Granholm Emphasizes Alternative Energy on Investment Mission to Sweden and Germany .(MP3- 3MB)

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This week I’ll be in Sweden and Germany talking to business leaders to attract great companies and new jobs in cutting-edge industries to Michigan. There’s just no substitute for face-to-face meetings. They help me and my economic development team understand what CEOs are looking for and they help build relationships with the companies that are looking to come to Michigan. My previous overseas jobs missions have led to $302 million of investment from more than 30 companies, creating and retaining 2,300 Michigan jobs.

Michigan’s growing alternative energy industry is going to be a great selling point when we visit Sweden. The Swedes are a generation ahead of America in alternative energy technologies. And that means Swedish companies are looking for ways to bring their products and their manufacturing facilities and research and design labs to the United States. The Swedes have taken on the challenge of creating a vibrant alternative energy sector, and we can learn and benefit from their progress.

From Sweden, I will travel to Germany. Earlier this year when I met with business leaders in Germany, I secured more than $20 million in investments, creating and retaining nearly 800 jobs here in Michigan. This week, I want to pick up where we left off. I’m thrilled to be able to talk to companies about our new competitive business tax structure – the Michigan Business Tax – which is an economic development tool that I can now tout for the first time.

Going overseas is one way to seek out jobs, but I’ve also been searching within our own borders. Just this year, I’ve met with more than 100 CEOs, and I’ve traveled to Washington D.C., Texas, and Illinois. If a company is looking to expand, I’m ready to listen and pitch Michigan as the best place in the country to do business.

From our competitive business climate with the new Michigan Business Tax to our 21st Century Jobs Fund, from our world class universities and workforce to our focused efforts on expanding our alternative energy sector – we have a lot going for us here in Michigan. We’ve set the right plans in motion, and that’s what I’ll be talking about in Sweden and Germany all this week. I’ll check in again while I’m on the road to let you know how our jobs mission is going.

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