Regional Economic Collaborative (REC)
The Regional Economic Collaborative (REC) serves as Tri-County’s economic development strategic planning committee. The REC’s primary responsibility is to advise the facilitation, management, and implementation of the region’s 5-year Comprehensive Economic Development Strategy (CEDS). In addition, REC members serve in an advisory role by providing recommendations to Tri-County staff and its Board on investments in strategic planning, resiliency, and identified implementation activities in support of these regional activities.
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REC membership is comprised of public, private, and community-based thought leaders working in economic development, transportation and infrastructure, environmental, talent, and workforce development, housing, education, arts and culture, philanthropy, and health and human services. Meetings will be held throughout the year and have been posted on the calendar.
BACKGROUND
Since 1986, Tri-County has partnered with regional stakeholders working in economic development in support of our designation as Greater Lansing’s Economic Development District (EDD) to ensure the economic vitality and meaningful development of the region's urban and rural communities.
In 1995, a group of new economic developers within the tri-county region created the Regional Economic Development Team (REDTeam) to purposefully coordinate development opportunities within all three counties, and to align professional networks and resources previously established through individual efforts. The REDTeam members recognized the need for a full-service agency to better serve the economic development needs of the region, resulting in the creation of the Lansing Economic Area Partnership (LEAP). The need to work collaboratively continued, and the REDTeam meetings transitioned into the Lansing-Tri-County Regional Economic Partnership (L-TREP).
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From there, the creation of Governor Snyder’s “Regional Prosperity Initiative” (RPI) in 2013 led to a reconfiguration of L-TREP in order to meet the newly established requirements for state funding availability. Together with higher education, economic development, transportation and workforce development partners, L-TREP transitioned into the Greater Lansing Regional Prosperity Initiative (GLRPI). Like the REDTeam and L-TREP before it, the GLRPI was organized to encourage collaboration with cross-sector stakeholders in pursuit of a vibrant, prosperous vision for the tri-county region's economy. Planning for talent, education, transportation, health and environment, and placemaking initiatives increased stakeholder participation and diversity in membership, welcoming in a new era of collaborative strategic planning. With the sunset of the RPI in 2019, it was time to reimagine a committee that aligns with today’s economic development needs. The Regional Economic Collaborative was formed in response and is used to guide strategic planning activities in support of the region’s economic prosperity and resilience, moving forward.