Prima Civitas is working to help move Michigan forward on a global level. Here are just a few examples of projects that do so. For more information, contact Arnold Weinfeld at arnold.weinfeld@primacivitas.org.

Gateway Michigan

Prima Civitas partnered with the Michigan Community College Association (MCCA) in 2013 to create the Center for Global Initiatives, now called Gateway Michigan. The initiative supports the state’s 28 community colleges as they begin or expand their global initiatives. They range from on-campus activities that support international students, to vocational training programs for global projects, both on- and off-campus.

Prima Civitas will continue to connect interested community colleges with projects that come about, using Gateway Michigan as a mechanism to gather interested parties and to match the global demand for education and training. For information contact Arnold.Weinfeld@primacivitas.org.

i-69 International Trade Corridor

With our extensive roadways, airports, railways, ports and proximity to Canada, Michigan has enormous logistical assets. Prima Civitas facilitated the coordination of four county governments and 31 municipalities to form the extensive I-69 International Trade Corridor Next Michigan Development Corporation (NMDC). Qualifying businesses benefit from state/local incentives, including real/personal property tax abatements, and tax-free Renaissance Zones. The I-69 Corridor earned the prestigious International Economic Development Council’s Bronze Award, and Prima Civitas Vice President Jim Smiertka was recognized in a March 21, 2013 Forbes.com article about the promise of NMDC for the region and state. Contact Jim Smiertka for information at jim.smiertka@primacivitas.org.

“Prima Civitas was instrumental in the development and continued growth of the I-69 International Trade Corridor Initiative, which has been the most transformational thing we have done as a county to develop economic opportunities.”

-Justin Horvath, President and CEO, Shiawassee Economic Development Partnership