LANSING, Mich. – Today the Michigan Economic Development Corporation (MEDC) unveiled the results of its annual in-state survey of 601 business leaders from all 10 of Michigan’s prosperity regions.  

81 percent of respondents reported hearing of the MEDC, and of those 81 percent had a positive impression, while only 1 percent had a negative impression, marking a 12-point improvement in positive sentiments about MEDC compared to 2025. Across sector, region and employee count, impressions of the MEDC were generally similar to or higher than in the previous year.  

“The people who work with my teammates confirm that I have some of the hardest working and most dedicated economic development colleagues in North America who remain laser-focused on delivering results for Michigan’s residents, businesses, entrepreneurs and communities across both of our peninsulas,” said Quentin L. Messer, Jr., CEO of the MEDC and Michigan Strategic Fund (MSF) Board Chair. “There is always room for improvement and daily the MEDC Team is committed to making that improvement. We are heartened that our businesses and communities who engage with us directly and deploy capital that employ people and revitalize communities affirm our value and the centrality of the MEDC to creating more avenues for economic opportunity for Michiganders.” 

43 percent of respondents reported having experience working with the MEDC, and 89 percent of those were somewhat or very satisfied.  

This in-state survey of Michigan’s business decisionmakers follows the prior release of the MEDC’s annual customer survey, focused exclusively on businesses, communities and stakeholders with direct experience working with the organization. That survey, conducted annually, showed a supermajority of respondents were very or somewhat satisfied with the MEDC’s service. The 2026 annual customer survey will be finalized and released publicly in the coming weeks.  

Other notable highlights in 2026 include: 

• Report from Upjohn Institute finding total benefits of battery facilities in Michigan exceed incentive costs by about 55% ($880 million) across five major projects 

• Michigan’s No. 6 ranking from CNBC’s America’s Top States for Business, earning a Top 10 ranking for a fifth time 

• Recognition as a Top 5 state nationally for workforce development by Site Selection 

• IEDC honoring the MEDC with a Silver Award in the Innovative Economic Development category for PitchMI, a founder-focused pitch competition organized by the MEDC and the Michigan State University Research Foundation 

• The MEDC and the MSF receiving clean audits of financial statements and related disclosures by the Office of the Auditor General, providing independent third-party validation of our stewardship of Michigan’s taxpayer dollars. 

Panelists were targeted from a universe of business decisionmakers located in Michigan with senior positions in critical industries.