CITY AND STATE RANKINGS
Michigan Is #3 Manufacturing State
A study of 100,000 U.S. manufacturers ranks Michigan as the third-best state in the nation for manufacturing and one of the top 14 states best-positioned to compete nationally and globally. Ohio and Illinois are #1 and #2, respectively, with Pennsylvania and Texas rounding out the Top 5. The study, released November 1 by eMvoy, a Chicago-based industrial research group, concluded that the state of U.S. manufacturing is not bad “as long as you are in the right state.” For further information, go to http://www.emvoy.com/
Public Policy Study: Michigan’s Efforts to Attract High-Skill Jobs Paying Off
The state has gained 55,000 jobs over the last four years in areas that generally require higher levels of education such as health care, business support services, real estate, rental and leasing and credit intermediation. That is the conclusion of a study released by Lansing-based public Policy Associates Inc. entitled A Look at Michigan’s Emerging New Economy. The report showed that 45 percent of the 25 top job growth sectors were in these high-skill areas. By contrast, the 25 sectors losing the most jobs were primarily found in vehicle manufacturing.
Meijer Is #10 on Forbes List of America’s Largest Private Companies
Grand Rapids-based Meijer is #10 on the Forbes magazine list of America’s Largest Private Companies. Each of the 394 companies on the list has at least $1 billion in annual revenue; 16 others in addition to Meijer are based in Michigan: Alticor, Guardian Industries, Gordon Food Service, Affinia Group, Metaldyne, Cooper-Standard Automotive, Soave Enterprises, Haworth, Dart Container, Plastipak Packaging, Ilitch Holdings, Dawn Food Products, Key Safety Systems, Barton Malow, Plastech Engineered Products and TriMas.
Michigan Moves Higher Than Any Other State in Creating New Economy
The 2007 State New Economic Index assessing the readiness of the states for the knowledge-based economy of the 21st century ranks Michigan #4 for industry investment in R&D, #1 in making government functions available online, 10th in foreign direct investment and 11th in managerial, professional and technical jobs. Michigan ranks 19th overall, up from 34th in the 1999 study and reflecting the most improvement of any state. This year’s index measured 26 variables, including Internet usage by state residents, total R&D spending by companies, immigration of highly skilled workers and amount of venture capital available. The 2007 State New Economic Index is published by the Washington, D.C.-based Information Technology and Innovation Foundation.
Michigan Ranked #4 in the Nation for Small Tech Innovation
SmallTimes magazine has named Michigan fourth in the nation for small tech innovation, up from fifth last year. Small tech innovation includes the development and applications of microelectromechanical systems (MEMS), microsystems, and nanotechnology. Innovation is one of five categories that will be used to determine Small Times’ annual overall state rankings. The rankings are based on criteria used by economists who specialize in emerging technology hubs. A compilation of the individual categories and the overall state rankings will appear in the July/August 2007 issue of the magazine. In the innovation category, California, New Mexico, and Massachusetts were ranked in the top three spots.
St. Joseph Wins Travel Awards
The Fine Living Channel voted St. Joseph as one of the top ten perfect summer getaways, referring to St. Joseph as “the Riviera of the Midwest.” Silver Beach was also listed as one of the top ten beaches by Parents Magazine and Golf Digest listed the community in their top twenty golfing areas in the U.S. St. Joseph continues to maintain its hidden gem atmosphere even though it gains national attention for the beauty of all the seasons.
Biotech Venture Capital Investment Up
BioEnterprises Inc., a Cleveland-based company that tracks venture investments, reported that venture capital investing in Michigan biotech companies more than doubled in 2006, placing the state second in the Midwest in the value of investments. Venture capitalists closed on 11 deals in Michigan last year totaling $135.5 million.
