April 25, 2008
LANSING - In her weekly radio address, Governor Jennifer M. Granholm today highlighted the largest jobs announcement in Michigan in decades,and talked about her upcoming investment mission to the Middle East, her sixth international jobs mission.
"On Tuesday, bioscience company MPI Research announced that they will add 3,300 new jobs in the Kalamazoo area - the largest jobs announcement in Michigan in decades," said Granholm.
In total, projects throughout Michigan that were announced this week are expected to generate nearly $469 million in investment and create more than 9,000 jobs for Michigan workers.
"All of these companies could have chosen to take their investment and their jobs somewhere else…but they chose Michigan because of our outstanding workforce, our competitive business climate, and our unmatched quality of life," said Granholm.
That's the message the governor will take with her next week when she embarks on an 8-day investment mission to Israel and Kuwait to talk with more than 50 CEOs and executives from companies that are considering investing in the United States.
"It's no secret that bringing good jobs to Michigan has been my top goal since I was elected your governor," Granholm said. "And whether it's working the phones with CEOs here in Michigan or traveling the world to meet with company leaders to encourage them to invest in our state, I am going anywhere and doing anything to create jobs for our citizens."
The governor's weekly radio address is released each Friday morning and may be heard on broadcast stations across the state. The address is available on the governor's Web site at ( www.michigan.gov/gov) for download, together with a clip of the quote above. The radio address is also available as a podcast on the Web site, as well as on iTunes and via RSS feed for general distribution to personal MP3 players and home computers. Links to the audio files and text of today's address follow.
GOVERNOR JENNIFER M. GRANHOLM
Radio Address - MEGA announcements and Middle East trip
April 25, 2008
It's no secret that bringing good jobs to Michigan has been my top goal since I was elected your governor. And whether it's working the phones with CEOs here in Michigan or traveling the world to meet with company leaders to encourage them to invest in our state, I am going anywhere and doing anything to create jobs for our citizens.
Our strategy has been to build new, diverse sectors of the economy to add to our manufacturing bedrock. Michigan offers the perfect mix of skills, background, and environment to grow new high-tech jobs, alternative energy jobs, bioscience jobs, and homeland security jobs. This week is a great example of how that strategy is paying off and how we're continuing to work it.
On Tuesday, bioscience company MPI Research announced that they will add 3,300 new jobs in the Kalamazoo area - it's the largest jobs announcement in Michigan in decades. In fact, it's the largest life sciences announcement in the history of Michigan.
And a global defense company, BAE systems, announced that they would create 460 new engineering jobs in Sterling Heights.
Auto supplier Von Weise chose Michigan over Indiana and Missouri this week. They will expand their Eaton Rapids facility, creating 159 new jobs.
In total, the projects announced this week are expected to generate nearly $469 million in investment and create more than 9,000 jobs for Michigan workers in our bedrock industries and in new ones! All of these companies could have chosen to take their investment and their jobs somewhere else … but they chose Michigan. They chose Michigan because of our outstanding workforce, our competitive business climate, and our unmatched quality of life.
And that's the message that I will take with me next week when I embark on my sixth international investment mission. Literally, we'll go anywhere to target homeland security and energy and environmental technology companies and jobs. And this time it's to Israel and Kuwait.
This 8-day mission will give me the opportunity to talk with more than 50 CEOs and executives from companies that are world leaders in alternative energy production, homeland security, water preservation technology, advanced automotive research - all of whom are considering investing in the United States.
I'll tell these company leaders the same thing I told job creators in Japan and Germany and Austria and Sweden … that Michigan is the right place to invest and grow jobs if you want to do business in America.
Michigan is where innovation, education, research and high-tech know-how come together. We have an outstanding workforce that is getting even better because we are investing in new training. We are committed to diversifying our economy and giving businesses the tools they need to succeed.
Michigan has long been identified by our auto jobs…and tomorrow, we'll be defined by auto and bioscience and high-tech and alternative energy jobs. This week is just the start.
Thank you for listening.
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