2020年12月，皇冠博彩举办了24场比赛^th 西密歇根州年度经济展望. 鉴于COVID-19大流行, the event was hosted virtually for the first time since the series began.

President and CEO of 皇冠博彩, Birgit Klohs, offered a year-in-review presentation. Klohs highlighted several notable accomplishments over the past year, as well as a summary of 皇冠博彩’s response to the COVID-19 pandemic. 2020 marked the first year of 皇冠博彩’s new 2020-2022 strategic plan, along with the final full calendar year of Klohs’ tenure as President and CEO of 皇冠博彩.

The event also included an in-depth economic analysis and forecast for West Michigan in 2021 by Director of Regional and Economic Planning Services for the W.E. 厄普约翰研究所，吉姆·罗比报道.

皇冠博彩结果

While responding to the pandemic was a key focus of 皇冠博彩 team, traditional economic development work was still able to forge ahead. 皇冠博彩 made significant progress on its new 2020-2022 strategic plan metrics, 创造953个新的和保留的工作岗位, 4300万美元的新工资和保留工资, $105.6M in new capital investment, 994 talent assists, and an average hourly wage of $21.在其经济发展项目内.

Most notable was the number of business assists that took place in 2020. Right Place团队提供了近5个,000 business assists to West Michigan companies throughout the year. 每个辅助都代表了一个创造有形的交互, actionable value for the businesses and organizations receiving support. By comparison, the organization typically provides around 2,000 business assists in an average year.

The COVID-19 pandemic created an unprecedented demand for 皇冠博彩’s services. 而传统的业务保留, 扩建和吸引工作全年继续进行, the organization also launched new initiatives to better support the West Michigan business community through the challenges of 2020.

大流行应对:沟通

清晰的, 一致的, and continuous communication became a top priority as the world was plunged into a crisis never before seen in modern times. A side effect of grappling with the COVID-19 pandemic was the massive amount of information pouring in from every direction. The team at 皇冠博彩 recognized how critical it would be to ensure West Michigan business and community leaders had a reliable source of up-to-date information in one central location.

与几个社区伙伴合作, 皇冠博彩 convened the West Michigan COVID-19 Business Coalition, which launched an information resource site in late March of 2020. This site was regularly updated with pertinent information for business leaders, 包括法例更新, 业务连续性资源, 健康的更新, 最佳实践, 员工资源.

大流行应对:利用资源

在早期, the team at 皇冠博彩 also began mobilizing and leveraging their resources to support West Michigan’s healthcare systems and local businesses. 在几天之内, connections were made to ensure critical supply chains were established between hospitals in dire need of PPE and manufacturers with the capabilities to meet those needs.

皇冠博彩 continued using its connections to compile a comprehensive, 西密歇根州22页的个人防护用品供应商名录, 使用率超过11,自发表以来，已经被阅读了1000次. 该组织还推出了一个新的网络研讨会系列, 2020导航, to bring business and community leaders guidance and insights on the most pressing topics impacting businesses.

Additionally, in April and September, the team distributed a total of $10.5 million in Small Business Relief and Small Business Restart Grant funding on behalf of the Michigan Economic Development Corporation (MEDC). 共1个,225 small business in the 11-county West Michigan region overseen by 皇冠博彩 were awarded grant dollars from this program.

展望2021年

Jim Robey’s presentation touched on several indicators of the COVID-19 induced recession and potential recovery, 以及对州和地区的长期预测.

到2020年，美国将实现经济增长.S. experienced a deep recession with a potentially quick recovery. Employment in the US, as of December 2020, was only slightly higher than December 2007. The COVID-19 pandemic also had a greater impact on the economy than the Spanish Flu of 1918, 使这些条件真正前所未有.

然而, 罗比指出，预计GDP增长将保持稳健, while Moody’s prediction of being in a recession for the next 6 months decreased to 31%.

Additionally, the national Purchasing Managers’ Index (PMI) stood at 57.5 in November, indicating the manufacturing sector is expanding. Light Vehicle sales and Class 8 Truck orders also rebounded, although uncertainty remains on if working from home will impact this trend in light vehicles.

Robey also pointed out that as of October 2020, the Grand Rapids MSA unemployment rates stood at 3.7%，接近大流行前水平. The MSA has quickly recovered jobs that were displaced during the COVID-19 recession. 特别是, the region’s manufacturing employment has rebounded faster than the state or nation despite taking a large hit during the lockdown.

As it stands, long term projections for the Grand Rapids MSA indicate the recovery should continue. The region is trending towards return to original pre-COVID employment forecasts between 2024 and 2025. The economy is projected to continue growth, though somewhat below pre-COVID forecasted levels.