Chris Holman recently welcomed Kristina Johnston, Chief Operating Officer, Flint Genesee Group, Flint, MI. Watch Kristina and Chris discuss the recent progress by the Flint & Genesee Group along with its annual meeting that took place yesterday, on the YouTube video shared below: 

Chris looked to find out several things from Kristina in this conversation:

Welcome, Kristina. You serve as chief operating officer of the Flint & Genesee Group. For our listeners who might not be as familiar with your organization, what does the Group do?

The Group’s annual meeting coming up. What can people expect from this year’s event?

Attracting jobs and investments is a key part of economic development. What are some recent wins and how is the business attraction pipeline looking lately?

Talent retention and attraction is a big priority for employers these days. What are you doing in that space?

I read that GM and the Flint & Genesee Economic Alliance are partnering again on another round of the Moving Flint Forward Small Business Grant Program. Can you talk about the impact of this program so far?

Kristina also shared some further remarks about the Flint & Genesee Group Annual Meeting from yesterday!

Here's some information coming out of yesterday's Annual Meeting for Flint & Genesee Group 

Highlights include $244.4M in private investment, group travel generating an estimated $12M of economic impact

(Flint, Mich., March 14, 2024) Thursday, the Flint & Genesee Group reported on its accomplishments in 2023 and shared its priorities moving forward during the organization’s annual meeting – themed “Connected for Good” – at the FIM Capitol Theatre.

“As the region’s lead economic development organization, the Flint & Genesee Group takes a holistic approach to our work by focusing on business, talent, and place,” said Tim Herman, CEO of the Flint & Genesee Group. “Last year, we saw momentum in all three of these focus areas, bringing us closer to our vision of positioning Genesee County as a top-five community in Michigan based on jobs, talent, livability, and equity by 2040.”

According to Herman, 2023 was a year of connection, a common theme found throughout the organization’s latest annual report. “Today, we celebrated the impact of those connections – connections to resources that individuals and organizations needed to succeed; to partnerships that made a positive impact; and to opportunities to invest in the future Flint & Genesee,” he said.

Among the highlights noted in the report is the early success of the Flint & Genesee Group’s Make Your Move talent attraction initiative, which launched in early 2023. In its first year, the website was visited 25,300 times and 116 people signed up to learn about living and working in Genesee County. By year’s end, the program resulted in five direct hires – two of which relocated to work in Flint & Genesee.

Additionally, Explore Flint & Genesee, Genesee County’s convention and visitors bureau, worked diligently to bring new events and visitors to the region in 2023. In fact, group business secured by Explore Flint & Genesee resulted in an estimated economic impact of $12 million dollars.

The Flint & Genesee Chamber gained 156 new members, prompting its total membership to surpass 1,000 members for the first time since the pandemic. And the Flint & Genesee Economic Alliance closed on five major development deals that will result in $244.4 million of private investment and the creation of 458 new jobs for Genesee County. These included Flexible Automation, Goyette Mechanical, J.P. O’Sullivan Distributing, Miller Industries, and Plastic Omnium.

Finally, Flint & Genesee Education & Talent continued to support area teens and young people. The division helped 257 high school students learn how to get and keep a job through the TeenQuest pre-employment and leadership training program. And by year’s end, it welcomed 19 college graduates to its Flint Promise alumni network.

Looking forward, the Flint & Genesee Group will focus much of its attention on attraction. This will include intentionally telling the region’s story – and taking advantage of national and statewide opportunities, while preparing for success when jobs and investment occur, according to Herman.

Please note that the numbers provided here just skim the surface of what was accomplished in 2023. For a more thorough overview, visit AnnualReport.FlintandGenesee.org.

Stay tuned, in a few days, MBN video coverage of this event will be posted, so check back again.

About the Flint & Genesee Group
The Flint & Genesee Group supports the region through its commitment to developing business, talent, and place. The organization works to strengthen the Flint and Genesee County economy, and create a place where people thrive, and businesses invest and grow. Its programs and services are marketed through four divisions – Explore Flint & Genesee, the Flint & Genesee Chamber, the Flint & Genesee Economic Alliance, and Flint & Genesee Education & Talent. For more information, visit FlintandGenesee.org, and check us out on Facebook and LinkedIn.

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