Dear Friend,

Yesterday, Michigan company Hemlock Semiconductor (HSC) secured a $325 million investment from the Biden-Harris administration to create 180 good-paying jobs and build a new facility at their existing complex to make more hyper-pure polysilicon, a material that’s found in nearly every electronic device in the world.

HSC is one of many Michigan-based companies helping us lead the future of advanced manufacturing. This new investment is a testament to our place at the forefront of the semiconductor industry.

Thanks to the Biden-Harris administration’s bipartisan CHIPS and Science Act and the U.S. Department of Commerce, we are building on HSC’s global leadership and securing the domestic semiconductor chip supply chain. We need these chips for everything from computers and phones to the future of AI.

I’m also proud to work alongside state legislators in the Saginaw region, like state Senator Kristen McDonald Rivet, who is focused on winning projects to create jobs and, bring supply chains home.

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Our bipartisan ‘Make it in Michigan’ strategy is working.

Our economy is growing, unemployment is low, and small business growth is high. Michigan is #1 for fastest foreign direct investment job growth, a top 10 state for business, and home to the #1 emerging startup ecosystem. There are projects underway everywhere to build new housing, revitalize communities, and help more people ‘make it’ in Michigan.

I will keep using every tool in our toolbox to grow our economy and help more families and business owners ‘make it’ in Michigan.

That’s why, this fall, I’m focused on working with my partners in the Michigan legislature to expand our economic development toolkit. For more information, see below.

Together, we will ensure that Michigan will keep bringing supply chains home to lead the future of advanced manufacturing, creating good-paying jobs, and investing in our workforce so that anyone can 'Make it in Michigan’.

Sincerely,

Gretchen Whitmer

Governor

Make in Michigan Toolbox

Continuing to grow our economy and deliver for families across our state will require an updated economic development toolkit, including support for housing, community development, and transit.

I’m proud of the work we have done to expand our economic development toolkit:

• We streamlined Renaissance Zones, cutting red tape and incentivizing job growth.
• We invested record funding in community development and revitalization and placemaking to build vibrant, prosperous communities and main streets.
• We powered economic development and affordable housing through the Transformational Brownfield Fund. 

This fall, I’ll be working with legislators across the aisle to build on this momentum and add more tools we can use to win projects, invest in places, and uplift people so everyone can “make it” in Michigan.

When we unite, we deliver. I encourage you to contact your state legislators to speak up for our shared agenda and support expansion of the Make it in Michigan Toolbox.

• Michigan House of Representatives– You can find your State Representative by calling the House Clerk’s office at 517-373-0135 or by visiting house.mi.gov.
• Michigan State Senate – You can find your State Senator by calling Secretary of the Senate’s office at 517-373-2400 or by visiting senate.michigan.gov.

Together, we can help more families and business owners ‘make it’ in Michigan and set up the next generation for success.

Let’s get it done.

New Hemlock Semiconductor Production Facility — Leading the Future by Leveraging Federal Investments

Hemlock Semiconductor, in the Saginaw area, is one of the largest producers of hyper-pure polysilicon, a critical material for electronics and solar panels, and is the only one headquartered in America. In a growing global economy, HSC has established Michigan as a leader at the forefront of innovation and technology, with nearly every electronic device in the world containing HSC polysilicon.

While America invented the semiconductor, we now make up only 12% of the world’s supply of chips. The proposed production facility will increase HSC’s manufacturing capacity to support the semiconductor supply chain right here in Michigan, reducing our reliance on overseas manufacturing and the likelihood of a chip shortage which could increase the cost of electronics, cars, and appliances, while resulting in delays for families and small businesses.

The Biden-Harris administration’s CHIPS and Science Act of 2022 has worked to revitalize domestic manufacturing, create good-paying American jobs, strengthen American supply chains, and accelerate the industries of the future. In just over two years, the CHIPS Act has directly led to more than $30 billion of advanced manufacturing projects in the United States, spanning 15 states. In Michigan alone, with the new investment in HSC, our state has received nearly $1.5 billion of investments in semiconductor and electronics manufacturing. These policies have also spurred a historic recovery in manufacturing, adding 642,000 manufacturing jobs across the U.S. since 2021.

The State of Michigan remains committed to leading the future of semiconductor manufacturing by helping companies like Hemlock Semiconductor secure federal investments and state funding. Announced in February 2024, the Make It in Michigan Competitiveness Fund was developed to help companies leverage unprecedented federal opportunities made available through the Biden-Harris administration's CHIPS Act, Inflation Reduction Act, and Bipartisan Infrastructure Law. In addition to up to $325 million from the Biden-Harris administration’s CHIPS Act, the state of Michigan is supporting the proposed project with $40 million from the Make It in Michigan Competitiveness Fund to Hemlock Semiconductor and additional partnership from the Michigan Economic Development Corporation (MEDC).

Including the new investments announced in HSC, the Competitiveness Fund has invested $185.9 million, leveraging $961 million in federal funds, a return on investment of more than 5:1.