City of Marshall, Brooks Fountain Restoration Project
Earns the Collaboration Award at the 2009 Michigan Downtown Conference

                                                                        
Lansing ? The Michigan Downtown Conference Partners kicked-off their 2009 Michigan Downtown Conference today at the Lansing Center in downtown Lansing. The conference runs Tuesday, September 15 through Wednesday, September 16. The 2009 Michigan Downtown Conference is being held in an effort to help community leaders create successful strategies and case studies for attracting new investment, jobs and young professionals to city centers.

The theme for this year's conference is "The Three C's of Prosperity: Creativity, Collaboration and Competition." The Michigan Downtown Conference Partners include the Michigan Downtown Association (MDA), the Michigan Municipal League (MML), Michigan Main Street Center @ MSHDA, the Community Economic Development Association of Michigan (CEDAM), the Michigan Historic Preservation Network (MHPN), Main Street Oakland County and the State Historical Preservation Office (SHPO). 

"This year's theme for the Downtown Conference is particularly fitting for Michigan's economic future," Michigan State Housing Development Authority (MSHDA) Executive Director Keith Molin said. "Creativity, collaboration and competition is the formula for turning Michigan around and our downtowns are where the process starts. The conference partners have done an excellent job in pulling together all the right ingredients to transform our downtowns into investment opportunities, and places that attract jobs and young professionals."

The Michigan Downtown Conference Planning Partners announced earlier this year that the 2009 Michigan Downtown Conference keynote speakers will be Daniel T. Kildee and Tom Izzo. Kildee is President of the Genesee Institute, a research and training institute focusing on smart growth, urban land reform and land banking. Izzo is the head coach for the Michigan State Spartans men's basketball team.

This annual conference is dedicated to bringing the best ideas, resources and educational sessions together to create an energetic environment and celebrates the growth of Michigan downtowns.
Participants at the conference consist of staff, directors and members of downtown development boards, key community leaders and planners, anchor business owners, economic development professionals, members of retail trade and promotional associations, along with, members of convention and visitor bureaus, chambers of commerce and others interested in promoting tourism and business development.

The Michigan Downtown Conference is an annual conference to help community leaders create successful strategies and case studies to revitalize their downtowns. Additional information can be found at www.michigandowntownconference.org.

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