# Michigan Business Resources Michigan combines one of the country's deepest manufacturing and automotive supply bases with a growing technology and advanced-mobility sector centered around Detroit, Grand Rapids, and Ann Arbor. For a manufacturer or tech company operating here - or evaluating a move here - the hard part is usually knowing where to start: which state agency handles what, which regional economic development group covers your county, where to find funding or workforce training, and which trade shows and reports are actually worth your time. This hub collects the organizations, events, and data sources FreedomDev's own team references most often, grouped into a dozen categories from state agencies to cybersecurity compliance. It isn't a sales page - for that, see our page on software development in Michigan - it's a working reference we keep current for businesses operating in or expanding into the state. --- ## State Agencies - [Michigan Economic Development Corporation (MEDC)](https://www.michiganbusiness.org/) — The state's lead economic development agency - incentives, export assistance, and site-selection support. - [Dept. of Labor and Economic Opportunity (LEO)](https://www.michigan.gov/leo) — State department overseeing workforce programs, apprenticeships, and talent development. - [Licensing and Regulatory Affairs (LARA)](https://www.michigan.gov/lara) — Handles business entity filings, professional licensing, and regulatory compliance. - [Michigan Works! Association](https://www.michiganworks.org/) — Statewide network of 16 regional workforce agencies connecting employers with hiring and training programs. - [Michigan Economic Developers Association (MEDA)](https://www.medaweb.org/) — Directory and association of Michigan's local economic developers - a good starting point for finding your regional EDO. - [Michigan Attorney General - Consumer Protection](https://www.michigan.gov/ag) — State consumer protection division, relevant for business compliance questions and complaint resolution. --- ## Regional Economic Development - [Invest UP](https://www.investupmi.com/) — Regional economic development organization serving Michigan's Upper Peninsula. - [Networks Northwest](https://www.networksnorthwest.org/) — Economic and workforce development organization covering Northwest Michigan. - [The Right Place](https://www.rightplace.org/) — West Michigan's regional economic development organization, based in Grand Rapids. - [Lakeshore Advantage](https://lakeshoreadvantage.com/) — Economic development organization for Ottawa and Allegan counties - FreedomDev's home region. - [Southwest Michigan First](https://southwestmichiganfirst.com/) — Economic development organization serving the Kalamazoo region. - [Cornerstone Alliance](https://cstonealliance.org/) — Economic development organization serving Berrien County. - [Middle Michigan Development Corporation](https://mmdc.org/) — Economic development organization serving Central Michigan. - [Saginaw Future](https://www.saginawfuture.com/) — Economic development organization for the Great Lakes Bay region. - [Flint & Genesee Group](https://www.flintandgenesee.org/) — Economic development and chamber organization serving Flint and Genesee County. - [Lansing Economic Area Partnership (LEAP)](https://www.purelansing.com/) — Economic development organization for the Lansing / Capital region. - [Ann Arbor SPARK](https://annarborusa.org/) — Economic development organization serving Washtenaw and Livingston counties. - [Detroit Regional Partnership](https://www.detroitregionalpartnership.com/) — Economic development organization covering an 11-county Detroit metro region. - [Detroit Economic Growth Corporation](https://www.degc.org/) — Nonprofit economic development corporation focused on the City of Detroit. - [Advantage Oakland (Oakland County Economic Development)](https://www.advantageoakland.com/) — Oakland County's official economic development arm, covering business attraction and workforce initiatives. - [Macomb County Planning & Economic Development](https://www.macombgov.org/macomb-business) — Macomb County's economic development department, covering business attraction and site selection. --- ## Manufacturing & Technology Support - [Michigan Manufacturing Technology Center (MMTC)](https://www.the-center.org/) — Michigan's NIST MEP center - lean and quality consulting, cybersecurity/CMMC readiness, and Industry 4.0 support. - [Automation Alley](https://automationalley.com/) — Southeast Michigan technology business association focused on Industry 4.0 adoption and its Integr8 roundtable series. - [Technology Council of West