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Michigan Still
Topping the Charts

If there is an economic powerhouse among the Great Lakes states, then it is Michigan. It is the state most associated with the Great Lakes, since it borders four of the five.

Michigan's top rank for the third consecutive year on SS's new/expanded industries list is imposing proof that Michigan is an attractive place to do business and that its leaders are aggressive in spreading the word. Last year, the state attracted 2,174 major new projects to the state.

Some of the state's growth is attributable to its core auto-related industry. In January, for instance, General Motors broke ground on a $558 million luxury-car plant in Lansing.

Over and over again, the state announces new projects and how it bested other states in attracting another new industry. In February, for instance, Marquette County announced that American Communications Network, an international marketing company, will create 750 jobs there over the next six years.

In July, Ypsilanti was selected over Sylvania, Ohio, as the new corporate headquarters for Forest Health Services Corp., which develops health-care programs in the United States. The $20 million investment will create 488 new jobs. That same month, Lakeside Machine chose Gladstone over Burlington, Iowa, for a new production facility that will create 90 new jobs.