Western Michigan University is involved in a statewide initiative designed to put higher education resources to work to create jobs. A new staff member who will work with area businesses and a new website to serve the business community are aspects of the initiative. For more on the story from Cheryl Roland and WMU News, [...]
My Sunday evening reading on the Internet led me to TWO related articles in The Christian Science Monitor, both on the subject of “reinvention” and linked to the challenging economic times in which we live. As someone who is engaged in a bit of my own “reinvention” with the River Country Journal, I found both [...]
‘Indie capitalism’ is the topic explored by Bruce Nussbaum in a recent Fast Company article. Nussbaum, the former assistant managing editor of Business Week, “blogs, tweets and writes on innovation, design thinking and creativity.” Nussbaum says, “This new form of capitalism is not just about conventional startups and technology and venture capitalists. If you add [...]
More than 200 new jobs are possible at the American Axle & Manufacturing plant in Three Rivers if a new product line is implemented as planned. That potential is at the heart of a story by Rick Cordes in Wednesday’s (November 30th) edition of the Three Rivers Commercial-News. For an abbreviated online version of the [...]
The Michigan Department of Transportation (MDOT) has announced the awarding of state transportation economic development grants that will help two manufacturing companies expand into west and southwest Michigan and bring 400 new jobs to the state. Transportation Economic Development Fund (TEDF) Category A grants totaling $2,752,000 will leverage more than $23,000,000 in private investment at [...]
Grand Rapids-based Meijer, Inc. has announced plans for add hundreds of employees throughout the Midwest as it prepares for the upcoming holiday shopping season. For further information from three media sources, click on the links below for stories from the Detroit Free Press, Dowagiac Daily News and UpNorthLive.com: Meijer plans to hire hundreds of employees [...]
The Michigan Economic Development Corporation (MEDC) reports that Michigan utilities are seeking a new generation of line workers. A news release from the MEDC says “Michigan’s electric companies and utilities across the nation are facing a wave of retirements as the baby boom generation of utility workers leaves the industry. Michigan companies will need to [...]
The Labor Day holiday is an appropriate time to focus on jobs, work and the economy. This year, these topics seem especially daunting in view of the latest reports that show the U.S. economy essentially stuck in neutral. At the same time, there doesn’t seem to be any definitive answer – or answers – to [...]
Congressman Fred Upton was appointed recently to serve on the 12-member Joint Select Committee on Deficit Reduction, a bipartisan, bicameral panel charged with finding at least $1.5 trillion in deficit reduction over the next decade. The St. Joseph Republican discussed the committee, spending and job creation during a Friday morning (August 26th) interview on WWMT [...]
GALESBURG, MI – Monday afternoon (June 6th), Congressman Fred Upton (R-St. Joseph) visited Eaton Corp’s Vehicle Group in Galesburg for an update on the division’s developments in revolutionary vehicle technologies as well as to discuss the impact of federal policies on local job growth and innovation. Upton has been a strong supporter of Eaton, having [...]
State Reps. Margaret O’Brien and Aric Nesbitt Thursday (May 19th) received the gratitude of a Kalamazoo-based business in light of their recent support for bold tax reforms designed to foster job creation statewide. Though not yet signed into law by Gov. Snyder, the new tax reforms are poised to allow job providers much-needed room to [...]
LANSING – House Democrats Thursday (April 28th) slammed their Republican colleagues for approving a plan that shifts the tax burden to seniors and working families and takes hundreds of millions of dollars away from our children’s education – all to pay for an 82 percent tax break for corporations that comes with absolutely no guarantee [...]
Lansing – The Michigan House Thursday (April 28th) approved legislation to simplify the state’s tax structure to increase competitiveness in attracting job providers. “Michigan needs to grow out of this jobs deficit,” said House Speaker Jase Bolger, R-Marshall. “To help job seekers we need to make Michigan a more competitive place to provide a job. [...]
More than 1,200 workers will be hired for summer jobs by the Department of Natural Resources in state parks, state recreation areas, boating facilities and visitor centers. Applications are being accepted now for positions such as greeting park visitors at the contact booth, selling Recreation Passport entrance permits, and performing operations and maintenance work such [...]
Calling for state leaders to back up their bipartisan talk with action, House Democratic lawmakers have announced they will reintroduce the Hire Michigan First plan, an aggressive job-creation package that will put Michigan workers back on the job now by making sure they are first in line for the jobs their tax dollars create. The [...]
The Michigan Department of Human Services has announced it is hiring more than 500 highly qualified Michigan graduates to work in children’s protective, foster care, adoption, juvenile and home licensing services to continue to improve the child welfare system, Director Maura Corrigan said. “This is encouraging news because these people will be on the front [...]
LANSING – Governor Jennifer Granholm Tuesday (October 26th) announced a historic $2.1 billion investment by companies in Michigan, creating more than 6,000 new job opportunities for workers in the state and retaining more than 216,000 jobs. The Michigan Economic Development Corporation (MEDC) is helping 16 companies grow in Michigan and backing one brownfield redevelopment project. [...]
LANSING – Governor Jennifer Granholm Monday (September 27th) heralded the work of President Obama and Congress in enacting legislation that helps small businesses access credit so they can make new investments and create jobs. “Today President Obama signed into law measures that will help our small businesses gain access to credit that will help them [...]
The lack of jobs seems to be a key ingredient of the economic downturn we’re currently experiencing. Fran Korten, publisher of YES! Magazine, has offered some thought-provoking comments on the subject in a column written for A Resilient Community, the Fall 2010 issue of the publication. Here’s a link that will take you to her [...]
LANSING – In her weekly radio address, Governor Jennifer Granholm Friday (August 20th) said her overseas investment missions are bringing new businesses and jobs to Michigan. “Since 2004, I’ve taken 10 investment missions to countries such as Germany, Italy, Austria, Belgium and Japan,” Granholm said. “These missions have been part of my efforts to go [...]
