Lansing — MSU President Lou Anna K. Simon and spokesmen from Lansing corporations recognized more than 50 local businesses and organizations at a reception Monday at Oldsmobile Park in Lansing.
MSU partnered with Lansing Economic Area Partnership, or Leap Inc., and Prima Civitas Foundation in sponsoring the MSU Community Builders program and recognizing the inaugural 53 MSU Community Builders.
“These are people we’ve been working with for a long time, but we never really fully recognized their partnership with Michigan State,” Simon said.
The program was established to bring visibility to the ongoing partnerships among the university and Mid-Michigan businesses and organizations, particularly those in the Lansing area. According to an MSU news release, to be recognized as MSU Community Builders, a business or organization “must provide broad and enduring community impact, advance regional economic development and quality of life, have mutual benefits for both MSU and the business or community organization and advance the public good.”
Kellie Dean, president and CEO of Dean Transportation Inc., called MSU a tremendous economic force.
“We’ve identified 53 businesses in the community that are all very much a part of our future, and all have a great history in support of MSU,” he said. “This is the initial class of business and individuals who are going to help truly solidify our future and recognize this great economic force that MSU is to our development.”
Lansing Mayor Virg Bernero said MSU is one of the key assets to the program.
“We, as the city of Lansing, count MSU as really part of the city,” he said. “We’re one region; we sink or swim as one region … this (approach) is new … and I only hope that it continues as we look to continued growth for the region.”
Ray Tadgerson, chairman and CEO of architecture and engineering firm C2AE, said he hopes the partnership will help the struggling state economy.
“I’ve never seen anything like what we’re currently witnessing, which is a partnership between MSU and the business community,” he said. “Some communities need to step up and take leadership (to save Michigan’s economy). I believe this region will lead the entire state.”
Simon said it’s also a way to get the perspective of MSU students into the planning for the community.
“We need the MSU student voice about what else we can do to make (the Lansing region) a place for young professionals, not necessarily a place to party while you’re a student, but a place for young professionals who want that kind of cool environment,” she said.
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