'The aim is to keep these young people in the area'
Expert: Engineering, business graduates in demand with local employers
Creating a sense of place and community -- as illustrated in this Aug. 21, 2021, file photo of the Mount Pleasant Farmers Market on East Broadway Street -- is critical keeping young talent in the community, Middle Michigan Development Corporation President and CEO James McBryde told the Isabella County Commissioners on Tuesday. (CM Life photo | Aurora Rae | File)
Last year, the Middle Michigan Development Corporation visited 171 companies in the four counties it serves, responding to more than 300 requests for assistance. Those visits resulted in $57 million in investment and 577 new net jobs.
Moreover, new graduates from Central Michigan University and Mid Michigan College are target candidates for many of those positions.
That was the message corporation President and CEO James McBryde had for the Isabella County Commissioners Tuesday evening, the same day the organization held its annual meeting in Mount Pleasant. In his report to the county, McBryde highlighted many of the successes his organization sited in its 2023 Annual Report.
“We don’t just focus on retaining and expanding the businesses we have, we also look at attraction and entrepreneurism,” McBryde said. “We have to keep constantly focusing on talent and workforce development.”
The corporation is charged with growing economy and attracting, retaining and expanding businesses in Clare, Gladwin, Isabella and Osceola counties, according to its website. According to the U.S. Census Bureau, as of 2022, the most recent time frame for which data is available, 19.4 percent of Isabella County residents were living at or below the Federal poverty level.
A major effort for growing the employee base, McBryde said, involves keeping area grads in the area after they finish their degrees.
“In terms of attracting young people, keeping people here, place is so important. More so than we ever thought,” he said.
He pointed to efforts like the City of Mount Pleasant’s $2.2 million Town Center renovation at the corner of Broadway and Main streets. The project is currently underway and will include expanded green space, better pedestrian lighting, more parking and universally accessible design, among others, plans show.
Last year, the corporation conducted its fifth annual Coming Home event, a networking fair that saw about 180 job hunters meeting with 21 area employers. Most of the would-be employees were Central Michigan University students on the cusp of graduation, he said.
“The aim is to keep these young people in the area to fill the local jobs that are here,” McBryde told the commissioners.
Commissioner Tobin Hope (D-7), pointed out that the university’s international student population has rapidly grown in the past few years, bringing bright minds and energy from around the world. What, he asked, are the keys to getting those global graduates to stay here?
“A job,” McBryde answered.
“The biggest demand for our local companies would be students coming out of the engineering school,” he said. “The state of Michigan graduates as many engineers as the other 49 states combined, and we still have a shortage.
“There’s a lot of interest coming out of engineering and a lot of interest in students coming out of the (College of) Business. … We try to connect those departments with those employers.”
Additionally, he said, welders, machinists and other skilled-trade graduates of Mid Michigan College are in high demand.
“We want to stay fresh,” McBryde said. “Stay out there and work with these people who advise companies on where their next (location) is going to be.”
