Make MI Home Program Helping Southwest Michigan Attract Talent
The Michigan Growth Office, the council tasked with attracting and retaining people in Michigan, selected organizations to receive the first round of grant funding through Make MI Home in late 2024. The program empowers applicants to create region-specific programs that encourage current and future residents to grow roots in Michigan.
“Each region’s specific challenges will require different solutions, and each Michigan community’s unique offerings deserve to be amplified and shared,” said MEDC Chief Growth Officer Hilary Doe. “The Make MI Home program is unique in the nation in that it allows regions to lead in articulating what they need to grow and prosper, then supports customized talent retention and attraction programs tailored to those communities.”
Make MI Home funding was awarded to Discover Southwest Michigan, a nonprofit dedicated to attracting business and talent to Berrien, Cass, and Van Buren Counties, alongside four other organizations. The $100,000 grant will help Discover Southwest Michigan deploy marketing strategies, relocation support services, and a down payment assistance program to attract talent and increase the population in its respective counties.
In addition, the grant supports outreach to former residents who left the state, encouraging them to “boomerang” back to Southwest Michigan.
Investing in Michigan Talent for Next Generation Industries
Southwest Michigan has long been a hub for advanced manufacturing. Building on that heritage, a first-of-its-kind public-private investment from Western Michigan University (WMU), Kellogg Community College (KCC), and the MEDC will offer new state-of-the-art EV and semiconductor education and career opportunities in Southwest Michigan and beyond.
The partnership will total $4.7 million in investments to develop a world-class skilled workforce in the region and is part of the nearly $30 million that the MEDC has invested with Michigan’s higher education institutions to develop curricula that prepare students for mobility careers.
For WMU, programs will be designed for in-demand priority roles such as electrical engineers, semiconductor technicians, and EV processing technicians, guided by direct input from industry collaborators
At KCC, the Advanced Manufacturing Assembly Training program will be retooled to align with current and future manufacturing standards and meet the needs of employer partners, such as Ford and DENSO. With the Ford BlueOval Battery Park in Marshall scheduled to offer 1,700 positions in 2026, the talent pipeline won’t have to travel far for opportunities. As part of the investment, KCC will provide training on cutting-edge industrial robotic arms, becoming the first college in the United States to use an enterprise system with the FANUC CRX-5iA Collaborative Robot; Industry 4.0 technologies that enable smart manufacturing, such as smart sensors or autonomous mobile robots; and Industry 4.0 certifications from the Smart Automation Certification Alliance.
“For Michigan to lead the nation and win the war for talent, we must close the talent gap,” said MEDC Director of Higher Education Partnerships Ava Attari. “That’s why the MEDC is leading the largest state talent attraction and retention initiative in the United States. Our bold strategy is designed to develop and deliver talent specific to Michigan’s new, tech-forward economy in areas where we have the most opportunity to grow advanced manufacturing — areas like electric vehicles, mobility and semiconductors.”
Trusted Connector Grant Helps Grow Southwest Michigan Businesses
Southwest Michigan is also receiving small business support from the MEDC’s Trusted Connector Grant, which provides funding to organizations such as chambers of commerce that engage with under-represented small businesses and/or tech-based entrepreneurs across the state. The Trusted Connector Grant was awarded to 23 organizations across the state, including the following in Southwest Michigan:
- Lakeshore Advantage, a Holland-based economic development organization
- Black Wall Street Kalamazoo, a nonprofit dedicated to Black economic empowerment
- Southwest Michigan First Corporation, a regional chamber of commerce in Kalamazoo
- Southwest Michigan Regional Chamber, which supports economic growth across Berrien, Cass and Van Buren Counties
$1.15 million in total funding was awarded to these established Southwest Michigan organizations skilled in meeting critical competitiveness and growth needs of Michigan small businesses in the areas of: capital access preparedness; increasing digital acumen; promoting awareness of, and connection to, technology and innovation resources; facilitating expert-led mentorship and networking opportunities; providing and/or facilitating one-on-one coaching; providing and/or facilitating workshops and seminars with industry leaders; and providing appropriate referrals to Michigan entrepreneurial ecosystem partners to meet specific needs of the entrepreneur, according to industry or growth acceleration.
“The Trusted Connector grant is a transformative investment that allows the Southwest Michigan Regional Chamber to expand our Chamber Growth Alliance model into underserved areas of Berrien County, embedding dedicated support directly into local communities,” said Resource Development Director Molly McFadden. “This funding will strengthen our ability to connect small businesses with critical resources, drive inclusive economic growth, and create a more resilient and diverse regional economy.”
From attracting and retaining talent to growing tomorrow’s workforce and small businesses, the MEDC is helping communities like Southwest Michigan to thrive.
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