‘I will work with anyone to make sure Michigan leads and builds the future.’
Michigan 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.
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.
“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 Whitmer
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 with Canadian premiers and partnered with them on strategic economic initiatives, including our productive partnership, which pays massive dividends. Canada was the top destination for Michigan exports last year, valued at $27 billion. Canada has also been one of the top job-creating nations in Michigan over the past five years, creating 3,900 jobs for Michiganders. Our strong, steady exchange of ideas and commerce has led to shared prosperity for our people, and I’ll keep working with our neighbors to grow trade and boost our economy.
THE DATA CENTER SECTOR IS EXPERIENCING EXPONENTIAL GROWTH RIGHT NOW WORLDWIDE. GIVEN YOUR STATE’S ACCESS TO ABUNDANT SUPPLIES OF WATER AND ENERGY, WILL MICHIGAN SEEK TO CAPITALIZE ON THESE ASSETS AND WORK TO SECURE MORE LARGE-SCALE INVESTMENTS FROM THE RAPIDLY GROWING AI HYPER-SCALERS?
“In 2024, I signed legislation to incentivize data centers to locate or build in Michigan, helping us bring more jobs and investments to our state.”
— Gov. Gretchen Whitmer
GOV. WHITMER: Michigan is home to nearly 21% of the world’s fresh surface water. I’ve worked across the aisle to make historic investments to protect the Great Lakes from pollution, revitalize wetlands, protect groundwater, shore up dams, and more. Not only are the Great Lakes our most important natural asset, but they are also the most unique competitive advantage that we have. We know that demand for data centers is surging nationwide. We have an opportunity here to bring them to Michigan, creating thousands of good-paying jobs and growing our economy. But we also have a responsibility to get this done right while protecting our Great Lakes. I know that we can do both. In 2024, I signed legislation to incentivize data centers to locate or build in Michigan, helping us bring more jobs and investments to our state. Earlier in 2025, Apple announced that it would double its U.S. Advanced Manufacturing Fund, creating an academy in Michigan to train the next generation of U.S. manufacturers. As we continue to lead the future of innovation and technology, I am committed to growing our economy and protecting our Great Lakes.
HAS MICHIGAN RECENTLY ADOPTED ANY NEW INCENTIVE PROGRAMS THAT CAN HELP YOUR STATE GROW ITS ECONOMY?
GOV. WHITMER: I’ve been focused on attracting cutting-edge companies to Michigan. Earlier in 2025, I signed the bipartisan Research and Development Tax Credit (R&D Tax Credit) and Innovation Fund into law, ensuring we can grow our economy, create good-paying Michigan jobs, and lead the future. Specifically, the R&D Tax Credit will lower the cost of researching and developing new products for small and big businesses and encourage more collaboration with our world-class universities. The Innovation Fund will invest in Michigan-based startups, supporting homegrown entrepreneurs and expanding access to the resources they need to succeed. Both programs will ensure that Michigan continues to attract innovators and entrepreneurs by lowering costs and making it easier to create jobs in Michigan.
MICHIGAN RECENTLY LAUNCHED A NEW TALENT ATTRACTION CAMPAIGN UNDER THE MICHIGAN ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT CORPORATION. WHAT DO YOU HOPE TO ACCOMPLISH WITH THIS NEW CAMPAIGN, AND HOW IS IT FARING SO FAR?
GOV. WHITMER: I’m biased, but I really believe that Michigan is the best state in the union. We offer a high quality of life, phenomenal natural resources, and a friendly, welcoming culture, all without breaking the bank. With our ‘You Can in Michigan’ campaign, we wanted to tell our story and bring more young talent to Michigan. I am proud that we are already seeing increased brand awareness for Michigan among out-of-state talent. We are also connecting thousands of in-state and out-of-state job seekers to careers in Michigan. We are seeing an unexpectedly high rate of interest from Michiganders currently living here who have shown excitement for the campaign’s message and are being inspired to look for their next career opportunity in-state rather than elsewhere. We will build on this success and keep growing Michigan’s brand as the best place in America to build a good life.
WHAT WOULD YOU LIKE CEOS AND OTHER BUSINESS LEADERS AROUND THE WORLD TO KNOW ABOUT HOW MICHIGAN’S MOBILITY AND AUTOMOTIVE MANUFACTURING TECHNOLOGY IS CHANGING?
GOV. WHITMER: Michigan has established itself as a beacon of industry and opportunity, forged by generations of Americans who built the middle class and put the world on wheels. Since I took office, Michigan has remained the epicenter for mobility innovation. We have added nearly 40,000 good-paying auto jobs and secured billions of dollars in investments from automakers and suppliers. But we are not resting on our laurels. We are keeping our foot on the accelerator to win the future of mobility and electrification, too. In 2020, I created the Office of Future Mobility and Electrification to coordinate mobility-related initiatives and implement the “MI Future Mobility Plan,” a statewide mobility strategy. In 2023, I secured $500 million for the Make It in Michigan Fund to continue competing with other states and nations to bring home advanced manufacturing projects. And I’ve continued to invest in EV and battery jobs training programs to prepare Michiganders to enter and thrive in the workforce of tomorrow. As CEOs and business leaders around the world consider where to build, I am focused on making Michigan the obvious choice. I will work with anyone to make sure Michigan leads and builds the future.
