KALAMAZOO (WKZO-AM/FM) — Southwest Michigan First says they expect Michigan will ultimately benefit from the recently-signed “Good Jobs for Michigan” bill package, despite the state losing out on a sprawling LCD plant to Wisconsin.
Chief Executive Officer Ron Kitchens says, despite Foxconn opting to put the facility in Wisconsin instead of Michigan and several other states, more businesses now have Michigan on their radars.
“We’re already seeing projects that were never going to consider Michigan now saying they need a proposal,” Kitchen said.
The package signed into law allows companies to keep state payroll tax withholdings in exchange for hundreds of jobs that pay at least the regional average wage. Gov. Rick Snyder was hoping the incentive would be enough to reel in the Taiwanese company.
Kitchens said it still might.
“No one state can handle the whole project,” Kitchens said. “There just isn’t that much available labor.”
Opponents, including Rep. Jon Hoadley, D-Kalamazoo, have blasted the package, saying the state’s essentially bribing companies to locate in Michigan.
