Snyder visits NMU for technology round-table

Governor Rick Snyder is visiting the Upper Peninsula for the U.P. State Fair and for quite a few other events.

He attended a round-table discussion at Northern Michigan University about technology. The governor said that while the U.P. does an excellent job of using its resources in industries like mining, logging and tourism, it also has other resources that can be put to use.

“There’s a tremendous opportunity here, I think, in technology businesses, and information technology in particular, that can be leveraged,” Snyder said. “Sitting around the table we had there were a lot of great companies, both start-ups here and companies that had come from downstate Michigan to take advantage of the wonderful people here.”

He says NMU, Michigan Tech and Lake Superior State are giving young people the tools to work in Michigan in technology–related fields, and to even live and work in the U.P. if they choose.

“You have wonderful educational institutions,” Gov. Snyder said. “What I would say is, it’s more about being proactive on this front, by getting the whole U.P. to work well together, to understand it’s an advantage when you have tremendous resources in terms of talent and a great quality of life.”

The presidents of all three U.P. universities attended the discussion, along with officials from several U.P. high–tech businesses and a wide range of NMU officials.