Detroiter Magazine - June 2022

SPECIAL ISSUE MACKINAC POLICY CONFERENCE 2022

A PUBLICATION OF THE DETROIT REGIONAL CHAMBER • JUNE 2022

Wright L. Lassiter III PRESIDENT AND CHIEF EXECUTIVE OFFICER, H E N R Y F O R D H E A LT H

in Progress Arn Tellem

VICE CHAIRMAN, PISTONS SPORTS AND ENTERTAINMENT

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THE BUSINESS COMMUNIT Y’S CHANGING CIVIC ROLE IN POLARIZING TIMES JUNE 2022

CONTENTS

8

• V O L U M E 11 4 , I S S U E 2

ON THE COVER

10

OF LIKE MIND AND MISSION Wright L. Lassiter III and Arn Tellem’s Friendship Continues to Create Positive Impact

14

‘LIGHTS OUT’ Ted Koppel’s 2015 cybersecurity warning carries on in EV era

16

IMPROVING ECONOMIC MOBILITY The Ballmer Group and the Push for Systemic Change

20

MISSION CRITICAL Pandemic Highlights Need to Increase Gender Diversity

22

TRAILBLAZERS IN RESIDENCE BasBlue Offers Social Space for Women to Collaborate and Thrive

24

KITCHEN-TABLE PRIORITIES Gov. Gretchen Whitmer Eyeing a Second Term

26

CITIZENSHIP’S ULTIMATE STRESS TEST Pulitzer-prize Winner Jon Meacham on Jan. 6 and the Future of the Republic

30

THE KEY TO U.S. COMPETITIVENESS Michigan Congressionals Opine on How to Accelerate Economic Growth

34

LONG ON AMERICA Harold Ford Jr. Optimistic on Democracy Despite Country’s Polarization

36

DRIVING PERSONAL CONNECTIONS The Impact of Empathy and Social Change on the CEO Role

40

MICHIGAN’S JOURNEY TO CONSISTENT GREATNESS Building a Championship Economy

42

NOT A TIME TO REST Business Looking to Restore Michigan’s Economic Leadership

44

WILL THE CHAOS EVER END? Traditional Party Voices Receding Amid Political Shake Up

46

READY TO CAPITALIZE ON VOTER FRUSTRATION Can GOP Stay Out of Their Own Way?

48

ON THE ROSTER Join Us in Welcoming These New Members to the Chamber

50

IN THE NEWS Good Things Are Happening to Businesses Around Metro Detroit

Publisher Tammy Carnrike, CCE Managing Editor Melissa Read Art Director Bethany Saner Editor James Martinez Photographers Andrew Potter Brian Sevald Courtesy photos Advertising Director Jim Connarn Advertising Representatives Laurie Scotese Research and Analysis Austeja Uptaite Christyn Lucas Back Issues 313.596.0391

Published by Detroit Regional Chamber Services Inc. No part of this magazine may be reproduced without written permission.

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4 FROM THE PRESIDENT

RESTORING BASIC AMERICAN NORMS: IF NOT BUSINESS, THEN WHO? Of the many changes in society that have occurred in the last two years, the role businesses and business leaders now play in addressing public policy and societal issues is among the most interesting – and potentially longest lasting.

In modern times, businesses generally stayed as far away as possible from making public comment on policy or societal issues. Until recently, the risks of taking a position on issues in the public domain were outweighed by the concerns of potentially alienating customers, shareholders, and government officials or landing on the evening news.

As we emerge from two tumultuous years, and head into midterm elections that may again offer another stress test to our suddenly fragile democracy, business leaders staying on the sidelines is no longer an option. Today, the expectations for businesses to be engaged in public issues has changed in many ways and for several reasons.

EMPLOYEES ARE IN THE DRIVER’S SEAT, AND WANT THEIR EMPLOYER TO CARE Employees expect a different relationship with their employers. In past generations, it was commonplace to spend an entire career at a single firm – and do and go where you were asked.

Today, employees are in the driver’s seat and just working for a paycheck is not enough. Employees today want to know the place where they invest the bulk of their time and energy is a place that contributes more to the community than simply providing a good or service – and they want to know that the leaders of their workplace care about matters that matter to them.

BUSINESSES ARE A TRUSTED AND STABILIZING VOICE IN A COMPLEX ENVIRONMENT Perhaps more interesting, is the role businesses find themselves in as a trusted source of information for their employees. Today, we are all faced with almost indecipherable barrage of opinion masquerading as news, social media strife, polarized political messages and disinformation – it is stressful, divisive, and polarizing. Often, it is businesses that provide the balanced and trustworthy voice of reason.

Employees looked to business to make sense of the events of January 6, 2021, and other hard to comprehend events where social media is of little or no use. It’s no surprise that businesses, according to the 2022 Edelman Trust Barometer, are a top trusted institution and the business community is labled as “a stabilizing force.”

Employers need to embrace this reality and understand the positive impact they can play with their employees and the larger community as a voice of reason and trusted information in uncertain and complex times.

RESTORING NORMS AND PRESERVING DEMOCRACY: IF NOT BUSINESS, THEN WHO? Finally, businesses and their leaders feel far more compelled to try to shape the debate in the public square as they witness developments that tear at the fabric of American society and stability. Given the polarization in our politics and media, businesses have come forward to advocate for the basic American norms – civility in discourse, the basic integrity of our elections, protecting civil rights, and others – needed to protect our democratic norms and institutions.

Business didn’t ask for this role. But when businesses look around and see fundamental American norms and institutions at risk, and dangerous levels of disinformation, they are asking themselves, “If not us, then who?”

From social justice to access to the ballot box to climate change, employees expect their employers to be positive contributors to the society around them. Employees who don’t find that commitment in their employers will continue to seek employers that do.

SANDY K. BARUAH

PRESIDENT AND CHIEF EXECUTIVE OFFICER, DETROIT REGIONAL CHAMBER

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THE BUSINESS COMMUNITY’S CHANGING CIVIC ROLE IN TIMES FEATURED SPEAKERS

Steve Ballmer

Co-Founder, Ballmer Group Owner, Los Angeles Clippers

Mike Duggan Mayor, City of Detroit

Harold Ford Jr.

Vice Chair, Corporate and Institutional Banking, PNC Bank

Joi Harris

President and Chief Operating Officer, DTE Gas

Van Jones

CNN Host and Dream Corps Founder

Special Edition

7

To say the country is experiencing extraordinary division and politicization is an understatement.

The pandemic, murder of George Floyd, and Jan. 6 attack on the Capitol, have indelibly changed the country, and with it, the role of the business community and executive leadership.

These crises have exacerbated social equity and justice gaps as the spread of misinformation has further eroded trust in key institutions across government and business. Social media continues to shape and reshape expectations of customers, shareholders, board members, and customers in real time; often pitting them against each other in new ways, and presenting new challenges to business leadership.

Led by Chairman Arn Tellem, vice chairman of Pistons Sports and Entertainment, the 2022 Conference will focus on the business community’s changing civic role in polarizing times, highlighting the areas in which Michigan’s business community can set an example as expectations of leadership continue to evolve, including:

Amid these turbulent times, the Mackinac Policy Conference – the Detroit Regional Chamber’s annual statewide event – again convenes Michigan’s most influential leaders to engage in collaborative dialogue on the state’s economic future as it has since 1981.

• UTILIZING CIVILITY AND FACTS IN PUBLIC DISCOURSE.

Ted Koppel

Legendary Anchor, ABC News’ Nightline; Senior Contributor, CBS Sunday Morning Show; Contributing Columnist, Washington Post, New York Times, Wall Street Journal

Jon Meacham

Presidential Historian, Pulitzer Prize-Winning Author

• ADVANCING DIVERSITY AS A STRENGTH. • BUILDING A CULTURE OF EMPATHY. • ADVOCATING FOR THE FUNDAMENTAL TENETS OF AMERICAN DEMOCRACY.

