On Tuesday, Governor Granholm and the Michigan Economic Development Corporation announced that 14 projects will bring 8,912 new jobs and over $330 million in new investment to our state. Some of these companies were featured in the Governor’s State of the State Address on Tuesday night; here is the full list of projects that won MEGA tax credits to bring this investment to Michigan over competing sites.

The majority of the jobs in this announcement will come from our rapidly growing movie and entertainment industry. Three companies that will create new film, animation and programming jobs will be located in the Detroit area:

Wonderstruck Studios LLC – The new venture, to be known as Detroit Center Studios, will produce computer-generated (CG) visual effects and animated content. It plans to invest $85.9 million to create a digital pipeline, used to pull in numerous CG and digital animation projects, in downtown Detroit. The project is expected to create 700 new Michigan jobs, including 413 directly by the company.

Motown Motion Pictures LLC – The new business venture, which will be both a film studio and a production services company, plans to invest approximately $70 million in a 600,000-square-foot development with nine sound stages in Pontiac. The project is expected to create 5,139 new jobs, including 3,600 directly by the company.

Stardock Systems Inc. – The software developer and publisher will invest $900,000 to expand at their current location in Plymouth Township to allow for the development and implementation of a new PC game. The project will create 154 new jobs, including 53 directly by the company.

For a breakdown on the MEGA credits and a list of the competing sites, see the state release for all the details. Since Governor Granholm proposed the film incentives in her 2008 State of the State Address, Michigan has seen thousands of jobs created and millions in revenue brought to the state. The numbers are as follows:

The program has generated: 221 script proposals and 136 applications, of which 73 have been approved for film production incentive agreements. Credit certificates have been issued for 32 productions for their expenditures of $126.4 million in Michigan with a related incentive value of $48.0 million. If all of the approved film projects go into production, Michigan will see more than $435.7 million added to the state’s economy. Related film incentives would total $164.4 million.

Other companies announced on Tuesday focus on alternative energy and high tech manufacturing, and the remaining four are community renovation and redevelopment projects. Here is the rest of the list – for more details on the MEGA breakdown, see the complete press release at the MEDC.

Great Lakes Towers LLC – The start-up wind turbine tower manufacturing company is planning to initially invest $19 million to locate its first manufacturing facility in Monroe. The company eventually expects to manufacture more than 500 wind towers each year. The project is expected to create 290 new Michigan jobs, including 152 directly by the company.

W Industries – The metal fabrication company plans to invest $36 million to expand its operations in Detroit. The expansion will enable the automotive supplier to diversify into the aerospace and defense sectors. The project is expected to create 943 new Michigan jobs, including 501 directly by the company.

MT Acquisitions LLC d/b/a Models & Tools – The Troy-based aerospace tooling company plans to invest $6.2 million to launch a new high bay facility in Shelby Township, which will support the company’s current aerospace work for both commercial and defense projects. The additional floor space will allow for further investment in expanded machining capabilities, with the added height enabling the company to compete in a very select market for large assembly tooling. The project is expected to create 164 jobs, including 72 directly by the company.

Tribal Manufacturing Inc. – The Missouri-based start-up manufacturer of brass machined fittings for the plumbing industry plans to invest $4.6 million to launch new operations in Marshall. The project is expected to create 335 new Michigan jobs, including 193 directly by the company.

Atwell-Hicks LLC – The land development consulting firm with a focus on alternative energy and wind power energy production and transmission corridors for wind farms plans to invest $5 million to expand its operations in the Ann Arbor area. The project is expected to create 239 new Michigan jobs, including 131 directly by the company.

Greenblendz –The Arizona-based start-up, which designs manufacturing processes for commercial cleaning agents using new nano-technology, plans to invest $795,000 to purchase a vacant chemical manufacturing facility in Auburn Hills where it will develop and manufacture “green” cleaning chemicals, personal care and antimicrobial coatings. The project is expected to create 143 new Michigan jobs, including 47 directly by the company.

Maverick Industries LLC – The manufacturer of plastic-injection molded components plans to acquire the former Kaneka plant in Blackman Township along with the machinery and equipment in the plant. The company will provide packaging support and manufacturing using advanced materials. The project is expected to create 208 new jobs, including 90 directly by the company and generate $11 million in private investment.

City of Livonia – State and local tax capture valued at $6.5 million will support the $60-million redevelopment of the former Livonia Mall. The project will include the demolition of the existing mall building, discarded sewer and water infrastructure, and parking lots. The site will be redeveloped with new construction of approximately 300,000 square feet of retail space including a proposed Wal-Mart. Additional retail space will be constructed as market conditions permit. Site improvements such as new parking lots, landscaping, and private driveways will be included. The project is expected to create up to 486 new jobs.

Mason County – State and local tax capture valued at $31,350 will support the construction of a new 7,100 square-foot building to house an automotive shop and body/repair shop in place of a vacant and obsolete building on U.S. 10 in Pere Marquette Charter Township. The project, expected to generate $800,000 in new investment and create and retain 11 jobs, will enable the auto shop to expand its operations, and the move from its current location on Pere Marquette Lake will open the waterfront property for new development.

Washtenaw County – State and local tax capture valued at more than $526,000 will support the redevelopment of the former Michigan Inn site in Ann Arbor into a new multi-use facility. The project includes demolition of the former hotel and site preparation for the new facility. The project is expected to generate $28 million in new investment.

Washtenaw County – State and local tax capture valued at $86,800 will support the renovation of two functionally obsolete elementary school buildings in Ypsilanti. The renovated buildings will be used as a state-of-the-art printing house and digital photograph production facility. The initial phase of the project is expected to generate $2.8 million in new investment and up to 100 new jobs over the next five years.

Big thanks go out to James Epolito and the Michigan Economic Development Corporation for all their hard work and effort to locate these jobs here in Michigan! For more information on initiatives and programs, visit http://www.theMEDC.org.

This entry was posted on Thursday, February 5th, 2009 at 12:07 pm and is filed under General. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. Both comments and pings are currently closed.