Business Leaders publishes ‘Compete to Win’ plan
The state’s organization roundtable not too long ago released a plan known as “Compete to Acquire: Michigan’s Route to Prime 10,” a method made to aid Michigan speed up its financial expansion.
“Compete to Win,” which is backed by the state’s major CEOs and college presidents who compose the board of the nonprofit Business enterprise Leaders for Michigan, notes that when Michigan has produced significant gains given that the Terrific Economic downturn, going to 29th from 49th, the state nonetheless struggles to contend. Critical difficulties stay to strengthen Michigan’s standing in the labor pressure participation charge, poverty, median residence earnings and educational attainment.

“In the decade subsequent the Good Recession, Michigan designed wonderful strides, improving the enterprise weather and financial growth of our condition,” said Jeff Donofrio, president and CEO of Small business Leaders for Michigan. “Getting from the base of the pack to the middle was an accomplishment — getting from the middle to the top will be more durable and will consider all of us coming jointly.
“We need to be very clear-eyed about the problems forward and be daring in addressing them. We need to have very long-expression strategies aimed at creating us additional competitive and massive investments to improve techniques and assistance individuals, firms and communities compete to get.”
“Compete to Win” is a information-pushed, research-centered plan that makes suggestions in the next 4 priority regions:
Do superior by the children
- Enact around-expression changes to accelerate improvement to the K-12 program.
- Remodel Michigan’s K-12 method so no student is left guiding, and a high university diploma signifies a universal high normal.
Devote in individuals
- Get rid of limitations to economic achievement for Michiganders to enter the workforce and development in their job.
- Improve connections in between studying and careers to make sure men and women have quality jobs and businesses have entry to talent.
- Improve the selection of workers with substantial-demand qualifications, expertise and degrees to boost income and the top quality of daily life of Michiganders.
- Appeal to and retain employees to Michigan to mature its populace and talent foundation.
Speed up the economic climate
- Generate a reliable and competitive state economic improvement technique throughout political terms.
- Develop into a leading point out for organization attraction and retention.
Get the fundamentals suitable
- Be certain a aggressive price of performing business and superior governance, which will assistance make Michigan an beautiful area to do company.
- Make investments in infrastructure.
- Make Michigan a desired destination for people today and employers.
“Michigan’s possibility is crystal clear,” claimed Howard Ungerleider, president and CFO of Dow and Business Leaders for Michigan chair. “A constant, extensive-standing method will enable our condition to turn into a chief in planet-class education and financial advancement that drives company expansion, a really proficient workforce and solid excellent of existence for citizens.
“The transformational investments we make currently (can) accelerate Michigan to a prime 10 condition.”
“Compete to Win” employs the Business Leaders for Michigan benchmarks produced in January 2022, which were being built to give a see of how well all Michiganders are succeeding.
The benchmarks, on which the Organization Journal beforehand described, informed the new tips of how Michigan’s folks, companies and communities can superior compete from primary states for economic growth. The latest best 10 states are Utah, Washington, Colorado, Texas, Massachusetts, Virginia, California, Oregon, Florida and Arizona.
Closing equity gaps is threaded all over the plan’s recommendations with the aim of creating a state with a healthy economic system and widely shared prosperity. The plan phone calls for equity funding in K-12 education getting rid of obstacles to success this kind of as affordable and obtainable housing alternatives, little one care, transportation and broadband entry and developing beautiful communities that are welcoming to all.
“We must target on what’s significant to make this point out greater tomorrow than it is nowadays. There’s no silver bullet to address systemic issues,” Donofrio explained. “If we want widely shared prosperity and a nutritious economy, we have to act with urgency and focus our attention on what it will acquire for every single Michigander to be successful.”