Detroit Regional Chamber Board of Directors Welcomes 2014 Chair, DirectorsThe Detroit Regional Chamber recently announced the election of Joseph Welch, chairman, president and CEO of ITC Holdings Corp., as the new chairman of the Chamber’s Board of Directors for the 2013-2014 program year. Welch succeeds Nancy Schlichting, CEO of Henry Ford Health System, who remains on the Board as immediate past chair.
Welch most recently served as the chairman of the Chamber’s 2013 Mackinac Policy Conference. The 2014 Conference will be chaired by the Chamber’s First Vice Chairman, Henry “Hank” Cooney, president and CEO of Plunkett Cooney. In addition to Welch’s role as chairman, the Chamber welcomes several new directors to its Board. For the full list of current Board members, click here.
Detroit Regional Chamber Makes Business Case for Detroit on Fox Business, CNBC
Appearing on Fox Business’ “Money with Melissa Francis” and CNBC’s “Squawk on the Street,” Chamber President and CEO Sandy K. Baruah discussed how bankruptcy is a tool to help the city finally address its challenges in a sustainable way and emerge stronger. To view the segments on “Money with Melissa Francis,” “Squawk on the Street” or view additional news coverage in the Los Angeles Times, Forbes and many others, click here.
CAR President, CEO Jay Baron Announced as Keynote Speaker for 2013 Michigan Automotive Summit
The 2013 Summit will showcase Michigan’s automotive capabilities and expertise, discuss industry growth opportunities, and touch on the necessity to capitalize on – and maintain – the state’s role as the epicenter of the global automotive industry. For more information or to register, click here.
Chamber PAC Endorses Seven Candidates in Critical City Council Election
The upcoming election cycle in Detroit is critical not only for the city, but for the region and the entire state of Michigan. Detroit’s elected leadership will play a critical role in the city’s transformation and it is essential that the next mayor and city council understand the needs of the city’s residents and the business community. For the current election cycle, in addition to the Chamber Political Action Committee (PAC) endorsement screening process, the PAC sponsored a five-session series of policy briefings for candidates. A significant number of candidates participated in these sessions and the Chamber PAC then endorsed seven forward-thinking candidates for Detroit City Council.
The endorsed candidates include: James Tate (District 1, Incumbent),Rick Bowers (District 2), Scott Benson (District 3), Andre Spivey(District 4, Incumbent), Adam Hollier (District 5), Vince Keenan(District 6) and Saunteel Jenkins (At-Large, Incumbent). The Chamber’s PAC Board also endorsed former Detroit Medical Center CEO Mike Duggan as a write-in candidate for the primary for the Detroit mayoral election in November. A list of the Chamber’s primary endorsements can be found here.
Don’t Miss Beaumont’s Gene Michalski at Inside the CEO Mind, Aug. 13
Join the Detroit Regional Chamber for Inside the CEO Mind featuring Gene Michalski, president and CEO of Beaumont Health System, on Tuesday, August 13 from 8 to 10 a.m. at the Beaumont Hospital Administration Building in Royal Oak. Attendees will once again be invited to tap into the mind of one of the region’s most influential business leaders and gain exclusive insight into Beaumont’s future, and Michalski’s unique perspective on leadership. Following his presentation, audience members are invited to participate in a question-and-answer session. For more information or to register, click here.
Chamber CEO Participates in Ponyride Impact Accelerator with MBAs Across America
Detroit Regional Chamber President and CEO Sandy K. Baruah attended a recent Impact Accelerator, a creative and community workshop for accelerating positive impact, at Ponyride in partnership with MBAs Across America. The event brought together a “thoughtfully curated group of all-around socially good, culturally brilliant and business savvy rabble-rousers” to come up with actionable ideas and solutions to help make Detroit a model for inclusiveness and diversity in urban renewal, development and entrepreneurship.
Event participants considered a number of statistics compiled by the Initiative for a Competitive Inner City, like the fact that minorities in Detroit account for 89 percent of the city’s population, but minority business enterprise firms account for only 15 percent of private company revenues, when organizing their progressive ideas for the city’s development. Ponyride was started by Slows Bar BQ owner Phil Cooley in Corktown as a way to inspire positive change from the foreclosure crisis by offering inexpensive rent to socially conscious entrepreneurs and artists committed to improving the community. To learn more about Ponyride, click here.
