It is great to be back in northern Michigan and Traverse City.  Our first stop was the newly renovated State Theatre in downtown Traverse City.  It is an absolutely gorgeous building, and Michel Moore and all those who so generously donated time and money to the renovation can be proud of their accomplishment.

Next I had the pleasure of visiting the M-TEC Aero Park facility which houses the Michigan Manufacturing Technology Center, the Michigan Technical Education Center, and Northwestern Michigan College's Michigan Energy Demonstration Center.

The energy center is one of eight demonstration centers in Michigan, and in 2006, Northwestern Michigan College (NMC) and Traverse City Power & Light dedicated a new, 8 kilowatt power system which serves both as a training lab and power generator for the electric grid and the NMC campus.  They are teaching the next generation of alternative energy leaders and producing clean energy at the same time!

It was evident the second I stepped out of the car that M-TEC is serious about alternative energy.  With the wind whipping off the bay, it was impressive to see they had a wind turbine on site to capture all that great energy.

The enthusiasm and commitment of so many local companies was truly encouraging.  I met with fantastic companies like GeoFurnace and Rock Management, and even some investors from New York City flew in to meet with alternative energy officials.  These are investors who want to come to Michigan and create good paying jobs for our citizens but say we need a Renewable Portfolio Standard before they will commit to doing business with us.  I have asked the Legislature to make this a priority this year so we can show the country and rest of the world that Michigan stands ready to be the leader in alternative energy manufacturing and production.  According to the American Solar Energy Society, by 2030, one in four jobs will be in the renewable energy or energy-efficiency industries.  The companies I met with today can attest to this and are ready to grow and bring their jobs to Michigan.

It was great to see companies taking advantage of Michigan's alternative energy resources, and I can't wait to see what Eaton Rapids has in store for us when we visit after the Thanksgiving break.  Stay tuned…