Greetings from Cassopolis!

That's one of those huge casings I mentioned right behind me.  It weighs more than 18 tons!  When complete, that one turbine will generate enough electricity to power more than 500 homes.

Today, I'm down in Cassopolis … in the southwest corner of our state, visiting K&M Machine Fabricating. 

This Michigan-born company is the perfect example of what Michigan can become.  For more than 50 years, they have been successfully making heavy construction, mining, and railroad equipment.  But a few years ago, they saw an opportunity in alternative energy - wind energy, to be specific - and today they are growing and creating jobs as a result.  K&M now manufactures the large outer casings for wind turbines.  And I do mean large; one casing weighs more than 18 tons and has to be moved by a huge crane attached to the ceiling of the factory!

Wind turbines are in such high demand around the world, that there is up to an 18-month wait to get them.  Companies like K&M who make the turbine components are in huge demand.  Over the next 18 to 24 months, K&M needs to hire up to 150 people - engineers, welders, machinists - good-paying jobs for our citizens.

Today in Michigan, there are more than 2,000 companies like K&M with the right equipment and the right workforce to manufacture components for alternative and renewable energy.  Imagine the possibilities.

Tomorrow, it's off to Grand Rapids.  Stay tuned for more updates from the road.