Angelique Power

President and Chief Executive Officer, The Skillman Foundation

Nancy Tellem

Executive Chair, Eko; Co-Founder and Chief Executive Officer, BasBlue

Gretchen Whitmer Governor, State of Michigan

8

ON THE COVER Henry Ford Health’s Wright L. Lassiter III and Pistons Sports and Entertainment’s Arn Tellem stepped out of the Detroit Regional Chamber’s spring Membership Reception for the Detroiter cover photo shoot. Fittingly, the reception was held at the Henry Ford Detroit Pistons’ Performance Center, a building that represents the transformative partnership between the two men which was pivotal in the Detroit Pistons’ move downtown and broader efforts to revitalize the city. Lassiter is the outgoing chair of the Chamber’s Board of Directors and will be succeeded by Tellem, who is serving as chair of the 2022 Mackinac Policy Conference.

Photographer Andrew Potter took the photo on May 2.

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10

OF LIKE MIND MISSION WRIGHT L. LASSITER AND ARN TELLEM’S FRIENDSHIP CONTINUES TO CREATE POSITIVE IMPACT

By Karen Dybis

He shared his goals and his vision for how he wanted to build Henry Ford Health into a national and worldclass hospital. He had a big vision (and) it was at that breakfast where I knew we could create a partnership and do something significant, not only for our respective organizations, but by making a real impact in Detroit.””

ARN TELLEM VICE CHAIR, PISTONS SPORTS AND ENTERTAINMENT; CHAIR, 2022 MACKINAC POLICY CONFERENCE

Sometimes, a phone call to a friend to check in can become something more – and one conversation, in particular, between Henry Ford Health Chief Executive Officer Wright L. Lassiter III and Detroit Pistons Sports and Entertainment Vice Chairman Arn Tellem is a prime example.

It was April 2020, and as Lassiter tells it, Henry Ford Health needed more ICU surgical gowns only to find the nearest supply was in Cleveland. He mentioned the issue to Tellem on a call, and before he knew it, Lassiter said Tellem had gotten the ball rolling.

Within hours, Pistons employees made the drive to Cleveland, where they picked up the 15,000 gowns and delivered the personal protection equipment to Henry Ford Health.

“When you react like that in a crisis, it’s a sign of your humanity,” Lassiter said of his friendship with Tellem. “It shows compassion and a willingness to help out another person to meet a common goal.”

WRIGHT L. LASSITER III (LEFT) AND ARN TELLEM (RIGHT)

Special Edition

11

AN EARLY TRUST EXERCISE Lassiter and Tellem met in 2015 when Lassiter moderated a panel on sports and race relations as part of the Crain’s Detroit Homecoming event. The two understood the weight Tellem felt as a panelist to discuss whether the Detroit Pistons might move downtown, a development that would eventually occur in many ways due to a strong partnership that would develop between the two organizations. As the moderator, Lassiter addressed it but never pressured Tellem to say more than he could at the time.

When you react like that in a crisis, it’s a sign of your humanity,” Lassiter said of his friendship with Tellem. “It shows compassion and a willingness to help out another person to meet a common goal.”

WRIGHT L. LASSITER III PRESIDENT AND CHIEF EXECUTIVE OFFICER, HENRY FORD HEALTH

Months later, when the two met for breakfast at Birmingham’s Townsend Hotel, Tellem recalls how that initial trust started to grow. They not only had sports in common – Lassiter played men’s basketball for the Le Moyne Dolphins and is in the team’s hall of fame, and Tellem was a longtime sports agent for prominent professional athletes – but they also loved wine, dining out, and travel. Both had also arrived as transplants in the region within about a year of each other, well-respected executives bringing their talents to Detroit and looking to make a difference.

“Of all the meetings that I took, and I had a lot of meetings, Wright immediately got it,” Tellem recalled. “He shared his goals and his vision for how he wanted to build Henry Ford Health into a national and world-class hospital. He had a big vision (and) it was at that breakfast where I knew we could create a partnership and do something significant, not only for our respective organizations, but by making a real impact in Detroit.”

MERGER OF MINDS AND MISSIONS That breakfast and many other meetings resulted in the 2017 announcement that the Detroit Pistons and Henry Ford Health would partner to build the state-of-the-art training, rehabilitation and sports-medicine complex in Detroit’s Midtown. The Pistons, who had by then announced its move into Little Caesars Arena, called the partnership “a groundbreaking alliance.”

Tellem and Lassiter agree: Being a part of Detroit’s revitalization both in terms of sports and medicine as well as community investment was a merger of minds and missions. That bond strengthened during the pandemic as both executives struggled with how to keep their individual teams strong while also supporting Detroit’s vaccine rollout and more.

Continued on page 12.

12 While Henry Ford Health’s doctors and nurses were stretched to their limits, Lassiter said he was humbled as a leader to work alongside them as best he could, listening and supporting them. Henry Ford Health officials advised Mayor Mike Duggan as well as state officials, and the health system led local Moderna and J&J vaccine trials. Henry Ford Health also became the official medical advisor for Michigan’s mass vaccination site and the first health system in the state to require workforce vaccination.

“I have the privilege of leading an organization that has a long legacy and a deep commitment to the community in trying to do what’s right on behalf of all of the citizens that we serve,” Lassiter said.

“I’ve never seen a more dedicated, committed and preserving set of human beings than I got to work with and support over the past couple of years during the global pandemic.”

THE PANDEMIC’S LESSONS OF STRENGTH The pandemic was a time like no other, Lassiter added, but it also taught Detroit just how strong it is –and how strong its residents and businesses are. He and Tellem believe their partnership also has a strength to it that will continue to serve Detroit in the years ahead.

“Our values aligned,” Lassiter said. “When you can create strong friendships that are both businessbased and have some sense of personal respect, that can create stronger business relationships.”

Karen Dybis is a Metro Detroit freelance writer.

Thank You

WRIGHT L. LASSITER III On April 28, Henry Ford Health President and Chief Executive Officer Wright L. Lassiter III announced that he will be leaving his role as the head of the $6.6 billion Detroit-based integrated health system in late July to assume the chief executive officer role at Chicago-based CommonSpirit Health, one of the largest nonprofit health systems in the U.S. Lassiter served as the 2021 Mackinac Policy Conference Chair and is the current chair of the Detroit Regional Chamber’s board of directors whose term is set to expire June 30. His leadership has been instrumental for the Chamber throughout the pandemic, including hosting a safe 2021 Conference in September with reduced capacity, vaccinations requirements, and other COVID-19 mitigation measures. Attended by approximately 1,300, the Conference set the public health standard for hosting large events amid the pandemic following a 28-month break between conferences.

“On behalf of the Detroit Regional Chamber, I congratulate my friend and Chamber Board Chair, Wright L. Lassiter III, on his new post as the leader of CommonSpirit Health,” said Sandy K. Baruah, president and chief executive officer of the Detroit Regional Chamber. “Since his arrival in Detroit, Wright has stewarded Henry Ford Health through opportunities such as mergers and expansion, and challenges such as the pandemic in exceptional fashion.

Additionally, as Henry Ford Health’s chief executive officer, he made the institution an even better community partner, especially around its Midtown headquarters.

The Detroit Regional Chamber and the Detroit region were exceptionally fortunate to have Wright as an impactful leader. I wish him and his wife Cathy all the best in their next chapter.”

As custom, the Mackinac Policy Conference chair, which in 2022 is Pistons Sports and Entertainment Vice Chairman Arn Tellem, becomes next chair of the board for a year.

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‘LIGHTS OUT’ TED KOPPEL’S 2015 CYBERSECURITY WARNING CARRIES ON IN ELECTRIC VEHICLE ERA

By James Martinez

With his journalist’s ear, legendary anchor Ted Koppel took note of the warnings from top government officials, including President Obama in his 2015 State of the Union Address calling on Congress to take action regarding cybersecurity threats:

American families, especially our kids. …

If we don’t act, we’ll leave our nation and our economy vulnerable. If we do, we can continue to protect the technologies that have unleashed untold opportunities for people around the globe.”

“No foreign nation, no hacker, should be able to shut down our networks, steal our trade secrets, or invade the privacy of

Such comments by some of the most powerful people in the world led to Koppel’s exploration of the nation’s preparedness

Sources: 1. Obamawhitehouse.archives.gov 2. whitehouse.gov/briefing-room/presidential-actions

and the New York Times best-selling “Lights Out.” Published in 2015, the book examined the threat of a cyber security attack on the nation’s power grid and the potential impact of a prolonged and potentially crippling power outage on a modern, connected society he perceived as ill-equipped to handle it.

