Doug Rothwell
President, Detroit Renaissance
Attraction and Retention discusses the views of Detroit Renaissance, an executive-leadership organization composed exclusively of the chief executives of southeast Michigan’s leading corporations and universities.
These Times Demand Big & Bold, Not Incremental
Posted By Doug Rothwell, 09/01/09 at
03:27 PM
Michigan is stuck in a state of incremental. Suffering the highest unemployment rate in the nation, sagging growth for years and budget deficits approaching 25% of the general fund budget, most of the solutions we’re offered won’t make a dent in our problems.
Eliminate the MBT surcharge! Tax plastic bottles to raise revenues! Eliminate college scholarships! Increase tax incentives! Cut tax incentives! These and many more are examples of incremental thinking.
A state with a damaged brand identity and uncompetitive business environment can’t grow again unless we think big and act bold. Say what you want about the Senate Republicans’ budget plan, but it'’s bold. It balances the budget without raising taxes and or using smoke and ...
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The Detroit I Know
Posted By Doug Rothwell, 07/16/09 at
02:13 PM
Detroit is ground zero for what lies ahead for America. A place that faced the fury of global competition before other cities, Detroit has down-sized, right-sized and re-engineered for longer than any place on Earth. One of every two private sector jobs lost in the US the past ten years was lost in Michigan, many of them in manufacturing.
But now the rest of America is experiencing the same economic shock. Banking centers aren’t anymore. Big pharma has gone bust. Technology jobs have gotten out-sourced.
Think technology and services can lead America to ever growing incomes? Detroit tells us a different story. Lose your manufacturing base and you lose the fuel source that drives much of the technology and service sector investment — a reason ...
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Just When You Thought Regionalism Was Dead …
Posted By Doug Rothwell, 07/07/09 at
04:20 PM
Southeast Michigan doesn’t have a reputation for regional cooperation. Heck, it seems we can’t even talk civil to each other at times. But, then came along the month of June. In the course of just one month …
- Wayne County Executive Bob Ficano and Detroit Mayor Dave Bing struck a deal to keep GM in the Renaissance Center.
- Michigan's Congressional delegation, Governor Granholm, Wayne County Executive Ficano, and Oakland County Executive Patterson worked to attract a new GE facility in the aerotropolis and retain GM's Orion Township assembly plant.
- Nine (count ’em — nine!) local governments across Wayne and Washtenaw counties agree to form and fund (that's right — fund!) an Aerotropolis Development Corporation to ...
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