Michigan](https://www.rightplace.org/regional-industries/information-technology/technology-council) — West Michigan IT industry group hosted by The Right Place; organizes Tech Week GR. - [Pure Michigan Business Connect (PMBC)](https://www.michiganbusiness.org/services/pmbc/) — MEDC supplier-matchmaking program connecting Michigan manufacturers with new customers and capital. - [Michigan APEX Accelerators](https://www.miapex.org/) — Free counseling for Michigan businesses pursuing government contracts (formerly the state's PTAC program). - [SME](https://www.sme.org/) — Manufacturing engineering professional association headquartered in Southfield. - [AIAG](https://www.aiag.org/) — Automotive supply-chain quality and standards organization based in Southfield. - [MEMA (formerly OESA)](https://www.mema.org/) — Motor & Equipment Manufacturers Association, representing automotive suppliers (OESA is now part of MEMA). --- ## Chambers of Commerce - [Michigan Chamber of Commerce](https://www.michamber.com/) — Statewide chamber representing Michigan businesses on policy and advocacy. - [Detroit Regional Chamber](https://www.detroitchamber.com/) — Southeast Michigan's regional chamber, home to MichAuto and the Mackinac Policy Conference. - [Grand Rapids Chamber](https://grandrapids.org/) — Grand Rapids area chamber of commerce, with a member directory covering local tech companies. - [West Coast Chamber (Holland/Zeeland)](https://www.westcoastchamber.org/) — Chamber of commerce serving the Holland and Zeeland area, home to FreedomDev. - [Muskegon Lakeshore Chamber](https://www.muskegon.org/) — Chamber of commerce serving the Muskegon lakeshore area. - [Lansing Regional Chamber](https://www.lansingchamber.org/) — Chamber of commerce serving the Lansing / Capital region. - [Ann Arbor/Ypsilanti Regional Chamber](https://www.a2ychamber.org/) — Chamber of commerce serving Ann Arbor and Ypsilanti. - [Traverse Connect](https://traverseconnect.com/) — Chamber and economic development organization for the Traverse City area. --- ## Industry Associations - [Michigan Manufacturers Association (MMA)](https://mimfg.org/) — Statewide trade association representing Michigan manufacturers on policy and advocacy. - [Small Business Association of Michigan (SBAM)](https://www.sbam.org/) — Statewide small-business advocacy association and resource hub. - [MichBio](https://www.michbio.org/) — Trade association for Michigan's life sciences and biotech industry. - [Michigan Council of Women in Technology](https://mcwt.org/) — Membership organization supporting women in Michigan's technology industry. - [Michigan Venture Capital Association (MVCA)](https://michiganvca.org/) — Association of Michigan venture capital firms and investors. - [TechTown Detroit](https://techtowndetroit.org/) — Detroit-based business incubator and accelerator for tech and research-driven startups. - [Start Garden](https://startgarden.com/) — Grand Rapids-based early-stage investor and startup accelerator. --- ## Small Business Support - [Better Business Bureau of Michigan](https://www.bbb.org/local-bbb/bbb-of-michigan) — The newly unified statewide BBB, formed from the 2026 merger of the former Western Michigan and Eastern Michigan/U.P. bureaus. - [Michigan Small Business Development Center](https://michigansbdc.org/) — Free business consulting and training through a statewide network of SBDC offices. - [Michigan SBDC - West Michigan Region](https://michigansbdc.org/west-michigan-region/) — West Michigan SBDC region hosted by Grand Valley State University, covering 13 counties. - [SCORE Mentoring](https://www.score.org/how-mentoring-works/) — Free small-business mentoring from experienced volunteer business professionals. - [SBA Michigan District Office](https://www.sba.gov/district/michigan) — U.S. Small Business Administration's Michigan district office - loans, counseling, and federal programs. - [Michigan Women Forward](https://miwf.org/) — Nonprofit providing loans and support for women-owned businesses in Michigan. --- ## Funding & Incentives - [Going PRO Talent Fund](https://www.michigan.gov/leo/bureaus-agencies/wd/programs-services/going-pro-talent-fund) — State grant program funding employer-led skills training (FY2026 funding was cut 42%, to $22.3M). - [SBIR / STTR](https://www.sbir.gov/) — Federal R&D funding programs for small businesses, including Michigan-based applicants. - [Grand Angels (Michigan Capital Network)](https://michigancapitalnetwork.com/grand-angels/) — West Michigan angel investment group backing early-stage technology and health companies. --- ## Workforce & Education - [University of Michigan](https://www.umich.edu/) — Research