Mi Business Matters

In this episode, hosted by Jim Holcomb, President & CEO of the Michigan Chamber, we'll be talking about one of the most important (and most discussed) pieces of infrastructure in our state – Line 5 and the proposed Great Lakes Tunnel.

Joining Jim in the conversation are two professionals who are in the know and have been on the front lines of this issue: Anna Mooney, Government Affairs Manager for Enbridge Energy, and Katie Berglind of the Michigan Laborers District Council for the Laborers’ International Union of North America – or what’s often known as LIUNA. They’ll help us work through all the latest information and what’s next!

The 2023 legislative session – historic in many ways – has been one of the busiest in modern times. Sara Wurfel, the Michigan Chamber’s Chief Communications & Marketing Officer, is joined by the core Michigan Chamber Business Advocacy Team: Wendy Block, Mike Alaimo, and Leah Robinson to help unpack a bit of what’s happened and what’s on the horizon – and how that may impact our state’s job providers and business climate!

In this episode, hosted by Jim Holcomb, President & CEO of the Michigan Chamber, we’re going to be talking about fixing our damn roads and bridges in Michigan – but by tackling one of the key challenges right now that may not be well understood: aggregate cost and supply.

Joining Jim in the conversation are two experts who work in these industries and on these issues every day: Doug Needham, Executive Director for the Michigan Aggregates Association and Kelly Kuiper who holds a unique perspective – she’s the Director of Business Development for Great Lakes Excavating Services AND is a Georgetown Township Planning Commissioner in Ottawa Co. They’ll help us break down what’s happening and why, and how we can ensure the bipartisan fix!

Amanda Toy, VP of Membership & Partnerships, Michigan Chamber, is joined by John Melcher, CEO of Crystal Mountain/Crystal Enterprises, and Nick Shelton, Director of Zehnder’s of Frankenmuth, to discuss the travel and tourism outlook in Michigan for the rest of 2023 - including the biggest wins, opportunities and challenges in the industry!

Amanda Toy, VP of Membership & Partnerships, Michigan Chamber, is joined by Dave Lorenz, Vice President of Travel Michigan at the MEDC, to discuss the state’s latest Pure Michigan focus, it's efforts, and to provide a forecast of the peak 2023 tourism season!

Jim Holcomb, President & CEO of the Michigan Chamber, is joined by Kathryn Snorrason, Interim Chief Mobility Officer at the Michigan Office of Future Mobility and Electrification, and Glenn Stevens, Executive Director of MICHauto, to gain insight from an industry perspective on the opportunities and challenges to retain Michigan’s automotive and next-generation mobility industries as well as an overview of the state’s perspective, efforts and the work ahead!

Amanda Toy, VP of Membership and Partnerships, discusses hot HR issues and trends along with tools that can help any business!

Joining her in this discussion are Amy Mulholland - Director of Learning & HR Compliance for the Michigan Chamber, John David Gardiner - Attorney and Employment Law/Workplace Specialist for Bodman Law, and Garry Straker - VP of Compensation Consulting for Salary.com.

Wendy Block, the Michigan Chamber’s Senior VP of Business Advocacy & Member Engagement, talks about the new political leadership and dynamic in Lansing! It’s been fairly fast and furious since lawmakers were sworn in and 2023 kicked off.

Joining her in this discussion are Adrian Hemond - Founder & CEO of Grassroots Midwest, Jenell Leonard - Owner of Marketing Resource Group (MRG), and John Sellek - Founder & CEO of Harbor Strategic.

Sara Wurfel, the Michigan Chamber’s Chief Communications & Marketing Officer, shares why civility and pragmatic problem solving are so important in moving Michigan forward!

Joining her in this discussion are Jim Holcomb - President & CEO of the Michigan Chamber, Rudy Hobbs (D), Partner at Michigan Legislative Consultants & Co-Director of the Michigan Political Leadership Program (MPLP) at MSU, and lastly Tonya Schuitmaker (R), Attorney & Co-Director of the Michigan Political Leadership Program (MPLP) at MSU.

Mike Alaimo, the Michigan Chamber’s Director of Environmental and Energy Affairs and Infrastructure Policy Lead discusses an issue that’s top of mind right now and affects all Michiganders - and that's fixing our darn roads!

Joining him in this discussion are Jim Holcomb - President & CEO of the Michigan Chamber - where this issue has been a long-time priority, Rob Coppersmith, EVP & VP of Membership Services at the Michigan Infrastructure & Transportation Association (better known locally as MITA) - the organization made up the construction trades who help build and fix our state’s infrastructure and knows firsthand how bad our roads and bridges are, and lastly Maggie Pallone, VP at Public Sector Consultants - a nonpartisan public policy consulting firm known for its quality analysis and work who recently just unveiled a new report looking at our needs and funding solutions.