The Dow Chemical Company announced Wednesday that Midland has been identified as the preferred site for the first, full-scale production facility of its revolutionary Dow Powerhouse Solar Shingle, pending final company approval. The project could bring more than 1,200 jobs to the region by 2014.
The Dow Powerhouse Solar Shingle integrates low-cost, thin-film photovoltaic cells into a proprietary roofing shingle design, which represents a multi-functional solar energy roofing product. The innovative product can be installed by roofing contractors with no specialized skills required.
Thanks to a coordinated strategic plan driven by research and designed to leverage our strengths, we are now out in front of our competition to capture the solar market and create thousands of new jobs in Michigan. I commend Governor Granholm, our state legislators, and our federal lawmakers for giving Michigan the tools we need to grow the solar industry, diversify our economy and create new jobs.
Tagged as:
Alternative Energy,
economic diversification,
green jobs initiative,
high tech jobs,
renewable energy manufacturing,
solar industry
As far back as WWII, Michigan has been a prime location for the movie industry, and with the recent introduction of various tax incentives aimed at filmmakers, this growth industry in Michigan is taking off. In 2009, there were 48 completed film productions which used Michigan as either their main or partial location, and 2010 is already revving up to be another stellar year. The Michigan Film Office, created in 1979, assists in attracting production companies to Michigan. They provide endless services such as information about the industry incentives, location selection, and sourcing of local production staff and talent – “You bring the story. We’ll take care of the rest.”
For more information, visit michiganfilmoffice.org.
Tagged as:
growth industry
When considering locations for your company, few things are more important than the quality of life for your employees.

Today, we are proud to announce the launch of PureMichiganLiving.com, a new initiative by the Michigan State Housing Development Authority (MSHDA) dedicated to covering good news and quality of life stories about our great state. As a part of the launch, they are asking residents of Michigan to share their stories of why they choose to live in Michigan. This “Choose Michigan” campaign seeks to collect 1,000 stories over the next week. Two lucky submissions will be randomly selected and awarded one of two great Michigan getaways donated by Crystal Mountain Resort & Spa of Thompsonville and the Westin Book Cadillac of Detroit.
Follow Pure Michigan Living on Twitter and become a fan on Facebook to show your support and share your stories with them.
We hope you are as excited as we are to see Pure Michigan Living take off. If you are a Michigan business owner, please consider submitting your story to let other businesses know why they should Choose Michigan.
Tagged as:
Quality of Life