Great News for Kalamazoo (Ann Arbor: rent, jobs, high school)

[leadsquirter]

500 manufacturing jobs coming to Kalamazoo. Plus another major announcment tomorrow of more (100+) downtown AT&T jobs.
Companies to add 500 jobs- mlive.com

[GRRAZO]

great news...kzoo is starting to really hurt after a lot of phizer jobs left last year

[leadsquirter]

More good news today for West Michigan! Besides the 110 new jobs coming to downtown Kalamazoo, more jobs are coming to Cass County.
Hundreds more new jobs on the way - Kalamazoo Gazette - MLive.com

[adrock112]

kazoo has been hurting for years. What else is new? Glad I moved out west

[suydam]

Originally Posted by adrock112

kazoo has been hurting for years. What else is new? Glad I moved out west

Good news is good news. Accept it and move on.

Have a great day!

[Sociologist]

Originally Posted by suydam

Good news is good news. Accept it and move on.

Have a great day!

I think we need to analyze when a paper writes "hundreds of jobs coming" to any city in this state. Take Google for example, when they entered into A2 many of the employees transfered from California. Companies are considering towns that are not doing so well such as Kzoo for the fact they may be offering those employers great incentives to relocate or occupy a already standing structure. Companies seldom state there are "vacancies", and nor do they tell the media likewise. Furthermore the cost of training and re-hiring is something that employers try to avoid in this market. Whatever jobs it does bring to Michigan is positive, but the media is almost always deceptive when it announces job gains, especially in a state that needs a boost in public image.

[suydam]

Have you been to Google's offices in Ann Arbor?
Last I was there, the majority of their hires were new to Google since they moved...not transfers from California.

Even if they were transfer from CA, that's a big net gain for Ann Arbor. All those people need groceries, gasoline, haircuts, lawyers, etc. Bringing employment to a region is positive news....regardless of how you analyze it.

Is Google (or anyone else) going to hire a bunch of high-school-diploma carrying laid-off UAW workers? Of course not... but I don't think anyone's suggesting those jobs are coming back. The idea is to bring companies like Google here to hire our college grads so they can stay in Michigan after they graduate.

Sorry, but I still think you're looking for the cloud when the silver lining is staring you in the face.

[Sociologist]

Originally Posted by suydam

Have you been to Google's offices in Ann Arbor?
Last I was there, the majority of their hires were new to Google since they moved...not transfers from California.

Even if they were transfer from CA, that's a big net gain for Ann Arbor. All those people need groceries, gasoline, haircuts, lawyers, etc. Bringing employment to a region is positive news....regardless of how you analyze it.

Is Google (or anyone else) going to hire a bunch of high-school-diploma carrying laid-off UAW workers? Of course not... but I don't think anyone's suggesting those jobs are coming back. The idea is to bring companies like Google here to hire our college grads so they can stay in Michigan after they graduate.

Sorry, but I still think you're looking for the cloud when the silver lining is staring you in the face.

First off... I made no indication that the educational attainment of Google employees was that of a High School Diploma(Think M.A. and PhD.) Secondly, yes I do live in the A2 area and I do know people that are employed with Google, and surprisingly (or not) they are from big metro cities (Boston, San Fran) and other major academic centers. It is astonishing that you went to Google and found out the current (and past) addresses of employees to see wheter they were from Michigan or California. Is that possible? I didn't know such personal info was avaliable at the information desk... Clouds? Well I dont "look" for them, I do however look at information a little more carefully...thats it! Ofcourse jobs are good, we desperatley need them. Am I being negative? Nooo...but honestly, clip out that story of At&t the other proposed jobs, and wait untill the "we hope to add xxx amount of jobs over xxx years" passes and see if the jobs really happen. It would be fantastic if the positions really materialized, it is crucial, especially in a area such as Kzoo that isn't that diversified economically.
Cheers all!