Market Report from the MLCC, MAF, & EA: please be sure to allow images to fully enjoy this newsletter.
September 2015
                 
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Employment Numbers 

Labor Force        
June 2014 = 78,500
June 2015 = 78,400
July 2014 = 78,900
July 2015 = 78,700
Aug 2014 = 77,800
Aug 2015 = 77,900

Employment
June 2014 = 72,400
June 2015 = 73,600
July 2014 = 71,900
July 2015 = 73,800
Aug 2014 = 72,300
Aug 2015 = 73,900

 
Goods Producing Jobs
June 2014 = 14,900
June 2015 = 15,200
July 2014 = 14,900
July 2015 = 15,200
Aug 2014 = 15,100
Aug 2015 = 15,300


Service Providing Jobs
June 2014 = 48,800
June 2015 = 49,100
July 2014 = 48,400           
July 2015 = 49,100
Aug 2014 = 48,400
Aug 2015 = 49,100


 
Business Counseling Appointments 

SCORE & MI-SBTDC
June 2014 = 63
June 2015 = 59
July 2014 = 27
July 2015 = 40
Aug 2014 = 24
Aug 2015 = 44




Muskegon County Housing Data

Number of Homes Sold
June 2014 = 218
June 2015 = 243
July 2014 = 198
July 2015 = 221
Aug 2014 = 218
Aug 2015 = 199


Average Sale Price  
June 2014 = $110,716
June 2015 = $129, 352
July 2014 = $125,840
July 2015 = $124,133
Aug 2014 = $121,716
Aug 2015 = $112,060




Muskegon Airport Traffic

Takeoffs & Landings 
June 2014 = 2,621
June 2015 = 3,635
July 2014 = 4,067
July 2015 = 3,377
Aug 2014 = 3,686
Aug 2015 = 3,032


Airport Cargo in lbs.  
June 2014 = 6,404
June 2015 = 14,800
July 2014 = 837
July 2015 = 289
Aug 2014 = 13,552
Aug 2015 = 18,995

 
Commercial Passengers  
June 2014 = 3,035
June 2015 = 3,512
July 2014 = 3,615
July 2015 = 4,207
Aug 2014 = 3,570
Aug 2015 = 4,283



MI Works! Muskegon Employment Stats

Jobs Filled
June 2014 = 380
June 2015 = 148
July 2014 = 139
July 2015 = 784
Aug 2014 = 180
Aug 2015 = 50


Job Seekers (Unique Visitors)
June 2014 = 2,163
June 2015 = 2,165
July 2014 = 2,350
July 2015 = 1,908
Aug 2014 = 2,365
Aug 2015 = 1,662

 
Top Industries Advertised Online Demand 
Industry
Aug.
2015
Aug.
2014
Healthcare and Social Assistance235148
Manufacturing178103
Retail Trade123102

Top Muskegon Job Occupations Advertised Online (August 2015)
Occupation
New Postings
Production Workers67
Home Health Aides50
Retail Sales Worker36
Sales Representative36
Registered Nurse34


Statistics provided by:
The Department of Energy, Labor, & Economic Growth; Local Municipalities, The Michigan Association of Realtors, Muskegon County Airport, Muskegon Area First, the Muskegon Lakeshore Chamber of Commerce, Michigan Works! Muskegon/Oceana and the Michigan Small Business Development Center.
Muskegon Promise Scholarship Program Receives State Approval

Muskegon Area Promise Logo Muskegon Area Promise officials learned this week the Department of Treasury approved their development plan to offer two-year college scholarships to high school graduates. The plan outlines how the program would unfold beginning with 3 districts the first two years, and expanding countywide by year three.
 
Muskegon Area Intermediate School District Superintendent John Severson said, "I have personally seen three things happen in communities with a Promise: the population and economic activity grows, students become more serious about high school and their grades improve, and students are more likely to enroll and persist in college. This is a game-changer for our entire area."

To kick-off the program, private donations are needed to fund the first two years. Once funding is in place, Holton, Muskegon, and Muskegon Heights High School students may put the scholarship to work at either Baker College of Muskegon or Muskegon Community College. A tax capture will then set in allowing the program to be implemented county-wide in fall of 2017. 
 
