By: Deborah Johnson Wood
Establishing an opportunity for business onwers to have face-to-face conversations with state lawmakers and business leaders is just one goal of the upcoming West Michigan Regional Policy Conference.
A 25-member steering committee is developing the first-of-its-kind conference in West Michigan under the guidance of the West Michigan Chamber Coalition.
“The conference is the result of the frustration and the anxiety that West Michigan business leaders have about not having their voices heard in Lansing, and with everything that happened with the small business tax,” says Jeanne Englehart, president of the Grand Rapids Area Chamber of Commerce (GRACC).
“West Michigan is the bright spot in the state’s economy right now, and, for us to continue to be the economic leaders, the political leaders need to hear from us in our own voices about what's important to us.”
Jared Rodriguez, GRACC VP of public policy and affairs, expects the conference will spark discussions on such topics as government consolidation and sharing of services, balanced public funding for West and Michigan, the right to work issue, and the dynamics of attracting and retaining bright young college grads.
Conference planners expect as many 450 attendees, including lawmakers, representatives from the major industries, education, economic development agencies, healthcare, and medical research firms.
“We hope people will bring a spouse or their family for the weekend,” Englehart says. “We want them to experience the city’s revitalization.”
Source: Jeanne Englehart, Grand Rapids Area Chamber of Commerce; Jared Rodriquez, Grand Rapids Area Chamber of Commerce; Karen Hogan, Seyferth Spaulding Tennyson Inc.
Deborah Johnson Wood is the development news editor for Rapid Growth Media. She can be contacted at [email protected].
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