Chelsea Opens Conversation with Industrial Park Businesses

Chelsea city leaders and Ann Arbor SPARK met with industrial park businesses May 28 at Hatch Stamping, opening a conversation about how city hall can better listen, respond and help businesses grow.

The event, “Meet the Chelsea Mayor & City Manager: Coffee, Community, & Connections,” was hosted by Ann Arbor SPARK in partnership with the city of Chelsea, Hatch Stamping and the Chelsea Area Chamber of Commerce. Designed for Chelsea Industrial Park businesses but open to the broader business community, the morning offered companies a chance to connect directly with Mayor Kate Henson, City Manager Elle Cole and other local leaders.

Suzanne Morrison of Hatch Stamping welcomed attendees by noting that many people do not realize how much industry is happening in Chelsea.

“So many people don’t know about the industrial park in Chelsea,” Morrison said.

The morning was less a formal presentation than an invitation to talk about access, communication and support before problems become harder to solve.

Henson said one of her goals is to build a larger sense of community in Chelsea and make sure businesses know where to start when they need help.

“I think we do a really good job in Chelsea about coming out when we need things, but don’t always necessarily know where to start,” Henson said.

Residents and small businesses often receive much of the attention, Henson said, but industry also plays a major role in Chelsea’s local economy.

“Our industrial businesses are responsible for our economic drivers,” Henson said. “They are the ones that employ the people that work here most of the time.”

The mayor said city leaders want industrial businesses to know they are accessible, even when the city may not be able to solve every problem.

“We want to make sure that we’re also letting them know that we are accessible and we want to make things happen for them, or at least hear from them,” Henson said.

Cole said the city still has oversight responsibilities, but she and Henson want businesses to see Chelsea as a partner.

“I think that in the past, maybe the city was kind of seen as an oversight entity,” Cole said. “And while we have to be that in many different ways, Kate and I have a vision that we want to turn Chelsea into a supporting partner.”

She encouraged companies to bring planning issues, transportation concerns, growth questions or other challenges to city leaders earlier in the process.

“If you have issues, we want you to come to us,” Cole said. “We want to know. We want to help remove those barriers and make you as comfortable as possible here in Chelsea.”

Jennifer Olmstead of Ann Arbor SPARK said the goal is to build relationships before businesses reach a crisis point.

“We want to reach you before you have a pain point,” Olmstead said. “We want you to be able to expand here. So we want to be proactive in that approach.”

Morrison also pointed to the next generation of workers, noting Hatch’s work with student robotics, career technical education and school visits, including a group of elementary students expected at the facility later that day.

After the remarks, attendees introduced themselves and continued networking, with conversations touching on business support, workforce development, transportation, growth and future connections within Chelsea’s industrial park.

Featured image: Chelsea business and community representatives gather May 28 at Hatch Stamping for the Chelsea Industrial Park Meetup. The Ann Arbor SPARK-hosted event gave industrial park businesses a chance to connect with Mayor Kate Henson, City Manager Elle Cole and other local leaders. Photo by Heather Finch