Stateside's conversation with Bob Waun, CEO of C3 Ventures Flint, and Tim Herman, CEO of the Flint & Genesee County Chamber of Commerce.

Plenty of attention has been paid to the human toll of the Flint water crisis and the city's efforts to recover. But what about the business side of things and the city's effort to rebuild the economy?"We're seeing a lot of progress," said Tim Herman, CEO of the Flint & Genesee Chamber of Commerce. "Flint is open for business. Flint is resilient, and Flint is transforming its economy to health and wellness, higher education, I.T. and advanced manufacturing. And Flint is moving forward."

Despite the water crisis, some companies are relocating to Flint.

C3 Ventures Flint is investing nearly $10 million in the city, adding projects like plastic auto parts and 3-D printing to an evolving economy.

"The low cost of entry here in Flint was certainly a big part of the initial decision to relocate here," said Bob Waun, CEO of C3 Ventures Flint. "But then as we dug into it, Michigan Works has been amazing in bringing us qualified candidates that can work for us. [There's a] very good labor stock here that, frankly, is willing to work hard, wants to work, and is affordable. [Those are] things that our friends on the east and west coast can't brag about."

For the full interview, including what Flint is doing to attract business and what water-related challenges businesses face, listen above.

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Copyright 2021 Michigan Radio. To see more, visit Michigan Radio.

Our conversation with John Koegel

Why mess with success?

That seems to be the philosophy of a venerable Flint company as it marks its 100^th anniversary this year.

Koegel Meats still makes its products the same way it always has, with the same ingredients as it did on the first day. Koegel’s has also stuck with Flint, its original home base, through good times and bad.

John Koegel of Koegel Meats said his grandfather started the company in Flint after learning the meat business  in Germany. He said it’s now four or five generations since the company’s beginning, but even so, the flavors have not changed.

“We talked about it, oh, years ago – should we do something and maybe change the price? And we decided no,” Koegel said. “If somebody wants the best, we want to serve them the best. And so, from that point on, we’ve decided that we are just going to continue on the way grandpa made the products back then, and we’re going to keep many of the same processes and the same flavor profile.”

For the full conversation, listen above.

GUEST

John Koegel is president of Koegel Meats.

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Copyright 2021 Michigan Radio. To see more, visit Michigan Radio.