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The City of East Lansing's Department of Planning, Building & Development works to create and grow the economic development sector in East Lansing. Through innovative programs, new economy initiatives and close collaboration with developers and entrepreneurs, East Lansing has become a destination for corporations, organizations and entrepreneurs to start and expand their operations

 

The City of East Lansing works with a number of community partners, such as the Lansing Economic Area Partnership (LEAP) and Michigan State University (MSU), to further economic development initiatives in East Lansing and the Greater Lansing area. In recent years, the City celebrated the graduation of the first tenants of the East Lansing Technology Innovation Center, launched The Hatch program and expanded its high-tech incubation to virtual tenants. The City is also currently working to create additional office space in the downtown through several projects.

 

The City is also home to a growing office district in its Northern Tier, paving the way for the successful opening and/or expansion of banking institutions and insurance companies. In addition, the City is preparing for the construction of the Facility for Rare Isotope Beams (FRIB) - a $600 million facility that will provide research opportunities for approximately 1,000 scientists and researchers (construction is expected to take a decade). Additionally, the Eli and Edythe Broad Art Museum, which opened in the fall of 2012 on the Michigan State University campus, is a cultural gem attracting thousands of visitors to our vibrant downtown.

 

East Lansing has received numerous accolades, including being named one of the 10 "Best College Towns to Start a Business" by Entrepreneur magazine in 2009 and a Four Star Community for it's work to foster entrepreneurial growth.





The City of East Lansing's Department of Planning, Building & Development works to create and grow the economic development sector in East Lansing. Through innovative programs, new economy initiatives and close collaboration with developers and entrepreneurs, East Lansing has become a destination for corporations, organizations and entrepreneurs to start and expand their operations

 

The City of East Lansing works with a number of community partners, such as the Lansing Economic Area Partnership (LEAP) and Michigan State University (MSU), to further economic development initiatives in East Lansing and the Greater Lansing area. In recent years, the City celebrated the graduation of the first tenants of the East Lansing Technology Innovation Center, launched The Hatch program and expanded its high-tech incubation to virtual tenants. The City is also currently working to create additional office space in the downtown through several projects.

 

The City is also home to a growing office district in its Northern Tier, paving the way for the successful opening and/or expansion of banking institutions and insurance companies. In addition, the City is preparing for the construction of the Facility for Rare Isotope Beams (FRIB) - a $600 million facility that will provide research opportunities for approximately 1,000 scientists and researchers (construction is expected to take a decade). Additionally, the Eli and Edythe Broad Art Museum, which opened in the fall of 2012 on the Michigan State University campus, is a cultural gem attracting thousands of visitors to our vibrant downtown.

 

East Lansing has received numerous accolades, including being named one of the 10 "Best College Towns to Start a Business" by Entrepreneur magazine in 2009 and a Four Star Community for it's work to foster entrepreneurial growth.

  • Hatch Tenant and MSU Student Business, TempoRun, Receives Accolades
    The Hatch tenant and MSU student business TempoRun is the winner of the Student Startup Madness Tournament at the 2013 South by Southwest Interactive! TempoRun was also the winner of the endowment award for undergraduate businesses at the 2013 Green Light Business Model Competition.
     
  • Lansing Ranks Among Top Six High-Tech Metro Areas
    Lansing Ranks Lansing ranks as the sixth top metropolitan area in the U.S. for high-tech job growth of 17.6 percent between 2010 and 2011 according to a study by Engine Advocacy.
     
  • MSU Eli and Edythe Broad Art Museum Opens
    East Lansing is home to the new Eli and Edythe Broad Art Museum located on the MSU campus. The three-level building - an art piece in itself - was designed by Pritzker Prize-winning architect Zaha Hadid. It is a premier venue for international contemporary art. Free admission.
     
  • Lansing Region Named 16th Brainiest City In U.S.
    The Atlantic Cities magazine named Lansing No. 16 on the list of America’s Brainiest Cities. A software program called Lumonsity tracked performance in memory, process speed, flexibility, attention and problem solving of more than one million users to collect their data using cognitive capacity as a key metric. Read full story
     
  • The Hatch Was Born
    The Hatch, housed within the Technology Innovation Center, is designed to host, assist and enable student entrepreneurs to cultivate their business ventures within a creative, co-working environment.
     
