Michigan Business Beat | Jonathan Smith, LEO, the Community Growth Academy and Its Importance

Chris Holman welcomes back Jonathan Smith, Senior Chief Deputy Director for LEO, Michigan's Labor and Economic Opportunity Department. Chris had several questions for Jonathan in this conversation: What is the Community Growth Academy and why is it so important for Michigan right now? How will the program help make Michigan’s communities more resilient to future economic shifts? How does this effort tie into Michigan’s clean energy and mobility transition? When’s the deadline to apply and how can people learn more? All of this falls under Michigan’s Community & Worker Economic Transition Office. Can you tell us a little bit about the office and its mission? » Visit MBN website: www.michiganbusinessnetwork.com/ » Subscribe to MBN’s YouTube: www.youtube.com/@MichiganbusinessnetworkMBN » Like MBN: www.facebook.com/mibiznetwork » Follow MBN: twitter.com/MIBizNetwork/ » MBN Instagram: www.instagram.com/mibiznetwork/ Application for Community Growth Academy now open Peer learning cohort program to provide technical assistance and resources to transition-impacted communities LANSING, Mich. — The Michigan Community & Worker Economic Transition Office is now accepting applications for the Community Growth Academy, an 18-month program that helps Michigan communities that have been impacted by transitions in the auto and utility sectors plan for long-term economic growth and prepare for future change. “Many Michigan communities have been impacted by changes in the auto and energy industries, especially when major employers shut down,” said Community and Worker Economic Transition Office Director Jonathan Smith. “The Community Growth Academy gives these communities the tools to build stronger, more diverse economies and deal with challenges like lost tax revenue, higher unemployment or rising utility costs.” Academy members will receive technical assistance designed to support communities with the tools and capacity to deploy the Community Transition Playbook and build customized economic growth and resilience strategies unique to their local needs. Selected members will have access to additional benefits, including grant funding to implement projects, peer-to-peer learning opportunities, support from state employees with resource navigation and a dedicated, full-time fellow to assist with implementing the strategies designed and developed through the program. “Economic shifts are not a one-size-fits-all process. The Transition Office recognizes that and works with communities to address their individual challenges. This project complements the Michigan Municipal League’s efforts to support local economic development, so we are happy to see this program launch," said Daniel Gilmartin, Michigan Municipal League Executive Director. “Many communities, despite having a shared idea of how they want to grow, do not always have the resources or capacity to pursue their vision. This program helps fill those gaps and builds on the work that CEDAM has done to build local capacity through its existing fellowship programs,” said Eddie Fakhoury, Community Economic Development Association of Michigan Executive Director. The Transition Office encourages applications from community-serving organizations such as municipal governments, nonprofits, community foundations, regional planning or economic development agencies or tribal organizations representing transition-impacted communities. Academy membership will reflect diversity in affected industries and geographies across the state. The Community Growth Academy is supported by funding from the Ballmer Group. For more information about this opportunity, including a list of transition-impacted communities, visit Michigan.gov/CommunityGrowthAcademy. To apply, visit Michigan.gov/CommunityGrowthAcademyApplication. ###