If you build it, they will come.
April 9, 2019
If you build it, they will come. The start of baseball season is upon us, and so is a fresh two-year legislative session offering many opportunities to address our biggest challenges. In the past several years, Michigan has rebuilt our economic structure: lower taxes, robust growth, and hundreds of thousands more job opportunities for Michiganders....
Business Leaders for Michigan applauds Gov. Whitmer for bold budget proposal
March 5, 2019
Business Leaders for Michigan (BLM) applauds Governor Whitmer for focusing on infrastructure and talent development in her first budget address – two of the most important ways we can make Michigan a Top Ten state. We support the Governor’s leadership in proposing a bold solution to fix Michigan’s longstanding problem of deteriorating roads and bridges....
Building momentum on a consensus
February 20, 2019
Roads – we drive on them, ride on them and pay to maintain them. We’ve tried numerous plans over the past several years to get them in better shape, and still come up short. In the meantime, the poor condition of our highways and local roads has continued to decline. Everyone agrees we need a...
2019 Goal: Finding Common Ground
January 15, 2019
2018 was a great year for Michigan, as we hit record lows in our unemployment rate, our population ticked up slightly and construction began on the Gordie Howe International Bridge Project. With a new year comes endless possibilities for change. We have a new governor and new leadership in the state House and Senate. Washington...
One More Item On Our 2018 To-Do List
December 12, 2018
Leading What’s Next… As we come to the end of another calendar year, it’s great to reflect on all that has been accomplished. We’ve made new strides in connecting business with education to develop skilled trades talent, and the state has been a great partner in investing in apprenticeship and training programs. Our unemployment rate...
It’s Time to Get Down to Business
January 20, 2018
The Amazon decision should rally us to work harder, much harder, to produce the talent we need to create good jobs.
Read MoreA New Year with New Opportunities to Grow
January 12, 2018
In 2018, BLM will be working to codify into law the practices that have been used to strengthen Michigan's fiscal position. We will continue to emphasize the importance of producing the talent we need to create good jobs by improving our K-12 and job training systems, and making college education more affordable.
Read MoreJoint Letter to Gov. Snyder on Maintaining K-12 Standards & Assessments
December 6, 2017
View a copy of a December 5, 2017 letter sent to Governor Rick Snyder from Business Leaders for Michigan, Detroit Regional Chamber and the Grand Rapids Area Chamber of Commerce expressing strong opposition to the changes recently proposed by the Michigan Department of Education (MDE) to the M-STEP – the third round of changes in...
Key Steps to a Stronger Michigan
June 13, 2017
There are three major items before the legislature that need swift action that are essential to strengthening our state: 1) finalizing the budget 2) addressing unfunded pension liabilities, and 3) improving Michigan's ability to compete for large scale projects with hundreds of good paying jobs.
Read MoreLet’s Bring More Good Paying Jobs to Michigan
May 10, 2017
Michigan doesn't just need more jobs, we need more good jobs-jobs that help people afford the food, housing, child care and transportation they need to be prosperous. Good paying jobs will allow our residents to grow and thrive. Good paying jobs will make our state stronger and more competitive.
Read MoreGrowing more good jobs for Michigan
March 8, 2017
We've got to do whatever it takes to grow more and better jobs right here at home. That includes making sure Michigan has basic but essential economic development and jobs attraction tool it needs to compete - a simple but potent tax incentive that's transparent, doesn't pick winners and losers and only pays out if jobs are created
Read MoreWhat’s next for Michigan?
February 13, 2017
Now, more than six years into MI's economic recovery, it's time to start looking ahead. We've been growing quickly, but will this growth be enough to sustain us in the event of a future economic downturn?
Read MoreBuilding the Infrastructure to Support a New Michigan
January 14, 2017
Thanks to the Governor's leadership on this issue, we now have findings from the 21st Century Infrastructure Commission that suggest there is better way of planning and prioritizing the state's future projects, so we can generate more efficient, effective results.
Read MoreMichigan’s Journey to “Top Ten”
December 22, 2016
Our benchmarking shows that MI has succeeded in growing jobs and becoming more cost competitive since 2009. But progress raising income levels and GDP has been slower as most metrics that measure the value of locating in MI have mostly held steady over the same period.
Read MoreGetting Down to Business
November 16, 2016
Senate Bills 1153-55 are now under discussion and, if passed, these common-sense incentives could help make our state far more competitive.
Read More