  • City of East Lansing moves up in rankings for "2011 Best Cities for Job Growth"
    Forbes Magazine released a study regarding "2011 Best Cities for Job Growth." East Lansing is ranked highest of the Michigan cities included in the study and is the only mid-sized city in the Great Lakes region to earn a nod.
     
  • IBM Global Delivery Center and FRIB Come to East Lansing
    Since its opening, IBM has hired 483 people while the Facility for Rare Isotope Beams (FRIB), a cutting-edge research facility to advance understanding of rare nuclear isotopes and the evolution of the cosmos, will provide research opportunities for approximately 1,000 scientists and researchers.
     
  • TIC Celebrates Four-Year Anniversary
    The East Lansing Technology Innovation Center (TIC), a business incubator for start-up companies created to facilitate growth of mid-Michigan’s technology-based economy, celebrated its three-year anniversary. The TIC has been at or near full capacity since its opening in 2008.
     
  • East Lansing Identified as a Four-Star Community
    East Lansing was identified as a four-star community in the state for its work to foster entrepreneurial growth and economic development according to the 2012 eCities study, conducted by the University of Michigan-Dearborn’s Center for Innovation Research.
     
  • Spartan Technology Development Expands in East Lansing
    East Lansing is growing its manufacturing base with the expansion of Spartan Technology Development’s Working Bugs unit on the city’s northeastern side. The move will add jobs to the new biochemical manufacturing facility.
     
  • LAUNCHED, A Celebration of Lansing-area Entrepreneurship
    Retia Medical, a TIC tenant, was awarded the City of East Lansing-sponsored innovation award at the fourth annual LAUNCHED event.
     
  • Biggby Coffee is one of the fastest growing coffee retail franchises in the U.S.
    Biggby Coffee, a specialty coffee, tea, smoothies and baked goods retail chain, founded in East Lansing in 1994, is one of the fastest growing coffee retail franchises in the U.S. The business has recently has recently moved up on the Entrepreneur Magazine annual Magazine annual Top 500 Franchise Report.
     
  • Trowbridge Road Business Association
    The recently formed association of businesses and property owners is working on joint promotion and branding of the unique assets that the area has to offer. Recent improvements to the Trowbridge Road area include the renovation of the gas station and the opening of several restaurant and service businesses.
     
  • Brookfield Plaza Thrives
    Brookfield Plaza, the eastern gateway to the community, continues to grow. The plaza has recently added exciting new businesses to the already diverse and vibrant center.
     
  • Lansing-East Lansing Rank #1 in Nation for Job Growth
    The Lansing-East Lansing MSA (Metropolitan Statistical Area) ranked first in three job growth categories (Goods Producing, Manufacturing and Transportation and Utilities) in a report released in January 2012 by Urban Institute’s MetroTrends. The report tracked growth in jobs since June 2009.
     
  • Transportation Enhancement Grant
    The City is seeking to install non-motorized pathways, two pedestrian crosswalks and sharrow symbols in the outermost traffic lane, along East Grand River Avenue between Collingwood and Hagadorn Road. This work will be undertaken in coordination with roadway work that is slated to be done by the Michigan Department of Transportation (MDOT) in 2013.
     
  • BioPhotonic Solutions Inc. and Phenometrics Inc. receive top awards from GLEQ
    Two East Lansing-based companies, BioPhotonic Solutions Inc. and Phenometrics Inc., received the first and second place award from the Great Lakes Entrepreneur’s Quest, a statewide business plan competition, during ACE’12 entrepreneurship event.
     
  • Hatch Tenant and MSU Student Business, TempoRun, Receives Accolades
    The Hatch tenant and MSU student business TempoRun is the winner of the Student Startup Madness Tournament at the 2013 South by Southwest Interactive! TempoRun was also the winner of the endowment award for undergraduate businesses at the 2013 Green Light Business Model Competition.
     
  • Lansing Ranks Among Top Six High-Tech Metro Areas
    Lansing Ranks Lansing ranks as the sixth top metropolitan area in the U.S. for high-tech job growth of 17.6 percent between 2010 and 2011 according to a study by Engine Advocacy.
     
