Hundreds of area students and community members turned out for Southwest Michigan’s second annual Manufacturing Day today at Mach Mold in Benton Harbor for the opportunity to interact with area manufacturing businesses and learn more about careers in the manufacturing industry. More than 1,500 similar events were held across the country today to recognize America’s manufacturers and their successes in innovation, job creation, and community development.
U.S. Representative Fred Upton, R-St. Joseph, spent the morning speaking with exhibitors and students representing a dozen local schools. As part of the visit, Upton also sat down for a roundtable discussion with business owners, community development leaders, and elected officials, where he shared his bipartisan efforts to bring greater certainty to Michigan’s economy and accelerate job creation and economic growth.
“Manufacturing is the backbone of our economy here in Southwest Michigan – we need to give these local businesses, large and small, the certainty they need to continue to innovate, grow their operations, and create jobs,” said Upton, who was at Mann + Hummel in Kalamazoo, Mich., earlier this week as the auto component manufacturer dedicated its $17.4 million expansion, which will bring 70 new jobs to the area.
Michigan now leads the nation as the state that is creating the most new manufacturing jobs. That trend has been supported by statewide reforms, including passage of the Proposal 1 ballot initiative in August 2014, which will save businesses more than $550 million by eliminating the personal property tax on industrial and commercial personal property.
“We have made impressive progress toward strengthening our manufacturing dominance in recent years, but we can do better with the right policies. As we stand at the verge of a manufacturing renaissance, it is more important now than ever that we construct a regulatory framework that allows our manufacturers to thrive,” continued Upton, who serves as Chairman of the House Energy and Commerce Committee.
Today’s event was organized by Benton Harbor nonprofit Kinexus, which is focused on community and workforce development in Berrien, Cass, and Van Buren counties.
“Manufacturing Day brings together manufactures and educators to inspire tomorrow's talent and ensure the industry remains a driving force for Southwest Michigan's economy,” said Todd Gustafson, Kinexus executive director.
The three-county region is home to more than 450 manufacturing businesses, which account for nearly 17,000 manufacturing jobs in Southwest Michigan, according to the economic modeling software firm Economic Modeling Specialists Intl. (EMSI).
