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Minding our own business for May, 6th 2006 Linda Hirvonen, Delta County EDA Delta County employment has grown by 1,750 people since March of 1999 while the state’s employment has remained flat in each of those years. 18,950 Delta County residents were working full time in March 2006, up from 18,720 in March 2005 and from 17,225 in March of 1999. Annual averages reveal that our employment has grown from 18,029 in 1999 to 19,295 in 2005. Many people think that the service industry is the only one to grow, but Delta County continues to be at or above the state’s average in manufacturing employment. The link? Innovation. New products, new production techniques, and investment in training have been the backbone of local manufacturers’ ability not only to maintain employment in the face of a deteriorating Michigan climate, but also to grow. I see product innovation as the catalyst for growth in at least six existing businesses over the next five years. It is precisely this glimpse into the future that I get from our retention visits that keeps me much more optimistic about our future than the general public. New ideas can be complex or simple, but they all require someone to look at something in a new light. A new perspective, or an “a ha!” can and does occur to most of us at all kinds of moments. But doing something with that idea is what separates those who “do” from those who “coulda/woulda/shoulda.” Doing something with that idea leads to entrepreneurship or new customers, depending on who’s doing the doing! May 15th’s Technology and Patent Seminar should help both existing businesses as well as the entrepreneur inventor with pursuing the next step. This half day workshop will present overviews of assistance available via the Smart Zone at Michigan Tech, the M-TEC at Bay College (and the difference between them), a two-hour overview of legal aspects of patents featuring Patent Attorney William Abbatt from Brooks Kushman, PC, profiles of successful innovative businesses, and an opportunity for a pre-qualified few to meet 1:1 with the patent attorney. The workshop will run from noon – 5:00 at M-TEC (2000 N 30th Street, Escanaba) and will cost $20 per business. An additional fee of $5.00 per person will be collected to cover the cost of the lunch. The seminar is co-hosted by the Michigan Tech Enterprise Corporation’s Smart Zone, M-TEC at Bay College, and the EDA. Register by May 8th by contacting Jon Leinonen at the Smart Zone (906-497-7004 or jleinonen@mtecsmart.com) Registration forms can also be obtained from Alan Yeck at M-TEC at Bay College (906-786-5802 x 1132) or Linda Hirvonen at the EDA (906-786-2192) For $25 local innovators can get information, a binder of take-home instructions and templates to protect their intellectual property, and lunch! Please RSVP so we have enough materials for everyone. And remember, companies sending more than one person only pay the $20 materials fee once. See you May 15th! "Come Grow with Us in Delta County" |
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