Michigan the place where businesses expand and innovation thrives.

Last week, I was excited to be on Mackinac Island for this year’s Mackinac Policy Conference. I delivered the keynote address highlighting our plans to lower costs, grow Michigan’s economy, and support innovation.

I want to share with you the big announcements we made on the island to help make life more affordable for Michiganders and solidify Michigan as the place where businesses expand and innovation thrives.

Governor Whitmer speaking at 2024 Mackinac Poliy Conference

Lowering the Cost of Housing and Energy

At the 2021 Mackinac Policy Conference, we set a goal of permitting, building, or rehabbing 75,000 units in 5 years—by September 2026. Because of our hustle, we will reach our goal of 75,000 one year from now, in May 2025. That’s more than a year ahead of schedule.

I’m excited to announce that we’re raising our statewide housing target to 115,000 units by September 2026—a 53% increase.

We know that the #1 challenge Michiganders face today is costs. By building more housing, we can expand supply and lower costs. We can make big cities and small towns better places to live, work, and invest and attract and retain the talent we need to grow our economy.

I am also excited to highlight a series of actions we are taking to lower energy costs for Michiganders.

Thanks to our partners in the Biden-Harris administration, we have $367 million headed our way from their Home Energy Rebates and Solar for All programs to lower household energy costs.

With these resources, we’ll help more than 18,000 low-income families install solar on their houses and significantly lower the cost of new, energy-efficient appliances including furnaces, heat pumps, water heaters, or stoves for more than 10,000 working families. Making these upgrades will save more than 28,000 households a heck of a lot of money and improve their quality of life.

These upgrades are a big deal. They will help keep families warm in the winter and cool in the summer, increase home values, and lower costs.

Supercharging Innovation

In my keynote address, I highlighted how we plan to unleash Michigan’s entrepreneurial spirit and support innovators.

I announced a new Michigan Economic Development Corporation (MEDC) team member to foster a culture of innovation. Ben Marchionna will be Michigan’s first-ever Chief Innovation Ecosystem Officer. He will help build a community of innovation and make Michigan a place where innovators and entrepreneurs feel seen and heard.

I announced the PitchMI, a statewide, shark-tank-style competition to address the biggest challenges facing Michigan. This year's PitchMI will invest $100,000 in an innovative idea that transforms the way we get from point A to point B safely, affordably, and efficiently.

Finally, I signed an executive directive to open up “Infrastructure for Innovation”here in Michigan. We will catalog equipment, facilities, and other resources throughout the state and work with owners like our military institutions to make them available to help accelerate emergent technologies and early-stage innovation in Michigan.

Michigan will be the first state in the nation to get this done and the only one taking a proactive, strategic approach to opening physical infrastructure to innovators.

Reducing Barriers to Infrastructure for Innovation

I brought together Wayne, Oakland, and Macomb County leaders together to announce an expansion of Automation Alley’s Project DIAMOnD.

Governor Whitmer and Lieutenant Governor Gilchrist annoucing expansion of Project DIAMOnD alongside Oakland County Executive Dave Coulter, Wayne County Executive Warren Evans, Macomb County Executive Mark Hackel, and Executive Director and CEO of Automation Alley Tom Kelly

Project DIAMOnD is a network of 3D printers that small manufacturers can use to lower costs and scale up production. It has been a remarkable success, helping hundreds of businesses use 3D printers to manufacture materials here in America instead of relying on products shipped from overseas.

Now, with funding commitments from Wayne, Oakland, and Macomb, and federal resources from the Biden-Harris Administration, we can expand Project DIAMOnD to all three counties. Project DIAMOnD is an example of the things we can achieve when we work together.

It’s an exciting time in Michigan.

Our economy is growing, unemployment is low, and small business growth is high. There are projects underway everywhere to build new housing, revitalize communities, and help more people ‘make it’ in Michigan.

Last week at the Mackinac Policy Conference, we looked to the future at the work we still have to do to build a stronger Michigan. Together, we can lead the future of innovation in mobility, electrification, clean energy, defense, and countless other industries.

Let’s continue this momentum of growth, lower costs for Michiganders, and build a brighter future for our state.

Sincerely,

Gretchen Whitmer

Governor

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