LANSING, Mich. - Vince Nystrom, Ann Arbor SPARK's vice president of business development, has been selected as the first program director for Michigan's University Research Corridor.

The appointment is effective Dec. 14. The URC, an alliance of the state's three research universities, Michigan State University, the University of Michigan and Wayne State University, was founded to transform, strengthen and diversify the state's economy.

"Vince has been a part of some of the state's most successful state and local economic development efforts in business development roles and has an extensive background working in the private sector with advanced manufacturing and engineering firms,'' said URC Executive Director Jeff Mason.

The URC was established in recognition of the key role these institutions play in creating a vibrant Michigan economy that leverages the intellectual capital of these three public research universities; their efforts to proactively attract the knowledge economy businesses that can take advantage of the $1.4 billion in annual research undertaken at these three institutions; educate the workforce; and, plant the seeds for the new industries of tomorrow.

Ann Arbor SPARK is a non-profit economic development organization that promotes business expansion, retention and location throughout Washtenaw County.

In 2008 the organization's efforts led to: 40 new business-expansion projects in the region; $225 million in new investments in the community; the commitment of 2,033 new jobs and the retention of 1,561 jobs; 11 new businesses attracted to the region; support of 41 startups through Ann Arbor SPARK's Business Accelerator; and more than 100 educational, networking and career-enhancement events.
"I am excited to be a part of the URC and have the opportunity to work with these three great universities," Nystrom said.

Prior to coming to SPARK in 2008, Nystrom was director of Technology Business Development at the Michigan Economic Development Corp. (MEDC), the state's economic development arm where he oversaw new program development, technology business attraction, and project management. These efforts included initiatives such as the Technology Tri-Corridor, NextEnergy, and the 21st Century Jobs Fund.
Prior to joining the MEDC, Nystrom was an engineer in the automation sector with an emphasis on robotics and machine vision. This experience included work for a fortune 100 company, a high-tech NASDAQ firm, and the launch of a technology start-up. He earned a bachelor's in mechanical engineering from MSU.

For more about how the URC can help you, call (517) 999-4007 or visit :www.urcmich.org.

For more information about this press release, contact Joe Serwach at jserwach@umich.edu or 734-647-1844 or Julie O'Connor at julie.oconnor@wayne.edu or 313-577-8845.