Sept. 1, 2010 - Washington, D.C. – Representative Gary Peters and U.S. Commerce Secretary Gary Locke met with Michigan small business owners at ALTe in Auburn Hills to talk about job creation and discuss services offered by the Commerce Department. Secretary Locke announced that CommerceConnect, a Commerce Department pilot office that opened in Plymouth, MI last October, is relocating to Pontiac.
The one-stop initiative, created by Secretary Locke in 2009, integrates federal, state, and local programs to help businesses at every point in their life cycle. The office is staffed by specialists who act as case workers for businesses that seek assistance in areas such as access to capital, intellectual property protection, export promotion, or guidance on how to make operations more efficient.
Secretary Locke also announced the signing of a Memorandum of Understanding between Commerce and the New Economy Initiative (NEI), outlining a new partnership between the entities to spur innovation and growth in the region. NEI, a philanthropic organization dedicated to the acceleration and growth of the economy in Southeast Michigan, has secured $100 million in donations from national and local foundations to promote entrepreneurial efforts in the region.
“CommerceConnect provides valuable resources for local businesses looking to grow and create jobs, and I am pleased that it will be expanding and relocating to Oakland County,” said Rep Peters. “The Department of Commerce’s partnership with the New Economy Initiative announced today is also exciting news for Southeast Michigan. Together, the two announcements show there are growing opportunities for business development in our region, and I thank Secretary Locke for making Michigan a priority. Supplying small business with a variety of tools to help grow and create jobs must be our top economic priority and many business owners have told me that the missing ingredient for further growth is access to capital for small businesses. I hope the Senate will act quickly on legislation I helped pass through the House earlier this year to get credit flowing.”
“When we launched the pilot phase of CommerceConnect last year, we had one goal in mind: to streamline government bureaucracy and bring services and solutions directly to the businesses and entrepreneurs who are creating and sustaining jobs,” said Secretary Locke. “With today’s announcement, we are giving CommerceConnect a permanent home in the Detroit area because we know that Main Street business owners should be spending their time working to grow their businesses, meet payroll, and keep their customers happy, not trying to navigate federal bureaucracies.”