A fight is likely coming soon at the Capitol over how many fully qualified electricians must be present during electrical work when apprentices also are on hand. In 2008, the state began enforcing a requirement in its basic law governing the electrical industry, the Electrical Administrative Act, mandating that one fully qualified electrician be present […]
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
Awaiting green energy's payoff
A North Carolina company canceled a wind farm project in January that would have placed as a many as 112 towering turbines across two counties in northwest Michigan. Energy Conversion Devices, one of the state’s pioneer manufacturers of advanced batteries and solar panels, filed for bankruptcy protection in February. Several ethanol refining plants planned for […]
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State sails toward renewable energy mark
Michigan electricity providers are making good progress toward meeting the state’s 2015 renewable-energy mandate, mainly because of a sharp drop in wind-power generation costs, a recent state Public Service Commission report found. The commission also says the cost of renewables is lower than the projected cost of producing electricity from a new coal-fired plant. Spokesmen […]
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Debate continues, but Volt retains its buzz
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 […]
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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 […]