When your kids come back for Thanksgiving this year, you might be able to convince them to never leave. "Lansing area, mid-Michigan is destined for growth," Said Taiym, who works for AF Group in Downtown Lansing.
The Capital Area IT Council and Capital Area Michigan Works are working together to plan an event that will show young professionals everything the area has to offer. "Mid-Michigan is a place that has tons of potential, and with the diversity that exists, with the trajectory that we're on, we have limitless potential," Taiym said.
The "Capital Comeback" is scheduled for the Wednesday before Thanksgiving, from 6-8 p.m. at the Broad Museum on Michigan State's campus. "That's when everybody comes back from outside Michigan, they all come back to their families, and this is an opportunity to lure them back in," Taiym said.
He says all the evidence you need that the area needs people to work good jobs is the fact that Michigan's unemployment rate is lower than the national average, and Lansing / East Lansing's unemployment rate is even lower than the state's.
"Attraction and bringing people to the area is absolutely critical, it fuels the industries," Taiym said.
Marlon Wright grew up in Okemos, attended the University of Michigan, then moved to Chicago for work. When it came time to raise a family, though, Wright knew he wanted to move back to the mitten.
"I moved to kind of put my head down and work hard, I moved back to raise children," Wright said. He now works for the University of Michigan as the Associate Director of Development and lives in Okemos.
"If we could somehow convey the amount of jobs, the amount of opportunities in mid-Michigan, I think that some people would give that a better look," he said. He says recent graduates need to realize Michigan has more to offer than manufacturing jobs, it has opportunities in almost every field.
The "Capital Comeback" will feature representatives from the following companies:
- AF Group
- Sparrow Health System
- Dewpoint
- Neogen
- MSU Federal Credit Union
- Michigan State University IT Services
- NuWave Technology Partners
- Randstad Technologies