Fast-forward to 2022, one of those officials

No

foreign nation, no hacker, should be able to shut down our networks, steal our trade secrets, or invade the privacy of American families, especially our kids. ”

who believed such a cyberattack was improbable, Lloyd Austin III is Secretary of Defense. Recent high-profile cyberattacks such as SolarWinds, Microsoft Exchange, and the Colonial Pipeline – albeit none that rose to the levels of the most dire warnings – have spurred executive orders from President Biden intended to revamp the nation’s cybersecurity.

Meanwhile, the nation’s reliance on internet connectivity, and by extension the power grid, is only increasing as widespread electric vehicle usage is expected to integrate the grid even further into American’s daily lives.

Amid it all, there is an increased understanding that improving cybersecurity is not solely a public sector effort, as referenced in President Biden’s executive order on May 15, 2021: “Protecting our nation from malicious cyber actors requires the federal government to partner with the private sector. The private sector must adapt to the continuously changing threat environment, ensure its products are built and operate securely, and partner with the Federal Government to foster a more secure cyberspace.”

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16

IMPROVING ECONOMIC MOBILITY THE BALLMER GROUP AND THE PUSH FOR SYSTEMIC CHANGE

By Trevor W. Coleman Concentrated poverty in Detroit and its surrounding counties is at 32%, the highest rate among the top 25 metro areas in the U.S. by population. Creating a path to prosperity for many previously excluded residents is going to require large-scale systemic change driven by collective action.

Enter a relatively young player in the Detroit philanthropic scene partnering with other kindred spirits in moving the needle on poverty and other disparities in the region.

The Ballmer Group, founded by Detroit native Steve Ballmer and his wife Connie in 2015, opened their southeast Michigan regional office in 2018. Since that time, it has provided critically needed funding to local nonprofits dedicated to eliminating poverty and educational disparities and advancing the goals of social justice and racial equity.

The Ballmers’ have donated more than $2.1 billion to causes throughout their

lifetime and they have invested more than $100 million in grants so far to organizations working in Michigan.

SUPPORTING SUCCESS FROM CRADLE TO CAREER Steve Ballmer grew up in Detroit and Farmington Hills and made his fortune as an early partner in Microsoft, eventually rising to the rank of president and chief executive officer. Now retired, he is also the owner of the Los Angeles Clippers.

Special Edition

17

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18 He told Detroiter Magazine the goal for the Ballmer Group – both nationally and in southeast Michigan, Washington State, and Los Angeles - is to support organizations and leaders who are making progress in improving economic mobility for kids and families.

“We think philanthropy can make a difference – in leveraging government resources, in championing communitybased partnerships that bring leaders from different sectors together and holding each other accountable,” Ballmer said. “And in ensuring a stronger social services sector; and supporting technology and data solutions that give service providers a soup-to-nuts view of what’s working, and what’s not – all so that kids can have a better chance to succeed from cradle to career.”

Kylee Mitchell Wells, the executive director of the Ballmer Group’s philanthropic efforts in southeast Michigan (Wayne-OaklandMacomb counties) and a Detroit native too, said their mission is both professional and personal for her.

The Ballmer

Group operates by the notion of collective impact, which is the methodology of working across sectors to achieve either education outcomes or workforce outcomes. We can give money; that’s the easy party, but it’s (all about) the alignment of all the

resources that are there.”

KYLEE MITCHELL WELLS EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR, SE MICHIGAN, BALLMER GROUP

“The Ballmer Group focuses on the concept that everybody should have an opportunity to achieve what they want to achieve economically,” she said. “And that is certainly not the case today.”

COLLABORATING WITH REGIONAL LEADERS ACROSS ALL RANKS To ensure the Ballmer Group’s focus was aligned with the region’s needs and complemented the efforts of existing nonprofits and stakeholders, Wells said it was vital to collaborate with regional leaders of all ranks.

“We did focus groups with different nonprofits and government leaders to understand the missing pieces here from a philanthropic standpoint because Detroit is robust with philanthropy,” she said. “So rather than simply relying on data and reports, we went on a listening tour around the region to get a better understanding from the ground up of the needs of the region and where they could hopefully fill in the gaps.”

Such cooperation resulted in the millions in grants to nonprofits throughout southeast Michigan that focus on education, job training, neighborhood, youth and community development, family services, and racial equity.

“The Ballmer Group operates by the notion of collective impact, which is the methodology of working across sectors to achieve either education outcomes or workforce outcomes,” Wells said. “We can give money; that’s the easy party, but it’s (all about) the alignment of all the resources that are there.”

Trevor W. Coleman is a former editorial writer and columnist for the Detroit Free Press

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20

MISSION CRITICAL PANDEMIC HIGHLIGHTS NEED TO INCREASE GENDER DIVERSITY

By James Martinez

As many as 1 in 4 corporate women say they are considering downshifting their careers or leaving the workforce altogether in surveys

by Deloitte and McKinsey.

General Motors Chair and Chief Executive Officer Mary Barra, who began her career with GM in 1980 as a Kettering University coop student at the Pontiac Motor Division.

In Michigan, roughly 136,000 women left Michigan’s labor force between February and December 2020 while the number of men increased by 18,000.

A 30-year veteran of DTE, Harris started shadowing engineers at age 15 before becoming a company co-op at 18. She would climb the ladder serving in several leadership positions within the organization before being promoted to a president in November 2021.

The pandemic is likely only to exacerbate pre-existing trends where boardrooms remain male-dominated. The future of women in the workplace post-pandemic includes questions about how to increase gender diversity in corporate board rooms and the workforce at large.

DEI COMMITMENT CRITICAL AT HIGHEST LEVELS OF ORGANIZATION For DTE Gas President and Chief Operating Officer Joi Harris, increasing the number of women in leadership positions starts with a commitment at the highest level of the organization with intentionality integrated into all aspects of recruitment and talent development.

Harris is both the first woman and first person of color in a career track reminiscent of

Based on her journey, her advice is straight forward.

“Afford women and minorities the same experiences and exposure that have resulted in successful careers for white males,” Harris said. “Encourage emerging women and minorities to take ownership of their careers as well by reflecting on where and how they’d like to grow and learn.”

CULTURE CHANGE NEEDED TO PROVIDE MORE PATHWAYS A longtime entertainment executive, Nancy Tellem would often bristle at the publication of lists of female executives or power brokers in the industry.

“I’d always push back to say: ‘when are we

going to have a time where we don’t have to separate women on their own power list,’” said Tellem, the current executive chairperson of the media company Eko and former president of CBS Network Television Entertainment Group and Xbox Entertainment Studios.

Getting to the point where published lists of top executives and influencers are not separated into men and women is going to require, in part, a culture change at the workplace, according to Tellem.

“As you give more women opportunity and also inspire them as they’re starting in their career as to what is definitely possible and doable – that’s the rudimentary start of really making that (culture) change,” Tellem said.

MENTORSHIP ESSENTIAL OBLIGATION OF CORPORATE LEADERS For Tellem, who also co-founded a social club for women in Detroit with entrepreneur and strategist Natacha Hildebrand, mentorship is a key component to building a more robust pipeline of women leaders in business.

“Whether you’re an entrepreneur or whether you are in a corporate environment, you

Special Edition

LEADING DURING TIMES OF

crisis

Joi Harris leads DTE Energy’s natural gas utility which provides service to 1.3 million homes and businesses in Michigan and she is responsible for all utility gas operations, including gas sales and distribution and storage services.

Having spearheaded DTE’s COVID response, she knows a few things about leading during turbulent times.

“The most important takeaway for me was the importance of leading with empathy and providing clear direction when it appeared all hell was breaking loose,” Harris said. “There was no one on the planet that had all the answers, but worry is not actionable. We had to build the plane and fly it at the same time.”

The response also requires the agility to make and adapt a plan as needed to meet the moment. really do need to look toward those who are successful within the company,” Tellem said.

“Mentorship offers resources or networking that employees otherwise wouldn’t have, which can accelerate your path.”

