Educational attainment is still the number one indicator of economic prosperity for the region’s employers and other leaders, according to results of a poll at the annual State of the Region event held May 13. The same issue emerged as the top concern in 2008. In the past year, WMSA has addressed the issue head on by starting an Internship Initiative as a way to help both students and employers in the region. Just last month, that initiative reached a major goal with the launch of InternInMichigan.com, a collaborative effort with the Detroit Regional Chamber to create 25,000 new internships statewide within five years.

State of Region Attendees Provide Input in Poll

More than 340 representatives from business, government, education and nonprofit institutions gave their input at the annual State of the Region Event May 13. 93% of them believe that regional collaboration has improved the quality of life in West Michigan. They also ranked educational attainment, health coverage, and toxic releases as the most important economic, social, and environmental indicators of quality in the region.

Read the full report of the poll results on the WMSA Web site.

Agriculture in West Michigan… A Growing Industry

Recently released data from the 2007 USDA Agricultural Census (for the period 2002 through 2007) estimates the market value of agriculture production in West Michigan at approximately $1.6 billion annually. This exhibits an increase of 64% in Market Value Production in 5 years. Agriculture in West Michigan is a “growing industry”. Pun Intended.

According to the census in the 8 counties that the West Michigan Strategic Alliance (WMSA) serves the agricultural industry employs 19,211 people in 1,445 businesses. It also illustrates that the agricultural industry is showing signs of continued growth during times when many other industries in the state are struggling.

To read the full article and find out what this means for West Michigan, please click here.

WMSA Reaches Out Via Social Media

In addition to its Web site, WMSA is now reaching out via various social media tools. Recently we created a Facebook group, a Twitter account, and a blog called Regionally Connected to reach a broader base of regional stakeholders. These social media tools will enable WMSA to communicate more regularly and effectively with current partners, and to reach out to potential new audiences.

We encourage you to start your own Facebook page, join our group and invite your friends to join as well. Want to keep up with the great things going on in the region and at WMSA? Join Twitter (click on the link above) and follow WMSA (@WMichAlliance). Also, please bookmark our blog or subscribe to it using RSS by clicking on the “Feeds” symbol at the top of the page. (Read a basic tutorial on RSS or watch a brief video).