The cities of Warren and Sterling Heights have launched a national search to fill a key role for the Arsenal Alliance, a $500,000 agreement between the two cities signed in April aimed at growing the defense industry in southeast Michigan.
By: Brian Wells | C&G Newspapers | Published August 15, 2025
MACOMB COUNTY — Several months after the mayors of the two largest cities in Macomb County signed an agreement aimed at bolstering the defense industry’s ties to the region, they have collaboratively launched a national search to fill a key leadership position.
The two cities are working together to conduct a search for a defense industry economic development advisor to drive the work of the Arsenal Alliance, a regional initiative aimed at growing the defense industry in southeast Michigan.
The advisor will be tasked with leading stakeholder engagement across business, government and military sectors; developing a strategic plan aligned with emerging defense priorities; identifying and pursuing state, federal and private investment opportunities; and amplifying the region’s presence in national policy and procurement conversations.
An Aug. 11 press release states the role is “a first-of-its-kind regional blueprint designed to secure southeast Michigan’s place at the forefront of national defense readiness and innovation.”
“This isn’t just about hiring a director of defense policy, strategy and advocacy — it’s about choosing the right partner to help us build the future,” Warren Mayor Lori Stone said in a statement.
The Arsenal Alliance is a $500,000 agreement between Warren and Sterling Heights, which was signed in April. It aims to build on the strong defense industry already present in Macomb County by driving development, job creation and retention.
“It’s long past time that we collaborate on more issues like this for the benefit of our people and for the betterment, really, of the nation,” Sterling Heights Mayor Michael Taylor said at the April press conference.
The agreement, he said, takes funding from both cities to create a joint venture to support the contractors that are already here while also helping to find new government contracts through the Department of Defense.
In the Aug. 11 press release, Arsenal Alliance Executive Advisory Committee Member Mark Pasik said the agreement ensures that local defense companies, supplies and workers remain at the forefront of innovation.
“But this partnership is about so much more than economic development,” he said in a statement. “It’s a commitment to protecting American security, growing good-paying jobs and building the advanced capabilities our warfighters depend on right here in our own community.”
The executive advisory committee, which is made up of public officials, private industry leaders, academic institutions and veterans advocates, will guide the selection process for the defense industry economic development advisor position.
A request for proposals opened Aug. 11 and will remain open until Sept. 16. In addition to being posted on both city’s websites, the RFP will be distributed through local, state and national networks and will be posted on BidNet Direct.