On Feb. 25, Detroit Regional Chamber President and Chief Executive Officer Sandy K. Baruah filled in for Paul W. Smith as a guest host of WJR 760 AM’s Focus With Paul W. Smith, interviewing several Michigan lawmakers and business leaders, as they awaited Governor Gretchen Whitmer’s final State of the State address.
Hear what the guests had to say below.
Winnie Brinks is the Senate Majority Leader for the State of Michigan, representing the Grand Rapids area. As Brinks experiences her last upcoming State of the State Address as a sitting senator, she reflected on the successful areas, from quintupling the earned income tax credit to offering affordable housing to investing in more dual enrollment.
One area of particular focus for Brinks is dual enrollment, noting that it is not just beneficial but critical for Michigan’s future. She argues that expanding access to dual enrollment is an urgent step that will prepare and empower students to enter the workforce sooner, with less debt, and immediately strengthen the state’s talent pipeline.
“It’s an overall, great investment, not just for them as an individual, but also for companies that are going to be looking to hire those folks,” Brinks said.
Sen. John Damoose (R-Harbor Springs) has earned a reputation for his bipartisan approach to economic development policies, particularly recognized for his collaboration with Michigan Sen. Mallory McMorrow (D-Royal Oak) to develop innovative, bipartisan solutions for the state’s economy.
Damoose also discussed his experience as a member of the U.S. Senate Committee on Appropriations and offered guidance on creating a successful long-term economic development policy in Michigan.
“We realize that the State of Michigan doesn’t have much of a long-term strategy for where we want to be investing our money,” Damoose said. “We need to remember who we are. We used to know [that] as a state, we built great things and played outside all year round. We can’t say that anymore.”
Ranjeev Puri is the House Minority Leader for the State of Michigan, known for serving on the finance team for Former President Barack Obama and having his finger on the pulse when it comes to the automotive and mobility industry, especially in Michigan.
During his time on the program, Puri said today’s inconsistent and politicized strategies regarding electric vehicles (EVs) and other new technologies are keeping Michigan from remaining competitive, and there needs to be a shift to an intentional strategy that keeps the state ahead of the curve.
“Is this a technology that we want to be on the forefront, or do we again want to fall victim to other people leading the way and us playing catch-up and not being able to dictate how this is going to play out in our own backyard?” Puri asked. “These aren’t conversations that we shouldn’t be burying our heads in the sand and think they’re going to go away. These are things that we should be really trying to be on the forefront of.”
Working alongside Baruah at the Detroit Regional Chamber, Chief Strategy Officer and Chief Operations Officer Megan Spanitz and MichAuto Executive Director and Chamber Chief Automotive and Innovation Officer Glenn Stevens Jr. are vital to the operations of the organization. Spanitz explains that balancing her dual roles is made smooth for her this way:
“It’s the team, the team, the team. And we have a very strong team, best in class,” she said. “I also think we need to move at the speed of light. We need to think like entrepreneurs. When there’s an idea, capitalize on it, and if it doesn’t work, fail fast, or fail forward, is our new slang.”
When discussing the automotive and mobility industry, Stevens explained that China is a leader in the electric vehicle (EV) industry right now and highlighted what Michiganders might be surprised to see how their vehicles function.
“The speed to market, the innovation they deploy, everything from AI to design the vehicle to advanced manufacturing is unparalleled. It’s world-class. Number two, the vehicles are high quality. Number three, they are full of tech. They connect seamlessly to things, and that’s what consumers want. So they are as much the gold standard as any automotive company is in the world right now.”