Dear Friends of Lenawee Now:
To Our Investors, Stakeholders, Businesses, & Residents:
Lenawee Now has continued to thrive over the past year and the board is proud of the staff and its achievements. Throughout the year, Lenawee Now programs have received industry recognition and accolades. In addition, relationships with local partners, businesses, and educators have increased and flourished. We will maintain this momentum in 2016. One of the first actions in 2016 was to welcome two new board members, Julie Yaroch D.O., President of ProMedica Bixby and Herrick Hospitals and Marybeth Shunck, Market Area President of First Federal Bank. Their unique experiences in local leadership roles and philanthropic community involvement will be a valued asset to the Board of Directors.
We are proudly celebrating 100 years. The Adrian Area Chamber of Commerce was established on July 13, 1916. Since then the name has changed multiple times, the Chamber branched off, and the focus became not only cultivating local businesses, but attracting new ones and encouraging a culture of entrepreneurism. We have seen great successes over the last century: manufacturers reaching international success, downtown shops filling the needs of their communities and Lenawee County being recognized as not only ideal for business but perfect for life. Can it get any better? It sure can.
As a public-private entity, Lenawee Now relies on the contributions of our community to keep programming in place. One of the main goals of the Board of Directors is to increase and encourage investment in the economic development of Lenawee County. We encourage and ask for the support of both private businesses and public entities. We in turn remind everyone that economic development projects can be long-term and immediate results aren’t always quickly visible. Some major projects can take several years to develop and become reality. We appreciate the dedication of our investors, and we thank them for their support and shared vision of the future. Looking forward we see many possibilities for developing our manufacturing, healthcare and educational base into a growing center of innovation. Much has happened in Lenawee over the past 100 years and we know we have the ability to forge our own future. It will be an exciting journey and we hope you join us. Sincerely,
Looking forward to the next 100 years we see companies adapting to new technologies and processes to meet customer demands. We know young people are returning to the area with fresh ideas, ready to build a life here, and eager for opportunities to do so. Lenawee continues to strengthen through collaboration of community driven organizations. As much as we would love to see instantaneous results of our pursuits, the process of economic development can often take several years before tangible results are apparent. It’s difficult to measure our success just over this past year compared to the previous year. None of the 2015 projects were as large as the 2014 announcement of ProMedica’s new hospital. However, our “small” projects still produce growth. A number of businesses began in the garages of entrepreneurs: Brazeway, Tecumseh Products, Merillat Cabinets, and Blissfield Manufacturing to name a few. Look at how that “small” project advanced the economic development in Lenawee for years to come. The smaller victories we have seen in 2015 culminate into numerous possibilities for Lenawee County. These accomplishments, big or small, would not be possible without our supporters, local business community and investors. We thank you and look forward to serving you in 2016.
Doug Kapnick
Kind regards,
Chairman of the Board
Jim Van Doren
Tim Robinson CEcD, EDFP
Executive Director
Director of Operations
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