It’s said that it takes a village to raise a child; the same might be said for businesses. Nurturing an idea into an operational company requires financial planning, capital, an understanding of regulations, and more. With small businesses representing a staggering 99% of all businesses in Michigan, they are the bedrock of our economy. Supported by the Michigan Economic Development Corporation (MEDC), designated SmartZones across the state provide emerging entrepreneurs with supportive ecosystems that help businesses launch and grow Michigan’s economy.
From Battle Creek to Marquette, 20 SmartZones provide the space and resources for tech firms, entrepreneurs, and researchers to share assets and collaborate with universities, research organizations, government, and other community institutions to grow their businesses. Strategically located, SmartZones provide a central location for innovators to collaborate with like-minded groups while leveraging state accelerator services. Southwest Michigan has two: Western Michigan University’s WMED Innovation Center and Battle Creek Unlimited, each drawing on the strengths of their respective areas.
Breathing New Life into the Life Sciences Industry
Southwest Michigan’s strong life science legacy is built on corporations such as Pfizer and Stryker Corporation, and the Innovation Center serves as a pipeline for the next generation of life science innovation. The building boasts 69,000 square feet of laboratories, offices, conference rooms, and coworking space.
Climate-tech innovator Earthodic recently made its U.S. home at the Innovation Center. The company’s mission is to advance the global transition to a circular economy, meaning an economy that doesn’t produce waste. They make bio-based coatings for the paper industry, enabling easy application with existing equipment and making sustainable, commercial paper products more accessible. It’s an impactful mission, as containers and packaging make up 28% of municipal solid waste, according to the Environmental Protection Agency.
Started in Australia, the company established its U.S. headquarters at the Innovation Center after securing $4 million in capital investment. The location was chosen for its proximity to WMU’s Pilot Coating Plant and the surrounding paper industry.
Earthodic’s arrival follows the recent graduation of two other life sciences companies. Northern Biomolecular Services (NBS), a cell and gene therapy company that develops safe treatments for diseases, and Vestatron, a company that leverages peptides, a natural protein, to make safer insecticides.
Earthodic, NBS, and Vestatron are just the latest success stories from the Innovation Center. Overall, the Innovation Center boasts a 90% success rate, has produced 76 patents, and has leveraged more than $200 million for client companies, demonstrating tremendous impact for the area.
Empowering the Entrepreneurs of Cereal City
An initiative of Battle Creek Unlimited, Battle Creek Food Reimagined (BCFR) serves as an MEDC-supported SmartZone and Small Business Support Hub capitalizing on the area’s legacy as “Cereal City” to create a modern hub for food innovation. BCFR provides entrepreneurs and emerging companies with access to specialized resources, business services, and collaborative space designed to accelerate commercialization and scale, as well as foundational business assistance for traditional small businesses like retail shops and restaurants.
BCFR recently partnered with Grand Valley State University to establish the Battle Creek Innovation Hub, which the BCFR anchors and offers coworking spaces, an accelerator kitchen, a podcast studio, offices, and event venues. The 31,000-square-foot facility was supported by a $10.3 million grant from the W.K. Kellogg Foundation.
The remarkable incubator space has provided a launching pad for a couple of businesses that are recently making noise in Battle Creek’s food scene: DelectAble and Pops Family Kitchen and Catering.
Formerly known as DelectAble Treats and Sweets, DelectAble was started by Felicia Jaramillo, a mother of children with special needs. The company’s mission is to serve gourmet food with inclusive employment and job training for people of all abilities. The idea began as a project during Jaramillo’s last semester at Kellogg Community College and grew into a presence at her local farmers’ market. Just two months later, Jaramillo won a Golden Spoon award at Food Prize, an annual food business competition held at Kellogg Arena. That accolade helped her connect with BCFR. She also received business help from Sprout BC, a local incubation kitchen, which connected her to the Michigan Small Business Development Center (SBDC). Marquette-based Northern Initiatives, also supported by the MEDC, helped Jaramillo create a business plan.
“All of the people and companies at Sprout, SBDC, and BCFR are connected and have created an ecosystem that is intended to help these local food businesses thrive,” said Jaramillo. “Battle Creek is lucky to have all of this for small businesses. I don’t think many other places have so many cool opportunities. I never in my life thought I would be where I’m at today. I moved here from Ohio and didn’t know a soul. I have organically created something here.”
Moving to Michigan and starting a food business inspired by family is a story familiar to John Capers, owner of Pops Family Kitchen and Catering. Originally from Oak Ridge, Tennessee, Capers met his wife, moved to Michigan, and brought the cooking he learned growing up and working at his family’s barbecue restaurant. As demand for his Southern home cooking grew, Capers decided to develop a business plan. After taking a business class through Northern Initiatives, Capers was referred to BCFR, where he found resources for equipment and office space.
“We started putting together a program for myself, and they awarded me a $5,000 grant that really helped me get the equipment I needed to set up,” says Capers. “They also set me up with office spaces to meet with clients. They opened their doors to me, and I have been so grateful to them. There are a lot of programs out there that we don’t know about as entrepreneurs, and BCFR has those connections.”
By creating supportive ecosystems that help entrepreneurs take their ideas further and leveraging regional strengths, SmartZones are improving the success rate of small businesses, which are an invaluable part of Michigan’s economy. To learn more about SmartZones, visit michiganbusiness.org.
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