university with extensive industry-engagement and tech-transfer programs. - [Michigan State University](https://msu.edu/) — Land-grant research university with strong agriculture, engineering, and business programs. - [Michigan Technological University](https://www.mtu.edu/) — Engineering- and technology-focused university in the Upper Peninsula. - [Wayne State University](https://wayne.edu/) — Detroit research university with strong engineering and medical programs. - [Grand Valley State University](https://www.gvsu.edu/) — West Michigan university that hosts the SBDC's West Michigan region office. - [Western Michigan University](https://wmich.edu/) — Research university based in Kalamazoo with engineering and business programs. - [Kettering University](https://www.kettering.edu/) — Flint-based university known for its co-op engineering program with manufacturers. - [Lawrence Technological University](https://ltu.edu/) — Southfield-based university focused on engineering, architecture, and business. - [Ferris State University](https://www.ferris.edu/) — Big Rapids-based university with career-focused technical and business programs. --- ## Cybersecurity & Compliance - [Michigan Cyber Civilian Corps (MiC3)](https://www.michigan.gov/dtmb/services/cybersecurity/Michigan-Cyber-Civilian-Corps-MiC3) — State-coordinated volunteer corps of cybersecurity experts providing rapid-response support during incidents. --- ## Reports & Data - [Michigan Bureau of Labor Market Information](https://milmi.org/) — State labor market data: employment, wages, and industry projections. --- ## News & Media - [Crain's Grand Rapids Business](https://www.crainsgrandrapids.com/) — West Michigan business news, formed from the 2023 merger of MiBiz and the Grand Rapids Business Journal. - [Crain's Detroit Business](https://www.crainsdetroit.com/) — Detroit-area business news and analysis. - [DBusiness](https://www.dbusiness.com/) — Detroit-area business magazine covering regional companies and economic trends. - [Rapid Growth Media](https://rapidgrowthmedia.com/) — West Michigan-focused media covering community and economic development news. --- ## Upcoming Events - [The Battery Show North America](https://www.thebatteryshow.com/) — 2026-10-12 to 2026-10-15, Detroit - [Michigan Cyber Summit](https://www.michigan.gov/dtmb/about/newsroom/all-news/2026/09/24/2026-michigan-cyber-summit-and-michigan-high-school-cyber-summit-to-be-held-in-october) — 2026-10-15 to 2026-10-15, Novi - [RAPID + TCT](https://www.rapid3devent.com/) — 2027-04-12 to 2027-04-15, Detroit - [TECHSPO Detroit](https://techspodetroit.com/) — 2027-05-26 to 2027-05-27, Detroit - [ITEC (IEEE Transportation Electrification Conference)](https://itec-conf.com/) — 2027-06-16 to 2027-06-18, Novi - [AutoTech](https://autotechevents.com/home/) — 2027-06-22 to 2027-06-23, Novi - [Greater Detroit Design-2-Part Show](https://www.d2p.com/) — 2027-06-23 to 2027-06-24, Novi - [Advanced Manufacturing Expo (AME)](https://www.advancedmanufacturingexpo.com/) — usually Late July, Grand Rapids - [Tech Week GR](https://www.techweekgr.com/) — usually Mid-September, Grand Rapids - [GrrCON](https://grrcon.com/) — usually Late September, Grand Rapids - [Detroit Auto Show](https://detroitautoshow.com/) — usually January, Detroit - [Mackinac Policy Conference](https://www.detroitchamber.com/mackinac-policy-conference/) — usually Late May, Mackinac Island --- ## Reports & Data - [Michigan Economic Outlook (RSQE)](https://prod.lsa.umich.edu/content/dam/econ-assets/Econdocs/RSQE%20PDFs/RSQE_MI_Forecast_March2026.pdf) — University of Michigan Research Seminar in Quantitative Economics - [Labor market data and projections](https://milmi.org/) — Michigan Bureau of Labor Market Information - [MEDC reports and transparency data](https://www.michiganbusiness.org/reports-data/transparency/) — Michigan Economic Development Corporation - [MEP National Network resources](https://www.nist.gov/mep) — NIST Manufacturing Extension Partnership - [Quarterly Census of Employment and Wages](https://www.bls.gov/cew/) — U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics - [Annual Survey of Manufactures](https://www.census.gov/programs-surveys/asm.html) — U.S. Census Bureau - [Michigan venture capital research report](https://michiganvca.org/) — Michigan Venture Capital Association - [Michigan benchmarking report](https://businessleadersformichigan.com/) — Business Leaders for Michigan - [Research and policy analysis](https://crcmich.org/) — Citizens Research Council of Michigan --- Last verified 2026-10-01. --- **Canonical URL**: https://www.freedomdev.com/locations/michigan/resources _Last updated: 2026-10-02_