3 good economic vibes

1. FROM BRAWN TO BRAINS AT BISSELL

Folks like Michigan Future’s Lou Glazer have spent years trying to inspire culture change as Michigan shifts from manufacturing brawn-based economies to 21st Century advanced manufacturing and service economies. The Grand Rapids Press has just published an excellent illustration of this shift in a profile of the changes afoot at Bissell, the Michigan-headquartered manufacture of vaccuum cleaners. As the Press reported…

Bissell Inc. shed hundreds of factory workers when its production moved offshore, but he now employs 350 “knowledge workers” to push the innovation envelope… The company has invested $9 million in its new Bissell Innovation Center at 2345 Walker Ave. NW. Officially opened in November, it is located in renovated factory space where 10,000 more square feet were added… In 2003, before the move to Mexico, the site had more than 500 workers, most hourly. Now the head count is about 400, of which 350 are salaried. According to state tax-incentive documents, the average pay is more than $1,200 a week.

2. SEE HUNGRY ENTREPRENEURS IN ACTION AT PITCH CORNER.COM

More than a decade ago, longtime business journalist Mike Brennan left the Detroit Free Press newsroom and struck out on his own to create new, tech-focused, Michigan-based online publications. His latest brainwave is PitchCorner.com, where Michigan entrepreneurs have thru March 31 to post their video elevator pitches for a chance to win up to $5,000 in funding to grow their businesses. Post your pitch today!

3. DRIVING PAST DISTANT FIRST IMPRESSIONS

As recently published in Crain’s, Chrysler exec Gualberto Ranieri is pleasantly surpised by his new home in Michigan…

Detroiters’ shyness is at odds with the extroversion of Chicagoans who proudly publicize their city’s beauties. I wish to be clear: Chicago is simply gorgeous and living there is absolutely pleasant. But Detroit’s northern “burbs, the web of lakes, the sumptuous mansions and estates hidden like precious jewels in hardwoods (one has to wait for the winter to discover them) and, more in general, Michigan’s multifaceted landscape offer captivating opportunities to newcomers… Being Italian, I can’t neglect a reference to restaurants. Once again, a pleasant discovery, especially if one loves fish (high quality of meat is a given in the U.S.). I can count at least 10 well-above-average restaurants worth a visit to enjoy both their cuisine and decor. For the benefit of my friend who recently called me from London (certainly not a capital for gourmet) to wish me good fortune with my dining out, I can assure that I do not miss any of the many restaurants in Chicago I used to go to.

We’ve seen that kind of free advertising time and again in recent years from folks fed up with the crowds and costs of the coasts. It’s nice to feel the overseas love, too.