WITH ALL OUR RESOURCES,
YOU'LL FIND SUCCESS IN LAPEER COUNTY
The Lapeer County Development Corporation provides you numerous and varied resources. Information on financing, licensing, taxation, human resource issues, selling, accounting, business planning, developing a market strategy, and so much more. See below.
Call LDC Director Sam Moore today for an appointment or to meet with a business counselor.
WE OFFER BUSINESS SERVICES & SUPPORT
The Lapeer Development Corporation (LDC) offers several options for enhancing your business operations that will assist you in growing your business in Lapeer County.
- Click here for LDC Business Services brochure.
- EDC Small Business Cohort : Offering intense Coaching and Mentoring, Hub Resources and Connections and $7,000 in Professional Services. Lmited spots available.
- Consultation Education and Training (CET) Services: The Michigan Economic Development Corporation (MEDC) offers free customized assistance to companies seeking to develop or improve their workplace safety and health management system. This is similar to a MIOSHA compliance inspection, but with no citations or penalties.
- Export Assistance: The LDC partners with the Michigan Economic Development Corporation (MEDC) and the U.S. Department of Commerce to ensure you have access to experienced specialists who can help your business in buying and selling goods and services abroad. The MEDC offers grant funding through the State Trade Export Program. More info
- Financial Analysis: The LDC can answer your questions on accounting practices, cash flow issues and information necessary for obtaining a commercial loan.
- Government Procurement Assistance: The LDC partners with the Procurement Technical Assistance Center (PTAC) to offer assistance to businesses interested in selling goods and services to local, state and federal governments. You can learn about how to get on the right lists, how to bid and how to administer government contracts.
- Manufacturing Wage & Benefit Survey: The LDC collaborates in a county and regional survey of local manufacturing companies to determine aggregate wage and benefit levels. Businesses that participate receive a copy of the report free of charge.
- Michigan Business Ombudsman: The Michigan Business Ombudsman office provides impartial and confidential assistance in investigating complaints against state agencies. The Ombudsman office also provides guidance through the regulatory process and helps make connections to state government resources.
- Michigan Manufacturing Technology Center (MMTC): The Michigan Manufacturing Technology Center offers innovative training and consulting services designed specifically for small to midsize manufacturers, including assistance in areas such as lean manufacturing and continuous improvement, quality systems, management and market diversification.
- Michigan Retired Engineer Technical Assistance Program (RETAP): Retired professionals provide free, non-regulatory pollution prevention assistance to your company, with a goal of finding ways to reduce your energy costs. Low-interest loans are also available for making improvements based on RETAP recommendations. Click here for more information.
- Performance Benchmarking: Michigan Manufacturing Technology Center (MMTC) provides a service that identifies the key characteristics of your business operations, compares you with your competitors in-state and out-of-state, offers support to fix any deficiencies and meets many certification requirements. It normally costs $795, but is free if you are a LDC member.
- Pure Michigan Business Connect: Matches people with resources including:
Customized Market Research
Executive and Professional Talent Search Assistance
Training Support
- Regional Demographic & Economic Data: The LDC can provide customized reports of demographic, economic and other relevant local data.
- Small Business Counseling: The LDC provides small business counseling to assist new ventures and existing small firms. We can help answer your questions about financing, licensing, taxation, human resource issues, selling, accounting, business planning and developing a marketing strategy.
- Workforce Hiring and Training: The LDC partners with local workforce assistance providers. GST Michigan Works can help you hire and train personnel to fit your operational needs.
WE OFFER MANY INCENTIVES & ASSISTANCE
Check out these great incentives
- Capital Access Program (CAP): Administered for the Michigan Strategic Fund (MSF) by the Michigan Economic Development Corporation (MEDC), is an innovative program available to assist businesses with capital needs. The CAP uses small amounts of public resources to generate private bank financing, providing small Michigan businesses access to capital that might not otherwise be available. More info
- Equity Capital Financing: The LDC can work with the Michigan Economic Development Corporation (MEDC) to identify and secure appropriate funds (angel, mezzanine and venture) to start or expand your business.
- Foreign Trade Zones: Help U.S. companies compete in the global marketplace by eliminating, deferring or reducing duties, and potentially, other costs.
- Michigan Business Development Program: Designed to provide grants, loans, or other economic assistance to businesses for highly competitive projects in Michigan that create jobs and/or provide investment.
- Michigan Collateral Support Program: Provides cash collateral accounts to lending institutions to enhance the collateral coverage of borrowers. The program can support up to 49.9% of a new commercial extension of credit up to $5 million.
- Michigan Department of Transportation (MDOT) Economic Development Road Projects: Provides funding for transportation projects to support private initiatives that create or retain jobs. More info
- Michigan Emerging Technologies Fund (ETF): Designed to expand funding opportunitites for Michigan technology based companies in the federal innovation research and development arena. More info
- Michigan Loan Participation Program: Participates with lenders to finance expansion and diversification projects by purchasing a portion of a loan from a lender and offering a grace period for principal and interest repayments for up to 36 months.
- Private Activity Bonds: Tax exempt private activity bonds are available through a local Economic Development Corporation or the Michigan Strategic Fund to acquire land, buildings and equipment related to the manufacturing process. Up to $10 million in bonds can be secured, with interest rates typically 75-85% of prime. Eligible sectors include manufacturing, non-profit projects and waste facilities.
The LDC manages or assists with the following Revolving Loan Funds:
- I-69 Regional Development Corporation Revolving Loan Fund: The fund offers small businesses financing of up to $500,000 for fixed asset or working capital in cooperation with the lending community. The interest rate and term are flexible depending on the financing request. More info
- I-69 Regional Development Corporation USDA Revolving Loan Fund: The fund is tailored to fit prospective expansion of an existing or new business for fixed assets or working capital. Loan amount, term and insterest rate are flexible.
