March 19, 2010
March 19, 2010
In radio address, governor cites examples in Ann Arbor, Cadillac, Muskegon Twp., Trenton
LANSING - In her weekly radio address, Governor Jennifer M. Granholm today said that progress is being made every day in diversifying Michigan's economy and creating new jobs and cited some recent examples from around the state.
"This week, it was announced that fortu PowerCell, which develops and manufactures rechargeable batteries, will invest $623 million in a new plant in Muskegon Township after being approved for a state tax credit," Granholm said. "fortu plans to create 726 new jobs at the plant."
Granholm said she today visited Terumo Heart and Terumo Cardiovascular Systems in Ann Arbor and Chrysler's new engine plant in Trenton.
"Terumo Heart and Terumo Cardiovascular Systems, which develop and manufacture surgical medical devices, are U.S. subsidiaries of Terumo Corporation," Granholm said. "Terumo received a state tax credit in 2008. The company has hired more employees than it originally anticipated and expects to hire more this year."
"Chrysler's new engine plant in Trenton is almost three years in the making," Granholm said. "Aided by a state tax credit back in 2007, the new plant is keeping hundreds of jobs in Michigan."
"Next week, I'll be traveling to Cadillac to visit the Four Winns company, which manufactures recreational fiberglass boats," Granholm said. "With an assist from the state, Four Winns now plans to invest $63 million over the next eight years and hire up to 2,300 new workers."
"In our ongoing efforts to diversify Michigan's economy, we continue targeting companies in the fields of clean-energy, life-sciences, advanced-manufacturing and defense," Granholm said. "Success stories like fortu PowerCell, Terumo Corporation, Chrysler and Four Winns show the progress that we're making every day in convincing companies that Michigan is the best place for them to invest, to grow and to create jobs."
The governor's weekly radio address is released each Friday and may be heard on broadcast stations across the state. The address is available for download on the governor's Web site at www.michigan.gov/gov together with a clip of the quote above. The radio address also is 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 - Jobs
Full: http://www.michigan.gov/documents/gov/Gov241Full_315110_7.mp3
Edited: http://www.michigan.gov/documents/gov/Gov241Edit_315111_7.mp3
Quote: http://www.michigan.gov/documents/gov/Gov241Quote_315112_7.mp3
Hello, this is Governor Jennifer Granholm.
Every day, we're making progress in diversifying Michigan's economy and creating new jobs. Let's take a quick trip around the state for some recent examples.
This week, it was announced that the company fortu PowerCell, which develops and manufactures rechargeable batteries, will invest $623 million in a new plant in Muskegon Township after being approved for a state tax credit. I met with fortu company leaders last year in Germany, and afterward, the company announced it would search locations in West Michigan for a battery-cell manufacturing plant. fortu selected Muskegon Township and plans to create 726 new jobs at the plant.
And then Friday morning, I visited two facilities that also have benefited from state incentives.
Terumo Heart and Terumo Cardiovascular Systems are U.S. subsidiaries of Terumo Corporation with headquarters and manufacturing facilities in Ann Arbor. They develop and manufacture surgical medical devices.
Terumo received a state tax credit in 2008, which helped the company transfer research, development and manufacturing operations from California to Ann Arbor. The company has hired more employees than it originally anticipated, and it expects to hire more this year.
And then on Friday morning, I also visited Chrysler's new engine plant in Trenton, just outside of Detroit. Chrysler is celebrating the launch of its new Pentastar V-6 engine, which is going to replace seven current V-6 engines and create significant cost savings for the company while also providing greater efficiency and flexibility.
The new engine plant is almost three years in the making. So back in 2007, Chrysler was aided by a state tax credit and announced that it would invest $730 million to replace its old Trenton engine plant. The new Trenton engine plant will have an annual manufacturing capacity of more than 400,000 engines, and it's keeping hundreds of jobs in Michigan.
Then next week, I'll be traveling to Cadillac to visit the Four Winns company, which manufactures recreational fiberglass boats. With an assist from the state, the future of the Four Winns plant in Cadillac has been secured, and the company now plans to invest $63 million over the next eight years in its manufacturing operations there. Four Winns plans on hiring up to 2,300 new workers, and there's the potential for another 2,900 spin-off jobs.
In our ongoing efforts to diversify Michigan's economy, we continue targeting companies in the fields of clean-energy, life-sciences, advanced-manufacturing and defense. Success stories like fortu PowerCell, Terumo Corporation, Chrysler and Four Winns show the progress that we're making every day in convincing companies that Michigan is the best place for them to invest, to grow and to create jobs.
Thank you for listening.
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