“It’s an essential obligation of those who are in leadership positions to spend a good portion of your time focused on how you can lift up those who are trying to advance within and outside the industry,” Tellem said.

Harris agrees with that philosophy, something she shared as part of as DTE’s employee resource group REACH (Respecting Ethnic and Cultural Heritage) as they celebrated their sixth annual Trailblazers award ceremony during Black History Month.

“As an African-American, female, engineer and executive, I’ve been the first – and you can fill in the blank. I’m committed to making certain I’m not the last by not only creating opportunities, but also challenging others to do the same,” Harris said.

James Martinez is editor of the Detroit magazine and a content creation consultant in Southeast Michigan

“During times of crisis, those we lead are more open to our influence if they feel their unique circumstances are understood and appreciated,” Harris said.

“It was important for me to be vulnerable; acknowledging that we were in uncharted territory together. At the same time, my team, like everyone else, on the planet longed for signs of hope and looked to leadership for those queues that would signal better days were on the horizon.”

The most important takeaway for me was the importance of leading with empathy and providing clear direction when it appeared all hell was breaking loose.

There was no one on the planet that had all the answers, but worry is not actionable. We had to build the plane and fly it at the same time.”

JOI HARRIS PRESIDENT AND CHIEF OPERATING OFFICER, DTE GAS

21

22

TRAILBLAZERS IN RESIDENCE BASBLUE OFFERS SOCIAL SPACE FOR WOMEN TO COLLABORATE AND THRIVE

By James Martinez

By James Martinez

Nancy Tellem co-founded nonprofit BasBlue in a historic mansion in Midtown Detroit.

When Nancy Tellem came to Detroit from Los Angeles seven years ago, she was impressed by the extraordinary women in the region. From chief executive officers to mothers to entrepreneurs she saw a large group committed to moving the city forward, but with one thing missing.

“As an outsider, I noticed that despite having all these amazing women in the community many really didn’t know each other, and there really wasn’t a space that would be the catalyst for them to come and get to know each other,” Tellem said.

And thus, BasBlue was born, a nonprofit space dedicated to fostering a diverse, authentic and inclusive community for women and non-binary individuals designed to provide support and mentorship. The goal is to bring together a diverse group of individuals

whether they’re established in their careers and business ownership or looking to launch an entrepreneurial venture.

A historic mansion in Midtown Detroit converted into a social club, BasBlue offers shared work spaces, leadership and education programming, and creates connections through mentoring and networking that provide tremendous opportunities for professional and personal growth.

“I felt that we really needed a space that was designed and created by women for women.

And it would be a safe and welcoming space,” Tellem added, noting that membership has grown to more than 600 in just over six months since opening.

BasBlue also offers a Trailblazer-InResidence scholarship program, which

awards up to 100 annual memberships to women who are developing businesses and creating unique tools that benefit the community.

It also has a program, Founders + Fund(Her), to help women better access venture capital funding, a major equity obstacle for many to bring their entrepreneurial ideas to fruition. The program brings together early-stage female founders to raise capital and gain exposure while connecting them to funders looking to advise, invest, and support them.

James Martinez is editor of the Detroit magazine and a content creation consultant in Southeast Michigan

Special Edition

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I felt that we really needed a space that was designed and created by women for women, that would be a safe and

BasBlue offers workspace for women at all stages in their career.

welcoming space.”

NANCY TELLEM EXECUTIVE CHAIR, EKO; CO-FOUNDER AND CHIEF EXECUTIVE OFFICER, BASBLUE

SHARING THE

BasBlue fosters an inclusive community for women to network and grow personally and professionally.

story

For WDIV’s Rhonda Walker, sharing such success stories is critical to helping other women visualize a similar path for themselves.

“Seeing where women started, not where they’ve ended up is important,” Walker said.

“Seeing someone like Mary Barra and understanding that she literally worked her way up through the company from multiple different positions and understanding where it started, where she grew up, what her first job was, and being able to learn about these stories and realize these women are not any different than the rest of us is critical.”

As founder and president of the Rhonda Walker Foundation, she is also part of the fabric of the network in Southeast Michigan committed to helping women succeed. The foundation has offered education, career and personal development, mentoring and college prep support to inner city teen girls since 2003.

RHONDA WALKER ANCHOR, WDIV-TV 4, NBC ; FOUNDER AND PRESIDENT, RHONDA WALKER FOUNDATION

24

KITCHENTABLE PRIORITIES GOV. GRETCHEN WHITMER EYEING A SECOND TERM It has been over five years since thencandidate Gretchen Whitmer filed to run to succeed then-Governor Rick Snyder in January 2017. After a successful 22-month campaign that largely revolved around the mantra “fix the damn roads,” the incumbent governor is eyeing reelection with a focus on “kitchen-table” issues as a pandemic weary state enters a gubernatorial election year amid historic nationwide inflation with a crowded Republican field of up to 10 candidates.

Outreach and Attraction Reserve (SOAR) package. She connected with the Detroiter magazine to discuss economic competitiveness, democracy, and her priorities if re-elected.

bipartisan wins – the signing of the nofault auto insurance legislation at the 2019 Mackinac Policy Conference and passage of over $1 billion in economic incentives through the Strategic

history – creating 4,000 jobs and retaining 1,000 more just a month later. The SOAR package gave Michigan the economic tool kit it needed to compete for every dollar and every job, andsupport economic

After the passage of the SOAR package, what is the key to increasing Michigan’s economic competitiveness?

development in every region. We have plenty of projects in the pipeline and are well-positioned to continue growing our economy. In addition to these tools, we must continue investing in our greatest resource – our workers. It’s why we have set up and continued funding workforce development programs to help people get on paths to high-skill, good-paying jobs.

Transit plays a critical role in increasing social mobility and I was so proud that we were able to come The race is ramping up following three together to enact historic, bipartisan economic equity. Do you think legislative years largely defined by the economic development legislation in Southeast Michigan will be able pandemic and political polarization that December that helped us land a $7 billion to finally create a comprehensive were ironically book-ended by signature investment from GM – the largest in their connected regional transit?

The Building Michigan Together Plan I signed in March invests $645 million into our transit infrastructure, including $66 million to improve our

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25

I’m focused on the issues that matter most to Michiganders including fixing our roads and bridges, ensuring access to clean water, and investing in every kid and school.” public transportation. While most regional transit decisions are up to local governments, I will continue working to support public transportation for all Michiganders. I’m hopeful for a more comprehensive transit plan because of the Building Michigan Together Plan.

What do you think the key is to restoring faith in our democracy and elections?

Republicans and Democrats must work together to restore people’s faith in our democracy and elections. This is evident right here in Michigan, since taking office I have signed over 800 bipartisan bills that have helped all Michiganders and I’ll continue to work with anyone who wants to work on solving kitchen-table issues for Michigan residents. However, we are working to build trust by ensuring transparency in state government and

upholding fair elections. I’ve established clear guidelines, policies, and ethical standards for state employees.

How close will the funding from the Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act and the Rebuilding Michigan plan get our state to “fixing the damn roads”?

Since I took office, we have fixed over 13,000 lane miles of road and replaced 900 plus bridges, supporting 82,000 jobs, and we are just getting started.

My Rebuilding Michigan Plan is investing $3.5 billion over a five-year period into dozens of projects. These investments are complemented with additional funding from the Building Michigan Together Plan. Both plans ensure that Michigan’s roadways will be rebuilt and rebuilt properly with

AMONG 37 STATES WITH A POPULATION GREATER THAN 2 MILLION,

MICHIGAN HAS THE #1 ECONOMY

BASED ON EQUALLY WEIGHTED MEASURES OF EMPLOYMENT, PERSONAL INCOME, HOME PRICES, MORTGAGE DELINQUENCY, STATE TAX REVENUE, AND THE STOCK MARKET PERFORMANCE OF ITS PUBLICLY TRADED COMPANIES.1 Sources: 1. Bloomberg.

the right mix of materials so they stay fixed and with skilled workers paid a prevailing wage so taxpayers get the best value for their money.

As you think about a second term, what is your top priority if reelected?

