The
Lansing Regional Chamber of Commerce has named its first director of the
Capital Region International Airport’s pending Foreign Trade Zone (FTZ). Brent Case, the chamber’s new director, will also oversee the chamber’s international development efforts.
Case is the former director of the
Mid Michigan Innovation Center (MMIC) in Midland. He also launched and managed the
BlueWater Angels, a private investment group.
Approval of the airport’s FTZ status is expected in the next few weeks, says Chamber Director Tim Daman. In 2008, the airport became a U.S. Port of Entry and recently opened a new $4.3 million, U.S. Customs and Border Protection Federal Inspection Station to enhance its ability to process international passenger and cargo traffic.
“The Foreign Trade Zone has the potential to become one of the real economic development success stories if we can help the business community leverage this important asset,” says Robert Selig, executive director of the airport authority.
Case will also help grow a series of international education and market development initiatives. LRCC has partnered with the
Michigan State University (MSU) International Business Center,
Global Business Club of Mid-Michigan and a law firm,
Foster Swift Collins and Smith, to provide a series of forums to teach businesses how to compete in the international marketplace, Daman says.
Before his work with the MMIC, Case was director of business development at the
Central Michigan University Research Corp., a business incubator, and manager of business development for
The Right Place in Grand Rapids. Case also served as advanced manufacturing business development manager for the
Michigan Economic Development Corp.
Source: Tim Daman, Capital Regional Chamber of Commerce
Gretchen Cochran, Innovation & Jobs editor, may be reached
here.
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