MichiganThrottle

Finance & Economy

Money, manufacturing muscle, and the deals moving Michigan.

A New Battery Plant Promised 2,000 Jobs. Mid-Michigan Is Counting.Finance & Economy

A New Battery Plant Promised 2,000 Jobs. Mid-Michigan Is Counting.

The largest single employment commitment in the region in years is finally hiring. Whether it delivers on the headline number is another question.

Why Big Employers Are Moving Their Headquarters Back DowntownFinance & Economy

Why Big Employers Are Moving Their Headquarters Back Downtown

After years of suburban office parks, a string of Michigan companies are relocating to downtown Detroit — and reshaping the workday for thousands.

Detroit's Riverfront Bets A Billion On Its Next BoomFinance & Economy

Detroit's Riverfront Bets A Billion On Its Next Boom

A wave of mixed-use towers along the Detroit River is the biggest downtown wager in a generation. Developers say the math finally works.

Metro Detroit's Main Streets Are Full Again — On A Knife's EdgeFinance & Economy

Metro Detroit's Main Streets Are Full Again — On A Knife's Edge

Storefront vacancies have fallen sharply across the suburbs, but the small businesses filling them are navigating costs that leave little room for error.

The Great Lakes Freighters Carrying Michigan's EconomyFinance & Economy

The Great Lakes Freighters Carrying Michigan's Economy

An unglamorous fleet of lake freighters moves the iron, grain, and stone that Michigan industry runs on. This season's tonnage is telling a strong story.

How Ann Arbor Quietly Became Michigan's Software Money MagnetFinance & Economy

How Ann Arbor Quietly Became Michigan's Software Money Magnet

University spinouts and a patient investor class have turned a college town into the state's densest concentration of tech capital.

Inside The Michigan Factories Betting On Robots — And Hiring AnywayFinance & Economy

Inside The Michigan Factories Betting On Robots — And Hiring Anyway

Automation was supposed to gut the plant floor. Across Michigan's supplier belt, it's doing something stranger: creating a new class of high-wage jobs.

Detroit's Housing Market Is Cooling — And That Might Be Good NewsFinance & Economy

Detroit's Housing Market Is Cooling — And That Might Be Good News

After years of double-digit price jumps, Metro Detroit home values are leveling off. For buyers priced out of the frenzy, the pause is overdue.

Grand Rapids Startups Just Had Their Biggest Fundraising Year EverFinance & Economy

Grand Rapids Startups Just Had Their Biggest Fundraising Year Ever

West Michigan's tech scene pulled in record venture capital, and for once the money is staying local instead of following founders to the coasts.