This article appeared in the October 2019 issue of MiMfg Magazine. Read the full issue and find past issues online.

Q: You have a unique perspective on the Governor’s policy agenda. In your sphere of influence, what are the top challenges facing Michigan?

Ross: Michigan needs to support the growth of its current high-value industries and foster new ones if we are to become a top performing state economy. We need to do this despite an aging and declining workforce that ranks 32nd in the percentage of adults holding college degrees and occupational certificates. To bend the curve and beat most growth projections for Michigan over the next decade, we need to dramatically increase the education and skill level of our workforce, develop a world-competitive K-12 system, build a modern physical and digital infrastructure, work to ensure we remain a global center of mobility in the new world of autonomous, connected, electric vehicles, increase new business starts, and create more places where young educated workers want to live.

We also need to replace our self-image as a declining 20th century rust-belt state with one that combines our heritage of technical innovation and industrial entrepreneurship with a beautiful peninsula in which to hike, sail, and vacation (Boston meets Colorado). It’s a tall order, but the Governor believes we can do it.

Q: Talent remains the top priority for most manufacturers. In what ways will the Whitmer Administration prioritize skilled trades training and job creation to continue the industry’s decade-long upward trajectory?

Ross: The Governor’s proposals to make community college universal for students graduating from high school and adults who lack a college degree but need to acquire new skills are designed to increase Michiganders with so-called middle skills that include a variety of occupational skills that require less than a four-year degree but more than high school. Both are modeled after successful business-designed Tennessee initiatives.

Q: Two critical factors of a strong state economy include convincing out-of-state businesses to expand into Michigan and keeping existing manufacturers at home. How are you and the Administration working to achieve those goals?

Ross: We believe keeping our current businesses here and helping them expand is our first priority, followed by the need to help Michiganders start more businesses and attracting new firms to the state. MEDC will continue to work with our existing manufacturers and local development agencies to make sure they confront a competitive business climate and have access to customer-friendly help when they need to solve problems involving state and local government. We will maintain a set of incentives for expansion and attraction, but increasingly believe that availability of skilled labor, a quality infrastructure, good public schools, and a sound business climate are the most powerful factors in a firm’s decision on where to locate.

Q: Future leaders in global manufacturing will be the businesses that discover new technologies and capitalize on opportunities for innovation. How can Michigan position itself so that the manufacturers here remain competitive?

Ross: We believe three things are critical: Access to skilled labor at competitive costs, high quality universities to serve as sources of technical innovation and a next generation of computer scientists and engineers, and an entrepreneurial environment where early capital is available for promising ideas. Helping our firms participate successfully and profitably in the mobility revolution will also create opportunities for the development of new technologies that will have applications beyond automotive.