Survey Results by Location

"They have to do something to help the ones that are here, maybe the smaller businesses --because that's the thing of the future, are smaller businesses, particularly in the manufacturing and research and related high-tech areas. They're not going to be these great big companies. And they need to do something to promote that." -Business Person

"I foresee losing our school system within ten years at the rate we're going. You'll lose your supermarket probably in that same period of time. And there isn't a whole lot other than that that's really based in our community. I don't have the answer for it, but right now there's no areas for growth that I see." -Small Town Resident

"Interestingly enough, the towns that seem to do really well have done so without big business. Without big retail business. They've done it with independents. The towns that I envy, that have independently-owned businesses in their community." -Small Town Resident

Citizens Speak

"It's the local companies that expand locally. And I have been in business now fifty years in Kalamazoo, and I have yet to have one economic development person come to me and say, 'Are you happy in Kalamazoo? Are you having trouble with the city? C-2 you have any problems with the tax code? Is there something we can do zoning-wise for you?'" -Business Person

"See, to me that is where, one step along the way is to have this contact on local companies to say, 'What can we do to help you locally?' Because, then Kepco is going to, not only stay here, but as you grow, you're going to grow here. And you won't have the temptation to go elsewhere. And I think that that's what we have to work on. And that's true for services organizations as well as manufacturers." -Business Person

"Without a population base, we lost a sense of community that those towns [Sturgis, Marshall, Vicksburg] have…. If you're not doing business with your local merchants you've lost a terrific contact in a community. Our community just doesn't have it, and it's definitely in my opinion one of the very big weaknesses of our town. And, I foresee this won't be much of a town in a few years if we don't change it." -Small Town Resident