MSHDA and MEDC's Travel Michigan Announce Contest Winners

Residents from Jackson and Howell win PureMichiganLiving.com Contest

LANSING, Mich., Feb. 24 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ -- The Michigan State Housing Development Authority (MSHDA) and the Michigan Economic Development Corporation (MEDC) today announced the winners of the "Why I Choose Michigan" essay contest. The contest helped kick off the recent launch of PureMichiganLiving.com, a new Web site featuring the people, places and things that make Michigan a great place to live, work and play.

The recipients are:

• Gerry Callison of Jackson, who chose to relocate in Michigan last year after his job was eliminated in Wisconsin and now works at Commonwealth Associates in Jackson, an engineering and consulting firm that specializes in electrical transmission and distribution projects; and,
• Rita Noel, of Howell, was born and raised in Michigan and has chosen to raise her family in Howell because she believes Michigan is one of the nation's most attractive places to enjoy cultural and recreational opportunities.

"The essays submitted by Rita and Gerry exemplify the reasons why Michigan is retaining and attracting the people our state will need to succeed in the new knowledge-based economy," said Joe Borgstrom, a Division Director with MSHDA. "We are delighted to reward their efforts with free weekend getaway packages to two of Michigan's most outstanding resorts."

Callison said he was aware of the economic hurdles that confront Michigan when he selected Jackson as his new home. His experiences in the Great Lakes State "have completely eliminated my initial sentiments of, 'no, Jackson would never work,'" Callison wrote in his essay.

"Jackson offers a very peaceful daily life with lakes and wineries in the immediate area, and a very low cost of living. Ann Arbor and Lansing have world-class culture and entertainment opportunities, and are close enough to visit on a typical weeknight," Callison added. "I have found the people to be hard working, friendly, and very anxious to introduce me into the community. While the challenges faced are undeniably daunting, I am very encouraged by how communities are coming together to adapt and rebuild themselves."

Noel said she has never envisioned leaving Michigan for another state.

"Michigan has so much to offer, with the changing seasons and beautiful locations to visit," Noel wrote in her essay. "You could fill your summer or winter weekends visiting all the different locations in Michigan and still have new and different things (to do). Not only does Michigan have beautiful landscapes and locations to visit, they have some wonderful universities and colleges where a person can get a great education. I choose to live and raise my daughters here because it is my home and I'm proud to say I'm from Michigan."

Noel and Callison were randomly selected by MSHDA and MEDC staff from the online applicants who participated in the contest. To help draw attention to the site PureMichiganLiving.com, which is inspired by Travel Michigan's national award-winning Pure Michigan campaign, MSHDA and MEDC officials hosted a two-week-long online rally that invited state residents to tell their "Why I Choose Michigan" stories. The contest was conducted Jan. 26-Feb. 1. Entrants were eligible for one of two free weekend getaway packages at Michigan resorts and hotels. The packages were donated by the resorts and hotels.

Noel won the "Two Night Mountain Getaway Package" donated by Crystal Mountain Resort & Spa of Thompsonville. Recent accolades for Crystal Mountain include a "Top Family Golf Resort" honor by GOLF magazine; the readers of Spa Magazine have voted Crystal Spa among its five Favorite Hotel/Resort Spas in the Northeast, Mid-Atlantic and Midwest; while Parents magazine in November named Crystal Mountain Resort & Spa to its list of Ten Best Winter Resorts for Families.

Callison won the "Downtown Detroit Getaway" donated by the Westin Book Cadillac. Just over one year ago, on October 6, 2008, the 453-room Westin Book Cadillac Detroit opened its doors following a two-year, $200 million redevelopment to bring back one of the city's iconic landmarks. Over the last year the hotel has been lauded with awards for historic preservation and development along with praise from the metro Detroit community. The Book has quickly become the hotel of choice for visiting film, television and sports celebrities. The hotel also received rave reviews from national and regional travel writers who were guests during a Detroit area media tour last year.

"'Pure Michigan Living' will continue to focus on all the exciting qualities Michigan has to offer by providing a venue for those who know our state best to show how Michigan is a great place to live, work and play," said MEDC president and CEO Greg Main, who also oversees Travel Michigan.

MSHDA and MEDC officials are hopeful "Pure Michigan Living" will achieve the same level of fan participation generated by the Pure Michigan promotional effort. Travel Michigan has retained the top ranking amongst the 50 official U.S. tourism office Web sites in the use of social media. In a recent study, How Social is Your State DMO, conducted by Gammet Interactive, Michigan stayed in the top spot for the use of popular social media outlets including Facebook, Twitter, Flickr, YouTube and others. The Pure Michigan Facebook page passed the 25,000 mark in January for Facebook fans, putting Michigan among the top states for fans on the social media outlet.

About MSHDA

The Michigan State Housing Development Authority is dedicated to building a thriving and vibrant future for Michigan. MSHDA provides tools and resources to improve people's lives through programs across the state. These programs assist with housing, build strong neighborhoods, and help create places where people want to live and work. MSHDA's programs work in four areas: affordable rental housing; supporting homeownership; ending homelessness; and creating vibrant cites and neighborhoods. For more information go to www.michigan.gov/mshda. *

*MSHDA's loan and operating expenses are financed through the sale of tax-exempt and taxable bonds as well as notes to private investors, not from state tax revenues. Proceeds are loaned at below-market interest rates to developers of rental housing, and help fund mortgages and home improvement loans. MSHDA also administers several federal housing programs.

About MEDC/Travel Michigan

The Michigan Economic Development Corporation, a partnership between the state and local communities, promotes smart economic growth by developing strategies and providing services to create and retain good jobs and a high quality of life. For more information on the MEDC's initiatives and programs, visit the Web site at www.TheMEDC.org.

Travel Michigan, a division of the Michigan Economic Development Corporation, is the State of Michigan's official agency for the promotion of tourism. Travel Michigan markets the state's tourism industry and provides valuable visitor information services. For Michigan travel information and updates go to michigan.org.

SOURCE Michigan State Housing Development Authority