I’m focused on the issues that matter most to Michiganders including fixing our roads and bridges, ensuring access to clean water, and investing in every kid and school. If I am elected to a second term, I will continue to work with anyone to grow our economy, create good-paying jobs, and deliver on the kitchen-table issues. Tough times call for tough people, and we’ve been through a lot together. I am more optimistic than ever about future and I can’t wait to keep getting things done.

26 For presidential historian and Pulitzer Prize-winning author Jon Meacham, this country is at its most perilous times since the first shots of the Civil War. The pandemic, social injustice, and Jan. 6 attack on the Capitol have all increased the contentiousness and division that is testing American democracy with midterm elections on the horizon.

In May 2018, Meacham published “The Soul of America: The Battle for Our Better Angels,” which covered the contentiousness and polarization in present-day America by looking back at critical times in history when hope overcame fear and division. He spoke with the Detroiter about the stress test facing democracy and his belief it can still persevere despite its deep challenges.

What is the current state of our democracy?

We’re in as perilous a place as we’ve been at any juncture since Fort Sumter. There is a force abroad in the land that tends to the autocratic and one that embraces the notion that total victory is the only thing that they’ll settle for. That puts the rule of law, the give and take of politics as a means of mediating differences,

CITIZENSHIP’S ULTIMATE STRESS TEST

PULITZER-PRIZE WINNER JON MEACHAM ON JAN. 6 AND THE FUTURE OF THE REPUBLIC

By James Martinez

PHOTO BY VITO PALMISANO

Special Edition

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28 at risk. And the next couple of years may well determine whether or not the constitutional republic, as imperfect as it has been, will long endure.

How different is this than previous difficult times?

Democracy is a counterintuitive form of government.

Because it requires the two of us to see each other, not as rivals or adversaries, but as neighbors. If I decide that you are simply a rival and that any victory for you is a loss for me, then democracy doesn’t work.”

JON MEACHAM PRESIDENTIAL HISTORIAN AND PULITZER PRIZE-WINNING AUTHOR

Source: 1. Pew Research Center, Survey of U.S. adults conducted Sept. 13-19, 2021

The essential difference flows from January 6th, 2021. As grave and deep as our earlier crises have been, we never had an American president who decided to try to hold onto power by denying the reality of the will of the people, and presently encourages a lie about the election that fundamentally undermines trust in the institutions that have served us well for 240 years. What we’re living through right now is a stress test of citizenship.

And what everybody’s facing is a choice between supporting the institutions that enable us to win some and lose some, or to support a movement that has proven it’s willing to take extraordinary measures to have its own way, no matter what the cost.

independents, but that 15% to 20% who are not immovably attached to one party or the other. You have to speak with an eye toward those folks hearing it, and then in elections acting on it with their votes.

How important is the work of the January 6th committee in moving beyond this crisis?

The committee’s work is vital. I think the fact-finding is essential. I think the ability of the committee and the Congress to present the facts of that day in a convincing fashion is really important.

There’s always a huge chunk of the country that believes what it believes and is impervious to new information. That’s a perennial human characteristic and that’s not going to change. But there are some reachable folks. And I think that what the committee does and how they do it will be really important when you look at the 10% to 15% of the country that is actually open to argument.

So how do we get through this stress test?

So is this workable consensus still possible?

You find people who are willing to listen.

The president and national leaders have an obligation to continue to make this case, however difficult the obstacles seem.

In public leadership, you actually never know exactly who is listening or what impact it will have. And we’ve always been a divided country. Our biggest moments of seeming consensus are 6040 moments. That means that at our moments of seemingly greatest consensus, 40% of the country still disagreed. I think that the fate of the country is, historically speaking, often determined by that middle.

And I don’t mean middle in terms of

Absolutely. Democracy is a counterintuitive form of government. Because it requires the two of us to see each other, not as rivals or adversaries, but as neighbors. If I decide that you are simply a rival and that any victory for you is a loss for me, then democracy doesn’t work. And so it’s that covenant: I want you to do well, so that I’ll do well. That’s the case that American leaders at their best have successfully made, and I think we still can.

James Martinez is editor of the Detroiter magazine and a content creation consultant in Southeast Michigan.

PARTISANS DIVIDED OVER THE AMOUNT OF ATTENTION PAID TO JAN. 6, FAIRNESS OF CONGRESSIONAL PROBE1 % who say ____ attention has been paid to the riot at the U.S. Capitol and its impacts.

TOO MUCH

35%

RIGHT AMOUNT

33%

TOO LITTLE

31%

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30

THE KEY TO U.S.

COMPETITIVENESS As the country continues to navigate COVID-19, there is a growing recognition that much needs to be done to bolster the country’s supply chains, revisit manufacturing policy, and position the U.S. to maintain its global economic leadership. The Detroiter magazine asked some of Michigan’s congressional delegation to opine on the key to increasing U.S. competitiveness as we look to accelerate economic growth post-pandemic.

Special Edition

DEBBIE DINGELL U.S. REPRESENTATIVE D-MI 12

PETER MEIJER

U.S. REPRESENTATIVE R-MI 3

The pandemic made clear that if the U.S. is going to stay competitive on the world stage, we need to boost manufacturing, address our semiconductor chip shortage, and bring our supply chains home.

In the long term, this will secure our economic growth and national security, and in the short term, will bring down costs for hardworking Americans. These steps are critical to ensuring we stay at the forefront of the global economy.

”

We must bring every resource to bear as we accelerate economic growth in the aftermath of the COVID-19 pandemic.

This starts with addressing our country’s crippling workforce shortage and strengthening our supply chains while reducing dependency on other countries for critical goods and services. America must be put in a position to lead from the front once again, and to achieve this, the federal government has to prioritize policies that foster economic growth in our own country.

”

31

GARY PETERS U.S. SENATOR D-MI

To bolster our economic growth, we must invest in domestic manufacturing and make our supply chains more resilient. The pandemic exposed that supply chains are vulnerable to overreliance on foreign production – and are vital for our national security and global competitiveness. In Congress, I’m focused on enacting legislation to ensure that Michigan and the United States continue to lead in manufacturing through the 21st century and outcompete anyone on the global stage.

”

32

BILL HUIZENGA U.S. REPRESENTATIVE R-MI 2

In order to make the U.S. more competitive, Congress must prioritize creating an atmosphere where job creators across the private sector, particularly small businesses, can grow and thrive. This means we need to have certainty in our tax code and not threaten to raise taxes on the engine of our economy. Additionally, Congress needs to keep a watchful eye on bureaucrats to ensure our competitiveness is not impacted by overburdensome regulatory red tape.

”

ELISSA SLOTKIN U.S. REPRESENTATIVE D-MI 8

One of the keys to building on our global competitiveness is for the private sector and government to work together to incentivize more U.S. manufacturing, and research and development.

Economic security is national security, and as we’ve already seen from GM’s new $7 billion investment in our state, Michigan is uniquely positioned to help the U.S. cement itself as a leader in cutting-edge technology and production for things like electric vehicle batteries, semiconductors and more.

”

DEBBIE STABENOW U.S. SENATOR D-MI

Our competitiveness depends on our ability to innovate as we make things and grow things, which is what we do best in Michigan. The pandemic has exposed our dependence on global supply chains on everything from semiconductors to lifesaving products. In partnership with Michigan businesses, I have escalated the implementation of my Buy America initiatives, secured $2 billion to produce semiconductors for our manufacturers, and led tax policies to win the global clean energy race and bring jobs home.

”

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34

LONG ON AMERICA

HAROLD FORD JR. OPTIMISTIC ON DEMOCRACY DESPITE COUNTRY’S POLARIZATION

By James Martinez

During his decade in Congress, Harold Ford Jr. earned a reputation for working across the political aisle to find common ground. He served as a member of the Blue Dog coalition, an official caucus in the U.S. House of Representatives comprised of fiscally responsible Democrats. While frustrated with the current political moment and concerned about the message it may send to the next generation of elected officials, Ford remains optimistic about the country’s ability to return to a functional government built around compromise.

The Detroiter interviewed Ford prior to the Mackinac Policy Conference in advance of his appearance as moderator of a congressional panel on civility and

its role in moving the country forward.

Answers are edited for length and clarity.

What’s your assessment of the current level of civility?

