General Motors CEO Dan Akerson recently lamented that the Chevrolet Volt had become “a political punching bag” for conservatives who see it as a rolling symbol of liberal economic policies. But the repeated right hooks haven’t knocked the Volt out yet. Just weeks after GM announced a temporary production shutdown due to slow sales, the […]
Business Watch
Covering the intersection of business and policy, and informing Michigan employers and workers on the long road back from coronavirus. Our Michigan Economic Dashboard shows key metrics that show how the state is performing.
Posted inBusiness Watch
Prospects brighten for Mich. heavyweights
At Kelly Services Inc., business is good — quite good. In Michigan alone last year, the global staffing company placed approximately 2,500 more people in positions than it did in 2010, spanning industries and all lines of Kelly’s business: temporary help, temp-to-hire and direct hires. There’s been steady, increased demand for Troy-based Kelly’s services as […]
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Housing, office furniture still under economic clouds
The economic signs are encouraging; company financials have improved. But some sectors of Michigan’s economy still are navigating bumpy terrain. Office furniture production has climbed up from a 2009 trough, but, after seeing gains in 2010 and 2011, U.S. production is expected to drop 2 percent this year, then rebound in 2013, according to one […]
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Pure Michigan equals pure gold
About 50 years ago, an Illinois senator reportedly quipped, “A billion here, a billion there, and pretty soon you’re talking real money.” In 2012, in the world of Michigan tourism, the days of “a billion here” and “billion there” have apparently arrived. A newly released study of the impact of the state’s famous Pure Michigan […]
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No easy answer on Right to Work benefits
Rep. Mike Shirkey reeled off statistics about the economic growth of Right to Work states faster than the person on the other end of the phone line could jot them all down. Shirkey, a Jackson-area Republican, also said he spent weeks anonymously calling corporate site selection specialists and asking them if their clients, mainly manufacturers, […]
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Right to Work sparks political frenzy
Supporters of a proposal to end compulsory union membership had high hopes that neighboring Indiana’s recent adoption of Right to Work legislation would lead Michigan to soon follow the Hoosier state’s lead. That all changed on March 6 when a group backed by organized labor announced a ballot proposal for the November election that would […]
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Rust and the rest: Reinventing cities
When Chattanooga made the national news one evening in 1969, it wasn’t for a good reason. Air pollution had won the Tennessee industrial center the federal designation of being the dirtiest city in America. It was “a real wakeup call,” said Mayor Ron Littlefield. And “the city and the county and the region, decided when […]
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Double-down on strengths, urban report advises Michigan
Revitalizing Michigan’s cities and urban areas doesn’t begin and end at their borders. Michigan needs to build off the strengths and potential of its metropolitan areas and employ regional strategies, accompanied by strategic urban focus, suggests a new report commissioned by the statewide CEO group Business Leaders for Michigan. The report, prepared by Lansing-based Public […]
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Good for GM, good for social conservatives
General Motors says it had a record annual profit in 2011 of $7.6 billion, up 62 percent from the previous year. Since we are hip deep in a political campaign, it seems reasonable to ask: Who gets the credit for it? In practical terms, GM’s improvement benefits anyone who now holds political office in Lansing […]
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Ruling could bog loggers in paperwork
Margaret Minerick’s family has survived many challenges over the past four decades as they built a large and successful timber business in the Upper Peninsula community of Sagola. Today, Minerick Logging and its sister company, Sagola Hardwoods, employ more than 100 workers in the western U.P. But Minerick, who is president of Sagola Hardwoods, fears […]