As Lansing and East Lansing officials move toward creating a technology center to attract high-tech businesses, similar centers in the state are already seeing positive results.
Commonly referred to as SmartZones, the technology hot spots are located in 10 other Michigan cities, including Ann Arbor and Grand Rapids.
Both SmartZones were established in 2002, officials said.
The Grand Rapids SmartZone is located downtown and is working with 15 new businesses, said Susan Shannon, Grand Rapids' economic development director.
Success has come through partnerships between the city, medical facilities and Grand Valley State University, Shannon said.
"That core group has partnered very closely to bring all the resources necessary to the area," she said. "I think the key issue when you're starting out is to bring the right partners together and look how you can share the right resources."
The Lansing Regional SmartZone intends to partner with MSU.
Lansing and East Lansing officials will hold December meetings to create a finance authority for their SmartZone.
There are several things SmartZone leaders can do to be successful, including creating an advisory board, designating a director and utilizing the universities in the area, said Cindy Douglas, vice president of technology acceleration for the Michigan Economic Development Corporation.
The Ann Arbor/Ypsilanti SmartZone has established a business accelerator which has helped about 44 clients become full-fledged companies, said Susan Lackey, president of the Washtenaw Development Council.
"We see it as a way to take the technology that's generated from the University of Michigan, and other sources in the community, and work with entrepreneurs who have developed that technology," Lackey said.
