The entrepreneurial spirit has never been void here in Michigan. From names like Dow and Kellogg and Ford, Michigan has had its fair share of majorly successful entrepreneurs. And it's that spirit that the state is looking to attract/spark/spur/develop -- whatever word works best -- to brighten up this economic dark spot.
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At universities and community colleges, in downtown office spaces and 15 "SmartZone" technology centers designed to spark collaborations between universities and industry, Michigan is working to encourage the creation of new industries to provide the middle-class jobs that made the state a mecca for generations of workers.
There's lots of room for improvement. The state ranked just 27th nationally in the 2008 Kauffman Index of Entrepreneurial Activity, lagging behind most western states and national leader Georgia in the survey's measure of adults creating businesses each month.
To boost its standing, the state has awarded millions of dollars to high-tech firms through its 21st Century Jobs Fund, and companies are sponsoring contests that reward new "green" technology ideas. Business incubators are sprouting up from the urban streets of Detroit to the snowy streets of Michigan's Upper Peninsula.
"You had Henry Ford, you had (Charles Stewart) Mott, you had Herbert Dow, you had W.K. Kellogg - all entrepreneurs with new ideas that created a new economy for Michigan that lasted us pretty much the last century," said William Rustem of Public Sector Consultants, a Lansing think tank. "Now, we've got the same situation. We need that entrepreneurial spirit."
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