RESEARCH CENTER: CMU Setting Up in Uptown, Aiming to Spur Growth
New Estimate of Total Uptown Investments -- $100 Million!
November 4, 2016
By: Dave Rogers
Erin Strang, CMURC president and CEO.
Central Michigan University Research Corporation (CMURC) is expanding into Uptown Bay City, establishing an incubator center, with the aim of helping businesses expand in the mid-Michigan region.
A news release sent by CMURC also reveals that the total investment in Uptown Bay City now is calculated at $100 million -- double the initial report of $50 million.
"This not only is great news for Bay County's economic development efforts, it is recognition validating the success of the efforts of Bay Future, Inc., the public-private economic development organization," said County Executive Thomas L. Hickner.
The CMURC office here will give entrepreneurs and businesses across the region access to growth and job creation resources that have the power to boost the economy, said Erin Strang, president and CEO of CMURC.
Business people planning start-ups or expansion now may come to Uptown to collaborate with CMURC experts and seek help.
Through the CMURC center, local, regional and statewide partners assist in accelerating the success of entrepreneurs, growing businesses, and jobs. CMURC is a single source of contact providing physical space and essential business services. CMURC also encourages interaction and partnerships, which accelerates emerging organizations to develop their ideas and bring them to market quickly.
The 5,000 square foot CMURC center at Uptown will feature coworking, flexible workspace, board room, kitchen and corporate partner VIP room while also providing tenants access to a team of service providers that aid in business development.
There will also be collaborative opportunities with business experts to give entrepreneurs a chance to exchange ideas and solicit advice.
CMURC will locate in the 35-acre waterfront development, by Shaheen Development, with global corporations and local companies.
"The vision of Uptown Bay City and CMURC perfectly align. Both organizations are dedicated to the growth and development of the Great Lakes Bay Region, embracing an entrepreneurial spirit to inspire future leaders," said Samuel Shaheen, M.D., president and CEO of Shaheen Development and construction partner of CMURC.
Ms. Strang has a bachelor's degree in Business Administration from Lake Superior State University and a master's degree in Public Administration from Oakland University.
"At Uptown, CMURC's clients will be surrounded by additional world-class organizations such as The Dow Chemical Company, Michigan Sugar, McLaren Bay Region and more than $100 million in investments to date. We are thrilled and honored to welcome a visionary leader, Erin Strang, and her dynamic CMURC team to Uptown Bay City."
The team works with local businesses, chambers of commerce, economic development organizations and Central Michigan University to harness and make available the intellectual, technological and material resources that help businesses thrive.
Since its inception, CMURC has been the ideal environment for growing or establishing a business. CMURC is more than a space in which to work. CMURC provides:
* Ideation and commercialization programs that build the foundation every entrepreneur needs,
* Entrepreneurial insight,
* Networking experiences that provoke sharing and deal flow,
* Scalable facilities, and
* Experiences that foster connections and growth.
"CMURC is true to its tagline of 'accelerating business' by offering a variety of space and programming for local Bay City entrepreneurs to nurture their creative projects throughout all stages of development," said Erin Strang, CMURC president and CEO.
CMURC partners with professionals that entrepreneurs need, including but not limited to, graphic designers, lawyers, accountants, and engineers, allowing them to grow their business. Over the past three years, entrepreneurs at CMURC have launched a variety of companies--resulting in over an $18 million injection into the Great Lakes Bay Region's economy.
Located along the Uptown riverfront, the 90,000 sq. ft., mixed-use, Uptown Place building features both commercial and retail opportunities. The first floor Galleria will feature a selection of unique retail, food, and restaurant opportunities in a covered arcade, while floors two through four feature a diverse portfolio of commercial space.
"Expanding to additional locations will allow us to best serve the region," said Strang.
CMURC is a nonprofit business incubator focused on advancing economic development in the community by leveraging the resources of Central Michigan University, the Mount Pleasant SmartZone, and the Michigan Economic Development Corporation's 21st Century Jobs Trust Fund.
For more information about CMURC's expansion, programs and spaces, please visit cmurc.com or contact Elissa Richmond-Gagne at 989-774-2424 or cmurc@cmurc.com.
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