Ann Arbor SPARK’s recent annual 2024 report shows a concerted effort to direct the business development occurring in Ann Arbor to also benefit Ypsilanti.
Ann Arbor SPARK has completed its first year operating its Small Business Support Hub in Ypsilanti. Funded by a $3.4 million three-year grant from the Michigan Economic Development Corporation, it has served over 375 small businesses across the county, including some in Livingston and Monroe.
Ann Arbor SPARK’s Senior Vice President, Bill Mayer, says thanks to building a network of strong community partners, they’re able to support more businesses beyond working with early stage scalable technology start-ups.
“That was always sort of a missing piece was, you know, ‘Hey! Can we help the coffee shops, can we help the lawn services?’ Now we can do that.”
Mayer says the second year of the Small Business Support Hub will see Ann Arbor SPARK amplifying their efforts to market Ypsilanti, so prospective companies will want to move there.
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