COMPANY SUCCESSES
American Litho Inc., a subsidiary of Konica Minolta Graphic Imaging USA, Inc. (KMGI) will institute a new production line in Kentwood by investing $13.5 million over and above the $22 million already invested. Michigan beat Pennsylvania for the project which is expected to create 327 jobs, including 163 directly by the company. In addition, KMGI will be relocating its corporate headquarters to 5800 Foremost Drive. Konica Minolta Graphic Imaging USA is a wholly owned subsidiary of Konica Minolta Holdings, Inc. Konica Minolta Holdings, Inc. was among 12 companies Governor Granholm received commitments from while on an investment mission in Japan in May 2006.
A new Angel Investment Incentive Program designed to stimulate the creation and growth of early stage technology companies in Michigan was announced by Governor Granholm in January. Angel investors pool resources to provide companies with necessary funding, usually from $250,000 to $2 million, to provide a bridge to the next stage of growth. Many angel investors also provide mentorship and crucial management support. The Angel Investment Incentive program provides a tax deduction for individual investors when the basis plus all or some portion of the profits from an initial qualified investment are rolled over into a subsequent investment in a second qualified technology company.
Eaton Aeroquip Inc. plans to invest approximately $1 million to consolidate its operations in Jackson and secure 1,262 Michigan jobs, including 364 directly by the company. A state tax credit helped convince the company to consolidate in Michigan over a competing international site. To support the project, the city of Jackson has approved a Renaissance Redevelopment Zone.
Edgewater Automation LLC, a supplier of custom automation equipment for assembly and testing for the medical, electronic, automotive, stored power, pharmaceutical and alternative energy industries, plans to invest $1.05 million to expand its operations in St. Joseph. The expansion is expected to create 97 new jobs, including 45 directly by the company. Today, the company has grown to over $9 million in sales with 45 employees.
City of Detroit, teaming with Focus: HOPE, has announced a phased development along Oakman Boulevard just east of the Focus: HOPE campus in Detroit. The project will include a conference and education center, retail stores, development of local park space, replacement of run-down infrastructure and eventual adaptive re-use of the old Michigan Bell buildings. The project is expected to create up to 120 full- and part-time jobs and include $38 million in capital investment.
Ford Motor Company is planning $1 billion of investments in existing plants in Dearborn, Livonia, Bruce Township, Wayne, Romeo, Sterling Heights and Woodhaven. The project is expected to retain over 13,500 Ford jobs and will position these plants for future investment.
The Michigan Strategic Fund approved a private activity bond allocation to help finance the expansion of Geskus Photography Inc. The funding will be used for construction of a 9,500-square-foot manufacturing facility and acquisition and installation of machinery and equipment in Tallmadge Charter Township, Ottawa County, for the processing and finishing of photographs for schools and recreational sports and printing and binding of photo books.
Internet giant Google Inc. has chosen the Ann Arbor area for its newest Internet project. The facility will be a sales and operations center for the company’s AdWords online advertising program. Thousands of advertisers use the Google AdWords program to promote their products and services on the Web. The project is expected to create 1,000 new jobs. Google was co-founded in 1998 by Sergey Brin and Larry Page, a graduate of East Lansing High School and the University of Michigan.
Hi-Lex Manufacturing is investing more than $26.8 million in its Hudson and Litchfield plants, creating 100 new jobs. Last May, MEDC officials met with Hi-Lex executives in Japan during the Governor’s Asian investment mission to secure the company’s continued investment in Michigan. Hi-Lex Controls was founded in 1989. The U.S. parent, TSK of America, is owned by Hi-Lex Corporation, a global company based in Takarazuka City, Japan. Hi-Lex Controls currently employs approximately 650 at its Hudson and Litchfield facilities. The company also employs more than 80 engineers and sales staff at its technical center in Troy.
The MEDC approved $2,695,000 from the Private Activity Bond Program to Kreher Wire for an addition to their plant in Romulus, as well as the purchase of machinery and equipment. Kreher Wire provides steel processing operations including annealing, pickling, coating and wire drawing.
Landon IP Inc. is investing $3.9 million to open offices in Southfield. The Alexandria, Va.-based company’s new operations will create 299 new jobs. Michigan was competing with a site in California for the project. The company specializes in professional patent and trademark searches, patent analytics and business intelligence. In 2006, it was one of only two companies awarded a major contract by the U.S. Patent & Trademark Office (USPTO) to conduct patent searches and initial patent examinations for the agency.
