Google Expansion Showcases Universities As Growth Engines
Posted on: Wednesday, 12 July 2006, 06:00 CDT
By Jim Hopkins
Google's plan to hire 1,000 workers over five years at a new complex near University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, spotlights the bigger role universities hold in economic development.
The center, announced Tuesday, also underscores the reliance of university towns on the success of entrepreneurial alumni: Google co-founder Larry Page got a degree in computer engineering at the Ann Arbor campus.
All states are trying to focus economies more on technology and other 21st-century industries. But states that are heavily dependent on old-line automotive and other manufacturing companies, including Michigan, are among those pushing hardest.
The Google expansion is an "exceptional example" of a university town fueling job growth, says Joe Cortright, vice president and economist at Impresa in Portland, Ore., a consultant on regional economies. Most expansions involve far fewer jobs, he said.
The online search giant plans to start hiring immediately for the center, which will house sales and operations for its AdWords advertising service. David Fischer, director of online sales, said pay will average about $50,000.
Gov. Jennifer Granholm said the center also could generate more than 1,200 spinoff jobs -- work she hopes will slow the number of young people leaving for other states' faster-growing economies.
The state also lured Google with a $38 million tax credit over 20 years.
Michigan's agency for economic development said Google had been quietly scouting the state for at least a year. But the deal came together in the past month when the agency was formally contacted by an industrial recruiter, said Michael Shore, a spokesman.
Google's expansion comes eight months after the state launched its 21st Century Jobs Fund. Over 10 years, the $2 billion program aims to turn research at universities into start-ups creating jobs in industries including alternative energy, life sciences, advanced manufacturing, homeland security and defense.
Contributing: The Detroit Free Press
Source: USA TODAY
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