- Message from Mark
- Center Line sixth graders receive design assistance from Macomb County Planning and Economic Development
- Department of Roads hosts Safe Streets for Macomb County community open house
- Macomb County touts strong GDP and adaptive job growth in Economic Forecast presentation
- Macomb County Anti-Trafficking Task Force hosts first awareness seminar of the year
- Macomb County to expand Emergency Management Program to include Clinton Township
- Love is blind event takes place at Macomb County Animal Control
- Macomb in the news, Blog log
Message from Mark
Hello and welcome to Focus Macomb. February can be a challenging month for many folks. But here in Macomb County, we like to look at the positives. Despite the recent below freezing temperature and poor weather conditions, the Macomb County Department of Roads (MCDR) has been diligently working to clear the main streets of ice and snow. Macomb County Office of Senior Services (OSS) also continues to provide warm meals and a friendly connection to those a part of the Meals on Wheels program. The initiative is always on the lookout for more volunteers, so if you’re interested, sign up on their website and help to positively impact a senior in your community.
Though the snowfall has been frequent, it hasn’t been enough to keep our communities from hosting fun events – including the recent ‘Love is Blind’ adoption function that took place at Macomb County Animal Control in Clinton Township. To keep up to date on local happenings across our 27 municipalities, you can visit Make Macomb Your Home events on our website or the Make Macomb Your Home Events Facebook page.
Speaking of events, the 13th annual Macomb Business Awards is slated for May 15, 2025 and nominations are currently open until March 7. If you or a business you know is eligible for one of the six categories listed on our website, I encourage you to submit a nomination for your chance to win. This year, we’re putting a movie theater twist into the awards ceremony, so even if you aren’t nominated, come on down May 15 and see the Hollywood magic in action. Ticket sales will open March 31, so stay tuned.
Last Friday at Macomb Community College South Campus, I had the opportunity to attend the 2025 Macomb County Economic Forecast, presented by the Macomb County Chamber and sponsored by Wayne State University (WSU). As someone whose alma mater is both Macomb Community College and WSU, it was an honor to stand on stage and open for the event. Lots of interesting information was shared regarding our region’s economic climate going forward, some of which will be touched upon farther into this newsletter.
I’ll close this message by saying: Spring is right around the corner. So hang on tight, Macomb County! The warm days will be here before we know it.
Thank you and take care,
Mark Hackel
Center Line sixth graders receive design assistance from Macomb County Planning and Economic Development
A universal challenge employers face is finding and keeping a skilled workforce. To combat this issue, organizations are leaning toward more community partnerships that will help expose students to career paths that will best meet their talents and interests.
Center Line Public Schools is one of two Macomb County school districts who have switched over to the Ford Next Generation Learning (Ford NGL) model – a program that relies on partnerships between schools and communities to build a strong education foundation. The transition into becoming The Academies of Center Line began in 2021 for grades K-12.
As part of this new system, the Academy Explorer 6 Digital Design and Communication students of Wolfe Middle School began a partnership with Forgotten Harvest and Gleaners Community Foodbank in late 2024 for their semester-long project on design and marketing. The sixth graders were tasked with creating marketing materials to promote the non-profit assigned to their class, and would then present their work to parents and clients at the end of the semester.
That’s where the Macomb County Planning and Economic Development (MCPED) marketing and communications team came in.
Macomb County’s Fueling the Talent Pipeline program is an ongoing initiative that provides meaningful career exploration activities for students with the help of community-driven and collaborative partnerships forged between local companies and educators. As a mediating entity, Macomb County assists in the coordination of many of these opportunities. In this instance, however, the County’s marketing and communications team provided a more hands-on approach.
The MCPED team presented to three classes at the start of the semester, detailing what goes into marketing and design. They then returned to the school at a later date to review and give pointers to the students on what they’d accomplished so far in their projects. Students were given tips on collaboration, use of colors and other techniques to make their designs pop.
On Dec. 18, 2024, MCPED returned to Wolfe Middle School once more to witness the students present their marketing campaigns to Forgotten Harvest and Gleaners, teachers and parents.
With the projects having proven to be a resounding success, Center Line Public Schools and MCPED continued this partnership into 2025. On Jan. 30, the marketing and communications team once again presented to a new crop of sixth graders.
They are slated to return in April to assist with the students’ projects, and again in June for their final presentation.
Department of Roads hosts Safe Streets for Macomb County community open house
As part of the Macomb County Department of Roads (MCDR) ongoing mission to provide the public with a safe and efficient transportation system, the agency is developing a comprehensive transportation safety action plan, known as Safe Streets for Macomb County. After reviewing Macomb County’s traffic and safety data and gathering input from community leaders and the public in 2024, MCDR hosted a community open house to share the preliminary draft of the safety action plan and recommended safety improvements with the public.
Based on public input from more than 1,450 respondents, feedback from community leaders and crash data analysis, Macomb County’s safety action plan identified five strategy areas to focus on countywide. The strategy areas include:
- Complete Streets and vulnerable road users
- High risk drivers
- Impaired driving
- Intersections
- Speed
Key recommendations of the safety action plan include:
- Physical preventative and mitigation strategies designed to enhance the safety of the road network
- Behavioral strategies and interventions aimed at influencing and improving the behaviors of individuals to reduce risks and prevent crashes
- Policy guidelines and strategic decisions to help improve the safety of Macomb County’s transportation network
Next steps for MCDR include identifying specific projects, action steps and timelines, and applying for federal grant dollars to start implementing the safety action plan. If you missed the Safe Streets for Macomb County community open house, additional information and resources are available online at macombgov.org/roads.
