For this week's "50 CEOs on the D: Detroit Renaissance Reports" podcast, Doug Rothwell moves from the host chair to the guest chair to discuss the "Road to Renaissance" initiative.

The Road to Renaissance has six priorities, all of which Doug provides background for, and an update on. They include:

• Becoming the global center for mobility;
• Developing an airport city, or aerotropolis in SE Michigan;
• Growing Greater Detroit's creative economy;
• Expanding the region's entrepreneurial capacity;
• Securing the future talent base; and
• Promoting our assets, both globally and locally.

To learn more about the road map and how the trip is going so far, listen to the podcast here, or subscribe via your RSS reader or via iTunes.

 

 

This week's "50 CEOs on the D: Detroit Renaissance Reports" show features Jim Nicholson, President and CEO of PVS Chemicals. On the podcast, Jim talks with Doug Rothwell about the $100 million "New Economy Initiative," which is designed to transform Southeast Michigan's multi-billion dollar economy.

The funding comes from ten local and national foundations, including:

• the Community Foundation for Southeast Michigan (Detroit)
• the Max M. and Marjorie S. Fisher Foundation (Southfield)
• the Ford Foundation (New York)
• the Hudson-Webber Foundation (Detroit)
• the W.K. Kellogg Foundation (Battle Creek)
• the John S. and James L. Knight Foundation (Miami)
• The Kresge Foundation (Troy)
• the McGregor Fund (Detroit)
• the Charles Stewart Mott Foundation (Flint), and
• the Skillman Foundation (Detroit)

To hear what the money is for and how it will be distributed, listen to the podcast here, or subscribe via your RSS reader or via iTunes.

Bill Shea of Crain's had an article in this week's Crain Detroit Business talking about the concept of using private money to fund the light rail transit loop on Woodward.

"Private-sector money behind a $103 million light-rail transit loop on Detroit's Woodward Avenue could mean decades trimmed from the project's planning and could reinvigorate other transportation projects already in the works, mass transit insiders say," according to the article.

The article notes that Crain's "first reported last week that a private-sector proposal, known as the Woodward Transit Catalyst Project, would involve a mass transit line on 3.4 miles of Woodward, but few details have emerged, including the names of potential investors." 

Detroit Renaissance's Doug Rothwell is quoted as saying, ""These are just such broad plans, it's hard to react to. In theory, if you can connect these lines together, this would be a positive." 

Read the rest of the article here, and then let us know your thoughts on the topic by leaving a comment below. 

Crain's Detroit Business this week covered the opening of Green Earth Technologies, which makes automotive appearance and performance products that are reported to be environmentally friendly.

In the article, Doug Rothwell is quoted saying: "This is a sector of the economy that is growing," Rothwell said. "We have a strong base in engineering, manufacturing and product development. These are skills you need to compete" in the green industry.

Read the rest of the article here. 

Yesterday, Daniel Howes, columnist for the Detroit News wrote a piece called: "Granholm struggles as vision hits reality" that talks about Detroit Renaissance's State Structural Reform Agenda. Here are the first few paragraphs:

She wouldn't be mistaken for a Republican, but Gov. Jennifer Granholm is striking a decidedly business-friendly tone in year six of her administration.

Detroit Renaissance, the coterie of southeast Michigan CEOs pushing its own agenda of structural reform, might be pleased to know she embraces its laundry list of reform which, in what felt Tuesday like a previous political life, she expended political capital to quash late last summer.

With the business group's revived reform agenda in one hand, she goes through its points one at a time. Match any increases in state spending with budget cut? "We're doing it," Granholm tells me during an hourlong chat in the boardroom of what was the General Motors Building and now is Cadillac Place...

Read the rest of the story here.

This week's "50 CEOs on the D" podcast features David Brandon, CEO of Domino’s Pizza and Chair of the Board of Detroit Renaissance, discussing the need for systemic reform in Michigan to ensure that Michigan remains competitive for job creation, job retention and job attraction.

Dave talks with host Doug Rothwell about why he thinks recent increases in personal and business taxes in the State of Michigan weren't a solid long-term strategy.

He also discusses the need for better business intelligence systems within state government to project revenues and expenses in real time.

David also provides an overview of Detroit Renaissance proposals for state structural reforms in Michigan government.

Domino's Pizza operates 8,600 stores in 60 countries.

Listen to the podcast here, or subscribe via your RSS reader or via iTunes.

