Michigan News

Following a recommendation from Department of Natural Resources officials, DNR Director Keith Creagh announced today his approval of a land transaction proposal from Graymont, Inc. Creagh announced his decision at today’s Natural Resources Commission meeting in Roscommon, Michigan. Graymont is planning a limestone mining operation in the Upper Peninsula’s Mackinac County, near the town of Rexton. The company will have to comply with all applicable state and local regulations before mining can occur. In January DNR officials identified several concerns with Graymont’s proposal and recommended against its approval by the director. In response to those concerns, Graymont revised its application… Read More »

Gov. Rick Snyder said today’s launch of the Michigan Department of Talent and Economic Development demonstrates that Michigan is taking the lead in closing the talent gap by preparing its people for the highly skilled, technical jobs of today and tomorrow. Snyder created the new state department through Executive Order 2014-12. The department is led by Steve Arwood, who is also the CEO of the Michigan Economic Development Corporation. “This new department will accelerate the state’s effort to become a national leader in connecting highly skilled talent with in-demand jobs. This team is poised to help Michigan prosper by engaging… Read More »

Officials with Graymont, Inc. have submitted a revised Land Transaction Application (LTA) to the Michigan Department of Natural Resources (DNR) for a limestone mining operation in northern Mackinac County near the town of Rexton. The March 6 proposal, which amends a January 2015 LTA, is unchanged in the total amount and location of public land under consideration. Revisions in the March LTA address DNR concerns with the previous proposal. Based on these revisions, department officials have recommended that the March 6 Graymont application be approved by DNR Director Keith Creagh. The LTA will be before Creagh for action at the… Read More »

 Erin Marra, Regional Manager Read the full story here Downtown Sault Ste. Marie, Michigan is celebrating the newest business to open in 2015 this week.  Kanava International, LLC, a management consulting firm headquartered in Arlington, Virginia, has recently opened an office at 546 Ashmun Street. Kanava’s President and CEO, Susan Puska, born and raised in Sault Ste. Marie, has long wanted to return to the area to contribute to economic development in the Upper Peninsula. After serving as a logistician and Army Attaché to Beijing, she retired from the U.S. Army as a Colonel then worked as a U.S. government… Read More »

LANSING – Students at 18 community colleges across the state, including Bay College, will gain in-demand skills using state-of-the-art equipment and training through a $50 million grant program, Gov. Rick Snyder said. Snyder announced Michigan Economic Development Corporation (MEDC) approval of schools selected through the Community College Skilled Trades Equipment Program (CCSTEP), an effort to help close a talent gap and meet a demand for good-paying jobs. “We are positioning Michigan to become the national leader in developing talent,” Snyder said. “This serious investment, one of the largest of its kind in the country, will tap our top-notch community colleges… Read More »

The Michigan Department of Natural Resources today announced the award of 20 grant projects totaling more than $4 million, under the Michigan Invasive Species Grant Program.  The grant program is central to Michigan’s new invasive species initiative, which brings a multi-department, comprehensive approach to the ongoing problem of harmful, non-native invaders such as the Asian carp. The initiative enlists the expertise of the state departments of Natural Resources, Environmental Quality and Agriculture and Rural Development. Included in the grants announced was $179,100 to  the Chippewa Luce Mackinac Conservation District for the Eastern Upper Peninsula Cooperative Invasive Species Management Program and… Read More »

LANSING, MI — The Michigan Strategic Fund on Tuesday approved incentives for a new hospital and hotel parking garage in Marquette expected to create 169 new jobs and retain 2,300. The existing hospital in Marquette was purchased by Duke LifePoint Healthcare in 2012, but the company wanted to expand service and needed a new facility. Duke LifePoint plans to purchase land currently owned by the city and develop a 516,000 square foot acute-care hospital, along with medical office buildings. The MSF awarded the project a Brownfield incentive that will allow it to capture $55.8 million in school and local taxes…. Read More »

Only a few short years ago, Michigan leaders talked excitedly about diversifying the state’s economy beyond the auto industry, envisioning a Silicon Valley-style workforce that would be less dependent on manufacturing and more invested in technology and green energy. It’s the same dream shared by virtually every other governor whose state once relied on factory jobs. But it has collided with a stark reality: Car production is booming, Michigan’s skilled tradesmen are getting older and there aren’t enough qualified people to replace them in a labor pool that has started to shift away from industrial jobs. A report from the… Read More »

WASHINGTON, Feb. 10, 2015 – Agriculture Secretary Tom Vilsack today announced that rural agricultural producers and small business owners can now apply for resources to purchase and install renewable energy systems or make energy efficiency improvements. These efforts help farmers, ranchers and other small business owners save money on their energy bills, reduce America’s dependence on foreign oil, support America’s clean energy economy, and cut carbon pollution.  The resources announced today are made possible by the 2014 Farm Bill. “Developing renewable energy presents an enormous economic opportunity for rural America,” Vilsack said. “The funding we are making available will help… Read More »