LenderLive Network Inc. will invest $7.4 million to expand its current facility in Troy with the addition of a 30,000-square-foot data and operations center over the next five years. The project will create 847 new jobs, including 350 directly by the company. Michigan was competing with sites in Colorado, Florida and Texas.
Meiden American Inc., a wholly owned subsidiary of Meidensha Corporation, is launching a new company in Northville Township. Meiden Technical Center North America LLC will provide contract testing and engineering services for the development of advanced gasoline and diesel combustion engines. The project will result in the creation of 20 new jobs and the potential for future growth. Meidensha Corporation is investing approximately $17 million in the new 78,000-square-foot technical center expected to open later this year.
NewPage Corporation, headquartered in Dayton, Ohio, plans to invest $55.4 million in new equipment and building improvements at its Escanaba paper production facility. The project will retain 1,100 jobs and will help ensure the economic well-being of Escanaba and the entire Delta County region for years to come. The company is a major U.S. producer of coated papers and has five integrated pulp and paper manufacturing mills in Ohio, Maryland, Maine and Kentucky in addition to Michigan.
Niowave Inc., a spin-off company from Michigan State University’s National Superconducting Cyclotron Laboratory and Electrical Engineering Department, will use a tax credit to help transform a vacant two-story school building in the City of Lansing’s Walnut neighborhood into a high-tech manufacturing facility. Niowave will invest more than $5 million in the project, which is expected to create 75 new jobs.
ParkingCarma Inc. will invest $4.6 million to locate its customer contact center at the Great Lakes Technology Center in Flint. ParkingCarma Inc. was established in 2006 to commercialize the ParkingCarma parking guidance service that allows drivers to secure parking spaces through cell phones, the Internet or next generation on-board navigation systems. The product was developed by Emeryville, Calif.-based ACME Innovation in association with AT&T, Bay Area Regional Transportation, CalTrans, Intel, Microsoft, NavTech, Quixote Corporation, Senses (Siemens) and UC Berkeley. The project will create 110 jobs by the company.
Siemens VDO Automotive Corporation plans to invest between $50-60 million to consolidate operations and establish one North American headquarters location in Auburn Hills, including a vehicle and application engineering facility and test labs. The project, pending Siemens VDO Board approval, is expected to create and retain up to 2,851 jobs, including up to 1,100 directly by various Siemens operating companies.
Germany-based worldwide technology company Söhnergroup will relocate the North American headquarters and operations of GRW Technologies to Kentwood. The company will move its headquarters and operations from Winchester, Virginia, choosing Michigan over a competing site in Mexico. The company is expected to hire 50 and move ten employees from Germany and its current operations in Winchester during the first quarter of 2007 and anticipates expanding its workforce to as many as 150 employees by the end of 2008. GRW Technologies is a manufacturer of precision injection moldings, with headquarters in Schwaigern, Germany.
TechSmith, an innovative software company that makes the screen capturing software SnagIt, expects to begin construction in the spring on a new, $18-million world headquarters within the Lansing Regional SmartZone. In addition to the company’s existing 140 employees, 105 new jobs will be added. Lansing beat out Indianapolis, Indiana, for the project.
Tesla Motors Inc. will invest $47.7 million to locate a new R&D and engineering center in Rochester Hills. The project will result in the creation of 76 new jobs. Headquartered in California, Tesla Motors designs, manufactures and sells high-performance, highly efficient electric sports cars.
Visteon will invest $35 million to build a state-of-the-art manufacturing plant in Highland Park, creating 175 new jobs. Michigan was competing with Ohio for the project. The facility will serve as a regional manufacturing facility, providing parts to sequencing centers in Michigan and other states that serve manufacturing plants in the Midwest. Visteon is a leading supplier of automotive systems, modules and components.
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Regulatory Affairs
