SOUTHFIELD—The Consumers Energy Foundation has awarded an $84,000 grant to the Centrepolis Accelerator at Lawrence Technological University to support the Accelerator’s mission to grow innovative high-tech manufacturing firms in Michigan.

The grant will be used to assist companies in the cleantech, climatech, and circular economy sectors. In general, these technologies have a positive impact to energy efficiency, generate
renewable energy, reduce greenhouse gas emissions, replace non-renewable materials, preserve clean water, and promote recycling, upcycling, and the circular economy.

Centrepolis will use the grant to add Entrepreneurs-in-Residence (EIR’s), as well as offset some operational expenditures. This will allow the Accelerator to engage with additional Michigan companies to bring their product ideas to market.

 “The Consumers Energy Foundation is committed to supporting the growth and success of small and minority-owned businesses in Michigan,” said Carolyn Bloodworth, secretary-treasurer of the Consumers Energy Foundation. “We are pleased to support the great work of the Centrepolis Accelerator at Lawrence Technological University.”

“We are both excited and grateful for the grant awarded to Centrepolis by the Consumers Energy Foundation to support our mission of developing and manufacturing physical products including cleantech related products,” said Dan Radomski, executive director of the Centrepolis Accelerator. “The demand for our services as the only ‘hardware’ accelerator in the state has grown significantly, the funding will help support our ability to scale to support more clients in commercializing and making their products right here in Michigan. The economic impact from this effort cannot be overlooked, as we help our hardware clients grow we are also sending significant business to the local supply chain that is directly helping with their design, engineering, prototyping, testing and manufacturing.”

The Centrepolis Accelerator’s mission is to accelerate the growth of Michigan’s small manufacturers and “hardware” (physical product) entrepreneurs by providing access to key resources including experts, workshops, cutting-edge technologies, corporate connections, student and faculty engagement, workspace, and prototyping services. The Accelerator supports both start-ups and established small business in Michigan. 

About the Consumers Energy Foundation

Consumers Energy, Michigan’s largest energy provider, is the principal subsidiary of CMS Energy, and provides natural gas and/or electricity to 6.8 million residents in all 68 Lower Peninsula counties. The Consumers Energy Foundation enables communities to thrive and grow by investing in what’s most important to Michigan—its people, our planet and Michigan’s prosperity. In 2020, the Consumers Energy Foundation, Consumers Energy, and its employees and retirees contributed over $19 million to Michigan nonprofits. For more information about the Consumers Energy Foundation, visit http://www.ConsumersEnergy.com/Foundation.  

Lawrence Technological University, www.ltu.edu, is a private university founded in 1932 that offers more than 100 programs through the doctoral level in Colleges of Architecture and Design, Arts and Sciences, Business and Information Technology, and Engineering. PayScale lists Lawrence Tech among the nation’s top 11 percent of universities for alumni salaries. Forbes and The Wall Street Journal rank LTU among the nation's top 10 percent. U.S. News and World Report lists it in the top tier of best in the Midwest. Students benefit from small class sizes and a real-world, hands-on, “theory and practice” education with an emphasis on leadership. Activities on Lawrence Tech’s 107-acre campus include more than 60 student organizations and NAIA varsity sports.