Google Plans to Open Facility in Michigan

Michigan Gov. Jennifer Granholm talks at a news conference, Tuesday, July 11, 2006, in Lansing, Mich., about Google's plans to open a facility in Ann Arbor, Mich. At right is David Fischer, Google's director of online sales and operations. The Ann Arbor facility is expected to employ 1,000 people within five years to handle advertising that appears on the Internet giant's search engine. (AP Photo/Al Goldis) (Al Goldis - AP)

DETROIT -- Google Inc. plans to open a new facility in the Ann Arbor, Mich., area that will employ 1,000 people within five years to handle advertising generated by the search engine, Gov. Jennifer Granholm and company officials said Tuesday.

The plan, which could be a significant boost to Michigan's lagging economy, was unveiled at a news conference in Lansing, Mich.

"Michigan has been Googled," Granholm said. "These are jobs that will keep our young people in Michigan."

Google's project involves opening an office for its AdWords unit, which handles "pay-per-click" advertising to users of Google's Internet search engine, officials said.

The location made sense for Mountain View, Calif.-based Google because of the talent pool in the area, said David Fischer, director of online sales and operations. He defended the decision to build in the heart of the Rust Belt.

"We don't get caught up in the conventional wisdom, and try to look at things with fresh eyes," he said at the news conference.

Job opportunities with Google's Ann Arbor-area facility were expected to open quickly, officials said. They said the project is expected to generate 1,000 direct jobs within five years, as well as 1,200 indirect jobs.

The state offered Google $38 million in tax breaks over 20 years, should its employment reach 2,000. The Michigan Economic Growth Authority met Tuesday morning and approved the incentives.

Democrat Granholm is being challenged for re-election by Republican Dick DeVos. She has been criticized for not attracting high-tech jobs to the state.

Michigan's seasonally adjusted unemployment rate was 6.0 percent in May, compared with a national rate of 4.6 percent that month. Economists have said they expect the state jobless rate to climb until 2008.

Ann Arbor is a city of 113,271 people about 35 miles west of Detroit. It is home of the University of Michigan and of a number of high-tech businesses.

Google co-founder Larry Page is a native of East Lansing and graduated from the University of Michigan. Google already has a small sales office in Southfield.

Shares of Google rose $6.36, or 1.5 percent, to close at $424.56 Tuesday on the Nasdaq.

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Associated Press Writer David Eggert in Lansing contributed to this report.

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On the Net:

Google Inc.: http://www.google.com