Since I took office, I’ve said I will “go anywhere and do anything”
to bring jobs to Michigan. That commitment has brought me to Japan for the second
time in 10 months to bring jobs back home.
We arrived late yesterday, slightly jet-lagged but happy to be back in Tokyo.
Japanese companies have invested in Michigan, and it is an honor to be able
to pay them a visit on behalf of our citizens to say thank you. It’s rainy
here…but my kids tell me it’s still raining at home, so I feel connected.
Today (Tuesday), after a quick breakfast of toast and coffee (The sushi looks
terrific, but I’m a “meat and potatoes” kind of person…especially
for breakfast!) and a briefing on the day’s meetings with our economic team,
we were off to meet with nine different companies. Some are companies I sat down
with last year when I was in Japan. Some were new. Good business deals are built
on solid relationships and these meetings are all about building and strengthening
relationships. I enjoyed seeing some familiar faces and exchanging a lot of new
business cards – tradition and relationships are so important in this culture.
After we crisscrossed this beautiful city – our hotel is not far from
the Imperial Palace and while our packed meeting scheduled didn’t leave
time for any site-seeing, I did catch a glimpse from the car window –
for meetings I’m pleased that we nailed down four commitments to expand
and grow in Michigan. Those commitments will bring 151 jobs to communities across
the state over the next year.
- Konica Minolta recently bought American Litho in Grand Rapid s. Today,
they committed to an additional expansion. Among its many products, Konica
Minolta produces medical imaging equipment – a natural fit for our life
sciences corridor.
- Meiden America, which already has a sales office in Novi, is planning to
build a new facility which will employ 50 people.
- Shikoku Cable Company will expand their Novi operation, adding two more
jobs.
- Taichi-S, an automotive seating manufacturer, will expand their Farmington
Hills engineering facility to add 20 jobs.
These projects, which are expected to bring almost $34 million in investment,
are great news for our communities.
And while Japanese companies are investing in Michigan, American companies
are recognizing all that Michigan has to offer too. Whirlpool, the nation’s
top appliance manufacturer, announced today that it will consolidate its Maytag
headquarters operations in Benton Harbor bringing 400 great jobs to Southwest
Michigan.
We finished the day in a large meeting meeting with executives from a variety
of different companies. No time for a sit-down dinner in one of the many interesting
restaurants around our hotel, so I grabbed a snack and hopped on the phone to
do some interviews with journalists back home. The time change is so interesting
- I was just getting ready for bed, and they were just getting ready for their
day. At 11:15 p.m., I joined a conference call with reporters to talk about
Michigan’s great Whirlpool news, then it was off to bed. It was a good
day for Michigan workers and Michigan communities. Tomorrow, we will be back
at it again selling Michigan and all that we have to offer to companies at home
and around the world.
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Since I took office, I’ve said I will “go anywhere and do anything”
to bring jobs to Michigan. That commitment has brought me to Japan for the second
time in 10 months to bring jobs back home.