  • MSU Eli and Edythe Broad Art Museum Opens
    East Lansing is home to the new Eli and Edythe Broad Art Museum located on the MSU campus. The three-level building - an art piece in itself - was designed by Pritzker Prize-winning architect Zaha Hadid. It is a premier venue for international contemporary art. Free admission.
     
  • Lansing Region Named 16th Brainiest City In U.S.
    The Atlantic Cities magazine named Lansing No. 16 on the list of America’s Brainiest Cities. A software program called Lumonsity tracked performance in memory, process speed, flexibility, attention and problem solving of more than one million users to collect their data using cognitive capacity as a key metric. Read full story
     
  • The Hatch Was Born
    The Hatch, housed within the Technology Innovation Center, is designed to host, assist and enable student entrepreneurs to cultivate their business ventures within a creative, co-working environment.
     
  • City of East Lansing moves up in rankings for "2011 Best Cities for Job Growth"
    Forbes Magazine released a study regarding "2011 Best Cities for Job Growth." East Lansing is ranked highest of the Michigan cities included in the study and is the only mid-sized city in the Great Lakes region to earn a nod.
     
  • IBM Global Delivery Center and FRIB Come to East Lansing
    Since its opening, IBM has hired 483 people while the Facility for Rare Isotope Beams (FRIB), a cutting-edge research facility to advance understanding of rare nuclear isotopes and the evolution of the cosmos, will provide research opportunities for approximately 1,000 scientists and researchers.
     
  • TIC Celebrates Four-Year Anniversary
    The East Lansing Technology Innovation Center (TIC), a business incubator for start-up companies created to facilitate growth of mid-Michigan’s technology-based economy, celebrated its three-year anniversary. The TIC has been at or near full capacity since its opening in 2008.
     
  • East Lansing Identified as a Four-Star Community
    East Lansing was identified as a four-star community in the state for its work to foster entrepreneurial growth and economic development according to the 2012 eCities study, conducted by the University of Michigan-Dearborn’s Center for Innovation Research.
     
  • Spartan Technology Development Expands in East Lansing
    East Lansing is growing its manufacturing base with the expansion of Spartan Technology Development’s Working Bugs unit on the city’s northeastern side. The move will add jobs to the new biochemical manufacturing facility.
     
  • LAUNCHED, A Celebration of Lansing-area Entrepreneurship
    Retia Medical, a TIC tenant, was awarded the City of East Lansing-sponsored innovation award at the fourth annual LAUNCHED event.
     
  • Biggby Coffee is one of the fastest growing coffee retail franchises in the U.S.
    Biggby Coffee, a specialty coffee, tea, smoothies and baked goods retail chain, founded in East Lansing in 1994, is one of the fastest growing coffee retail franchises in the U.S. The business has recently has recently moved up on the Entrepreneur Magazine annual Magazine annual Top 500 Franchise Report.
     
  • Trowbridge Road Business Association
    The recently formed association of businesses and property owners is working on joint promotion and branding of the unique assets that the area has to offer. Recent improvements to the Trowbridge Road area include the renovation of the gas station and the opening of several restaurant and service businesses.
     
  • Brookfield Plaza Thrives
    Brookfield Plaza, the eastern gateway to the community, continues to grow. The plaza has recently added exciting new businesses to the already diverse and vibrant center.
     
  • Lansing-East Lansing Rank #1 in Nation for Job Growth
    The Lansing-East Lansing MSA (Metropolitan Statistical Area) ranked first in three job growth categories (Goods Producing, Manufacturing and Transportation and Utilities) in a report released in January 2012 by Urban Institute’s MetroTrends. The report tracked growth in jobs since June 2009.
     
  • Transportation Enhancement Grant
    The City is seeking to install non-motorized pathways, two pedestrian crosswalks and sharrow symbols in the outermost traffic lane, along East Grand River Avenue between Collingwood and Hagadorn Road. This work will be undertaken in coordination with roadway work that is slated to be done by the Michigan Department of Transportation (MDOT) in 2013.
     
  • BioPhotonic Solutions Inc. and Phenometrics Inc. receive top awards from GLEQ
    Two East Lansing-based companies, BioPhotonic Solutions Inc. and Phenometrics Inc., received the first and second place award from the Great Lakes Entrepreneur’s Quest, a statewide business plan competition, during ACE’12 entrepreneurship event.
     

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