February 2015

No Time to Lose 

The 2015 legislative session is already underway, and it's clear that state lawmakers and the Governor have a busy year planned. So do we.

There's no time to lose when it comes to implementing the Michigan Turnaround Plan. In fact, we must act more aggressively than ever to boost jobs and incomes. We need to invest in the assets that matter most, our transportation and higher education infrastructure, and take steps to cement the gains we've made so far.

BLM is a strong supporter of this May's road funding ballot proposal. We're also pushing hard for increased funding for job training and the state's colleges and universities. We applaud the Governor's 2016 budget recommendation because it recognizes the importance of these things in boosting incomes and growing jobs. Our agenda also includes ongoing work to ensure support for the growth of New Michigan industries like life sciences, mobility, engineering, natural resources, and logistics. We are aggressively working to help grow the things that matter most-transforming Michigan into a center for innovation and an aspirational destination for all.

It's going to be an exciting year as Michigan takes more steps toward its future as a Top Ten state. 

As winter takes hold, Michiganders will encounter one of our state's most challenging issues-deficient roads and bridges. Everyone has their own story of how our bad roads have impacted them, whether in unplanned and costly car repairs or overall aggravation that comes from dealing with bad weather on top of potholes. While our recovery remains strong-jobs and personal income are growing again-we still have large gaps to fill, namely in our roads.

MI's urban roadways are in such poor condition - they rank 45th in the nation.  Not a great surprise, considering MI spends nearly one-half of the average of Great Lakes states on its roads. Moreover, 33 percent of our state's bridges are deficient.  Businesses contemplating a MI location take these factors into account.

Hiring begins for Detroit-Windsor bridge project

Detroit Free Press | February 1, 2015  

The early organizational work for the planned new bridge between Detroit and Windsor appears to be speeding up. In January, the Windsor-Detroit Bridge Authority, a nonprofit Canadian entity that is leading the bridge project, sought applicants to fill a range of staffing jobs in administration, communications, information technology, human resources, policy analysis, accounting and finance, engineering, operations and legal. Michael Cautillo, president and CEO of the bridge authority, said more job postings would be published as operational needs are identified.  Read more. . . 

Venture Capital Investment Doubles to $220M in Michigan

dBusiness.com | January 20, 2015

Startup companies in Michigan received nearly $220 million in venture capital investments in 2014, nearly double the amount received the year prior, says a new report from PricewaterhouseCoopers and the National Venture Capital Association. This uptick mirrors a national trend, in which venture capitalists invested $48.3 billion in 2014, up 61 percent when compared to 2013. Read more. . .  

Michigan Unemployment Drops to 6.3%

MI Budget Reserves: Better, But Below 100 Day Operating Expense Benchmark

The Pew Foundation reports that Michigan's budget reserve was sufficient to operate for 33 days - better than the national average of 24 days, but short of the 100 day benchmark for best practices. Read more. . . 

High Performing Regions: Grand Rapids #25, Detroit #135

The Milken Institute annually ranks the economic performance of U.S. regions based on job, wage and high-tech job growth. For 2014, Grand Rapids broke into the top 25 with the consolidated Detroit region ranking 135. Once again, southern and western regions dominate the top of the list. Read more. . .   

Auto Industry Expands West & South

Area Development reports that while the auto industry continues to be largely based in an "Auto Alley" centered by I-75 with a Michigan hub, rival corridors are emerging along a western corridor between I-35 and I-55 with a Mexican hub. The report concludes that while the traditional Auto Alley is here to stay, the growth of the new corridor is likely to be higher in the future. Read more. . .    

Michigan: Out-Migration Continues

MI is gaining population, but is losing ground in national migration studies that track who is moving where, whether by choice or due to circumstance. MI was again a "high outbound" state in 2014, according to United Van Lines, which ranked MI the 36th "most moved to state" in the country. That's a step backward for MI from last year when United showed the state in relative "balance" of in and out-migration. The United Van Lines study is similar to a migration study by Allied Van Lines, which ranked MI as the fourth-heaviest "outbound" state.  Read more. . .     

Nexteer to move HQ to Detroit

Detroit News | February 2, 2015
 
 Nexteer Automotive, Saginaw County-based auto supplier, said it will move its headquarters to Metro Detroit. Nexteer, a former parts unit of General Motors known as Saginaw Steering Gear that specializes in wheel-to-wheel advanced steering and driveline systems, will announce where it will move next year. It plans to house 150 people at the new headquarters including top leaders and staff in areas such as human resources, sales and purchasing. Some would be new hires."Establishing a stand-alone global headquarters in the greater Detroit area demonstrates our commitment to the state of Michigan and provides us with a strong platform for long term success," said Laurent Bresson, president & global chief operating officer.  Read more. . . 

Ford unveils 'Mobility Plan' at CES

Detroit News | January 6, 2015

In an effort to be more innovative and address global transportation concerns, Ford Motor Co. is testing everything from a car-swapping program for its Dearborn employees to an app that finds available parking spaces for London commuters. In a Tuesday keynote at the Las Vegas Consumer Electronics Show, President and CEO Mark Fields unveiled Ford's "Smart Mobility Plan," including a series of 25 experiments around the world meant to test new ideas and address commuting issues in congested places like Los Angeles and India. Read more. . .  

Howes: Mich. change charts new future, not old comeback

Detroit News | January 22, 2015

Whatever the dubious marine metaphor in his "river of opportunity" riff, Gov. Rick Snyder is right to use Tuesday's State of the State to say Michigan still has a long way to go.  Because it does, proof of just how far the state slid in its "lost decade." The easy stuff now is done: Budgets are balanced because they must be, and business taxes are reformed because state policy otherwise was dreadful. Harder is getting Detroit out of bankruptcy, far sooner than the experts predicted.  Read more. . .