Displaying items tagged: economic development

The state’s tourism office is taking the Pure Michigan advertising campaign in a “fresh” direction heading into the peak tourism season.

LANSING — Michigan will give companies $410 million to open two electric vehicle battery plants following approval of transfers by a legislative panel on Wednesday.

KALAMAZOO — Western Michigan University, in coordination with three local tribal nations, will begin offering a graduate certificate program in tribal governance in early 2023.

After spending months behind the scenes on complex negotiations and crafting incentive packages to lure major advanced manufacturers, Michigan economic development organizations now face another challenge to landing projects: public sentiment.

GRAND RAPIDS — Developers behind the $150 million Factory Yards redevelopment south of downtown Grand Rapids plan to seek rarely used state tax incentives to offset substantial costs of the project.

Kewadin Casinos Gaming Authority has agreed to pay developers up to $35 million to settle a dispute over failed casino projects in Michigan.

MOUNT PLEASANT — The economic development subsidiary of the Saginaw Chippewa Indian Tribe of Michigan has launched two new consulting firms that aim to further diversify the tribe’s holdings and also support similar strategies for other tribes and non-tribally owned businesses.

In 1995, Bob Fish thought he had come up with a creative play on words for the name of his new East Lansing coffee shop. It wasn’t until after opening that he learned it was also a slur.

The federal corruption charges announced Thursday against former Michigan House Speaker Rick Johnson and three others likely signal a beginning, not an end.

Gotion Inc.’s top North American executive said Wednesday that the Chinese company is targeting July to start construction on a planned $2.4 billion battery parts plant in the Big Rapids area.

CASCADE TWP. — West Michigan private jet service provider Northern Jet Management Inc. plans to merge into a Florida company to create a top-20 private air service provider in the U.S.

LANSING — Federal prosecutors announced corruption charges Thursday against former Michigan House Speaker Rick Johnson and three others in connection to bribes paid for marijuana licenses.

HOLLAND — A May ballot initiative in which city voters will determine a potential land swap will make or break decades-long efforts to redevelop industrial waterfront property near downtown Holland.

Corporations and associations might not yet be hosting in-person events at the scale they once did, but the state’s top meeting and convention venues are optimistic about their recovery in the coming two years.

A bipartisan bill introduced today by U.S. Rep. Hillary Scholten would beef up penalties levied on companies that use illegal child labor practices.

State economic officials approved Tuesday a $120.3 million grant for site readiness at a megasite in Marshall, where Ford Motor Co. is building a $3.5 billion battery factory.

Over the past seven years, Michigan experienced a 12-percent decline in the number of active land surveyors, raising questions about the future of a profession that a wide variety of other industries depend on to keep projects moving.

A roundup of mergers and acquisitions, expansions, and other growth plans across West Michigan.

Michigan Gov. Gretchen Whitmer has signed into law bills repealing the state’s “right-to-work” law and reinstating a law that requires higher wages and benefits to be paid on state-financed construction projects.

GRAND RAPIDS — Even as the COVID-19 pandemic recedes, quality child care remains hard to come by for many Michigan families. That’s due in part to providers who left the field and didn’t return — and a handful of Michigan organizations hope to use new state grants to reverse the trend.

LANSING — Michigan notched a win with Ford Motor Co’'s decision to build a $3.5 billion, 2,500-job electric vehicle battery factory in Marshall.

GRAND RAPIDS — Mayor Rosalynn Bliss outlined the “next version” of Grand Rapids during her eighth State of the City address, emphasizing the need for more housing density to meet demand, completing major riverfront projects and improving policing.

GRAND RAPIDS — Sustainability, transportation and placemaking are top priorities for Grand Rapids residents as city officials prepare a 20-year master plan to guide future development.

Ottawa County would extend broadband internet service to unserved and underserved areas of the county through a $27 million public-private partnership with a southeast Michigan firm.

GRAND RAPIDS — Deidra Mitchell, president and CEO of Waséyabek Development Co. LLC, was selected to guest lecture at Harvard’s Kennedy School of Government to promote best practices in tribal economic development.

GRAND RAPIDS — City officials have released a plan for spending $8.5 million in federal funding primarily on repairing or building hundreds of affordable housing units and creating homeownership opportunities.

GRAND RAPIDS — Fox Motors Group LLC has widened its reach on the southeast side of the state, acquiring three new dealerships and a collision center in metro Detroit. 

Local governments across Michigan are using cannabis excise tax revenue to fund basic public services as well as programs that aim to expand equity in the industry.

A roundup of mergers and acquisitions, expansions and other briefs across West Michigan.

Tribal affairs experts say the federal government erred in determining that the Grand River Bands of Ottawa Indians failed to meet the criteria for federal recognition and remain optimistic that the tribe will successfully obtain the crucial designation.