On February 12, 2008, the Detroit Regional Chamber Board and the Detroit Renaissance Board released the following Open Letter to Michigan Voters:

The Detroit Regional Chamber Board of Directors and the Detroit Renaissance Board of Directors oppose efforts currently underway to recall legislators and other elected officials who supported increasing the Personal Income Tax and expanding the Use Tax to business services.

The Chamber and Detroit Renaissance strongly opposed a tax on business services because Michigan should not be making it more difficult to create jobs and grow businesses. However, our respective boards believe even more strongly that recalling legislators simply because of a vote they have cast, undermines our representative democracy and the electoral process. The ability to recall an elected official is a constitutional right that should only be exercised in circumstances involving fraud, wrong-doing or dereliction of duty by an elected official. It should not be used as a weapon in partisan politics, or as a means to protest a vote of an elected official.

Recalls are also an added expense for local and state governments when public budgets are stressed. The proper process for holding elected officials accountable for their votes is during a regularly-scheduled election.

In the coming weeks, you may be approached to sign a petition authorizing an election to remove your state legislators from office. We urge you not to sign recall petitions that may be circulating in your area.

With more than 23,000 members, the Detroit Regional Chamber represents business leaders from throughout southeast Michigan. The Chamber's mission is carried out through business attraction efforts, public policy advocacy, strategic partnerships and quality products and services for members.

Detroit Renaissance is a nonprofit organization comprised of the CEOs of Southeast Michigan's largest companies and universities, and whose member organizations provide over 350,000 jobs in Michigan and serve over 130,000 students. Detroit Renaissance focuses its efforts on city and regional economic growth, and advocating for public policies that improve the region's economic competitiveness.

Both the Chamber and Detroit Renaissance encourage voters to oppose the current legislative recall efforts.

Sincerely,

Richard E. Blouse, CCE (President & CEO, Detroit Regional Chamber)

Daniel J. Loepp (Chairman of the Board, Detroit Regional Chamber and President & CEO, Blue Cross Blue Shield of Michigan)

Doug Rothwell (President, Detroit Renaissance)

David Brandon (Chairman of the Board, Detroit Renaissance and Chairman & CEO, Domino's Pizza)

Chip McClure, CEO of ArvinMeritor, is the guest on this week's episode of "50 CEOs on the D: Detroit Renaissance Reports."

In the show, Chip talks with host Doug Rothwell about the importance of Southeast Michigan working together as a region to attract more jobs and grow the economy.

Chip shares some successes of the Detroit Regional Economic Partnership, as well as some by the Coalition of Economic Development of Southeast Michigan and One D.

He notes that these are steps in the right direction and offers thoughts on how they can sustain the momentum going forward.

Listen to the podcast here, or subscribe via your RSS reader or via iTunes.

Detroit Renaissance has launched a new podcast series called "50 CEOs on the D: Detroit Renaissance Reports". The weekly show is designed to offer the chance to hear directly from Detroit Renaissance board members, including David Brandon (CEO, Domino's Pizza), William Clay Ford, Jr. (Chairman, Ford Motor Company), and many more.

The podcast series, hosted by our CEO, Doug Rothwell, kicks off with Rick Russell, the President and CEO of Amerisure Mutual Insurance. Listen to this podcast episode to hear Rick talk about economic competitiveness in Southeast Michigan. Rick answers questions like:

• What is economic competitiveness?
• How competitive is Southeast Michigan?
• How is the Detroit Renassiance Board using benchmarking as a form of a report card for Southeast Michigan?

Click here to listen to the podcast. You can check back every week to hear another CEO on 50 CEOs on the D: Detroit Renaissance Reports episode, or you can subscribe to the podcast via RSS reader or through iTunes.

We're pleased to announce that next week, Detroit Renaissance will launch a new weekly podcast series called "50 CEOs on the D: Detroit Renaissance Reports."

The podcast will typically feature Doug Rothwell interviewing Detroit Renaissance board members about topics of importance to the economy, growth and revitalization of Southeast Michigan, although other types of guests and even guest hosts may step in from time to time.

Upcoming interviews will focus on topics including:

• The importance of regionalism;
• How a focus on economic competitiveness will help Southeast Michigan;
• What "the New Economy Initiative" means for our region;
• Detroit Renaissance's proposed State Structural Reform Initiative;
• and much more.

Over the next year, you can expect to hear 50 different CEOs views on how, working together, we can make Southeast Michigan even stronger.

Check back on the blog for the first show. You'll be able to listen right on the site, subcribe through your RSS reader or subscribe to it through iTunes.

As always, your comments are always welcome.