Voters expect from politicians a certain level of disagreement in discourse and passion as politicians debate robustly and, hopefully, honestly the issues of the day. But what we have today, unfortunately, is not necessarily a lack of civility, we just have a lack of attention to the most pressing issues facing the country. Many politicians are more obsessed with exercising their own free speech and at the same time wanting to suppress or restrain the free

speech of those they disagree with. And this happens on both sides. There’s always a lack of civility in politics and I chalk that up as people being passionate, but we have a lack of results and right now our whole body politic is broken.

Have we lost the ability to have a rational substantive debate?

It’s a lost art, but we certainly have to reclaim if we’re going to be serious about solving problems. Unfortunately, right now it takes a catastrophic event or a near deathlike event or a national security scare, or a financial system breakdown or some other crisis for politicians to really do something.

CIVILITY IN AMERICA1

93%

of Americans identify incivility as a problem

SOURCE: 1. Weber Shandwick, Powell Tate and KRC Reserch, Civility in America Report

68%

of Americans consider civility a problem

74%

of Americans thought civility was getting worse

Special Edition Explain the repercussions of that a bit more.

Everybody likes good political theater between the Democrats and Republicans yelling a little bit, but what voters have also come to anticipate, and rightly so, is for serious (elected officials) who are thinking about answers and who are developing answers. And the frustrating part for me, and what is the distressing part for every American, is that the system seems to have lost its ability to solve problems unless there’s a complete crisis or breakdown. You can’t have a functioning democracy when the only time your government works is when there’s catastrophe.

How do we restore Congress to a more productive branch of government?

Voters need to elect better people and you need better people to seek office who are more concerned about making the country function than they are just scoring cheap political points or advancing themselves.

And we should define what being good at

politics means. It means solving problems.

You must work with people, and you need to work with people in your party and people outside your party. We lack that right now.

Is it possible to unite Republicans, Democrats, and independents to strengthen our democracy?

Yes. It just takes leadership and I think the country is hungry for it and would embrace leaders that were not so far on each side. The majority of the country is right in the middle, but a lot of people going into government don’t understand how government operates.

They think you go into government to impose your ideas on people because your ideas are superior. That’s not how government works.

That’s not how the country was started. Our country is built on a canyon of compromises.

But don’t get me wrong, we’ll get back to it.

I’m not negative on the country. I’m negative on the moment, but I’m long America.

We’ll find a way to elect people that want to achieve these things.

35

We should define what being good at politics means. It means solving problems.

You must work with people, and you need to work with people in your party and people outside your party. We lack that right now. ” HAROLD FORD JR. VICE CHAIR, CORPORATE AND INSTITUTIONAL BANKING, PNC BANK

36

DRIVING PERSONAL CONNECTIONS

By Karen Dybis

THE IMPACT OF EMPATHY AND SOCIAL CHANGE ON THE CEO ROLE Like many people, Garrick J. Rochow listens to leadership podcasts and sometimes hears a glimmer of truth that gives him pause.

One that stuck with him over the past two years goes something like this: As a leader, are you having a moment or are you leading a movement?

The idea is simple, the president and chief executive officer of CMS and Consumers Energy said. A leader determines whether a national tragedy, like the death of George Floyd, or a health crisis like the coronavirus pandemic, affects his or her organization for a moment or whether it leads to sustainable change.

That is where Rochow decided he wanted his organization to create real change. As a result, Rochow said, CMS and Consumers Energy has created a variety of sustainable practices including Inclusion Champions, a Diversity, Inclusion and Equity Council and a broad review of more than three dozen business processes to identify unconscious bias. Rochow chairs the DEI Council as well.

“We looked at 40 processes across the company and we examined for unconscious bias in that process. The goal was to root out historic issues and stereotypes from over the years,” Rochow said.

THE TOP FIVE QUALITIES EMPLOYEES LOOK FOR IN AN EMPATHETIC LEADER

36%

37%

ENCOURAGES OTHERS TO SHARE THEIR OPINIONS

34%

TRUSTED TO HANDLE DIFFICULT CONVERSATIONS SOURCE: EY Empathy in Leadership Study, 2021

FAIR

37%

FOLLOWS THROUGH ON ACTION

41%

OPEN AND TRANSPARENT

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Linking people, cultures and commerce.

Supporting great causes: a commitment that’s as much a part of UPS as our brown trucks.

UPS is the Official Logistics Provider to the 2022 Mackinac Policy Conference. ups.com

38 MAKING EMPATHY A PRIORITY Leaders who use empathy with employees over the past two years are doing it right, but they should have been doing that all along and they always can do more, said Cindy Pasky, founder, president, and chief executive officer of Strategic Staffing Solutions (S3) in Detroit.

“Empathy and soft skills are inherent at S3. Our leadership roles are charged daily with removing barriers to success both for our customers and our team members,” Pasky said. “We make it a practice to hire the person and not the resume, whenever possible, and it works.”

That means working with people where they are, Pasky said.

For example, the S3 leadership team worked throughout the pandemic to reach out to team members and consultants to make sure everyone was healthy and adjusting to working from home.

S3 also began the S3 Cares Fund to provide assistance and peace of mind to consultants or team members who may have been adversely affected by COVID-19.

ENGAGE ON A PERSONAL LEVEL Taking the lead is an essential part of being an executive, but you also have to acknowledge your own humanity and see the humanity in others, said Linda Apsey, president and chief

executive officer of Novi-based ITC Holdings Corp., the largest independent electricity transmission company in the U.S. “Over the past two years, we saw the number of employees accessing mental health services through our health benefits program nearly triple. This statistic alone is very indicative of the stress and uncertainty we’ve all endured,” Apsey said. “As a leader, I’ve learned more about myself, our employees and organization than any other time in my career.”

Being vulnerable is a key part of this, Apsey said. Amid the social justice movement in 2020, and as part of ITC’s inclusion and diversity journey, she spoke personally through focus group sessions with her company’s employees from underrepresented minority groups to listen, engage, and understand their experiences and challenges.

“This effort pushed me well beyond my comfort zone, recognizing I had very little appreciation for their experiences and ongoing challenges. However, these conversations were truly one of the most powerful experiences of my personal and professional life,” Apsey said. “The opportunity to engage with employees on this very personal level ultimately drove deeper human connections, fostered a stronger team, and has made me a more effective leader.”

Karen Dybis is a Metro Detroit freelance writer.

Empathy and soft skills are inherent at S3. Our leadership roles are charged daily with removing barriers to success both for our customers and our team members.

We make it a practice to hire the person and not the resume, whenever possible, and it works.”

CINDY PASKY FOUNDER, PRESIDENT AND CHIEF EXECUTIVE OFFICER, STRATEGIC STAFFING SOLUTIONS

Special Edition

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40 MICHIGAN’S JOURNEY TO CONSISTENT GREATNESS BUILDING A CHAMPIONSHIP ECONOMY

QUENTIN L. MESSER JR. ECONOMIC CHAMPIONSHIPS BEGIN WITH WINNING SMALL BUSINESSES Among the lessons from the pandemic was that no business is small to its owner, its employees or community. The feed store, the beauty salon and the diner are more than a business. They are a sponsor of youth sports and a gathering place for life’s milestone moments.

Through 23 distinct relief programs that reached businesses in all 83 counties and distributed over $240 million in relief across both peninsulas, MEDC rose to the challenge and responded in the moment that COVID-19 brought. Equally important, we realized while that moment was finite, our deep engagement with small business could not be temporary. It needed to be a recommitment to a more intentional long-term engagement with small businesses and partners, like Small Business Development Center and Small Business Association of Michigan.

From a global pandemic that Michigan’s manufacturing prowess helped mitigate and a heightened awareness of the remaining work required to ensure economic inclusivity, to the acceleration of an electrifying shift in mobility and the supply chain challenges highlighted by the current Ukrainian tragedy – the past several years have proven that Michigan must be prepared to react to the pace of macroeconomic change.

Collectively, we have started to silence a lot of doubters in Team Michigan’s ability to play with pace. Significant work remains; however, more than 10 million Michiganders are on a journey to create a consistently great economic environment.

