Economic development organization Ann Arbor SPARK said today that it had helped 33 companies announce expansions in 2009 with plans to hire 2,118 workers.

SPARK released a report saying that its business support efforts had helped secure $147 million in investment for the region.

Among the highlights were California information technology startup Systems In Motion, which plans to hire more than 1,000 workers for an IT operation in Pittsfield Township, and engineering firm AVL Powertrain, which plans to hire 40 workers for an alternative propulsion technology operation.

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Ann Arbor SPARK CEO Michael Finney

SPARK is a public-private nonprofit partnership formed in 2005 by a coalition of universities, business leaders and political officials. The organization helps companies get business resources, connect with talent, find funding and secure state support.

SPARK said that in 2009 it:

-Provided low-cost space to 78 companies at office incubators in Ann Arbor and Ypsilanti and a life sciences incubator in Plymouth Township. The Ypsilanti and Plymouth Township incubators opened in 2009.

-Helped 61 companies get various business planning and marketing services, intellectual property assistance and other funding services.

-Continued to manage the state's Michigan Pre-Seed Capital Fund and the Michigan Microloan Fund Program, delivering $3.6 million in funds to startup companies.

"The Ann Arbor region continues to be a bright spot in an otherwise dim economy," SPARK CEO Michael Finney said in a statement.

Contact AnnArbor.com’s Nathan Bomey at (734) 623-2587 or nathanbomey@annarbor.com. You can also follow him on Twitter.

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