provided Innovation Challenges (EPIC), an initiative aimed at bridging the gap between education and industry through high-quality, project-based learning. Juarez and Solis were Marketing & Entrepreneurship students during the 2023-2024 school year. Their presentation focused on increasing awareness of job opportunities in the chemical industry within Lenawee County through a digital marketing campaign. Supported by EPIC and Lenawee Now, their campaign highlighted innovative solutions to real-world industry challenges, showcasing their technical prowess and practical business acumen. This opportunity became available after an impressive presentation to local chemical company representatives earlier this spring.
Lenawee Now was selected as one of only 9 Employer Clearing Houses across the United States to pilot EPIC this first year. The role of the Employer Clearing House is to connect employers with concrete real-world problems or projects to teams of students who work to address them and present their results back to the employer.
Press Releases
EPA announces Lenawee Now Foundation awarded $500,000 in Brownfields grants through Investing in America Agenda.
Adrian, MI – May 21, 2024
Lenawee, MI – Lenawee Now Foundation, a not-for-profit private public partnership driving economic opportunity in Lenawee County, Michigan, has been named one of seven communities in Michigan to receive grants totaling more than $5.4 million in competitive EPA Brownfields funding to expedite the assessment and cleanup of brownfield sites. Specifically, LNF will receive $500,000 to help fund environmental assessments in Lenawee County.
Regional Employers Gather in Litchfield to Strengthen Talent Pipelines
Litchfield, MI – May 16, 2024
The Sector Strategies Breakfast Meet and Mingle was held at the Litchfield Training Center on May 16, bringing in 30 attendees. This event was a collaboration between Lenawee Now, Hillsdale EDP, Jackson Area Manufacturers Association (JAMA), and other partners to facilitate networking and highlight resources to address regional challenges regarding workforce recruitment, training, and development through the sector strategies initiative.
Lenawee Now’s Randy Yagiela, Gary Clemetson, and Jack Townsley shared about grants, partnerships, and the benefits of TPM. Yagiela discussed the $330,000 grant received to combat the lack of access to affordable childcare, which has been a barrier for many individuals trying to enter the workforce. He also highlighted the $10 million grant to support talent pipeline building and training. Furthermore, he expressed the opportunities that collaborations with various partners could bring.
Press Releases
Lenawee Now partners with Hillsdale Economic Development Partnership and Lean Rocket Lab to expand small business
Apr 4, 2024
Lenawee Now, a not-for-profit private public partnership driving economic opportunity in Lenawee County, Michigan, has been named one of 27 Small Business Support Hubs across the State of Michigan. With its’ partners Lean Rocket Lab, Hillsdale EDP & the MI Small Business Development Center, we have been awarded a $1.4 million grant over a 3-year period from the Michigan Economic Development Corporation (MEDC) to expand Lean Rocket Lab’s “LOCAL” program into Lenawee and Hillsdale Counties.
Local Students Shine in Chemistry Challenge
Feb 1, 2024
In a showcase of scientific prowess, middle school students from Lenawee County gathered at Adrian High School’s Performing Arts Center on January 30th for the regional You Be the Chemist Challenge®. More than 40 young minds put their chemistry knowledge to the test at the competition coordinated by the Lenawee Intermediate School District (LISD), Lenawee Now, and local chemical companies.
Press Releases
Students Learn Entrepreneurial Skills at CEO Challenge Kick-Off
January 31, 2024
Junior Achievement, in collaboration with Lenawee Now, successfully hosted the CEO Challenge Spark event on January 30 at the LISD TECH Center. This event provided over 50 students with a unique platform to cultivate entrepreneurial skills. High schoolers from across the county gained a greater knowledge of entrepreneurship by hearing from a panel of local entrepreneurs and an opportunity to create and pitch a product idea. Spark is the first stage of a 6-week program designed to help high school students create and pitch business ideas.
Development Director of Lenawee Now, awarded for workforce development Center
January 24, 2024
Randy Yagiela, Development Director of Lenawee Now, has been awarded an Innovation Fellowship for The Align Center for Workforce Development by the MSU EDA University Center for Regional Economic Innovation (REI). They were created in 2011 by the Michigan State University Center for Community and Economic Development and funded by the U.S. Department of Commerce – Economic Development Administration (EDA). The Innovation Fellows program was established in 2016 to attract and support top champions in communities and organizations to tackle the tough economic development issues that our distressed communities face every day. Innovation Fellows provide on-the-ground support and coordination to move concepts to actions, implementing new economic development tools, models, and policies.
