While some areas of the Great Lakes State might sigh and yawn about a new proclamation signed today by Gov. Gretchen Whitmer, many in Michigan’s Great Southwest either will or should rejoice in the spotlight she is putting on next week by declaring it to be Michigan Manufacturing Week.
With about 1-in-4 or 1-in-5 of the men and women in the local workforce engaged in the skilled trades of manufacturing across Berrien County and beyond, manufacturing is a key sector for the Southwest Michigan economy. Reality is that we have more manufacturing employees in the Tri-County Area of Berrien, Cass and Van Buren than even Saginaw and Flint. Kinexus Group recently reported that we’re the fourth largest in the state. CEO Todd Gustafson says, “There’s Detroit…there’s outside of Detroit…there’s Grand Rapids-Kent County, and then there’s us.” There are 458 manufacturers in Southwest Michigan, with diversified industrial portfolios.
The Governor says today, “Michigan is home to the greatest workforce in the nation, and these men and women continue to push the boundaries of manufacturing excellence.” In fact, Gov. Whitmer adds, “Simply put, no other state has the manufacturing talent and know-how that Michigan does, and this is highlighted by the fact that manufacturing companies are making historic investments to build their products in our state.”
Michigan has been the heart and soul of manufacturing in the United States for decades. The state has more than 11,386 unique manufacturing firms, which account for 635,500 jobs and $98.64 billion of total output annually. In Southwest Michigan alone manufacturing accounts for some 18,253 payroll jobs, or roughly 20-percent of the gross domestic product for the region.
On May 21, 2019, Gov. Whitmer joined Fiat Chrysler Automobile’s Chief Operating Officer for North America Mark Stewart to announce the company’s plans to build a new state-of-the-art assembly plant in Detroit and expand production at five existing Michigan facilities. The historic announcement is expected to generate 6,433 jobs and generate $4.5 billion of investment in Michigan.
To view the Governor’s full proclamation click the link below:
