Stephanie Carroll Honored By Michigan Economic Development Peers

Posted by – Steve Cohen, Director of Community Development

Numerous dedicated and talented people work for, and volunteer at, the City of Auburn Hills.  Stephanie Carroll, Manager of Business Development and Community Relations, is a prime example of the leadership and excellence that members of our team strive to achieve.

Last week, Stephanie was recognized by her professional organization, the Michigan Economic Developers Association (MEDA), with their President’s Award.  This award is given annually to an individual who has made a noticeable impact on the advancement of MEDA’s mission.

Current MEDA President, Monique Holliday-Bettie, described Stephanie in her award presentation as “a great collaborator, supporter, motivator, and problem-solver; I could go on and on … She has made a tremendous impact with our committees, our Board, and our Association.  I hope she understands how appreciated, valued, and cherished her talents are.”

MEDA Present Monique Holliday-Bettie (left) and Stephanie Carroll (right)

Congrats Stephanie on receiving this well-deserved honor from your peers!

Wooden Shoes And Windmills

Posted by – Stephanie Carroll, Manager of Business Development and Community Relations

Last week, nearly 200 professionals in the economic development profession gathered in Holland, Michigan.  The theme for this year’s Michigan Economic Developers Association (MEDA) annual meeting was “Connect”.  It was all about connecting people, ideas, and solutions.

A Session on Michigan’s Defense Industry

The sessions were timely and designed to help prepare local economic developers to learn first-hand how others are using innovative solutions to connect.

Sessions ranged from The Future of a Driverless Society to Building Tomorrow’s Talent through Meaningful Engagement and everything in between.  These fast-paced sessions covered all the top priorities in economic development.  We even got to hear from Jeff Mason, President, and CEO of the Michigan Economic Development Corporation to get a bigger picture of how the state is doing and what lies ahead.

This location also gave us the opportunity to explore Downtown Holland and nearby areas.  It’s been years since I had been to Holland, so it was an ideal location to get fresh perspectives and strategies that are helping to make local communities thrive.

Holland was the perfect spot to reconnect with colleagues in the industry while focusing on the importance of collaboration and how we can work together to strengthen the Michigan economy.

Legislative Outlook for Economic Development

Posted by – Stephanie Carroll, Manager of Business Development & Community Relations

On Tuesday, I attended the Michigan Economic Developers Association’s (MEDA) Capitol Day in Lansing.  I look forward to this event each year.

Senator Arlan Meekhof talks about Michigan’s economic development strategy

This event is a chance for economic developers to hear from elected officials on what they are working on for the next legislative session.  It is also a great opportunity for economic development professionals to have face-to-face interactions with legislators to talk about the tools we use in Michigan for attraction and retention projects.   We talked about infrastructure challenges, out-of-state competition and other issues impacting our ability to attract new investment.

The day ended with a wonderful reception that allowed us to continue our conversations with elected officials about the great things happening in our communities.

Making A Comeback

Posted by – Stephanie Carroll, Manager of Business Development & Community Relations

As part of my role at the City, I work with a great team that focuses on economic development.  So what exactly does that mean?  Well in more general terms, economic development is the focus of state, county and local governments to improve the standard of living through the creation of jobs, the support of innovation and new ideas, and the creation of an overall better quality of life for the citizens of Michigan.

Group photo of many of my peers from other communities in the region.

Ten years ago, I attended my first Michigan Economic Developers Association (MEDA) Annual Meeting in Detroit.  This year, we were back in Detroit to learn how to develop an eye for seeing our communities in a different light.  It’s an exciting time for economic development in Michigan and this year’s MEDA Annual meeting was appropriately themed “Retooled.” Detroit Mayor Duggan kicked off the conference with an update and future look at the City.  Throughout the week, we attended sessions about rebranding our communities, re-growing Michigan’s Farms, and rethinking entrepreneurship.

This was also a great opportunity to network and talk about the programs that we often use to conduct economic development and learn about what’s changing and how it will affect how we do our jobs.  All the sessions focused on our current assets and how we can better use them to continue to make our communities great!

Learning best practices on how communities can assist businesses expand the economy.

We definitely have a lot of work and challenges ahead of us, but the conference gave me an introspective look at the profession and the effectiveness and impact of economic development in the State.

MEDA’s Capitol Day

Posted by – Stephanie Carroll, Manager of Business Development & Community Relations

Last week, I attended the Michigan Economic Developers Association’s Capitol Day in Lansing.  Capitol Day is MEDA’s annual legislative conference.  This one-day conference includes sessions on the latest legislative issues related to economic development as well as State and Federal agency updates on economic development initiatives and laws.  It’s always great to get corporate and legislate perspectives on the business climate in Michigan.

The discussion centered on economic development challenges and opportunities in Michigan and how, as economic developers, this is impacting our ability to retain and attract companies and talent to our state.  Sessions included panel discussions about skilled labor challenges, tax increment financing and how Michigan ranks among other states for incentives.

Even though Michigan is becoming a more business-friendly state, state and local programs and services and services, such as incentives still have a strong influence on corporate decisions to expand and locate in our state.  Auburn Hills prides itself on being a business-friendly community and being able to assist our companies with talent, training and other needs is key to our collective success.

Learning How To Do “It” Better

Posted by – Stephanie Carroll, Manager of Business Development & Community Relations

I’m often asked by people … What exactly does economic development mean?  What is “it”? 

Well, in more general terms, economic development is the focus state, county, and municipal governments have on improving the standard of living of its citizens through the creation of jobs and the support of innovation and new ideas.  This intentional focus is intended to facilitate an overall better quality of life for people.

Our ability to attract, retain, and grow business in Michigan depends on many factors. We’re regularly competing with other countries and states for jobs and investment.  It’s the role of our profession to make the best business case possible to companies to encourage them to locate or invest in our respective communities.

The face of economic development is constantly changing and it’s difficult to keep up sometimes.  I have the good fortune of being on the Board of Directors for the Michigan Economic Developers Association (MEDA).  We held our annual meeting last week up in Shanty Creek and the theme of the conference was Forging Michigan’s Future.

Stephanie Carroll networking with Alan Weber from Oakland County

This was a great opportunity to network and talk about the programs that we often use and how we can work together.  We also learned about what’s changing and how it will affect how we do our jobs.  If you’ve read the news lately, there is a lot of talk about road funding, budgets, and all things politics.

Michigan definitely has a lot of work and many challenges ahead of it, but the conference gave me an introspective look at the profession and the role we play in making our communities better.  It was an excellent experience.