Resources - Business Services
Available Sites and Buildings
We maintain an up-to-date listing of available vacant industrial sites and buildings in Otsego County. We can assist you with identifying available properties that meet your requirements as well as the appropriate contacts.
Infrastructure
If your plant expansion or location requires new or expanded water, sewer, roads, gas and/or electric utilities, the OCEA can plan, access funding and oversee development of infrastructure to support you.
Incentives
- Tax Abatement Assistance. We can provide assistance to companies seeking to apply for an abatement of real and personal property taxes for new plant and equipment. We will walk you through the forms, requirements and approval process.
- Finance. Through our partnership with the Otsego County Economic Development Corporation, we can assist your manufacturing company to lower its cost to finance investments of $1,000,000 or more through the use of tax-exempt Industrial Development Revenue Bonds.
- Michigan Economic Growth Authority (MEGA). If you are an employer in manufacturing, R&D, wholesale trade and office operations or electronics, communications, medical science and other high technology fields whose company devotes at least 25% of operating expenses to research and development, and you need a reason to expand or locate in Michigan rather than another state, you may be eligible for a high-tech job creation tax credit against the SBT. Each credit may be awarded for up to 20 years and for up to 100% of the tax related to the project.
- Economic Development Job Training Grant. Economic Development Job Training (EDJT) assistance is available through the Michigan Economic Development Corporation. The EDJT program provides a grant for qualified specialized training required by an employer. The employer works with private or public education providers to design the training.
- Michigan Works! Michigan Works! is the locally governed state workforce development program. Our local Michigan Works! office offers several programs designed to assist employers including:
- Michigan's Talent Bank and Job Bank, an on-line database of people seeking jobs as well as a database of jobs that employers are seeking to fill.
- On the Job Training (OJT). For qualified employees, the OJT program will reimburse an employer up to 50% of the employees wages during an agreed upon training time period.
- Work Opportunity Tax Credits. Michigan Works! can assist an employer with meeting eligibility requirements for this tax credit.
- Subsidized Employment. This is a 100% wage reimbursement to employers hiring Michigan's Work First program participants.
- Employee recruiting and screening services.
- Pollution Control Equipment Tax Exemption
Certified air and water pollution abatement equipment is 100% exempt from property taxes in Michigan. Certification is approved by Michigan Department of Environmental Quality.
- Brownfield Redevelopment Authority (BRA)
The BRA is established as a local authority in order to allow a company to access financial incentives available from the State of Michigan (SBT Credits, grants and loans) and locally (Tax Increment Finance).
Michigan now allows qualified businesses to claim a credit against the SBT, provided the taxpayer has a pre-approval letter issued between December 31, 1999 and January 1, 2008 and the project is completed not more than five years after the letter is issued. If the total of all credits for the project is $1 million or less, the credit is based on 10% of the eligible investment. If the total of all credits for the project is greater than $1 million but not more than $30 million, a credit is available for a percentage of eligible investment to be determined by the Michigan Economic Growth Authority (MEGA), but not to exceed 10% of the eligible investment. Certain location restrictions apply to these credits.
Access to State Level Economic Development Services
Through our partnership with the Michigan Economic Development Corporation we can help you access state level services and resources to help your company. We also work closely with our local Michigan Works! Office and can assist you with accessing workforce development, training and recruitment services they provide.
Business Development Services
Through our partnership with the Small Business Development & Technology of Michigan, we can provide your company with a wide range of assistance including business planning, financial packaging, and marketing. (See Small Business Assistance.)
Research and Information
We can provide research and information to support your company. Whether it's finding a machine rigger or developing a potential customer list, we can research and provide the information you need.
Export Assistance
We can identify and put you in contact with appropriate state and federal export assistance providers.
Liaison with Local Government
We can ask the questions for you! The Alliance can act as an ombudsman to look into issues your company may have involving City, County, Township or Village government. We can do research and coordinate meetings.
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