Ann Arbor SPARK hires new executives to fill vacant leadership posts
Economic development group Ann Arbor SPARK this morning announced that it had hired five new employees, filling a leadership void created by the departure of several key executives after SPARK co-founder Rick Snyder was elected governor.
SPARK CEO Paul Krutko, who started his job in mid-April, hired new executives to fill several roles, including the group's top marketing job, business development position and talent recruitment slot.
Paul Krutko, the new CEO of Ann Arbor SPARK, hired several executives to fill empty leadership slots for the economic development group.
Angela Cesere | AnnArbor.com
The appointments come after three SPARK executives left to join the Michigan Economic Development Corp. and another left to join Kalamazoo's economic development group.
Krutko also promoted Skip Simms to senior vice president. Simms previously served as SPARK's vice president for entrepreneurial business development and as interim CEO after the group's first CEO, Michael Finney, resigned to lead the MEDC.
"We are recognizing his expertise and leadership in terms of entrepreneurship and business acceleration, and that’s something I really want to amplify and accelerate over the next few years," Krutko told AnnArbor.com.
Donna Doleman, a business strategy and marketing consultant who also served as director of marketing for Pfizer Inc.'s Michigan operations, is SPARK's new vice president for marketing, communications and talent.
Britany Affolter-Caine, a consultant to nonprofits with a doctoral degree in higher education policy and organizational behavior from the University of Michigan, was hired as director of talent.
SPARK's "talent" division connects talented employees with growing local companies, distributes a weekly job openings newsletter and runs training programs.
SPARK's new vice president for business development is Lukas Bonner, who formerly served as economic development manager for the city of Sterling Heights and as a development specialist for the city of Taylor. Bonner will lead SPARK's efforts to attract companies to expand in the Ann Arbor area and communicate with existing companies to understand what kind of resources they need to succeed.
The group also hired Maricatharine Eggenberger, a recent Alma College graduate, as events manager.
The hirings come after a series of departures left SPARK with a leadership void. Finney, recruited personally by Snyder, hired former SPARK Vice Presidents Elizabeth Parkinson and Amy Cell at MEDC. And former SPARK Vice President for Business Development Jennifer Owens left to join Kalamazoo-based Southwest Michigan First.
With the new hires, Krutko said SPARK is spending less than it was when Finney left.
(Editor's note: AnnArbor.com Executive Vice President Laurel Champion serves on SPARK's Executive Committee.)
Contact AnnArbor.com's Nathan Bomey at (734) 623-2587 or nathanbomey@annarbor.com. You can also follow him on Twitter or subscribe to AnnArbor.com's newsletters.
Comments
FatherXmas
Thu, Jun 2, 2011 : 2:31 a.m.
So five people hired six weeks after Krutko starts his position? He has he even figured out where the restrooms are located??? How much vetting could he have realistically done in this short amount of time -- checking references, etc. Certainly smacks of the headstrong behavior which for which he was noted during his tenure in San Jose, which was cited in an earlier story on AA.com.
Veracity
Wed, Jun 1, 2011 : 12:02 p.m.
SPARK and MEDC are pet projects for Governor Snyder. Apparently neither organization has performance standards nor must report to the public. Though these entities are supposed to lead Michigan's economy out of the recession they have only created a few thousand jobs in the last decade which hardly dents the continued 450,000 unemployment number. Like Ann Arbor's DDA, SPARK and MEDC exist as "sink holes" into which taxpayer dollars disappear.
David Briegel
Wed, Jun 1, 2011 : 1:01 a.m.
Common on you liberal whiners. Spark is a TeaPublican approved, business friendly venture. It is only the lazy incompetent teachers that need scrutiny. How dare we ask serious questions and expect real answers from these folks. They never had to provide data before now. These are future TeaPublican executives in waiting.
Townie
Wed, Jun 1, 2011 : 4:46 p.m.
