Positive Pages of Flint, Michigan, USA

Thank you for visiting my site:) My intent is to provide a forum for positive stories about people and groups in Flint and the surrounding area. I intend to add pages about local groups and businesses and links to useful/fun sites. 

Municipal Waste to Power Flint!

This is huge! Once the bio-gas power plant is built here we will have self generated power and no more raw sewage overflows into Mott Lake or the Flint River:)

Now.....when are we going to start taking all that trash from Toronto and turn it into power by plasma burning it? Sure would be nice to sell that power back to Canada....

April 2008

M. C. Escher art at FIA!

Kudos to UM Flint and Kettering U!

February 2008

UMF was given a donation to create a new medical research lab.

Kettering has been given another scholarship fund - this one is for Arab Americans.

Isn't it Time to Try Something New?

The city of Flint and the surrounding metropolitan area are changing.For the most part, the automobile industry that fueled prosperity here for decades with high wage jobs has left.What I believe many people do not realize is that Flint has been left with an historic opportunity.The city has an amazing infrastructure for its size, a central location, a wealth of public institutions, a ready workforce, and some of the most affordable commercial/industrial real estate in the developed world.

Flint sits at the intersection of 2 major interstate highways (I 75 and I 69)allowing for truck traffic to the North, South, East and West.There are major rail lines to such major destinations as Chicago and Port Huron.Amtrak also serves Flint with the Blue Water Express providing a daily roundtrip to Chicago. Last but not least, Bishop International Airport can handle domestic and international freight!These assets are begging to be used.

While transportation assets are a wonderful thing to have alone, the Flint metro area also has a fantastic location.The city is only 1 hour from Port Huron and the Canadian boarder.It is only 55 minutes from Ann Arbor with its well developed research parks and 1 hour from the state capitol Lansing.The Detroit metropolitan area with its major corporate headquarters is also close by, as is Oakland County.

When Flint was in its prime, area residents invested in a core of institutions now called the Flint Cultural Center.This is still a thriving area of the city. The area is home to a new planetarium, several theaters, a large public library, several museums, and newly expanded art and music schools.The Flint Museum of Art is unsurpassed in quality for a city this size! The Mott Foundation generously funds projects to help maintain the quality of these institutions.Close by, a year-round farmers market features art by local artists on its upper level and a separate studio building across the street.

Residents of the Flint area have access to many post high school educational opportunities.Mott Community College and the University of Michigan-Flint border the Cultural Center.The Mott campus also houses the satellite campuses of several state universities.A short walk from the UM – Flint campus is Kettering University.Kettering University is one of the top engineering and business schools in the United States.A short drive south on I 475 from the UM – Flint campus will take you to the main campus of Baker College.Currently, many graduates of these institutions drive 2 or more hours daily so that they can continue to live in the Flint area.

Land zoned industrial and commercial abounds in the vicinity of Flint’s colleges and universities.Some of the land is capped brown-field and some is former residential that is now open land.Renaissance zones and other special programs are available to industry looking to locate in Flint.Best of all, the price per square foot of commercial buildings is incredibly low right now.

The Flint area does not need another mega employer like General Motors.The best thing for the economy would be for people to grow many small to medium sized companies in the area.The cost for starting a business in Flint is very low right now.The only limit is your imagination.Why can’t Flint become known for the production of small lots of high quality goods of any kind?Why can’t Flint jump on the alternative energy train?Why can’t processing centers be created to reclaim jobs lost to overseas? Why, with all the beautiful antique cars in the area are there so few custom or specialty car shops?There are so many talented mechanics in Flint that business could be recruited from all over the state if a few of you got together and created a good business plan.

I hope that this has highlighted just how much potential the Flint area has.Please check out my business related links for additional information and links to sources of help for entrepreneurs.