By Mark Bashore, WKAR News
LANSING, MI –
Plans to expand bio-manufacturing in mid-Michigan are gathering momentum thanks to a new, two-year state grant. The economic development organization Prima Civitas is using the quarter-million dollars in part to create a "regional skills alliance" that will look at how to train workers in the growing field.
David Hollister is the CEO of Prima Civitas. He says car manufacturers, especially in Europe, are driving the trend.
"They're marketing their cars as 100% recyclable," he says. "You might have heard it: 'None of this car will be landfilled.'"
That means parts made from petroleum-based products might use agricultural waste and other biomass products instead. Prima Civitas is working with Capital Area Michigan Works, Lansing Community College and Michigan State University on the project. The group expects to hire an executive director soon.