Wyandotte : Innovation & Job News

Now that the temps are starting to fall a bit, it's time to squeeze in some more outdoorsy stuff before it gets really frigid around here. Thankfully, there are lots of options that can help even the most jaded soul to appreciate the great outdoors in Southeast Michigan.

First up, fun for two-wheelers. There are two rides in Detroit on the 19th: Programs to Educate All Cyclists' (PEAC) Celebration of Cycling, which utilizes Hines Drive, and the Tour de Troit, which offers riders the option of a 30-mile or Metric Century tour of the D.

The Clinton River Trail Fall Classic is set for September 26, a great chance to experience a lovely trail if you haven't checked it out in a while.

On foot, the Sierra Club's Southeast Michigan Group has you covered. Just a sampling: September 6 at Independence Oaks, September 12 at Maybury State Park, the 26th at Potawatomi State Park and the 27th in the environs of the Fairlane Mansion in Dearborn. Find out details here.

Last but not least, take to the waters. Riverside Kayak Connection in Wyandotte has a Detroit River sunset tour at 6 p.m. every Wednesday. You can also arrange a group outing for $35 per person for a group of four or more that takes in Humbug Marsh, the lower Huron River, Grassy Island, or Mud Island. Call 734-285-2925 to make arrangements.

Get out there -- and appreciate what this area has to offer -- before frosty winter gets you couch-bound!

Writer: Kelli B. Kavanaugh

X-OLOGY Magazine launched this past winter and just released its fourth issue. The quarterly publication of Automation Alley seeks "to promote new technologies that exist in Southeast Michigan, to promote the idea that there is more going on here than just automotive," says editor Jane Gleeson. "This area has been stuck in a rustbelt image, but we are well beyond that."

The current issue is themed "Green is Gold," and focuses on the greening of the automotive industry. Features include a profile of ArvinMeritor's chairman, president and CEO Chip McClure, profiles of several suppliers that are "greening"up their act like Cobasys, Electrojet and Borgwarner and an overview of alternative fuel technology under development by the Big Three.

The summer issue covered nanotechnology, the spring, alternative energy and the winter, life sciences. "Each issue features one spcific technology. Our coverage expands to Michigan -- you can't just focus on Southeast Michigan when you are focusing on an overall technology," says Gleeson. "But we focus on companies in Southeast Michigan."

The Winter 2008 issue will focus on engineering technology, a broad topic indeed, but Gleeson is focusing X-OLOGY's lens. "We're interviewing several engineering firms that are state-of-the-art in terms of product development," she says. "There are lots of companies adapting to what they see as a growing technology field."

Like engineering firms that are adapting to a new economy, Gleeson sees a few other common denominators between companies that have ridden out the economic downturn: willingness to partner, becoming saavy to the global nature of business and adaptability.

The publication has a circulation of 20,000 with an estimated 337,000 readers. It is mailed to businesses, universities and homes and is available for sale at Barnes and Noble.

X-OLOGY is published by Renaissance Media, which also publishes the Jewish News

Source: Jane Gleeson, X-OLOGY
Writer: Kelli B. Kavanaugh

The winds of change they are a blowin'...

The city of Taylor has signed a deal to test two wind turbines with the intent of powering 600 homes with wind energy starting in 2009.

Excerpt:

The move comes amid debate about national legislation to require that 15 percent of energy come from renewable sources by 2020. But Taylor already is a few steps behind Wyandotte, which is amid a $1 million study of wind farms. Ann Arbor and a handful of universities also are eying wind energy.

"This isn't a movement yet, but I hope it becomes a movement," said Taylor Mayor Cameron Priebe. "We're raising public awareness."

Read the entire article here.

Adapt or die could be the motto of the Detroit International Auto Salon (DIAS), slated to open on October 25.

Rather that stand still and watch overseas competitors get a leg-up, local automotive suppliers are banding together under the auspices of the DIAS. DIAS is a one-stop auto parts market for OEM and Tier 1 and 2 suppliers, which will help them lower their total procurement costs by efficiently sourcing from Asia's most elite suppliers.

The Allen Park facility will also be available to host meetings between suppliers and manufacturers, be open to the public for wholesale or retail purchases and host forums. The first such forum will be held after the ribbon cutting ceremony on October 25, and will be an opportunity for the exchange of information between academics, industry, engineers and businesses.

