The Michigan Works! Impact Awards honor organizations and individuals who are strengthening Michigan’s economy by creating jobs and developing new talent within their communities. As a highly visible annual event, the awards celebrate the measurable impact of newly created jobs, transformational training, and effective talent pipeline development across the state. Held this past April, in Lansing, the event brought together workforce leaders and state legislators, who presented tributes to award recipients and recognized the critical role Michigan Works! plays in their success.
Across Michigan, these stories reflect a coordinated, employer-informed workforce system that delivers results for businesses, workers, and communities alike. From advanced manufacturing and healthcare to early childhood education and infrastructure, partnerships are aligning training with real-time industry demand, closing talent gaps, and creating clear pathways to sustainable careers. The outcomes are both immediate and long-term, strengthening business competitiveness while building resilient local economies.
Macomb/St. Clair Michigan Works!
Power Solutions is being recognized with an Impact Award for its exceptional commitment to workforce development, safety, and training excellence through an employer-led, demand-driven approach. Founded in 2006, the company provides electrical engineering and power systems services across industrial and infrastructure sectors where skilled talent is critical to operational reliability and safety.
Michigan Works! Berrien, Cass, VanBuren
Flowers Early Learning is being recognized with an Impact Award for its innovative partnership with Michigan Works! Berrien, Cass, Van Buren to address critical workforce shortages in early childhood education while strengthening economic stability for working families in southwest Michigan. Founded in 1972, the organization has served more than 40,000 children and families across Berrien, Cass, and Van Buren counties and today operates classrooms in more than 20 locations, providing early learning, family support, and community services to children from birth to age five.
West Michigan Works!
Mahle Engine Components USAʼs R&D Tech Center in Muskegon Heights had long been a hub of engineering expertise, supporting advanced engine development for global manufacturing. In July 2024, Mahle sought support to strengthen its engineering pipeline, prompting a first meeting with West Michigan Works!. Business Solutions Representative Carla Hatton met with Kimm Karrip, Head of the Tech Center, to explore available services—from customized labor market data to apprenticeship development and key training grants.
Michigan Works! West Central
What began in 1995 as a small in-home daycare has grown into a trusted leader in early childhood education in West-Central Michigan. Today, Hunteyʼs Clubhouse operates six thriving locations throughout the region and recently expanded into the Grant Rapids area with the opening of Gro Childcare Academy in September 2025. Through every stage of growth, the organization has stayed true to its mission to provide a safe, nurturing and enriching environment where children can learn, grow and thrive.
Upper Peninsula Michigan Works!
Lindah arrived in the United States from Zimbabwe in 2006, carrying with her a deep hope for a brighter future. Her path to entrepreneurship was shaped by resilience, determination, and the support of agencies like Upper Peninsula Michigan Works!
Michigan Works! Southwest
Essence began her journey with the Partnership. Accountability. Training. Hope. (PATH) program at Michigan Works! Southwest in September 2024 as a single parent determined to advance her career in healthcare. With prior healthcare experience, Essence set a clear goal: to achieve long-term stability through career advancement.
Michigan Works! Southeast
The Sam Beauford Woodworking Institute (SBWI) stands as a powerful example of how passion, craftsmanship, and workforce innovation can come together to create lasting community impact. Founded in 2015 as an unconventional art and trade school, SBWI grew from a shared belief that skilled trades and fine arts are essential to both individual opportunity and economic vitality. Since becoming a nonprofit in 2017, the Institute has earned national and international recognition for its rigorous, college-level Wood Design program—praised as one of the finest furniture-making educations in the world and validated by a 100% employment rate for its 2023 graduates.
SEMCA Michigan Works!
Brandon Rich exemplifies the true impact of apprenticeship as a pathway to lifelong career growth, leadership, and generational connection within Michiganʼs skilled trades. A dedicated employee of the Oakwood Group for more than 13 years, Brandon began his career as a die helper and steadily advanced through commitment, perseverance, and a passion for learning. In 2024, he achieved a major milestone by earning his journeyman certification — a credential he will carry with him for the rest of his life.
