Detroit has long been known as the Motor City. Don’t trying telling city officials that it isn’t anymore. Much of the city’s automotive production left long ago, as manufacturers and suppliers moved operations to lower-cost southern states. But Detroit officials will quickly remind you of significant auto operations that are still here — and are, […]
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.
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Dutch titans left their mark on West Michigan
Rich DeVos and the late Jay Van Andel were known as the “gold dust twins” as they built Amway, the direct-selling consumer products giant they founded in 1959 near Grand Rapids. They spread a lot of that gold around West Michigan to support the construction of hospitals, sports and entertainment facilities, research institutions and many […]
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Savior of Jazz Festival sees better times for Detroit
Gretchen Valade is known in Detroit cultural circles as the philanthropist whose intercession — $15 million worth and counting — saved the city’s Labor Day weekend jazz festival in 2005. Fewer know that Valade, heiress to the Carhartt clothing fortune, is as busy in her ninth decade as she’s ever been, playing a role in […]
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Forecasting a slower, pricier car industry
Cars might cost $50,000 on average by 2025. Vehicle sales in the United States may never bounce back to the levels of a decade ago. And electric vehicles aren’t likely to catch on with consumers for years, if at all. So says Sean McAlinden, executive vice president of research and chief economist at the Center […]
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Detroit span connects state to can-do past
An effort by Gov. Rick Snyder and the Canadian government to build a $2 billion bridge connecting Detroit and Windsor may provide an answer to a burning question about infrastructure: Can a huge public works project still be built in an era of Tea Party politics, spending-adverse lawmakers and widespread disdain for government? It’s been […]
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Across nation, big projects carry big bills, large concerns
The planned $2 billion New International Trade Crossing bridge linking Detroit and Windsor is the largest proposed infrastructure project in Michigan — and one of the 100 largest in North America. A list of the top 100 proposed infrastructure projects in North America, including Canada and Mexico, was recently released by CG/LA Infrastructure Inc., a […]
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Economic turmoil challenges Mich. seniors, too
Keep your ear to the ground, and you can almost hear a revolution coming. The New York Times outlines the very different economics of households at either end of the human lifespan in a piece headlined “Old vs. Young.” Esquire magazine declares “The War Against Youth.” The Washington Post flatly states “Young Americans Get the […]
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Adviser: Longer careers serve seniors, society
Like many people who visit the city, Randal Charlton fell in love with New Orleans, so much so that he thought the city’s mix of food and music would be a sure-fire hit in Sarasota, Fla., where he lived at the time. Café New Orleans was no such thing, however, and Charlton was left in […]
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What's the business case for second Detroit bridge?
Editor’s note: Gov. Rick Snyder joined Canadian Prime Minister Stephen Harper last Friday to announce a formal deal to start construction on a second bridge linking Detroit to Windsor, Ontario. Snyder announced his support for the span in his first weeks as governor in 2011. Michigan’s share of the construction costs — $550 million — […]
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Filmmakers still seeing stars after incentive cut
Once upon a time, Michael Jones had a career in Michigan. He was a location manager for print and TV advertising, finding, securing and running the spaces where commercial shoots set up temporary shop. Then things got very bad, when the auto industry collapsed, throwing its ancillary industries into chaos. But then, things got very, […]