According to the plan, high school graduates must have earned at least a 3.5 grade point average and lived within district boundaries to qualify for the potential scholarships that would cover tuition, books, and mandatory fees up to $4,050. 
 
Business and community leaders are invited to hear more at the Muskegon Lakeshore Chamber of Commerce's Business for Breakfast Program on Friday, October 23, 2015. Click here to learn more about this event. To invest in the Muskegon Area Promise, or to learn more, visit www.muskegonareapromise.org
Calling all Muskegon STARS! 

Muskegon STAR!
Anyone can be a Muskegon STAR! in the eyes of stakeholders working on the new community image campaign. A  new community specialist program called Muskegon STAR!  launches October 19. Perception research showed that the majority of West Michigan residents have a lack of knowledge when it comes to Muskegon's assets.  This program was launched in conjunction with the Watch Muskegon marketing campaign, to educate the community's residents, volunteers, and employees on area assets and how to sell them.

"Sharing community information effectively with guests and residents creates a positive Muskegon experience," says Cindy Larsen, President of the Muskegon Lakeshore Chamber of Commerce.  "These positive experiences help grow our local economy, enhance pride, and increase quality of life."

"More than 1.5 million people travel to the Muskegon Lakeshore each year for vacation and it is important that we capture every possible opportunity to make a positive impression," said Bob Lukens, Community Development Director for Muskegon County. "Having certified Muskegon STARS! will enhance our destination's reputation for years to come.

"It's good for economic development," adds Brittany Lenertz, West Michigan Works! Muskegon Services Center Manager. "We want our community to create a buzz that makes people want to move to, invest in and visit the Muskegon Lakeshore."

Click here to register for an upcoming half-day training program.
Growing Demand for Downtown Housing
Downtown Housing
The greater Muskegon community is underserved in market rate rentals. That is the primary finding of a recently completed Target Market Analysis by the Michigan State Housing Development Authority. The extensive study was completed during the summer of 2015 by LandUse USA and Growing Home Design and looked at census data, spending patterns, current inventory and migration patterns - among other factors.

"The extensive study confirms what city and community leaders have suspected for a long time," says Jonathan Seyferth, Executive Director of Downtown Muskegon Now. "It's our hope that developers, investors and lending institutions will see this information and decide that Muskegon is a good investment for new rental development, particularly in the downtown."

In addition to showing demand for market rate rentals, the study breaks out the type of individuals who are looking for rentals and the type of amenities that make living in a specific area most attractive. The study found, related to downtown specifically, that "annual market potential for at least 110 attached units should be renter-occupied. Units above street-front retail and/or located in the downtown district" would be most attractive.

The study, linked above, includes analysis well beyond downtown Muskegon looking at other Muskegon County cities as well. 
$271 Million Expansion Approved!
Mercy Health Rendering
Mercy Health Muskegon has received approval from parent company Trinity Health to construct a new $271 million, 267 bed medical center in Muskegon on the current Mercy Campus at 1500 E. Sherman Blvd. This new medical center, which will allow for expansion and relocation of many services to the Mercy Campus, includes a new acute care, nine-story, state-of-the-art facility.

"This is a remarkable day, not only for Mercy Health Muskegon, but for everyone along the lakeshore," said Greg Loomis, President, Mercy Health Muskegon.

The new medical center will bring all Mercy Health Muskegon-area inpatient services together at a central location on the Mercy Campus and will offer single-occupancy inpatient rooms. It includes an entirely new state-of-the-art emergency department and optimized patient flows, which will improve the care experience for patients and their family members.

The following timeline outlines the next steps of the project:
September 2015 - Preliminary site work
May 2016 - Full-scale site work begins
September 2016 - Constructions begins on the new medical center
July 2018 - Renovations begin on the existing Mercy Campus building
August 2018 - Completion of new medical center shell, including 9-story patient tower
June 2019 - Renovations in existing building finalized and new facility fully occupied. 
Frontier Business Edge