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December 2012
Dear Community Leader:
December is the time when we reflect on what's been accomplished and what's left to do on our respective agendas. At Business Leaders for Michigan, we're excited about the progress Michigan is making to grow the economy. While we still have a long way to reach our goal of becoming a Top Ten state, Michigan's job, economic and personal income growth are all headed in the right direction.
We're also proud to have released the latest version of the Michigan Turnaround Plan - our six-step strategy for achieving Top Ten status. While about one-half of the original Plan's objectives have been implemented, the new Plan outlines the work left to do such as accelerating local government service sharing, phasing-out the personal property tax and prioritizing spending on higher education and transportation. In addition, the new Plan identifies six distinctive assets Michigan can build on to grow over 500,000 jobs and build a New Michigan.
Our state is becoming more competitive and there's a plan - the Michigan Turnaround Plan - that gives us a road map for how Michigan can become a global leader in the years ahead. Watch for information on our Leadership Summit: Building a New Michigan to be held on March 11, 2013 where we will showcase progress being made to grow the state's six distinctive assets and ultimately create more jobs.
Happy Holidays from Business Leaders for Michigan!
Doug Rothwell
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BLM Social Networks
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Business Leaders for Michigan 600 Renaissance Center, Suite 1760, Detroit, MI, 48243-1802
Phone: 313.259.5400
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UPCOMING BUSINESS LEADERS FOR MICHIGAN EVENTS
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Save the Date!
Monday, March 11, 2013
Radisson Hotel, Lansing
8:00am-1:00pm
This Leadership Summit will bring together leaders working to
grow jobs and build a New Michigan by leveraging all six of Michigan's most distinctive assets.
Watch for more information after the holidays!
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ADVANCING THE MICHIGAN TURNAROUND PLAN & THE NEW MICHIGAN STRATEGY
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Step 3: Making Michigan Competitive - Personal Property Tax
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Our View: The PPT makes Michigan less competitive as it's a tax we assess most other states do not. BLM supports phasing-out the tax while minimizing any adverse impact on communities.
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BLM Announces Support for Personal Property Tax
Business Leaders for Michigan (BLM) announced support of legislation to phase-out the Personal Property Tax. In a letter to House Tax Policy Chairman Jud Gilbert, whose committee is responsible for advancing the legislation, Business Leaders for Michigan President and CEO Doug Rothwell called the bills a responsible way to "phase-out the personal property tax on Michigan businesses while making sure that our local communities can continue to provide necessary services efficiently and effectively. This tax is a burden for the businesses that pay it and the local units of government that collect it." Read more. . .
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Local leaders support eliminating MI's personal Property Tax if funds are replaced, but distrust state follow-through
The Center for Local, State, and Urban Policy (CLOSUP) | November 2012
As state lawmakers consider reform and partial elimination of Michigan's Personal Property Tax (PPT), this report presents local government leaders' assessments of the PPT and its impact on their jurisdictions, as well as their views on potential reforms. Read more. . .
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Step 4: Invest for Growth - Infrastructure
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Our View: Michigan needs excellent transportation infrastructure to connect the state to the global economy. BLM supports a comprehensive transportation funding strategy.
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BLM Offers Support For Transportation Funding
BLM testified before the Senate Transportation Task Force on the importance of investing in transportation infrastructure to support the growth of our manufacturing sector and the state's transformation to becoming a Gateway to the Midwest. The task force is developing a proposal for how to increase funding for expanding and improving the state's transportation system. Read the testimony here.
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Step 6: New Michigan Strategy - Higher Education Marketplace
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Our View: Michigan's higher education system is one of our state's six most significant assets to drive economic growth. MI has nearly 50% fewer out-of-state students attending its universities than other states. BLM supports increasing out-of-state enrollment to grow local economies and meet future talent needs given slow population growth so long as in-state access is not negatively impacted.
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MI Ranks 9th Attracting International Students
Michigan ranks 9th in the nation and has two universities in the top 10 nationally for the number of international students according to the latest study tracking such trends. But Michigan's rate of international student growth is nearly 50% less than the national average. The study reinforces our own studies that show a strong net positive economic impact from attracting out-of-state students. Read more. . .