Agree, but this is Republican more than TeaParty - for and by the Rich and Corporations is pure Republican. Their core belief is that the Rich and Corporations deserve to run this country, and by extension, those of us who are neither Rich nor running a Corporation (which is NOT a small business).
Vivienne Armentrout
Tue, May 31, 2011 : 8:02 p.m.
SPARK receives not only the LDFA money (school taxes within the downtown boundaries of Ann Arbor and Ypsilanti City) but has also been supported by substantial general fund allocations by both the City of Ann Arbor and Washtenaw County. I find it difficult to understand how it can be treated as a nonpublic enterprise.
Townie
Tue, May 31, 2011 : 5:52 p.m.
Nathan: 'With the new hires, Krutko said SPARK is spending less than it was when Finney left.' How about a real number? Or is this another case where SPARK gets to say things with no real numbers? That ends up as slanted journalism where a company gets to say what it wants but won't allow anyone to know the truth. If they refuse to tell you, then refuse to print or report it.
FatherXmas
Thu, Jun 2, 2011 : 2:37 a.m.
Hear, hear!!! Certainly goes a long way explaining why this publication is now online only; who in their right mind will pay for a print newspaper filled with regurgitated press releases!
Cash
Tue, May 31, 2011 : 8:10 p.m.
Townie, Excellent point. This is the perfect example of an unsubstantiated story.
Townie
Tue, May 31, 2011 : 5:50 p.m.
The arrogance of SPARK is truly breathtaking; they take lots of public tax money but then claim they are 'a private non-profit' when any tax payer asks about their finances. And of course their job creation numbers are fiction and not subject to any independent review by anyone. Time to end this circus. Either they are private or they are public. Let's cut off their tax payer monies if they don't want to be accountable and transparent. I do have to laugh at the mention of a 'leadership void' -- there's never been any leadership or accountability there from the start. It's just a closed club of insiders who use our tax money as they wish.
Cash
Tue, May 31, 2011 : 5:27 p.m.
To Krutko/Champion et al..... I guess we just have to take your word for all of this information right? Because you refuse to report salaries and expenses to us, the taxpayers of SE Michigan. You should remember always....that while taxpayers helped to "make you" taxpayers can also break you. The pass through tax money smacks of a high class method of avoiding FOIA. If you can avoid FOIA. perhaps we can petition to have public funds to SPARK dry up fast.
annarboral
Tue, May 31, 2011 : 5:13 p.m.
SPARK seems a lot like the DDA. Both are supported by taxes but in reality are "slush" type funds for politicians to manipulate. Why won't salaries be revelaed? Could they be embarrassingly large? Could the appointees be indebted to the political appointers? Hmmm. It reminds one of that massive hole in the ground that will become underground parking. Will it even replace the surface parking that had existed? Why would you build something like that when you have "no idea" what will be built above it? This is simply another example of tax dollars being wasted. If any of these projects or positions were so important then the private sectors would pay for them. I sincerely hope tax payers wake up to these "rip offs" and reduce taxes whenever possible. I know "conservative" is almost a dirty word in Ann Arbor but don't you ever wonder why every penny collected in taxes is always spent while the politicians go looking for more? Could the politicians simply be trying to buy votes?
Tom Whitaker
Tue, May 31, 2011 : 4:25 p.m.
What will their salaries be? SPARK is funded by tax money from Ann Arbor, Ypsilanti, the County, and...? Their expenditures should be public information.
Tom Whitaker
Tue, May 31, 2011 : 4:46 p.m.
At a minimum, it would be helpful to list the salaries received by the previous holders of these positions. I would also suggest that our elected officials require full transparency as part of any deal for future donations to an organization that has a history of exaggerating its results. Not holding my breath...
Nathan Bomey
Tue, May 31, 2011 : 4:29 p.m.
Tom, SPARK has generally declined to reveal salaries. Although the group receives taxpayer dollars through the Local Development Finance Authority, it is only required to release certain salary figures and only through annual tax documents. We've reported some of these figures before, including that Finney was paid more than $250,000 in total compensation in 2008.