Newcomers to our business community can look forward to being greeted with open arms. Cooperative governmental bodies work with local businesses to facilitate expansion and relocation to our area.

The state of Michigan and our community has rededicated itself to business, and that rededication is evident in a business climate that has experienced an exciting turnaround.

This area has experienced a large degree of new business growth. The tax incentives offered to new businesses—along with the affordability of our manufacturing wages, construction, utilities, and sales & leasing rates —have begun a trend toward larger manufacturers locating in the area.

COMMUNITY RANKS ON “THE BEST PLACES FOR DOING BUSINESS” LIST

The Benton Harbor Metropolitan Statistical Area (MSA) ranks 194 on Inc. Magazine’s list of “The Best Places for Doing Business in America for 2005. The ranking is based upon job creation and other signs that businesses are thriving.

The community placed at 194th a significant jump from the 274 ranking we received last year. In the May 2005 issue of Inc. Magazine, Contributing Editor Joel Kotkin stated “The economies of most big cities are idling. The real entrepreneurial hotbeds are now on the periphery-where low costs make it possible to thrive in a tough global economy.”

Kotkin wrote, “Thanks to lower housing and labor costs, more favorable regulatory environments, and, in some cases, lower taxes, these smaller cities are proving ideal places for doing business-especially in a globalized economy in which companies operate under relentless pressure to keep costs low and quality high.”

The list of “The Best Places for Doing Business in America” was developed based upon a study conducted by Michael Shires of Pepperdine University. The study measured current-year employment growth in 274 Metropolitan Statistical Areas (MSAs), as defined by the Bureau of Labor Statistics. According to the article, most of the MSAs bear the name of a single city, but all MSAs include areas surrounding the namesake city.