Peters Visits Kalamazoo on Economic Listening Tour
Peters Highlights Importance of Skilled Workforce at WMU Homer Stryker M.D. School of Medicine
KALAMAZOO, MI –U.S. Senator Gary Peters today launched his Michigan Economic Listening Tour with a visit to the Western Michigan University Homer Stryker M.D. School of Medicine to discuss the importance of building an educated workforce to fill jobs in emerging industries like life sciences and biomedical research. As a new member of the Senate Commerce, Science and Transportation Committee, Senator Peters is traveling the state meeting with Michigan businesses, educators and workers to hear from different sectors of the state’s economy about how he can best represent them in Washington.
“I was proud to kick off my Economic Listening Tour at the Western Michigan University Homer Stryker M.D. School of Medicine and see firsthand many of the cutting-edge medical technologies and innovations they are using to train the next generation of doctors,” said Senator Peters. “By bringing the latest in innovative technology to train our workforce, Western Michigan University is leading the way in Michigan’s booming life sciences industry to make sure that we can compete on a national and global level. I look forward to taking what I’ve seen today back to Washington to show how important it is to promote innovation and invest in our workforce so that we can continue to strengthen our economy and our middle class.”
Senator Peters toured the new state-of-the-art facilities, including the Simulation and BioSkills Center, which provides realistic training for emergency medicine and clinical care through simulations.
The Western Michigan University Homer Stryker M.D. School of Medicine is a collaboration between Western Michigan University and Kalamazoo's two teaching hospitals, Borgess Health and Bronson Healthcare. The school opened and welcomed its inaugural class of medical students in September 2014.
Peters was joined on the tour by representatives from Southwest Michigan First, an economic development organization that works to promote economic success in the Southwest Michigan Region. Southwest Michigan First works with WMU Homer Stryker M.D. School of Medicine to support the growing life sciences industry in West Michigan, and both organizations are collaborating on the Michigan Medical Device Accelerator Innovation and Design Center, which will allow ideas to be accelerated from concept through final design in the medical device field.
“The Southwest Michigan community welcomes Senator Peters to Kalamazoo and thanks him for his continued interest in strengthening Michigan’s economy. I am pleased to join him on his tour of one of our region’s great assets—the Western Michigan University Homer Stryker M.D. School of Medicine,” said Ron Kitchens, president and chief executive officer of Southwest Michigan First. “Not only is the medical school the next stage in our region’s progressive legacy of entrepreneurship and innovation in the health sciences, but it also a significant addition to our regional educational and urban advantages. I’m glad Senator Peters was able to meet with leaders in our area to see how we continue to create opportunities for jobs creation and drive innovation right here in Southwest Michigan."
While in Kalamazoo, Senator Peters also met with local labor and business leaders to discuss job creation, economic growth and supporting Michigan’s growing advanced manufacturing industry.
Senator Peters believes that we must invest in educating and training our workforce for the future. He has supported the America COMPETES Act, which strengthens our economic competitiveness through investment in innovation, science and education. His stop in Kalamazoo was the first day of his Michigan Economic Listening Tour focused on workforce training, education for high-skilled jobs and creating a climate for businesses of all sizes to thrive and succeed.
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