Cooperation is a theme of the June 1-3 Mackinac Policy Conference,
says this year’s conference chairman: Chip McClure, chairman, president
and CEO of Troy-based ArvinMeritor Inc.
With that in mind, the chamber and Detroit Economic Club will collaborate on a panel designed to advance a conversation begun at the Economic Club’s 2009 National Summit.
Bill Ford Jr., executive chairman of the board at Ford Motor Co.,
will anchor a Friday, June 3, panel focusing on the role of
manufacturing in economic prosperity for the state and nation, according
to a release issued today about the conference, to be held by the Detroit Regional Chamber on Mackinac Island.
Deborah Wince-Smith, president and CEO of the U.S. Council on Competitiveness, and Beth Chappell, president and CEO of Econ Club, also will sit on the panel.
In addition, Mark Reuss, General Motors Corp.’s
president for North America, will be the evening keynote speaker
Thursday, June 2, according to the statement. Reuss was a central figure
in GM’s turnaround.
“If you go back to what we put out as our vision for the conference,
really, the vision was Michigan as a bit of a microcosm of what we’re
facing nationally as it relates to global competitiveness,” McClure
said. “Michigan is making sure that we create an environment that
(considers) the total cost of doing business in Michigan, that we’re
globally competitive.”
According to the chamber statement, the speakers highlight the
importance of advanced manufacturing to Michigan’s economic future.
By: Nancy Kaffer