Related Content
-
Gov. Snyder hasn't decided how much pay he'll keep
Gov. Rick Snyder turned back all but $1 of his pay last year, but he's not sure what he'll do this year.
- Arbor Brewing Co. is finalist to open new brewery in Fenton
- Eastern Michigan University selects new dean of College of Business
Gov.-elect Rick Snyder honed his pitch for remaking
Snyder, a Republican who takes office Jan. 1, said the state has become divisive in the wake of its decade-long recession and negative national image. That’s reflected by partisan political bickering, racial divisions and an east-west divide within
“We’ve been beaten up for so many years, we’ve become too negative,” he said during brief remarks at the Accelerate Michigan Innovation Competition at the
“It’s time for a new culture."
Snyder settled comfortably into his persona of successful entrepreneur in addressing an audience comprised mostly of investors and economic development officials. He avoided mention of specific policy proposals that he would push as governor but has recently been promoting the morale-boost theme.
The former Gateway Computers executive and venture capitalist outlined what he considers the five key factors for an economic rebirth in
Snyder said the state has made great strides in many areas, particularly in technology. He said U-M “would have been a second-tier institution for tech transfer” when he returned to
But Snyder said the availability of capital remains “a major constraint” for businesses, and he reiterated his call to recreate the Ann Arbor SPARK business accelerator model on a statewide scale.
Gov.-elect Rick Snyder, left, chat with Ken Nisbet, executive director of U-M’s Tech Transfer, at the Accelerate Michigan competition.
Sven Gustafson | For AnnArbor.com
“We have the most talented people in the world in our state and we’re making good progress but we need to continue that organizational effort,” he said.
Snyder has said that the Michigan Economic Development Corp. should prioritize homegrown businesses over luring out-of-state companies toMike Finney, SPARK’s president and CEO, said he expects the Snyder administration to accelerate economic development efforts made by current Gov. Jennifer Granholm. Snyder formerly served as chairman of the board of SPARK.
“The idea of hunting for companies and trying to find them and bring them here is something that we’ll do,” Finney said. “But we won’t sell the farm to try and go find the companies when we know that there is tremendous intellectual horsepower and infrastructure and other resources here that can in fact grow our own.
“You’ll see a lot of focus on growing companies that are in this state.”
Finney also deflected a question about whether he was discussing the possibility of serving in the Snyder administration, saying that question was best directed to the governor-elect. Snyder has yet to announce his pick to head the MEDC.
The Accelerate Michigan competition, fed by a $750,000 grant from the New Economy Initiative for Southeast Michigan, saw 49 companies and 27 student groups pitch their business plans over three days. The event’s three-member judge panel included Roger Newton, founder and CEO of Esperion Therapeutics and a longtime
The competition was also supported by the Business Accelerator Network for Southeast Michigan, which includes Ann Arbor SPARK, and by the University Research Corridor and the Business Leaders for
Armune BioScience took home top company honors and a check for $500,000. The Ann Arbor company is developing molecular diagnostic and prognostic kits for prostate, lung and breast cancers using technology licensed from U-M.
The top student-group award of $25,000 went to ReGenerate, a U-M-spawned maker of anaerobic digesters for disposing of organic waste.
Contact Sven Gustafson at sventg123@gmail.com, or follow him on Twitter @sveng
Get the Ann Arbor RSS Feed
AnnArbor.com