< PreviousP UR E M IC H IG A N I N P IC T UR ES 18 M I C H I G A N E C ONOM I C DE V E L OP ME N T G UI DE MI C HI G A NMI C HI G A N M A KE I T I N All photos courtesy of MEDC, unless otherwise notedM I C H I G A N E C ONOM I C DE V E L OP ME N T G UI DE 19 MI C HI G A N Frankfort Beach Photo by Drew Mason20 M I C H I G A N E C ONOM I C DE V E L OP ME N T G UI DE Point Betsie LighthousePR ES ER VE PL AY LI VE Opening Day at Comerica Park in Detroit Michigan Central Station renovation - before and after Downtown Marquette farmers marketHikers in the Keweenaw Peninsula Winter ORV adventure in Munising Pa dd lin g a lon g To rch R ive rE X PL O R E Lake of the Clouds in the Upper Peninsula’s Porcupine Mountains Wilderness State Park Alpena – a sanctuary of dark skiesAD V EN T UR E Scenic overlook of Sugarloaf Mountain Treetops Ski Resort 24 M I C H I G A N E C ONOM I C DE V E L OP ME N T G UI DEUR BA N NAT UR AL SUB UR BA N Depot Town, Michigan Grand Rapids, Michigan O Kun De Kun Falls26 M I C H I G A N E C ONOM I C DE V E L OP ME N T G UI DE ‘I will work with anyone to make sure Michigan leads and builds the future.’ ichigan Gov. Gretchen Whitmer has made a career out of challenging convention and not settling for the status quo. She has taken that same approach to economic development, and the results speak for themselves. Perennially a top 10 state in attracting new and expanded corporate facility projects, Michigan has retooled its entire approach to economic development under Whitmer’s leadership and improved its overall ranking in virtually every statistical category. The biggest jumps have come in advanced industry sectors like aerospace and defense, mobility, life sciences, and semiconductor manufacturing. Moreover, the governor says she is just getting started. In the following interview, Whitmer outlines her approach to economic development, her top priorities, and the tools she is using to make sure that the most advanced companies in the world Make It in Michigan. by RON S TARNER M Gov. Whitmer Retools the I NTE R V I E W W ITH TH E G O V E R NOR Gov. Gretchen Whitmer announces her Make It in Michigan budget at a local fire station Photo courtesy of MEDC MICHIGAN JOBS FACTORYM I C H I G A N E C ONOM I C DE V E L OP ME N T G UI DE 27 THERE ARE MANY REASONS WHY COMPANIES CHOOSE TO INVEST IN MICHIGAN. WHICH FACTORS DO YOU THINK ARE THE MOST IMPACTFUL? GOV. WHITMER: Michigan is a good bet for a lot of reasons. The reasons I’ve heard most often from companies who invest or expand in Michigan are our skilled workforce, competitive tax environment, economic development tools, and quality of life. Since I took office, we’ve made record, bipartisan investments in these fundamentals. We are focused on a holistic economic development strategy to make Michigan a better, more affordable state for workers and businesses. Together, we have made record investments to build housing, fix roads, and attract cutting-edge manufacturing projects. We also made it easier to transform old, abandoned industrial properties into new housing or commercial, modernized Renaissance Zones to drive jobs and investment into areas of our state that have been ignored for too long. All these efforts have resulted in hundreds of economic development projects, tens of thousands of new, good-paying jobs, and strong economic momentum for the state. ALL ASPECTS OF THE SEMICONDUCTOR SUPPLY CHAIN ARE COMING BACK TO AMERICA. HOW WILL YOU LEAD MICHIGAN TO ENSURE THAT YOUR STATE WINS ITS FAIR SHARE OF THOSE INVESTMENT PROJECTS? GOV. WHITMER: Semiconductor chips are essential for modern life and modern manufacturing. They’re in our phones, cars, and appliances. Although semiconductors were invented in America, we’ve allowed other countries, namely China, to dominate chip manufacturing. That’s finally changing. We’ve secured economic developments that are bringing the chip supply chain home, creating thousands of good-paying jobs, and building a stronger, more resilient economy for Michigan. I am proud that we are seeing serious national action on this, too, and especially proud that it is bipartisan. To keep bringing chip manufacturing home, we need to make sure Michigan is the clear and obvious choice for companies deciding where to invest or expand. We need to deliver on the fundamentals that workers need to succeed: good jobs, affordable housing, reliable roads, great schools, and personal freedoms. In Michigan, we have used historic federal resources and state policy to make our state the best place to live, work, and invest. We’ve harnessed powerful economic development tools to build housing and revitalize our communities. We’ve driven down the cost of higher education and skills training and made record investments in our students from pre-K through postsecondary education. And we’ve built up our infrastructure — our roads, pipes, bridges, and more. I’ll keep working with anyone to make Michigan an international leader in semiconductor manufacturing. HOW IMPORTANT IS MICHIGAN’S TRADE RELATIONSHIP WITH CANADA? AND HOW ARE YOU WORKING WITH CANADIAN PREMIERS TO GROW THAT TRADE BETWEEN THE TWO NATIONS? GOV. WHITMER: The border crossing between Windsor and Detroit is the busiest in North America. They are our largest and closest trading partner. We need them, and they need us. Whether it’s agriculture or clean energy, electric vehicles or cybersecurity, we are both focused on leading the industries of the future together. Since taking office, I’ve shared best practices “Since I took office, we’ve secured economic developments that are bringing the chip supply chain home, creating thousands of good- paying jobs, and building a stronger, more resilient economy for Michigan. ” — Gov. Gretchen WhitmerNext >