Bridge talks incentives with state Sen. Ken Horn, a key player in Michigan’s tax incentive debate. He says it’s his job to ‘rob other states of workers.’
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
Inflation is at 39-year high. Michigan consumers and businesses feel pinch
Prices are up for almost everything. Now, 76 percent of consumers say inflation is more serious than unemployment. An interest rate hike is likely. Then what?
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Another real estate shortage: Grand Rapids running out of industrial space
Adding industrial parks and finding ways for manufacturers and other businesses to expand is a goal for the Grand Rapids region in 2022, business leaders say.
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After losing out on Ford plants, Michigan fast-tracks new business incentives
Michigan officials are pushing a major new business incentive program they contend could help the state land major deals. But critics say such programs are a boondoggle to taxpayers.
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For booming Grand Rapids, a larger ambition: Midwest technology hub
Forget about Austin and Nashville. Randy Thelen, of The Right Place economic development group, is pitching West Michigan’s business community on becoming the nation’s next tech hotspot within a decade.
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Holiday sales could set records. Michigan's 'makers' want a piece of it.
The state’s smallest businesses are growing in number. Now ‘solopreneurs’ hope to grow their sales during the holiday sales season that is expected to be robust.
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Poised for ‘Drinksgiving,’ Michigan bars fret COVID will dampen party
Thanksgiving Eve is the biggest money maker of the year for bars, as friends gather before the family events that follow. Bar and restaurant managers say they don’t know what to expect Wednesday as state virus cases spike.
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Michigan’s economy on track for near-full recovery in 2023, forecast says
University of Michigan forecast is full of optimism. But inflation and supply issues could present roadblocks.
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‘Labor shortages are not going away’ in Michigan. Is automation the answer?
Demographic trends, accelerated by the pandemic, show that businesses are going to have to look to technology to solve the long-term problem.
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Child care as economic development? You bet. $1.4B in aid coming to Michigan
The high cost of childcare and limited state aid has shrunk the workforce. In a rare area of bipartisan consensus, Democrats and Republicans are working to boost pay and subsidies.