If there’s any place that shines as an example of how Michiganders are hustling, working hard and trying to grow the economy, Frontal Lobe is it.
It’s a privately owned office in downtown Howell where entrepreneurs can co-work with others, share ideas and hopefully grow their businesses. While entrepreneurs use the facility much like a business incubator, owners say it is much more than that. The owners call Frontal Lobe a “co-working facility.” The place has an attorney, accountant, web developer, writer and other small business entrepreneurs.
It’s why several of Michigan’s top officials, including Lt. Gov. Brian Calley and Mike Finney, president and CEO of the Michigan Economic Development Corp., stopped in downtown Howell on Thursday to talk about how the state is creating jobs and improving the economy.
They held a roundtable discussion with local business owners and officials inside Frontal Lobe. The group included Steve Arwood, director of Michigan Licensing and Regulatory Affairs; Courtney Tarara, co-owner of Frontal Lobe; Pat Convery, president of the Howell Chamber of Commerce; Howell City Manager Shea Charles; and state Rep. Cindy Denby.
Calley said he’s been touring Michigan cities to “tell the story of this reinvention and the type of results we’re seeing.”
He also said the state wants to see what’s driving the successes in local economies and get feedback on what state actions are working and not working.
State officials said more than 250,000 new private-sector jobs have been created in the state, and 4,500 jobs have been added in Livingston County.
Calley said how communities respond to a tough economy explains why some are thriving and others might continue to struggle. He said Michigan has a long history of entrepreneurs starting family-owned businesses that would have a worldwide effect; he noted Ford, Kellogg and Dow as some examples.
Tarara said she’s really excited about the co-working space, and she noted the Howell chamber and city helped make it happen.
Tarara said the owners saw a need in the county to assist entrepreneurs.
“How do we maintain our entrepreneurs? How do you grow entrepreneurs? How do you give them support? How do you keep tech jobs in the area?” she said were some of the reasons for starting Frontal Lobe.
She said the co-working office gives entrepreneurs a place where they can do all of their business and meet clients.
“We’ve had several businesses that have actually started out of our own building,” Tarara said. “We are very excited and proud of that.”
Convery said the challenge is getting talented people to live and work in the county.
“We have a lot of talented people who live here but work elsewhere,” Convery said. “We need to get those people back.”
Source: MEDC
Click here to be introduced to the MEDC
