Perhaps you heard recently of huge new Electronic Vehicle or Battery manufacturing plants planning to locate in Michigan or Indiana. Plants announced for Big Rapids in Northern Michigan and New Carlisle, Indiana—just South of the State Line from Berrien County– would employ several thousand workers each in well-paid modern factory environments. And more normal spin-off jobs would multiply the economic impact.
Did you ask yourself, “Why not us? Why not Berrien County? Why not St. Joseph/Benton Harbor?” “Why is our area not even a ‘bridesmaid’ in those decisions, let alone the recipient of ‘The Ring’”?
The thought occurred to us at MoodyOnTheMarket.com . So, we sat down with the man best qualified to answer those questions. Rob Cleveland is the President/CEO of Cornerstone Alliance, the group in charge of attracting (and keeping) jobs in Northern Berrien County. Cleveland spent an hour answering our questions and, frankly, shedding a lot of light on the ‘real job’ that Cornerstone Alliance is focused on: attracting small and medium business and industry and helping existing business grow and expand.
Cleveland helped us understand that while everyone talks about those big plants that employ 2,000 to 3,500 workers, the real marketplace he’s competing in with other localities often involves the potential for 50 to 200 new jobs. “Fifty at a time… that’s how we get to a thousand new jobs in Berrien County,” says Cleveland.
Cleveland explains that very few areas are in a position to truly compete for an auto or EV plant. They’re looking for huge sites: 500 to 750 acres, well-located near interstate highways and rail lines, and shovel-ready. A prime site and an available workforce within a reasonable distance are the first two factors plant locaters look at, according to Cleveland. He says Berrien County offers a couple of competitive sites for medium size projects and many for businesses hiring 50-100 workers, but falls short on the workforce measurement.
“Our workforce has actually declined in size in recent years, especially post-pandemic,” he says. “We need more people!” Training up good people who want to work is the focus of agencies like MIWorks!, which coordinates job training and employment service activities in the region. And it’s why the two organizations work so closely together to help the business community. .
Or another important business location element, our area scores well:
“if we can get past the first two hurdles, site and workforce, we’ve got the “Great Place to Live” part covered, “ says Cleveland. He points out that the area ‘shines’ when potential new businesses are looking for Quality of Life elements around which to attract highly qualified, highly paid specialists and experts. He cites expansion in recent years by firms like JR Automation and Kay Manufacturing, who have been able to recruit engineers and similar talent, competing with major metropolitan areas. Plant sites and an industrial workforce are not issues for such high tech or expertise oriented businesses.
That’s why, Cleveland says, it’s so important for Cornerstone to focus a significant portion of its efforts on helping existing businesses to grow and expand. Those employers have already chosen Michigan’s Great Southwest. They simply need help in taking advantage of all the tools that are available to them to expand their operation and hire more people. While those businesses may be good at ‘making widgets’, they know little or nothing about dealing with real estate, construction, local and state government, tax incentives, etc. That’s where Cornerstone comes in, to simplify the process and build the bridges that are needed to move an expansion project forward.
Cleveland suggests that perhaps Cornerstone hasn’t gotten some of the credit it deserves on the expansion projects of existing businesses, because most people are waiting for the ‘big home run’ or the ‘Hail Mary pass’—the project that delivers 1,000 new jobs. While he hopes that happens someday, he says he’ll keep coming to work every day looking to add 25 jobs here, 50 jobs there, helping build an increasingly diverse economy in Berrien County.
He says that’s one of the area’s strengths, versus, say, Elkhart, which is virtually a ‘one industry town’—recreational vehicles. That can lead to having the nation’s highest jobless rate one year and the lowest rate a few years later. However, it’s a wild ride for the related businesses in the area. Pressed to make a choice, Cleveland would opt for the balance of Berrien County with a mix of manufacturing, service, high tech and tourism/hospitality.
Our thanks to Rob Cleveland for taking the time to give us some background and perspective on Cornerstone’s never-ending quest for new jobs and economic development in the region.
