Written by Tanya Terry, with photos courtesy of the Flint & Genesee Group
Featured photo: Chief Operating Officer for the Flint & Genesee Group Kristina Johnston stated that change has been a big topic for the organization recently.
The Flint & Genesee Group continues to focus on navigating change and supporting growth across its multiple branches to help the Flint and Genesee County community. The organization released its annual report on March 25, which highlighted how this was done in 2025.
Chief Operating Officer for the Flint & Genesee Group Kristina Johnston stated: “Pretty consistently change was a really big topic – and navigating not only internally with responding through programing, but also helping our members and our partners navigate political changes, technology changes, all of the things that created a sense of uncertainty in community.”
Johnston added that the Flint & Genesee Group noticed a theme of not only navigating change internally, but working with others to help them be prepared and working together to figure out what’s next for Flint and Genesee.
Through the Flint & Genesee Chamber of Commerce creating strong networking opportunities, 70% of members reported new business connections.
“It’s one thing to say qualitatively, yes, I enjoy being a part of this,” said Johnston. “I feel camaraderie, I make connections, but there’s also a business case for being chamber member and helping access that business-to-business connection that helps your bottom line.”
Johnston also pointed out the that the Mid-Michigan Nonprofit Committee was recently started, and that group already has about 100 members.
The Flint & Genesee Economic Alliance closed three major development deals, resulting in $50.5 million in private investment and 317 new jobs for Genesee County.
The $50.5 million in private investment and 317 jobs came three businesses: Fluid Cooling Systems in Burton, Custom Air Handling in Burton and Miller Industries in Fenton.
“The jobs that they create resulted in about $16 million of new payroll,” Johnston stated.
Through the Teen Quest program, Flint & Genesee Education and Talent division helped 461 students, with 347 participating in a job fair and 228 ultimately being hired.
Johnston pointed out most of the employers are nonprofits.
“So, the students who get those work experiences, not only are giving themselves a step up in terms of their career pathway, but the employers often need these students and we reimburse for wages to run summer camps and provide services and clean community.”
Additionally, the Education and Talent division’s initiative, Make Your Move, brought 39 new residents to the county, generating an estimated $2 million in economic value.
Explore Flint and Genesee attracted $18 million in economic impact through 35 events and saw a 4.5% increase in hotel assessment dollars.
“We work with large events and meeting planners from all over the country and encourage them to bring their groups here to Genesee County. When they come, they spend money at our local establishments.”
The Flint & Genesee Group provided crucial support to businesses by helping them navigate new laws like the Earned Sick Time Act and Workforce Opportunity Wage Act.
“There is a new way that businesses need to track sick time and way they can compensate folks. So that was a new law that a lot of folks might not have even realized have happened, but we were able to provide webinars and consultation from a variety of partners…
“The other one was the improved Workforce Opportunity Wage Act.
“Both of those had direct implications in the way businesses handle their accounting, as well as their HR practices. We wanted to be a resource in that.”
The branch also revitalized the Disability Works Committee, focusing on creating employment opportunities for individuals with disabilities.
Overall, the organization’s theme for the year was growth and attraction. The positive trend is providing increased optimism for Flint and Genesee County in 2026.