The moderator will be Larry Fobes, director of the Institute for Organizational and Industrial Competitiveness at Wayne State University. The expert panel includes Ron Hesse of GlobalAutoIndustry.com, Michael Wiemann of the Salzburg Aluminum Group; Lung-Chou Huang of the Automotive Research and Testing Center; Zhang Jin, the Secretary-General of the Confederation of Chinese Metal Forming Industry and David C. Chang, the former chief scientist of General Motors Corporation.

The panel will be addressing worldwide automotive trends. By becoming a platform for these types of discussion, the DIAS seems poised to act as a salon in the true sense of the word.

The DAIS was created under the leadership of GlobalAutoIndustry.com and Asia Forging Supply Company. The forum is supported by Wayne County Economic Development and Airport Authority, the Detroit Regional Economic Partnership and the Michigan Chinese Academic Professional Association.

Registration and a full agenda are available here.

Source: Automation Alley
Writer: Kelli B. Kavanaugh

In the world of sustainable construction the best possible LEED rating is platinum, so it seems appropriate that Wayne County is calling its day-long sustainability seminar "The Platinum Standard."

Featuring keynote speakers Tom Osoba, Portland, Oregon's coordinator of sustainable economic development and Paul Murray, Herman Miller's director of environmental safety and sustainability, the event includes insights into sustainability, ways to go green and "Our state of sustainability," which will discuss green perspectives from local government, business and industry.

What's compelling about this event is the feeling that this area is truly at a tipping point when it comes to environmental issues. I'm sensing a perfect storm of conditions: The announcement that the Chevy Volt would be manufactured here. The BP firestorm. The RiverWalk, greenways and transit all play a part in the conversation.

It just feels more and more like people around here are starting to see the forest for the trees: our manufacturing background has poised this area to become a major player in the alternative enegry industry sector. That means jobs, which are kinda sorely needed around here.

This seminar seems like an ideal medium to get the non-believers on board.

It is sponsored by the Wayne County Parks Department and the Southeast Michigan Sustainable Business Forum (an org we profiled here) and is set for October 9 at Wayne County Community College's downriver campus.

Local speakers include Amy Butler from the state's Department of Environmental Quality and Joseph Verseyer from Lawrence Technological University's Center for Sustainability.

The event is free, but RSVPs are required. Click here to do so.

Bonus: There will be food, with an emphasis on local yummies.

Writer: Kelli B. Kavanaugh

Ten foundations, including Ford and Kresge, have banded together to create a $100 million pot of funds intended to help transform Michigan's economy.

Excerpt:

"One hundred million is a lot of money on one hand," said Steve Hamp, former president of The Henry Ford and chairman of the initiative's new governing council. "But for the scale of what we're talking about, it's not a lot of money, considering the need."

That more than 60 percent of the funding is coming from outside Michigan underscores a stark consensus that the state's economic troubles are so bad they're worthy of major league philanthropy -- or, put another way, we're so bad that it's good.

"We are not done building the ship we are about to launch," said Hamp, adding that much of the fund will be aimed at efforts to create "high-wage, high-knowledge" jobs in the service sector. "We know Michigan needs to catch up in this area and that we are lagging."

Read the entire article here.

Two brand-spanking new buildings will soon spring from vacant land in Wyandotte.

Oak Wyandotte LLC  will build two single-story retail buildings at the corner of Fort and Oak Streets, the gateway to the city's downtown business district.

State and local tax capture valued at $198,743 will help finance the construction of 27,225 square feet divided into six commercial units. The anchor tenant, Aldi Foods Inc., will completely take over one building, while the other building will house five stores ranging in size from 1,000 to 2,000 square feet.

The tax capture was made possible by the Michigan Economic Development Corporation and the Michigan State Housing Development Authority. The development, with an estimated project investment value of $3.4 million, is estimated to create up to 50 jobs.

Michigan law allows brownfield tax credits to be used to aid the development of functionally obsolete, blighted or contaminated property. "Turning blighted and contaminated properties into community assets and creating jobs is a winning proposition for all concerned," MEDC President and CEO James C. Epolito said in a statement. "Brownfield redevelopment credits are among the most effective tools we have to attract business investment to Michigan communities."

