Michigan Economic Development | The Upper Hand Blog

Drawing on Brilliance: The Michigan Advantage

May 13, 2010 Entrepreneurship

Michigan is an epicenter of innovation with its highly skilled workforce, world-class universities, beautiful communities and a 21st century infrastructure. But building that epicenter of innovation didn’t happen overnight. Michigan has a deeply rooted culture of innovation and an entrepreneurial ecosystem rich with resources.
The Michigan Advantage for companies everywhere is that they can come and [...]

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Tagged as: Entrepreneurship

Diversifying Michigan’s Economy: Over 15,700 New Jobs Planned for Michigan

April 21, 2010 21st Century Funds

Very few places have the one-two punch of a competitive business climate and a highly skilled workforce like Michigan that can attract new investment and jobs from companies competing across a wide spectrum of industries.
On Tuesday, Gov. Granholm announced that our efforts have resulted in 10 job-creating projects, generating 15,795 new jobs, retaining another 1,493 [...]

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LG Chem Will Build First N. American Battery Plant in Holland

March 12, 2010 Advanced Energy Storage

LG Chem announced this week that it will build its first North American lithium ion battery plant in Holland. The $303 million facility will generate hundreds of jobs and, along with Johnson Controls’ Holland-area battery plant, make northwest Michigan the epicenter of the Western Hemisphere’s lithium ion battery production, an emerging market that is expected [...]

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Tagged as: advanced battery, Alternative Energy, economic development attraction/retention programs, economic development partnerships, Economic Growth, green manufacturing

Michigan Ranks No. 3 State for Major New Corporate Expansions

March 5, 2010 The Main Message

Yesterday, Gov. Granholm announced that Site Selection magazine has named Michigan the No. 3 state in the nation for major new corporate facilities and expansions in 2009. This is the second year in a row that Michigan has finished in the top three.
Major new corporate projects for Michigan in 2009 included: advanced energy storage and [...]

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Tagged as: economic development attraction/retention programs, Economic Growth

New York Times Highlights Michigan’s Innovative Economic Development Tools … Again!

March 4, 2010 Entrepreneurship

Wednesday, the New York Times highlighted the Small Business and Technology Development Center’s (SBTDC) efforts at re-training laid-off workers to qualify for jobs in emerging sectors. The SBTDC is a strategic service provider for the Michigan Economic Development Corporation.
So far, 527 people have taken the course, which the center offers in partnership with the Ewing [...]

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Tagged as: economic diversification, Entrepreneurship, Resources

Great Time to Grow Your Business in Michigan

March 1, 2010 Advanced Energy Storage

From solar shingles and advanced batteries to boats and scrap-tire recycling, Michigan is putting in place a diversified economy where firms across a wide spectrum of industries find success and grow new jobs. With assistance from the Michigan Economic Development Corporation, 10 companies announced yesterday that they are choosing to grow in Michigan and another [...]

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Tagged as: advanced battery, Alternative Energy, economic development partnerships, economic diversification, Economic Growth, electric vehicle manufacturing, Green Technology

Dow Projects Will Energize Michigan

February 26, 2010 Advanced Energy Storage

A few weeks ago, I shared the news that Midland had been selected as the site to manufacture Dow Chemical’s revolutionary new PowerHouse solar shingles. This week, Dow announced it will partner with the Oak Ridge National Laboratory on a new Center of Energy Excellence to produce carbon fibers for use in the wind-energy sector. [...]

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Tagged as: advanced battery, Alternative Energy, economic development partnerships, economic diversification, Economic Growth, green manufacturing, Green Technology, wind energy

New York Times Highlights Business Climate, Talented Workforce in Michigan

February 16, 2010 Industry Sectors

This weekend, the New York Times profiled several Michigan companies who are succeeding in diversifying into new, high-growth sectors. Thanks to the MEDC’s robust toolbox of economic development tools and resources combined with Michigan’s competitive business climate, companies are finding that Michigan can give them an upper hand.
NTR’s chief executive, Jim Barry, said, “It should [...]

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Tagged as: economic diversification, global automotive innovation, manufacturing diversification

Michigan Wins New Dow Powerhouse Solar Shingle Facility, Bringing Over 1,000 New Jobs

February 5, 2010 Solar Energy

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 [...]

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Tagged as: Alternative Energy, economic diversification, green jobs initiative, high tech jobs, renewable energy manufacturing, solar industry

Lights, Camera, Action in Michigan

January 27, 2010 Entrepreneurship

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 [...]

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Tagged as: growth industry

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