By Michigan Economic Development Corporation (MEDC)

Michigan has entered 2024 full steam ahead, fueled by a year of impressive economic growth. This powerful trajectory is guided by our Make It in Michigan strategy that empowers individuals to thrive, fosters vibrant communities and attracts and supports transformative projects.

The bipartisan Make It in Michigan approach helped us secure nearly $14 billion in projected private investment and over 26,000 projected new jobs in fiscal year 2023 alone. It’s also driving Michigan’s recognition for a business-friendly atmosphere and cooperative and responsive state government, thanks to our low cost of doing business, advanced manufacturing leadership, workforce development and ease of permitting.

This momentum is only building into 2024, and it’s clearer than ever that now is the time to Make It in Michigan.

Putting Michiganders First

Michigan’s holistic approach starts by building a people-first economy that can attract and retain talent and support Michigan’s entrepreneurs.

Since their formation in 2022, the Michigan Economic Development Corporation (MEDC) EV and Semiconductor Talent Action Teams have made big waves with an unprecedented public-private recruitment effort, including the debut of programs including Michigander Scholars and other higher education training programs. The efforts provide scholarships, credentials and real-world experience to tech students, with help from industry leaders such as DENSO, Dow, Ford Motor Co. and Toyota Motor America.

Michigan also recognizes small businesses as the lifeblood of our economy, and the MEDC continued to make them a top priority in 2023. From international trade missions to networking with potential supply partners across the state, the MEDC is working to support and expand our small businesses.

This work will help Michigan represent more entrepreneurs, improving on an already impressive 55% of the MEDC’s small business assistance going to diverse businesses by helping launch programs to serve underrepresented populations who are socially and economically disadvantaged.

With entrepreneurial hubs, business accelerators and startup funding to make sure everyone has equitable access to participating in the economy, Michigan is always building up the innovative ecosystems that support our leading industries.

Building Vibrant Places Where People Can Thrive

People want a place where they can achieve great things and enjoy a wonderful quality of life, and those aspects come together in their community. The MEDC is working hard to make our places, from our small towns to major cities, the perfect crossroads for the ideal life and rewarding career.

Programs like Michigan Main Street exemplify this commitment, boasting a $455.6 million economic impact on participating communities. The MEDC also offers help to plan, fund and follow through on developments, including assistance with long-term community planning and best-in-class development practices.

The Make It in Michigan strategy also prioritizes creating attractive communities to attract talent and business investments. The MEDC supports downtown revitalization, affordable housing expansion and infrastructure improvements, and has tools such as the Transformational Brownfield Fund, which supports converting vacant land and other abandoned property into productive space.

Projects That Create Generational Prosperity

The strategy focuses on attracting cutting-edge companies that offer high-paying jobs and attract skilled talent. By collaborating with local officials, the MEDC identifies and facilitates project development, breaking down barriers for businesses.

The state’s streamlined approach and robust support ensure efficient project completion and long-term success, leading to Michigan securing groundbreaking projects that will define the future of electric vehicles (EVs), batteries, semiconductors, clean energy and more.

Our momentum comes from our long position as a centerpiece of the automotive industry, a position we’re leveraging to change mobility with new technology and energy sources. Ford started 2023 swinging with an announcement that it will invest more than $3.5 billion to construct a 2.5 million-square-foot EV battery manufacturing facility in Marshall. BlueOval Battery Park Michigan will manufacture batteries used in several of the company’s key EVs.

LG Energy Solution (LGES) struck a deal to supply battery cells and modules from their West Michigan facility for use in Toyota Motor North America’s EVs. LGES will invest $3 billion in its facility to establish new production lines exclusively for Toyota. Toyota Motor North America also announced that it will add a battery testing facility at its R&D headquarters campus in York Township.

Building on its Michigan presence, General Motors announced it will invest nearly $800 million in its Flint and Bay City plants, strengthening the automaker’s Michigan portfolio for full-size truck and SUV business and retaining jobs across the two locations. This expansion follows the company’s 2022 investment of $7 billion, which includes plans to convert its Orion Township plant to produce EV pickups.

Meanwhile, just one year after Michigan-based Our Next Energy (ONE) announced a $1.6 billion investment to build its first-ever battery manufacturing campus in Van Buren Township, the cutting-edge battery maker has begun its pilot production of battery cells.

As the vanguard of the clean energy revolution, we’re also working to help businesses find the power source that works for them and the environment. Following Governor Whitmer’s economic investment mission to Norway and Switzerland in January 2023, Norwegian company Nel Hydrogen announced a nearly $400 million investment to build an automated gigafactory for electrolyzers that will produce green hydrogen in Plymouth Charter Township. The project received the 2024 Business Facilities’ Impact Award in the Hydrogen Energy category.

Michigan also became a core member of the Midwest Alliance for Clean Hydrogen (MachH2), which was awarded up to $1 billion by the U.S. Department of Energy to develop regional supply chains for hydrogen in trucks and heavy-duty vehicles. One of the first projects for MachH2 is the Hydrogen Truck Stop of the Future, which will serve traffic crossing the Gordie Howe International Bridge.

Another growing industry in the state is semiconductors, whose supply chains have undergone an upheaval in recent years. Michigan is working to reshore much of their manufacturing, and Michigan-born Calumet Electronics is playing a large part. The company is constructing a U.S. first-of-its-kind 60,000 sq. ft. manufacturing facility for organic substrate manufacturing, critical to the semiconductor ecosystem, at its campus in Calumet.

Global advanced materials manufacturer Mersen USA is also expanding its Michigan facilities in Bay City and Greenville to increase capacity for semiconductor and silicon chip materials manufacturing by constructing new buildings, rehabilitating and expanding existing facilities and upgrading machinery.

Among the companies who have continually supported Michigan’s place as an R&D and talent attraction powerhouse, Whirlpool Corporation celebrated the ribbon cutting of the company’s new state-of-the-art technical center in St. Joseph. The facility will house 500 full-time technicians, engineers, designers and adjacent roles.

Even our windows are innovative. LuxWall is establishing two manufacturing facilities in Ypsilanti to produce the company’s innovative energy-efficient windows, which are very thin yet have superior insulation to conventional building glass which could help cut global energy consumption.

Looking Ahead

With our continued momentum and recognition across various sectors, Michigan is well-positioned to attract and retain businesses, talent and investment, solidifying our position as a premier destination for living and operating a business in a Pure Michigan lifestyle.

Learn about the Pure Opportunity available in Michigan at https://www.michiganbusiness.org/pure-opportunity/.