Snyder Plans Summit to Connect Talent, Push Job Growth

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LANSING — Gov. Rick Snyder will meet with business, education and local government leaders on Monday and Tuesday next week to generate solutions to the growing talent needs of Michigan’s employers and create opportunities for regional collaboration.

The Governor’s Economic Summit will be at Detroit’s Cobo Center. It features presentations from nationally recognized thought leaders and working breakout sessions, allowing participants to develop statewide and regional strategies to foster collaboration between industry and commercial leaders and their public-sector counterparts.

“This is a hands-on, working summit that will prepare Michigan for the opportunities that await in our global economy,” Snyder said. “It will challenge our business, education and economic development leaders to focus on new ways of providing meaningful job opportunities as we help meet the pressing talent needs of our employers. This is an exciting chance to lay a foundation for greater cooperation in education and economic development across the regions of our state.”

In addition to Snyder, speakers on the agenda include:

• Doug Rothwell, president and CEO of Business Leaders for Michigan
• Paul Traub, business economist for the Detroit branch of the Federal Reserve Bank of
  Chicago
• Jim Clifton, chairman and CEO of Gallup, the noted public opinion research and
  organizational consulting firm
• Michael Finney, president and CEO of the Michigan Economic Development Corp.

Clifton, author of The Coming Jobs War, will address “The Future of Talent,” an exploration of the future of industry and the skills that will be needed to meet business demand. Rothwell, an award-winning economic developer, heads the business roundtable of senior executives of the state’s largest employers and universities. Traub, the former corporate economist at Chrysler for 25 years, will provide an economist’s take on the job market, current and future skill needs, labor trends and high-demand career paths.

“This is an extraordinary opportunity to put in motion the machinery for changing the way we attack our statewide, regional and local economic development needs,” said Finney. “Our commitment to reinventing from the grassroots up is in full force. This economic summit is the place for leaders in education, local government and business to share their ideas and thoughts directly with Gov. Snyder. It’s a breakthrough opportunity for people who want to make breakthrough changes for our state.”

The agenda and registration details for this invitation-only event are available at www.MichiganAdvantage.org/Summit.