Macomb County touts strong GDP and steady job growth in Economic Forecast presentation
Valuable insights on the future of automotive and manufacturing, as well as the Macomb County workforce were showcased at the 2025 Economic Forecast, presented by the Macomb County Chamber and their premier sponsor, Wayne State University. Community leaders and partners attended the event on Friday, Feb. 21 at Macomb Community College South Campus, where panelists discussed economic hot topics across the region.
Speakers included, but were not limited to, Thomas Alongi of UHY, Brian Panthum of Southeastern Council of Governments (SEMCOG), Quentin L. Messer, Jr. of the Michigan Economic Development Corporation (MEDC) and Vicky Rowinski of Macomb County Planning and Economic Development (MCPED).
Rowinski’s presentation touted numbers that supported the County’s strong and stable economy within the five industries labeled as integral to the economic prosperity of our area: Aerospace and Defense, Automotive and Mobility, Automation and Robotics, Distribution and Logistics and Food and Agriculture.
In the Aerospace and Defense industry alone, the 2023 gross regional product (GRP) reached $6.7 billion while providing 37,575 jobs and companies winning $3.21 billion in total contracts. These numbers are expected to remain steady going forward into 2025.
A key component to stabilizing our economy and workforce is retention. With 33k engineers in Michigan between 2021-24 and only 80% staying within state borders after graduation, it’s important now more than ever that talent attraction remains an important talking point, according to Rowinski.
That is why Rowinski and her MCPED team work ardently to attract and retain businesses through talent attraction strategies and workforce development. To learn more, visit the Macomb Business website.
Macomb County Anti-Trafficking Task Force hosts first awareness seminar of the year
In January, the Macomb County Anti-Trafficking Task Force (MCAT) held its first annual education and community awareness seminar at the Macomb Intermediate School District headquarters in Clinton Township. The purpose of the seminar was to provide a forum to promote broader awareness and engagement in local anti-trafficking efforts and entities.
The seminar included County government departments, regional service providers, faith-based communities, for-profit and non-profit organizations, as well as agencies and departments in the criminal justice community. Subject matter included in the seminar included human trafficking awareness, human trafficking survivors’ perspectives, and updates from the MCAT organization.
In addition, the seminar also included individuals with lived experiences in human trafficking.
Learn more about MCAT.
Macomb County to expand Emergency Management Program to include Clinton Township
Macomb County Emergency Management and Communications is pleased to announce the integration of Clinton Township into its Emergency Management Program, pending approval by the Clinton Township Board of Trustees. With this expansion, anticipated to be approved on February 24, 2025, the county will provide emergency management services for 24 communities covering over 750,000 residents.
Since 1991, Clinton Township has operated its own Emergency Management Program under a provision in the state’s Emergency Management Act allowing communities with a population over 25,000 to appoint an Emergency Management Coordinator. With this integration, the township will now designate the county’s Emergency Management Coordinator to serve in this role, creating closer collaboration with the county and its region-wide network of resources and personnel.
“Joining the Macomb County Emergency Management Program allows us immediate access to a team of highly-trained emergency coordinators and resources beyond the Township’s capacity to provide,” said Clinton Township Supervisor Paul Gieleghem. “The Township will appoint an Emergency Management Liaison (EML) from both police and fire services to collaborate with the county and our neighbors in all matters pertaining to Emergency Management within the Township.”
Macomb County Emergency Management and Communications is the county’s designated emergency planning and communications infrastructure agency, developing preparedness and response plans, maintaining the county’s Emergency Operations Center, organizing training and exercises to prepare for emergencies, and coordinating multi-jurisdictional disaster response and recovery operations.
For more information on Macomb County Emergency Management and Communications, visit macombgov.org.
Love is blind event takes place at Macomb County Animal Control
Not even the winter weather could stop the outpouring of love at Macomb County Animal Control’s Love Is Blind adoption event earlier this month!
Thanks to the dedication of our community, six dogs and two cats found their forever homes during the event. But the good news didn't end there because four additional dogs and one lucky cat were also adopted throughout that week, bringing the total to 13 happy adoptions!
Every adoption is more than just a heartwarming moment, it’s a lifeline for animals in need. When you adopt, you’re not only giving a pet a second chance, but you’re also opening space for us to rescue and care for more vulnerable animals. Many of the pets in our care have faced tough beginnings and finding a loving home means everything to them.
We are incredibly grateful to everyone who braved the elements to support these deserving animals. By choosing adoption, you’re giving these animals the chance to thrive while helping to reduce pet overpopulation. Adopted pets offer unconditional love, companionship and often an incredible sense of gratitude. Each adoption means fewer animals in shelters and more tails wagging in happy homes.
If you are interested in adopting, there are still many animals waiting for their second chance.
You can visit Macomb County Animal Control, Monday through Friday, 10 a.m. to 4 p.m., at 21417 Dunham Rd., Clinton Township, or browse our available pets online: View Adoptable Pets.
Macomb in the news
- Green Macomb and Blue Water Conservation District host annual plant sale
- Stability, minimal growth for 2025 projected at Macomb economic forecast
Blog log
- Five reasons to attend premier Michigan Defense Expo
- Tree facts to keep in mind for this year's tree and plant sale
- Macomb Business Award event goes Hollywood, ceremony to be held at the AMC Forum Theater in Sterling Heights
