Tough Times May Build a Stronger Michigan

The Southeastern Michigan region could very well harvest an upper hand from the hard times we are now facing.  This is good news to me as a Michigan business owner and life time resident of the Great Lakes State.  John Kao a featured speaker at the D-Brand Summit and author of “Innovation Nation”, said Detroit could turn out to be a symbol for renovation of our national economy.

The Henry Ford hosted the summit, were Kao Michigan needs to generate a portfolio featuring all the skills and talents we have to offer, which would include manufacturing and of coarse engineering stemmed from our auto industry.  Recognizing these talents will enable Michigan to use them in new industries.  Kao claims America keeps losing its footing in the innovation race.

Kao blasted Washington for not making innovation a major priority and putting an action plan together. He also said the national debt and the country crumbling infrastructure have first call on the national resources, at the expense of an innovation policy.

Singapore has about the same population as Southeast Michigan has, the big difference they have assembled a hugh amount of cash that will be sent on innovations and technologies.

Detroit’s fate is unknown, but Kao told the D-Brand Summit attendees that some sense of urgency must be instilled in order to advance the economic shifts that are needed and will therefore lead to innovation.  Change will not be easy since Detroit and the United States have always been a success story, most people and industries are hesitant to change.  If the powers that be can focus on the value of Michigan’s talents and make good choices investing we could be a model and front runner for the rest of the country.

As for Detroit, Kao told the D Brand Summit that the Detroit story must be told with a sense of urgency, in order to foster the economic shifts that will lead to innovation. At the same time, he says what the Convention and Visitors Bureau and others are trying to do with the D-Brand concept must be validated by what people experience when they visit the region.
 
Kao warned that change will be difficult because Detroit, and the United States, have been successful for so long that people are hesitant to change. But he says a focus on underlying sources of value, coupled with strategies for talent and investment, could make Detroit a model for the rest of the country.

Tim Somers
MichiganBusinessHub.com

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