Cassopolis and Dowagiac both submitted proposals for the United Federal Credit Union headquarters by a Nov. 21 deadline.
Cass County Economic Development Corp.’s lack of a point person prevented it from completing a proposal, Chairwoman Eileen Toney reported to the Board of Commissioners Nov. 17.
But “the county itself isn’t losing out,” Cassopolis Village Manager Meg Mullendore-Cluckey said Wednesday.
“While the county EDC may not have completed an RFP for the headquarters for United Federal Credit Union, Charlie Cleaver, county administrator, and I did submit a completed RFP by the deadline in an attempt to secure the headquarters in the village” industrial park, Mullendore-Cluckey said.
“The village took the lead in this by contacting an appropriate party to receive an invitation to complete an RFP and started working immediately on fulfilling the terms. This doesn’t guarantee that we will be selected, but the village and county are in the mix. We were very pro-active.”
Dowagiac also submitted a proposal on behalf of its industrial park.
“We’re in the derby, too,” City Manager Kevin Anderson said.
“We got something out there for consideration,” Cleaver said. “We have a lot to offer,” from affordable housing, transportation and a strategic location between several urban areas concentrated with 16 universities to the expected 2012 arrival of high-speed internet.
“Last I heard, there were at least a dozen potential sites,” Cleaver said.
St. Joseph-based United Federal Credit Union operates nine branches in Michigan, including two in Niles, and manages assets exceeding $1.3 billion.
Its member base grew about 5 percent in the past year.
It intends to complete the expansion over the next two years.