Overview

Michigan's  SmartZone Program

Rochester Hills contains one of ten areas designated by the State of Michigan in 2000 as a SmartZone.  The primary goal of the program is to establish and grow Michigan's technology clusters by providing resources to existing businesses, sites for the expansion or attraction of businesses in target industries, adequate infrastructure and fiber capacity and supporting the growth of entrepreneurial efforts.  Each SmartZone is partnered with one or more colleges or universities, who act as service providers.

Originally named the Automation Alley SmartZone, it was recently changed to the Great Lakes INTERCHANGE.  The new name reflects the interaction of businesses and people within the Great Lakes region.

Our Brand

The Great Lakes Interchange is an industry- and university-driven, diverse technology corridor in the core of Automation Alley, Southeast Michigan's technology cluster that leverages its powerful "network of networks" to enable enterprising individuals and organizations to create innovation, define technology and help transform ideas into business applications across a wide array of industries.

• The Great Lakes Interchange offers the best high tech address in the Great Lakes region, and one of the best in the world because it:
    
  Is driven by industry-, as well as university-originated research and technology development
• Offers the most well-developed infrastructure  one that allows organizations to quickly "plug in and play"
• Is supported by the largest collaborative cross-sector network
• Intersects the center of Michigan R&D and the world center for manufacturing innovation

Our Partners

The Great Lakes Interchange partnership brings together Oakland County's best partners in education, government and economic development.  The principal partners are:

Education

Oakland University
Lawrence Technological University

Government

Oakland County

Economic Development

Automation Alley
City of Rochester Hills
City of Southfield
City of Troy

Supporting partners include the Michigan Technical Education Center  Auburn Hills Campus, the National Automotive Center at TACOM (NAC) and Walsh College.

The Interchange Advantage

The Great Lakes Interchange is many things, but primary is the combinations of networks that are brought together under one roof.

• The Great Lakes Interchange is an interdependent "network of networks" -- industry, intellectual and infrastructure networks.

• The Great Lakes Interchange Is driven by both university- and industry-originated technology
• It offers the best tech address  where the big decisions are made and great technologies are applied
• At the center of most of Michigan's R&D 
• Surrounded by 38% of the Fortune 500 businesses who do business in Oakland County
• Encircled by 25% of Michigan's multi-national companies (primarily Japanese, German, Canadian, British, Italian and French companies)
• Preferred commercial point of access to the Canadian economy.
• It provides the most available, talented, high quality technology work force
• Access to over 1/3 of Michigan's high technology workers
• High technology's share of employment in Oakland County is 64% larger than its national share.
• Oakland University and Lawrence Technological University retain 80-90% of their graduates as employees in the region
• High percentage of the technology workforce has 5-10 years of experience
• It offers the most well-developed infrastructure that allows companies to immediately "plug in and play"
• Completely IT-enabled with fiber optics, broadband and satellite
• Easily accessible to major highways and three airports
• Close proximity to the Canadian market
• Within 300 miles of key cities:  Detroit, Chicago, Cleveland, Indianapolis, and Toronto
• Unlike other global technology clusters, the Great Lakes Interchange lies within an established cradle of innovation.
• It intersects the world's center of manufacturing innovation  a center that continually demands new ideas, requires the most diverse technologies, and creates technologies with applications in many other industries.