In the News

Washtenaw firms take advantage of military, homeland security growth

Wednesday, June 09, 2010

Related Tags

Ann Arbor

Ann Arbor might not be the happiest about its country being at war, but it knows how to take advantage of all of the defense homeland security jobs that come with it.

Excerpt:

University spinouts and intellectual capital for innovation are turning Washtenaw County into a burgeoning defense research and engineering cluster to design the devices of high-tech warfare.

Private-sector employers in Ann Arbor and neighboring Ypsilanti with major defense and homeland security contracts could account for up to 1,500 jobs � or nearly 2 percent of the combined employed workforce for those two cities in March, according to recent employer data furnished to Ann Arbor Spark and Crain's.

That number could climb soon: The Procurement Technical Assistance Center at Schoolcraft College reports 63 other companies in Washtenaw County became clients in 2008-2009, up from just 12 new client companies in 2007. The PTAC centers help client small businesses obtain new government contracts in defense and other areas.

Read the rest of the story here.