Source: MEDC
Writer: Kelli B. Kavanaugh

BASF Corporation broke ground this week in Wyandotte on a R&D, administrative and manufacturing facility for the recently-acquired Johnson Polymer. The  development, which will add 175 new jobs, is a $147 million investment from BASF.

BASF was considering sites in Tennessee and Texas, but the Michigan Economic Development Corporation put together a tax credit package valued at up to $21.5 million that helped make the case for Michigan. In a statement, MEDC President and CEO James C. Epolito said, "In a competitive global economy, each new project and every new job represents a win for Michigan."

BASF employs 2,000 Michiganders, 1,000 in Wyandotte. The city is considering a $35 million package of local tax abatements over the next 20 years. The new facility will take about a year to build.

Based in New Jersey, BASF is the North American Affiliate of Germany-based BASF AG, one of the world's largest chemical companies.

Source: MEDC
Writer: Kelli B. Kavanaugh

The Michigan Energy Fair attracted 3,000 visitors to Manistee to learn about alternative energy initiatives in the state. This comes at a time when a bill has been introduced to the State House to create Renewable Portfolio Standards for Michigan, a critical step in the development of the alternative energy industry in the state.

Excerpt:

Renewable resources, such as solar, wind, and hydroelectric power are all sources of clean energy — fuel that causes much less harm to the environment. Along with being environmentally-friendly, another benefit is that they are home-grown.

Currently, Michigan must import nearly all of its energy — 100 percent of the coal and uranium, 96 percent of the oil, and 75 percent of all natural gas, according to state agencies. By investing in renewable energy produced within the state, the government would be investing in Michigan, say proponents.

The home grown source is important in another regard, as well. According to Environment Michigan and the Pacific Northwest Laboratory, Michigan ranks second in the Great Lakes region for wind energy potential and 14^th in the United States. If fully harnessed, wind energy could create over 50,000 manufacturing jobs in the state of Michigan.

Read the entire report here.

Detroit Renaissance has commissioned Arlington, Virginia-based Business Development Advisors to compare the business climate in Southeast Michigan with other competitor regions.

The study will look at operating costs, regulatory climate, economic-development effort, image, business infrastructure and workforce.

Read the entire article here.

We always knew it here at metromode. Michigan's economy is diversifying, not crumbling before our very eyes. A new study from the University of Michigan's Center for Local, State, and Urban Policy studies the transformation and points out some bright spots.

Two of the study's findings were:

* Small firms -- those with five to nine employees -- reported growth in the educational services (25.6 percent), finance and insurance (24.8 percent), and management of companies (35 percent) sectors between 1998 and 2004.

* Michigan ranked No. 1 nationwide for "industry performed research and development activities as a share of private industry output," according to the National Science Foundation study. The state ranked ninth in research and development performed by universities and colleges.

Read the entire article here.

United Way of Southeast Michigan is forming a leadership development organization, Leadership Next, in an effort to connect with and empower the area's future leaders. Chairperson of the group, Matt Clayson, a Detroit resident and legal coordinator for Pleasant Ridge's ePrize says the goal of Leadership Next is "to get together group of civic minded younger leaders to talk about true regional collaborations." Clayson also hopes to address the region's brain drain of young people. We want "to give tangible opportunities to be connected to community initiatives and to social services, to give opportunities for volunteer involvement."

Clayson explains that another intent of the organization is to "build trust with the current generation of leaders and to learn from them – opening up a dialogue with them." 

Leadership Next is currently cultivating a roster for its leadership team and is holding a public launch on July 20 at 6 p.m. at McNarney's Public House, just east of the Renaissance Center in Detroit. Clayson says, "It's an opportunity for people who want to be involved or want to learn more." A keynote speech will be given by General Motors vice president Troy Clark, who will talk about leadership from the perspective of his generation. 

Clayson is motivated to attract and retain talent in Southeast Michigan. "People ask, 'Why should I stay in Detroit, stay in Southeast Michigan?'" he observes. He answers, "You can become involved here and have your voice heard. You can make a difference without the same type of social connections that you would need in a Chicago or a New York."

Clayson will be working to people the group's leadership team with a diverse mix of people, including city and suburban residents, representatives of stakeholder non-profit organizations and corporations and "a wide variety of cultures and races."

Source: Matt Clayson, Leadership Next
Writer: Kelli B. Kavanaugh