Huntington’s local executive Sandy Pierce wondered when Intel announced plans to invest $ 20 billion earlier this year to open two chip factories in Columbus, Ohio, where Huntington Bank is headquartered.
“It’s not the weather,” she said. “What are they doing that Michigan isn’t?”
That’s why Pierce began proposing discussions this week at the Mackinac Policy Conference on Mackinac Island on how to make Michigan more competitive. She sat in one of the two panels during the discussion on Thursday.
Pierce said that some of the reasons Columbus attracted Intel were 926 acres of land assembled by private companies, reliable electricity, and access to water and sewer capacity. Pierce also said a university in Ohio has promised to offer graduates to Intel.
Other factors included tax incentives and “cohesion in the state, regardless of party affiliation.” “Private and public partnership.”
Pierce has been joined by Awenate Cobbina, Chief Executive Officer of the Bedrock Manufacturing Company and Chairman of the Executive Committee of the Michigan Economic Development Corporation. Maureen Klaus, President and Chief Executive Officer of the Detroit Regional Partnership, and Doug Song, Chief Strategy Officer of Cisco Secure and co-founder of Duo Security. Paul W. Smith, the talk show host of WJR760AM, moderated the panel.
Covina said MEDC has done a few things right and has new leadership with CEO Quentin Messer Jr., who was appointed in May 2021.
“I think MEDC was able to really find their sweet spot by getting a big project and a small project,” Covina said. “SMEs have been in the spotlight since the beginning of the pandemic, and they will continue to do so. As Sandy said, there are things we can do better as a state, not just MEDC. Private. Whether public, government or non-profit, it starts with a really clear vision … we want a job. We first clarify the vision and develop strategies that include education and economic development. Must be able to “”
According to Covina, strategies that include education include college and workforce development from kindergarten to grade 12.
“Next, look at some of what Sandy said about speed and make sure that all players developing tactics, not just the government, but also the government, are at the table for decades. Please understand that there was a version of this conversation, so you should now choose as a moment to show a solution to these problems. “
Klaus said Detroit is no longer a negative issue in conversations with businesses, but it highlights an incident that began in 2020 about a kidnapping program targeting Michigan Governor Gretchen Whitmer. In April, a jury acquitted the two accused plotters with criminal accusations and was stranded as two masterminds.
“You’re meeting a company that wants to invest millions of dollars in your state. The first question is, do you really want to kill the Governor of Michigan?” Klaus said. “How on earth do you start a deal with it? … We have to learn those lessons, hear what others think of us, look at other examples, and move on from there. Hmm.”
Sandy K. Baruah, president and chief executive officer of the Detroit Regional Council, said the state still has a long way to go. He was in the second panel with Messer, Chairman and Chairman of the Michigan Strategic Fund. Tina Freese Decker, President and Chief Executive Officer of BHSH Systems, and Howard Ungerleider, President and Chief Financial Officer of Dow.
“Where is our common vision of where our economy is heading, what our industry needs, and how we map to it? ?” He said. “How do you map tomorrow’s skills? … How to guarantee and convey it to people, especially for young and talented people, to make the state more attractive. And finally the sense of urgency … no matter what we need to do, we need to do something firmly. We need to do something big and do it quickly. Must be done and must be a bipartisan way. “
Decker said it was important for the state to think about innovation when attracting talent. She said, for example, that the BHSH system is focused on improving the mental well-being of its staff. She also she has invested in the nursing field through a partnership with Grand Valley State University and plans to expand the nurse pipeline by 500 over the next six years.
“Both needed a little give and take, but we came up with a really innovative approach. I think it’s really good to extend the pipeline, not just nursing, so in fact many others I want people to copy it, but I could do it in other areas as well, “she said.
In addition to his role at Dow, Ungerleider chairs the Michigan Business Leader, which announced the “Compete to Win” plan earlier this year.
“And it really says things need to be focused to be in the top 10 states,” he said. “We need to do better with our children. We need to invest in people. We need to help strengthen and support Quentin and MEDC, and really advanced economic development. Yes, you need to understand the basics correctly.
Ungerleider said the state is catching up. When Michigan becomes the top ten, it will increase employment for 350,000 people and the average household will earn an additional $ 11,500, he said.
“Twelve to fifteen years ago, Michigan was in the bottom ten in almost every aspect,” he said. “Today we are in the middle of the pack. So we caught up. And we were the governor, the legislature and the business community, just as the citizens were together to take us to the middle of the flock. We should be very proud of all the work we all did frankly. With its CompetetoWin plan and these four bullet points, we really are in the top ten states. “
cwilliams@detroitnews.com
twitter: @CWilliams_DN
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