Michigan has an unequivocal right to win in creating the best economic opportunity in North America. The Michigan Economic Development Corporation’s (MEDC) North Star goal is to ensure that incumbent Michigan businesses have no reason to look elsewhere when it is time to invest in capital or workforce growth on the continent.

We embrace this goal whether we’re working with a startup company emerging from one of the state’s SmartZones or one of 17 Fortune 500 companies headquartered here. Alongside the Detroit Regional Chamber, among others, MEDC is creating an inviting business environment and aims to exhibit a customer service orientation that also makes our state attractive to new investment from businesses globally.

Michigan’s inventiveness built the auto industry and created the “road trip,” which has transformed tourism and remains alive and well in Pure Michigan. The vital next step in our championship journey is making it easier to connect more entrepreneurs to the mentoring, customers, and capital that will drive growth from microbusinesses to category-defining global leaders. Over the coming months, we anticipate that even more small businesses will benefit from MEDC’s reimagined small business support.

WINNING DEMANDS GETTING BETTER DAILY Every great team asks itself, “how do we get better?” At MEDC, we ask this question daily – and we’ve identified a few answers: 1. Take advantage of Michigan’s location advantage: “They who have water and non-extreme weather, win.”

2. Make it easier for companies to retrain employees.

3. Welcome the world with open arms.

4. Lead a Team Michigan approach that transcends partisanship and understands economic growth is a joint endeavor.

5. Invest in our knowledge and physical infrastructure.

We will continue our efforts in each of these key areas to ensure we are working collaboratively and with a customer focus to building a championship economy here in Michigan. Together, we can make it winning time!

Quentin L. Messer Jr. is chief executive officer of the Michigan Economic Development Corporation

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NOT A TIME TO REST BUSINESS LOOKING TO RESTORE MICHIGAN’S ECONOMIC LEADERSHIP I think that Michigan has a real opportunity right now given the history here but also given what the future holds.”

AWENATE COBBINA CHIEF EXECUTIVE OFFICER, BEDROCK MANUFACTURING CO.

Having weathered the two-year pandemic, Michigan’s business and policy leaders are looking to the task ahead: Enhancing Michigan’s position of economic leadership in a newly competitive world.

Among those are Tina Freese Decker, president & chief executive officer of BHSH System, the $13-billion integrated health system formed by the joining together of Beaumont Health and Spectrum Health in 2022, and Awenate Cobbina, chief executive officer of Bedrock Manufacturing Company, the parent of Shinola and Filson.

Both see that Michigan can build on its long-term advantages – but both also see the need for greater innovation across many fields.

“It may be tempting to ease back to ‘normal,’ as we all want a rest from this pandemic,” Decker said. “But now is not the time to rest.”

INNOVATION IS JOB ONE During the pandemic, Michigan businesses innovated to stay ahead of the challenges, from automakers launching new electric vehicles to health care firms forming new partnerships.

To cite one such example, BHSH recently partnered with Grand Valley State University to create an opportunity for

nearly 500 additional students to pursue a career in nursing. Both the hospital system and the university had to think in new ways, Decker said, and “both of us moved to the middle to find a workable solution that offers each of us, and our community, an opportunity for sustained successful outcomes.”

Now, she added, “Michigan’s businesses, leaders, and residents must continue to build on this spirit of innovation and partnership to excel. Innovation not only applies to health care but to every field and industry.”

INTELLIGENT MANUFACTURING For Cobbina, who also serves as chairman of the Michigan Economic Development Corporation’s Executive Committee, Michigan must continue to do what it’s been doing well in recent decades, i.e., remain committed to intelligent manufacturing.

“I think that Michigan has a real opportunity right now given the history here but also given what the future holds,” he said. “The history involves essentially people making things, and for a long time that was automobiles. Just because some of the brain power has shifted west and some of the manpower has shifted south, doesn’t mean things won’t still be made here. So how do we make sure we’re capitalizing on the strengths of the area? The history of Michigan making quality products is one of those areas.”

Special Edition MICHIGAN’S TO-DO LIST

•

Asked for a to-do list for Michigan, Decker and Cobbina cite several “musts”: • Investments in world-class education for children and lifelong learners, preparing them for good jobs and generating economic wealth; • Innovation, or transforming existing businesses for the digital economy; • Welcoming and growing entrepreneurs in Michigan and diversifying to create more of a sense of belonging; and

YES, IT’S PERSONAL!

Being nimble, responsive and innovative with potential business opportunities while simultaneously advocating for the incredible benefits of living, working, learning, and vacationing in Michigan.

For many Michigan business leaders speaking at Mackinac this year, the task of building Michigan’s position of leadership is deeply personal.

Michigan’s businesses, leaders, and residents must continue to build on this spirit of innovation and partnership to excel. Innovation not only applies to health care but to every field and industry.”

43

“I just had a child a month ago,” Cobbina says. “I wouldn’t be here prepared to raise a child in Michigan if I wasn’t optimistic about its future. I’m choosing to do it here because I want to be part of the next generation of great Michiganders that sets us on the right path for the next century. All of the seeds to have a great state are here.”

John Gallagher is a freelance writer and author in Detroit, and formerly of the Detroit Free Press.

TINA FREESE DECKER PRESIDENT AND CHIEF EXECUTIVE OFFICER, BHSH SYSTEM

44 WILL THE CHAOS EVER END? TRADITIONAL PARTY VOICES RECEDING AMID POLITICAL SHAKE-UP

JASON CABEL ROE With the rise of the more populist MAGA bloc increasing their influence, the more traditional party voices are receding. The business community has pulled back from engaging the party – at the grassroots and donor level – reducing their influence within. At the federal level, business support has been replaced by grassroots donors who are more ideological and increasingly at odds with the priorities of the business community.

THE RULES DON’T MATTER, OUR DEMOCRACY IS SUFFERING We’ve also reached a point that the rules no longer matter, only which side you are on. If either side doesn’t like the outcome, the rules are the reason, they are unjust, they should be ignored. Until we are back to a place where the rules matter, our democracy is weakened. There is a lot of overheated rhetoric but if there’s any real threat to our democracy, this is it.

WITHOUT ELECTION REFORM – CHAOS WILL BE THE NORM The last five years have realigned the political parties in significant ways. Today’s GOP is more tuned into the working class, entrepreneurs, small business, and patriotic populists. Democrats are reflective of the societal elites: academics, urbanites, corporations, mainstream media, Hollywood, social media influencers, and social activists.

The political realignment has challenged the leadership of both parties and the internal fights will largely dictate the November outcomes. Do the parties nominate radicals out of the mainstream that add to the chaos? Or do the traditionalists take control and restore some level of order?

This GOP coalition showed its potency in Michigan by making Donald Trump the first Republican to win the state in 28 years, with the mid-terms the next big test in its sticking power, and perhaps that of our democracy.

REPUBLICAN BUSINESS SUPPORT LARGELY REPLACED

BY IDEOLOGICAL GRASSROOTS DONORS The changes within the Michigan Republican Party have occurred over a decade. Governor Rick Synder was a non-partisan governor who didn’t treat the state GOP as an adjunct of his office. With the rise of the Tea Party, new anti-establishment forces increased their influence without a “check” from the establishment.

Election reform has been weaponized by both sides. It is now a litmus test for the right and a religion for the left. Both sides exaggerate the risks but there’s an underlying truth we can’t ignore and that is huge numbers of voters have lost faith in the integrity of our elections. We can litigate the legitimacy of their concerns, but that doesn’t change their deeply held beliefs. Rather than enacting reforms that reassure every voter that their vote can be trusted, they are mocked and dismissed.

If we don’t fix this, every close election will be a controversial election. 2020 won’t be an anomaly, it will be the norm.

There is a strong strain of populism running through both parties and pushing both further outside their traditional lanes. Time is usually the best antidote as in the past these movements have lost their energy. However, economic and societal upheaval is likely to get worse and increase the anxiety among these blocs.

Irresponsible media and the accelerant of social media make it increasingly difficult to imagine the current environment improving, but without more leadership and transparency from traditional institutions, the chaos will continue.

Jason Cabel Roe is a Michigan-based Republican strategist. He’s a former congressional chief of staff and was national media spokesman for Marco Rubio for President 2016. He served as executive director of the Michigan Republican Party in 2021.

