(Part 2 in an 11-week economic plan to get Michigan moving again and get our people back to work)
Last week I outlined just how important it is to get the fundamentals right to get Michigan’s economy back on track. This week we take the next step, looking at how we in Michigan can promote our competitive advantages in the high-growth sectors of renewable energy, health care and biotechnology, agriculture, and manufacturing and advanced manufacturing to get Michigan moving again and create opportunities for long-term, sustainable prosperity for Michigan families.
While there is no question that we’re struggling in Michigan, we also have a number of areas that differentiate our state in a good way from anyplace else in the world. Our strategy to improve Michigan’s economy and spur job creation needs to leverage these competitive advantages to highlight areas where we stand out from the crowd, giving global companies a compelling reason to invest and grow in Michigan.
There seems to be a growing consensus about the economic potential of taking a leadership position on renewable energy issues. At the national level, people ranging from T. Boone Pickens to Barack Obama are calling for national leadership in developing and promoting new sources of energy, and with companies ranging from Hemlock Semiconductor near Saginaw to United Solar Ovanic in Greenville, we have seen first-hand how renewable energy companies are already creating jobs here in Michigan. Locally, there is also good reason for optimism. The Michigan Energy Fair, held earlier this summer in Manistee County, has put Northwest Michigan on the map, and a number of companies – representing thousands of potential jobs – are looking seriously at locating in our area. Just this week, both the Manistee County Commission and the Manistee City Council approved measures to close a deal with Mariah Power, a wind energy manufacturer, that would bring over 100 jobs to Manistee County. Despite all the potential, however, there are still some – including my likely opponent – who oppose pursuing these opportunities. We need to go beyond the same old, same old thinking of the past, and embrace the economic opportunity clean energy represents. I look forward to pushing hard on these issues as your State Representative. We simply cannot afford to be left behind in an area where we have such clear competitive advantages.
Michigan is also well-placed to lead on issues connected to health care and biotechnology. Michigan has long been a national and global leader in these fields. Detroit-based Parke-Davis, which introduced new production methods such as standardized doses and the first treatments for diphtheria and epilepsy, was active in Michigan even before we were known as the Auto Capital. Our aging population, combined with leading research universities and new investment in health care networks, make Michigan well-placed to lead on these efforts into the future. Our state government has also played a positive role in encouraging this growth, with the 21st Century Jobs Fund helping to spur investment to Michigan life sciences companies. And the new Michigan Life Sciences Pipeline will soon initiate commercialization pathways to help turn ideas into marketable products that will create new Michigan jobs. According to MichBio, there are 542 life sciences companies in Michigan, which employ 31,777 Michigan workers and account for nearly $5 billion in annual sales. These companies focus on pharmaceuticals, medical devices, instrumentation, diagnostics and biotechnology research and ancillary services. Furthermore, since 2000, 92 new companies have been created, making Michigan’s life sciences industry the fastest growing in the nation. As State Representative, I will ensure those active in efforts to further strengthen Michigan’s competitive advantages in health care and biosciences have an engaged partner in the legislature.
We also have a real opportunity to further capitalize on a vibrant and stable agricultural sector in Michigan. Too often we take agriculture for granted, and too many involved with economic development efforts statewide seem to think that promoting agriculture is somehow beneath them. They ignore the fact that Michigan has the country’s second most diverse agricultural output, and that agriculture is Michigan’s second largest economic sector; they seem not to care that agriculture created $63.7 billion in economic activity last year, or that farming and processing provide more than a million Michigan jobs; and they seem to be completely unaware that at a time when our state economy is going through fundamental change, agriculture has been a rare source of economic stability. Here in Northwest Michigan, we see first-hand the importance of agriculture to our local economy. The four counties in the 101st District are all in the top ten in the state in terms of tart cherry acreage, and all in the top 15 in the nation! Furthermore, our farms are incredibly diverse, with everything from small Community Supported Agriculture farms to large dairy operations, all of which add jobs and economic activity to our area, and many local farmers and growers are working to bring “value-added” elements to their operation to boost profitability. As State Representative, I will be a consistent friend of agriculture, and will work to assist efforts to promote agriculture to build on Michigan’s competitive advantages in this area.
Finally, we need to continue to promote Michigan’s strengths in manufacturing and advanced manufacturing. The Michigan Department of Labor and Economic Growth measured the average income for a manufacturing worker in Michigan is $50,581, which is $17,777 more – or more than 50% higher – than the average Michigan worker’s salary. This shows just how important it is to hold on to our good-paying manufacturing jobs, and working to create the advanced manufacturing jobs of the future. To start, I will be a strong and consistent voice against outsourcing Michigan jobs, and will ensure we speak with a unified voice in Michigan in support of the American Manufacturing Initiative. The American Manufacturing Initiative lays out a comprehensive plan to coordinate the efforts of industry, academia, and state and federal government in leveling the playing field for domestic manufacturers, and it calls for dramatic action on trade, health care, intellectual property, and other issues. The AMI also calls for increased investment in developing leap-ahead vehicle and alternative energy technologies that would help to reduce our dependence on foreign oil while creating American jobs. In addition, we need to continue to promote advanced manufacturing, including expanding the state’s “No Worker Left Behind” program that provides two years of free tuition at community colleges or universities to provide Michigan workers with the skills they need to build new careers in high-demand industries. The need for these efforts are underscored by the announcement earlier this week from the Michigan Manufacturing Association that despite job losses in manufacturing, the industry is projecting a shortage of skilled workers in the near future. Indeed, there are currently 250 unfilled skilled trade positions in Michigan. As a result, the MMA is launching a new website on Labor Day – MiManufacturingJobs.com – to allow Michigan-based manufacturers to find Michigan talent. Even as we accelerate efforts to diversify Michigan’s economy, we need a State Representative who understands the importance of manufacturing, and will work to ensure a future for manufacturing in Michigan.
