As the economy rebounds so does the balance sheets of local governments, which means the business prospects for planning firms like Carlisle/Wortman Associates are looking up, too.
"There is a lot of pent-up demand," says Dick Carlisle, president of
Carlisle/Wortman Associates. "You can only keep the development community down for so long."
The Ann Arbor-based company specializes in helping local municipalities overhaul zoning ordinances and complete planning projects. It is currently helping the city of Cheboygan update its master plan and the city of Howell develop plans for improving its South Michigan Avenue corridor.
"Now they're on the upswing," Carlisle says. "We have 70 communities that are the core of our business and now they're doing more projects again."
Carlisle/Wortman Associates currently employs 22 people and a handful of interns. It has hired two people over the last year to help it keep up with 5 percent revenue increase. Carlisle expects to hire another couple of planners within the next six months.
Source: Dick Carlisle, president of Carlisle/Wortman Associates
Writer: Jon Zemke
Read more about Metro Detroit's growing entrepreneurial ecosystem at SEMichiganStartup.com.
Enjoy this story?
Sign up for free solutions-based reporting in your inbox each week.