After winning a lawsuit blocking a developer from bringing more retail to area residents, Grand Blanc Township could be poised for a big influx of another type of development.

In Michigan, high-paying, high-tech jobs seem to be non-existent, and the few that do exist are quickly snapped up by the most experienced, most educated, blah blah blah. Many of these jobs are in Oakland County, but as the few remaining parcels of land are snapped up there, suppliers of high tech jobs will be forced to look elsewhere.

Could the township really be the future home of a company like Google or Yahoo or any of the other dot coms that seem to be growing on a massive scale?

Because of the state’s economy, many people are probably skeptical that such growth is probable anywhere. But Google did just settle 45 minutes away in Ann Arbor last year, and the Grand Blanc area has arguably as much potential, if not more, than Ann Arbor.

What do the vacant acres in southern Grand Blanc Township have to offer? Easy access to I-75, minutes away from Bishop International Airport, and nearness to Flint, with its six colleges, including one of the top engineering schools in the world (Kettering).

Grand Blanc Township has seen growth in the last few years, but nothing with as huge an impact as attracting high-tech developments would have. No one disputes the fact that places like Wal-Mart or Meijer can come in and create hundreds of jobs, and no one is disputing the need for those jobs. But adding 1,000 more people to the service industry is not going to spur a massive economic turnaround in the state.

Attracting five or six companies who specialize in telecommunications, computer software, building medical equipment or testing prescription drugs is capable of spurring economic recovery, in at least this region of Michigan, if not the entire state. Students who graduate from Michigan colleges will stay in state for jobs like these. Companies that provide these products are not downsizing, they are providing stable jobs to employees both nation and worldwide.

Skepticism is to be expected because it has seemed as if our state has been mired in a slump for many years. Township officials, however, truly believe these places are interested and will come here. No one knows what the future holds, but the fact that this area is even being discussed as a potential home for this type of business is one of the biggest rays of hope Michigan has had in some time.

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