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Step 6: New Michigan Strategy - Gateway to the Midwest
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Our View: Michigan's geographic location is one of our state's six most significant assets to drive economic growth. Passenger hub airports have the ability to become major business centers and air cargo is projected to experience significant growth. BLM supports policies, infrastructure and programs that leverage our geographic location to become a Gateway to the Midwest.
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MI's Detroit Metro Airport - 16th Busiest in World
The map below, prepared by Brookings, identifies Detroit Metro Airport as the world's 16th busiest airport with most passengers travelling to Atlanta, Chicago and New York and non-U.S. passengers coming from Latin America, Western Europe and Asia. Read more. . .
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Step 6: New Michigan Strategy - Global Center for Mobility
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Our View: As Michigan is the home to the world's largest automotive cluster and the most automotive production/research facilities, the automotive industry is one of our state's six most significant economic assets. BLM supports actions that grow MI's market share of this growing industry sector and positions our state as the Global Center for Mobility.
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Michigan & the Midwest: Largest Mobility Clusters
The Midwest, and Michigan in particular, is the world's  largest automotive cluster. The Center for Automotive Research identifies that sixty percent of motor vehicles made in North America are produced in the Midwest. In addition, approximately three-fourths of the U.S. industry's annual investment of $20 billion in R&D funding is spent in the Midwest. The Michigan automotive R&D industry employs an estimated 65,000 professionals and is home to more than 330 automotive R&D companies or research facilities. Read more. . .
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DATA SUPPORTING THE TURNAROUND PLAN
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MI Falls in Site Selection Business Climate Rankings; Taxes #1 Factor
The latest survey of corporate site consultants identified taxes as the number one factor that drives location decisions followed by transportation and utility infrastructure. Michigan fell from 15th to 23rd in the latest rankings by Site Selection magazine, the primary journal of corporate site consultants. MI's new corporate income tax was viewed neutrally by site consultants, slightly more negative than under the old MI Business Tax, due to the loss of tax credits and incentives for larger businesses. The ranking reflects how attractive a state is for large corporate investments rather than its entrepreneurial environment. Read more. . .
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MI GDP Grows 2x Great Lakes Region in 2011
The Bureau of Economic Analysis state GDP growth index showed Michigan grew among the Top Ten states in 2011 - faster than all Great Lakes states. Read more. . . |
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Michigan Total Tax Burden = Average
The Tax Foundation identifies Michigan's total state and local tax burden as roughly average when compared to state income. This is considered one of the better measures of tax rates. Michigan reached a tax burden low of 9.4% in the year 2000 and had been steadily increasing ever since. The FY10 9.8% rate is down from a peak of 10.1% in FY09. Read more. . .
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How Gordon Food Service's new 'breathtaking' headquarters makes a statement 
MLive.com | November 8, 2012
For a company that is very private, Gordon Food Service made quite a statement with its sprawling new headquarters.
The message that comes through is "we care about our customers, employees and the environment."
"They've built a world class headquarters," said Barb VanDuren, Wyoming deputy city manager. "It puts a beautiful light on Wyoming. We are so glad they decided to build it here and they will continue to grow in our community." Read more. . .
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About Us
Business Leaders for Michigan, the state's business roundtable, is dedicated to making Michigan a "Top Ten" state for job, economic and personal income growth. The organization is composed exclusively of the chairpersons, chief executive officers, or most senior executives of Michigan's largest companies and universities. Our members drive over 25% of the state's economy, provide over 325,000 direct and 820,000 indirect jobs in Michigan, generate over $1 Trillion in annual revenue and serve nearly one half of all Michigan public university students.
Find out more at: www.businessleadersformichigan.com
Business Leaders for Michigan
600 Renaissance Center, Suite 1760, Detroit, MI 48243-1802
Phone: 313.259.5400
E-Mail Address: info@businessleadersformichigan.com |
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