- Imlay City Façade Loan Fund: Loans are available for façade improvements in the City of Imlay City downtown and commercials areas. Loans are available for up to $40,000 at 4% for up to 10 years.
- Lapeer Main Street Façade Loan Fund: Loans are available for façade improvements in the Lapeer Downtown Development Authority district. Loans are available for up to $20,000 at 3% for up to 5 years.
- City of Lapeer TIFA Revolving Loan Fund: Loans are available for up to $100,000 at a rate of 2% below New York Prime with a minimum rate of 4%. The loan terms range from 36 months for working capital and up to ten years for real estate.
- Small Business Administration (SBA) Loans: The SBA offers numerous loan opportunities to assist in business development, including guarantees for commercial loans and second position loans used to secure financing for up to 90% of the project cost. LDC can determine which SBA loan is the best fit for your project.
- USDA Rural Development Grants and Loans: The US Department of Agriculture (USDA) has several grant and loan programs available to foster business development. LDC can assist in determining eligibility.
TRANSPORTATION
Lapeer County is situated within 500 miles of one third of the U.S. population and is less than one hour from Ontario, Canada's largest province.
Highways
Interstate I-69, Lapeer County's main east-west freeway, provides a major transportation network to both Canadian and Midwest markets. It begins at the U.S. Canadian border, less than one hour from Lapeer County. The freeway connects Imlay City, the City of Lapeer and continues westward, passing nearby Flint Bishop International Airport. I-69 ties into Michigan's transportation system by intersecting with I-75, 20 miles east in Flint and I-94, 40 miles west in Port Huron. North-South highway transportation is provided by M-24 and M-53. Both State highways intersect with I-69 and travel through major metropolitan areas.
Driving Distance and Times to Selected Locations
Destination/Distance in miles Drive time and in hours
Detroit, MI 58 1
Sarnia, Ontario 58 1.25
Ann Arbor, MI 75 1.25
Lansing, MI 77 1.25
Toledo, OH 129 2
Toronto, ON 232 3.75
Columbus, OH 266 4.5
Chicago, IL 294 4.75
Indianapolis, IN 325 5
Cincinnati, OH 325 5
Madison, WI 438 7
Air
Dupont-Lapeer Airport is a general aviation airport offering public use facilities in Lapeer County.
Bishop International Airport, located in neighboring Genesee County, is served by passenger and cargo carriers.
Rail
Canadian National (CN), provides freight service in Lapeer County with direct routes from Chicago to Canada. The 6,129 foot St. Clair Tunnel accommodates double stack freight cars entering Canada. The line branches east to Toronto and south-west to Chicago and beyond eventually crossing into Mexico.
Lapeer Historical Railroad, a short line service, provides additional access to several industrial properties.
Amtrak provides frequent daily departures between Chicago and key cities in the five-state midwest area. There is an Amtrak passenger station in the City of Lapeer which runs from Toronto, Ontario to Chicago, IL.
UTILITIES
Energy Quick Facts
- In 2013, Michigan had more underground natural gas storage capacity -1.1 trillion cubic feet - than any other state in the nation.
- The Antrim Gas Field, located in Michigan's Lower Peninsula, is one of the nation's top 100 natural gas fields and produced an estimated 108 billion cubic feet of natural gas in 2012.
- In 2014, Michigan’s three nuclear power plants, with four reactor units, provided 30% of the state's net electricity generation.
- Michigan used coal for 50% of its net electricity generation in 2014. Much of Michigan's coal is brought by rail from Wyoming and Montana.
- Much of Michigan’s biomass energy comes from the state's almost 19 million acres of forest land. Biomass provided fuel for 35% of Michigan's renewable net electricity generation in 2014.
- Because the weather in Michigan is cooler than in other areas of the United States, space heating makes up a greater portion of energy use in homes (55%) compared to the U.S. average (41%), while air conditioning makes up only 1 percent of energy use, according to EIA's Residential Energy Consumption Survey.
Last Updated: March 19, 2015
Source: U.S. Energy Information Administration and CMS Energy
Utility Contacts
DTE Energy generates, transmits and distributes electricity to 2.1 million customers in southeastern Michigan. With an 11,084 megawatt system capacity, the company uses coal, nuclear fuel, natural gas, hydroelectric pumped storage and renewable energy sources to generate its electrical output. Founded in 1903, DTE Electric is the largest electric utility in Michigan and one of the largest in the nation. Large energy users require site specific analysis based on projected load requirements for inquiries of costs associated with connection to the system and availability of electricity. DTE Energy does not share specific locations or capacities of existing infrastructures in the interest of homeland security.
DTE Energy
313-204-8005
Consumers Energy, the fourth largest natural gas distribution company in the nation, provides natural gas to much of Lapeer County. The integrated transmission and distribution facilities for the utility offer adequate natural gas for any common residential, commercial or industrial use via adjacent medium and high pressure distribution mains. Specific end-use involving large scale annealing, metal melting, industrial processed steam, or other high use process(es) require site specific analysis based on projected load requirements. The utility, as a matter of rule, does not share specific locations or capacities of existing infrastructure in the interest of homeland security.
Consumers Energy
Commercial and Industrial Inquiries
1-800-805-0490 or businesscenter@consumersenergy.com
Residential Inquiries
1-800-477-5050 or customer@cnsenergy.com
THANK YOU FOR VISITING THE LDC WEBSITE
Please contact LDC Director Sam Moore
for questions and assistance.
449 McCormick Drive
Lapeer, Michigan 48446
810.667.0080
Email: Sam@lapeerdevelopment.com