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46

READY TO CAPITALIZE ON VOTER FRUSTRATION CAN GOP STAY OUT OF THEIR OWN WAY?

By John Sellek

There is immense energy in the Republican Party today, driven by pandemic-era policy choices and the resulting polls showing that voters are unhappy with Democratic governance.”

JOHN SELLEK CHIEF EXECUTIVE OFFICER, HARBOR STRATEGIC PUBLIC AFFAIRS

“No one’s going to sit there as a Democratic consultant and try to bullshit you that this is anything but a really sour environment for Democrats.”

Those stunning words are not from a Republican political operative. They are from one of America’s premier Democratic pollsters, John Anzalone, who not only advises President Joe Biden but also our governor, Gretchen Whitmer.

While he has likely offered Gov. Whitmer a lot of good political advice, it doesn’t change the fact that Democrats are facing a hurricane of frustration, fear, and fury.

Voters who formed the winning 2020 Biden coalition were simply hoping to take a deep, cleansing breath after a turbulent few years under President Trump and the pandemic, but that hasn’t happened. As a result, President Biden and Democrats up-anddown the ticket are electorally weakened to a massive extent.

Instead of getting some downtime – inflation, inflation and then more inflation has rocked

voters and businesses alike. And uncertainty is building from events like the scary and sad American withdrawal from Afghanistan and the horrifying Russian invasion of Ukraine that carries the threat of nuclear war.

All of this has piled on top of the echoes of Gov. Whitmer’s decisions during the pandemic on the economy, nursing homes, and our personal freedoms; not to mention political mistakes involving maskless visits to the bar, flights to Florida and (attempted) boat rides.

Plus, fair or not (little is fair in politics), voters returning to their pre-pandemic lives are also demanding to know why the roads aren’t fixed yet.

CROWDED REPUBLICAN FIELD FOR A ‘MISERABLE’ JOB So, we’ve established that being governor in this era is hard and probably just a bit miserable.

Yet the GOP had 10 candidates submit the thousands of signatures required to

Special Edition run for governor – more than any GOP primary in 100 years.

What gives?

Well, there is immense energy in the Republican Party today, driven by pandemic-era policy choices and the resulting polls showing that voters are unhappy with Democratic governance.

We started a year ago (that’s right, campaigns never end!) with the surprise candidacy of James Craig, who stormed into the lead and stayed there for a long time. Since then, we have also seen the rise of Tudor Dixon, Perry Johnson, Kevin Rinke, Garrett Soldano, Mike Markey, Mike Brown and more as they jumped into the race to challenge Gov. Whitmer.

This is not the GOP of the past where the ballot is flooded with career politicians seeking higher office. What all of these candidates have in common is that they are political outsiders seeking change, or, at least, attention.

While Gov. Whitmer’s supporters may scratch their heads at the GOP running against expired pandemic edicts, polling shows those decisions are still key in many voters’ decision making (just ask former small business owners) and are what activated so many GOP candidates and activists to begin with.

the GOP has a tendency to take effective political wedge issues way too far for the comfort of voters they need to win statewide.

Despite that, in addition to the need to show they can raise and spend Whitmerlevels of campaign cash, the biggest remaining moment in the near term of the GOP gubernatorial primary is Trump’s endorsement. That endorsement will go a long way, if not all the way, in determining the nomination. That may hurt in the general election, but the Democrats will hang Trump around the nominee’s neck regardless.

VOTERS LIKELY BRINGING SLEDGEHAMMERS TO BALLOT BOX While all of this GOP noise may give Democrats hope, remember this: you and I are not normal!

No offense, but those of us on Mackinac (and Twitter) aren’t “normal” because we spend so much time plugged in to the

While the political environment looks favorable for Republicans, victories are no sure thing. Trump’s inability to accept the 2020 results, coupled with a loyalty test based on that issue, led to massive intraparty division at the GOP state convention in April and the rare instance of a legislator being kicked out of the House Republican caucus. Additionally,

political discussion. We know the ins and outs of the candidates and issues.

Meanwhile, the rest of the state is just trying to get by, to survive the pandemic while fretting about their finances, children’s education and mental wellbeing, crime and more.

That means two things.

First, both Democrats and Republicans have a lot of work to do reach voters and define the brands of statewide candidates, good and bad. But, second, all their efforts to spin voters may not matter much because voters are likely to enter the ballot box with a sledgehammer, not a scalpel, as they vote their frustrations on the ruling party.

John Sellek, CEO of Harbor Strategic Public Affairs, is a public relations executive who previously served Michigan’s governor, legislature and two attorneys general. He advised Gov. Whitmer’s 2018 opponent, Bill Schuette.

HIGH COST OF LIVING/ INFLATION

17%

Other key issues on the GOP’s probusiness, pro-freedom agenda include inflation, are energy infrastructure, roads and homebound parents’ refocus on their children’s education.

NO SURE VICTORIES, TRUMP ENDORSEMENT LOOMS LARGE

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11% ECONOMY IN GENERAL

MOST IMPORTANT PROBLEMS FACING THE COUNTRY TODAY

22%

GOVERNMENT/ POOR LEADERSHIP

9% RACE RELATION & RACISM

SITUATION WITH RUSSIA

SOURCE: Gallup Note: Trends as of March 2022

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50

IN THE

NEWS American

Society

of

firm’s Troy office as a Member.

first woman president elected

Employers (ASE), has partnered

Elliot is an experienced and

in the firm’s 120-year history,

with SALTA Direct Primary Care

detail-oriented

transactional

Seurynck practices municipal and

to bring innovative primary care

attorney, focusing his practice

public entity law, library law, and

services to ASE Members, helping

on domestic and cross-border

school law services.

them

workplaces

mergers and acquisitions, real

healthy. Through this partnership,

estate transactions, and general

ASE members can provide their

corporate matters. He represents

employees with better access to

clients ranging from start-ups to

primary care.

publicly traded companies across

keep

their

Butzel attorney Beth S. Gotthelf has been appointed Chair of the

Michigan

Manufacturers

Association (MMA) Environmental Policy

19,

2022.

automotive, industrial

manufacturing, technology,

and

cannabis.

The law firm of Foster Swift

Members

Collins & Smith, PC elected

solid

officers to serve on its executive

waste, remediation and other

committee for 2022: Anne M.

environmental issue areas to

Seurynck,

develop

Joel C. Farrar, Todd W. Hoppe,

actively

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policy

Dickinson pleased

Wright to

Michael

R.

Blum,

Douglas A. Mielock and David R.

priorities for MMA. PLLC

announce

is that

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Cooney,

attorney

Nicholas W. Siewert was recently certified as a Fire Investigation Technician (IAAI-FIT®) by the International

Association

of

Arson Investigators, which is one

of

the

most

respected

accreditation organizations for fire investigators.

effective

Committee

April

a number of industries, including

Plunkett

Russell. Seurynck will continue as the firm’s president and head of the executive committee. Elected firm president in 2020 and the

Walsh

College,

hosted

its

second annual Financial Futures event highlighting opportunities in the career of finance, on Tuesday, April 19, 2022, from 8-9:30.

This

event

featured

a panel of industry leaders including:

Ryan

Drews,

CFP,

DBA, Director of Investments and Planning, Private Fund, Jeffrey

Leithauser, Senior Vice President,

individual law firm performance

value.

Fifth Third Bank, Selena Passano,

through the eyes of the client.

looks for firms that offer the

Financial Management Analyst,

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deepest understanding of their

US Army, and Vince Vitale, CFA,

activities, including dealing with

business, anticipates client’s

CAIA, President, CFA Society of

complexity, providing practical

needs and provides superior

Detroit. The event moderator was

solutions, fielding the absolute

client service.

John Moore, Ph.D., Chair and

best

team

and

Corporate

counsel

delivering

Professor of finance at Walsh.

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T hank you 2022 Sponsors Diamond

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INVESTING IN OUR COMMUNITY Since opening in 1999, MGM Grand Detroit has contributed more than $2.9 billion to the State of Michigan and City of Detroit through gaming, municipal and state taxes.

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47%

Spend with Diversity and Detroit-based companies

$36.4

Invested in local Detroit businesses in 2021

MILLION

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