Michigan small businesses to get a boost
Small Business Association of Michigan and Enbridge ink partnership
Jan. 19, 2022
Michigan small businesses will receive a welcomed boost from a new partnership between the Small Business Association of Michigan (SBAM) and Enbridge.
In December, Enbridge made a commitment to work with SBAM to help ensure Enbridge procurement opportunities will be available to SBAM’s approximately 29,000 members, including a subset of those who have been Certified Small Businesses. In addition to undergoing an SBAM accreditation process, companies designated as a Certified Small Business meet specific requirements related to annual revenue and number of employees.
SBAM member companies comprise small businesses from all 83 Michigan counties. From construction to retail trade, the member companies represent small businesses across all industries.
“Enbridge’s support of Michigan small businesses and SBAM’s mission represents a commitment to the economic health of Michigan,” said Brian Calley, president and CEO of SBAM. “Having partners like Enbridge commit to source from small businesses has the potential to make a significant positive impact on local economies, and we look forward to working with Enbridge.”
Emphasis is on growing Michigan’s economy
Enbridge’s concerted effort to work with SBAM is a reflection of a shared commitment to strengthen and grow Michigan’s economy.
“Michigan’s economic engine is small business—the State’s largest job provider, in fact—and we support SBAM’s work to bolster economic development by connecting members with large vendor and supplier procurement interests, such as Enbridge,” said Mike Moeller, Enbridge director, Great Lakes Region. “We share SBAM’s dedication to growing Michigan’s economy and creating prosperity for the State’s hardworking entrepreneurs, business owners, employees, and families.”
“Having partners like Enbridge commit to source from small businesses has the potential to make a significant positive impact on local economies, and we look forward to working with Enbridge.”
—Brian Calley, President and CEO, Small Business Association of Michigan
In addition to the effort to work with SBAM, Enbridge’s energy system also plays a significant role in small business.
“Through Enbridge Line 5 in the Straits, we are able to provide a safe, reliable energy source on which homes and business alike rely on,” said Moeller. “Propane from Line 5 is a heating source for homes and business. Fuel from Line 5 provides the power for ferries that travel the Straits and trucks that transport food, medical supplies, flowers, and other deliveries. The natural gas liquids and light crude from Line 5 are essential to manufacturing more than 6,000 items—including the phones in our hands, the televisions we watch and the shoes, boots and coats we wear during a typical Michigan winter.”
Benefits will come in layers
Moeller says the new relationship between SBAM and Enbridge will benefit Michigan for years to come. Enbridge is gearing up to build the Great Lakes Tunnel Project, which would relocate the pipelines in the Straits of Mackinac to a concrete tunnel below the lakebed, further protecting the environment and the people who use the waters of the Great Lakes. It will take several hundred workers to build the Tunnel when construction gets underway.
“Many Michigan businesses and laborers will benefit because of the Tunnel Project. It will take at least four years to build. In the meantime, we’re looking forward to working with the State’s small businesses,” said Moeller.
It should prove to be a winning partnership for everyone involved.
