Five years of Pure Michigan national advertising is just beginning to buff up the state’s rust-belt image. After the state had spent $67 million for the slick campaign featuring the voice of Michigan native Tim Allen, a survey done for the state found that Michigan still ranked in the middle of the pack in tourism […]
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
Will they ever work again?
File this under depressing chart of the day: http://tpmdc.talkingpointsmemo.com/2011/11/chart-of-the-day-long-term-unemployment-is-a-huge-problem—-especially-if-youre-old.php?ref=fpa About 1 in 3 of the officially jobless have now been without work for more than a year. For the context: The previous high for that figure in the last half-century was about 14 percent. With Michiganrunning a jobless rate above 11 percent — and with […]
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Mines begin digging into U.P. free of key state tax
In September, after years of heated debate and legal battles, Kennecott Eagle Minerals began blasting into the ground at its controversial nickel mine near Marquette. The company, a subsidiary of London-based mining giant Rio Tinto, believes the Eagle mine will yield 300 million pounds of nickel and 250 million pounds of copper. Kennecott is one […]
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Auto insurance fees examined for faults
By Pat Shellenbarger/Bridge Magazine contributor Megan Hanges-Reynolds concedes that until recently she gave little thought — none, really — to Michigan’s no-fault auto insurance law and its guarantee of unlimited, lifetime coverage for those severely injured in auto accidents. She thinks about it a lot now. That’s because the morning of Sept. 18, 2010, on […]
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Priceline expansion propels policy questions
Priceline plans to add more than 500 jobs to its call center in Wyoming in the Grand Rapids area. More jobs equal good news in Michigan, of course. But an online discussion shared with us between Milt Rohwer of the Frey Foundation and Birgit Klohs of The Right Place, Inc., may provide more illumination on […]
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How 'flushed' is your hometown?
In May 2010, in the teeth of the worst Michigan economy in a generation, Fortune Magazine came to Grand Rapids to proclaim, “A Michigan Success Story.” Grand Rapidians have much to point to with optimism and pride, from the construction on “Hospital Hill” to the revitalization of its downtown. But there’s more to the story. A Bridge […]
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U.P. escapes property value fall
The Upper Peninsula stands above the rest of Michigan on the map — and above the rest of the state when it comes to property value trends. From 2007-11, nine of the top 10 counties seeing a percentage increase in property value (residential, commercial and industrial) came from the part of Michigan north of the […]
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SW Michigan: 'Best of both worlds'
Beaches, festivals and farms are luring Marian Cioe from the streets of Chicago to Michigan’s southwestern shore. Forty-five years after first visiting Southwest Michigan on a business trip, the 66-year-old nurse plans to “live happily ever after” in the Great Lakes State. Cioe is just part of a real estate trend that has set Southwest […]
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The Big Flush: $180 billion vanishes from Michigan
Michigan home- and business owners have lost an astounding $180 billion from the value of their properties over the past four years — the result of auto company bankruptcies, a severe national recession and the worst state economy in more than 70 years — according to an analysis of state data by Bridge Magazine. Adjusted […]
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Nest eggs go bad in Oakland County
When Sven Gustafson and his wife Kristen bought a home in the Oakland County community of Ferndale in 2005, it looked like a smart move. Property values had been rising steadily. Ferndale, which borders Detroit along Eight Mile Road, was becoming a haven for young professionals, artists and gay Michiganians — the “creative class” described […]
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