Michigan Works! Region 7B
The Clare County Road Commission understands that workforce development is about more than filling positions — itʼs about investing in people and strengthening the talent pipeline for their community and beyond. Under the leadership of Manager Dewayne Rogers, that commitment comes to life every day through hands-on mentorship, training opportunities, and meaningful partnerships with Michigan Works! Region 7B.
Oakland County Michigan Works!
Eaton Steel Corporation is being recognized with an Impact Award for its long-standing partnership with Oakland County Michigan Works! to create career pathways in advanced manufacturing and support workforce development in southeast Michigan. A third-generation company headquartered in Oak Park, Eaton Steel has more than 60 years of experience producing and distributing high-quality steel bars and providing manufacturing supply chain solutions to customers across the United States.
Northwest Michigan Works!
Wolf Line Construction is being recognized with an Impact Award for its partnership with Northwest Michigan Works! to develop a skilled workforce supporting broadband infrastructure and rural connectivity across northern Michigan. Founded in 2016, the company has grown from six employees to more than 190 team members and partnered with Great Lakes Energy to construct one of the largest fiber-to-the-home networks in the United States, helping expand high-speed internet access in underserved rural communities.
Michigan Works! Northeast Consortium
The partnership between Cory Budnick State Farm Insurance Agency and Michigan Works! Northeast Consortium is a powerful example of how employer engagement and talent development can create lasting impact for individuals, businesses, and communities. Located in Rogers City, Cory Budnick State Farm Insurance Agency has served Northeast Michigan since 2012, providing insurance and financial services while remaining deeply committed to community involvement.
GST Michigan Works!
Aspire Rural Health System is being recognized with an Impact Award for its leadership in strengthening the rural healthcare workforce through a sustained partnership with GST Michigan Works! and a commitment to building career pathways within its local communities. Aspire is a collaborative network of more than 70 healthcare providers serving Huron, Sanilac, Tuscola, and Lapeer counties, focused on expanding access to high-quality rural healthcare while supporting employees with long-term career opportunities.
Great Lakes Bay Michigan Works!
Corning Incorporated, Hemlock is being recognized with an Impact Award for its large-scale collaboration with Great Lakes Bay Michigan Works! to build a highly skilled workforce supporting advanced manufacturing and clean energy supply chains in Michigan. Corning is a global leader in materials science with more than 170 years of innovation across advanced optics, environmental technologies, and pharmaceutical applications. In 2025, the company expanded its presence in Michigan through a $1.5 billion investment in a new manufacturing facility in Hemlock dedicated to producing U.S.-made solar components, strengthening domestic production capacity and reinforcing Michiganʼs role in advanced manufacturing.
Detroit Employment Solutions Corporation – Detroit At Work
Marriott International – Detroit Market is being recognized with an Impact Award for its longstanding partnership with Detroit Employment Solutions Corporation and Detroit at Work to expand access to employment opportunities and strengthen workforce participation in the Detroit community. For more than a decade, Marriott has collaborated with local workforce partners to connect residents to permanent full-time and part-time positions across a wide range of hotel operations, from housekeeping roles to professional career pathways offering competitive wages and advancement opportunities.
Capital Area Michigan Works!
Bridgewater Interiors is being recognized with an Impact Award for its sustained partnership with Capital Area Michigan Works! and its commitment to expanding employment opportunities, supporting workers with barriers to employment, and investing in skill development through an employer-driven workforce strategy. Founded in 1998, Bridgewater Interiors has grown into one of the largest minority-owned automotive suppliers in the United States, providing interior manufacturing services to Ford, General Motors, Honda, and Stellantis while maintaining a strong focus on workforce inclusion and community engagement.
Together, these stories demonstrate the full value of a demand-driven workforce system that connects people to opportunity and employers to the talent they need to grow. Michigan Works! continues to play a central role in translating workforce strategy into real-world impact by fostering partnerships, leveraging data, and investing in skills that matter in today’s economy. The result is stronger talent pipelines, more inclusive access to careers, and communities that are better positioned for sustained economic vitality.
