WGRT spoke with Quentin Bishop, Executive Director of the Lapeer Development Corporation, to find out how the economy of our neighboring county is doing during the Covid-19 pandemic.
Like many counties in Michigan, Lapeer County relies heavily on their role in the automotive supply chain. Bishop said that when the automotive industry shut down, Lapeer County was hit hard, spotlighting the need for more diversification of the Michigan economy. Michigan has the second highest unemployment claims in the nation and yet ranks 35th in federal funding. Bishop said that the huge disparity between unemployment and federal subsidy is putting Michigan’s rural communities like Lapeer County at a big disadvantage.
When asked about plans for re-booting the economy, Bishop told WGRT that he is forming a task force made of community, government, and business leaders to help communicate and coordinate the efforts to prepare for a safe reopening and long-term economic recovery.
Bishop also shared news about a successful collaboration between McLaren, the LDC, and their local industrial sewing company, Trims Unlimited in Almont Township, that produced 250,000 face masks for McLaren Lapeer as well as another 30,000 plus masks for the Clorox company.
