By: Deborah Johnson Wood
On September 18 and 19, some 500 West Michigan business leaders, city and county representatives and at least 65 legislators from all over the state will descend on Grand Rapids to attend the first-ever West Michigan Regional Policy Conference. Organizers expect the event to bring some $500,000 to Grand Rapids restaurants and other businesses, and to give West Michigan a unified voice in Lansing.
“The goal of the conference is to develop an agenda so that everyone in West Michigan who wants to have a voice in public policy has one,” says Jeanne Englehart, president of the Grand Rapids Area Chamber of Commerce (GRACC) and a member of the West Michigan Chamber Coalition (WMCC), the conference organizers.
“When we leave this event, we’re going to have a playbook that says ‘here’s what the attendees want,’” Englehart adds.
The “playbook” is the compilation of the results of real time voting on specific issues. The voting takes place at the end of the conference after presentations on topics including attracting the millennial generation and investing in higher education for West Michigan. Before voting, attendees will have the two days to debate the issues, hear ideas presented by the keynoter, noted columnist George Will, and do plenty of networking at social events planned just for that purpose.
“This is the legislators’ opportunity to see and hear that the issues they’re deciding on every day have consequences,” Englehart says.
The GRACC, the WMCC, and other chambers and organizations will use the voting results as a shared agenda to develop public policy that makes it easier for West Michigan businesses to operate successfully and attract talent.
“This is not just for big businesses,” Englehart adds. “Tax issues and other policies affect all businesses regardless of size. Small businesses will have one vote just like everyone else.”
Source: Jeanne Englehart, Grand Rapids Area Chamber of Commerce
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Deborah Johnson Wood is development news editor for Rapid Growth Media. She can be contacted at [email protected].
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