Business leaders from nine Great Lakes states join forces to advance region's economy

Friday, January 27, 2012

Coalition applauds growing federal acknowledgment on virtues of U.S. manufacturing

Washington, D.C.—The Great Lakes Metro Chambers Coalition—consisting of more than 30 chambers of commerce and representing more than 150,000 businesses in the Great Lakes region—this week met with U.S. and Canadian leaders here to discuss a newly honed plan for growth and continued job creation within America’s most formidable economic region.

The Coalition’s mission, which to a large degree emphasizes the need to grow America’s valuable manufacturing base, was underscored in President Obama’s State of the Union address. The president joined a growing chorus of congressional leaders and others by repeatedly mentioning American manufacturing as a source of job creation and national economic growth.

“The Great Lakes Metro Chambers Coalition welcomes the growing attention at the federal level to manufacturing and domestic energy sources,” said Joe Roman, president and CEO of the Greater Cleveland Partnership, a member of the Coalition. “Manufacturing is the bedrock of our regional economy, and it relies upon abundant, affordable sources of base load energy. The Great Lakes region is rich in those resources and technologies.”

Domestic manufacturing, much of which is clustered within the Great Lakes region, has largely been credited as the economic sector that is leading the U.S. out of recession. Manufacturing has created hundreds of thousands of jobs in the U.S., as auto plants and other domestic producers expand their facilities. Much of that growth is occurring in the Great Lakes.

“’Rust Belt’ has become a tarnished phrase that is today obsolete,” Roman continued. “The Great Lakes is home to high tech manufacturers known for making high-quality products.”

Dennis Yablonsky, CEO of the Allegheny Conference in the Greater Pittsburgh region agreed. “We strongly urge the federal government to take steps favored by the coalition that will result in even more domestic economic strength and more jobs,” Yablonsky said. “The Coalition includes some of the best business minds in America – we stand ready to work with federal leaders and our Canadian partners to help our region grow and create even more good jobs for Americans.”

The business leaders in the coalition are from nine states: New York, Pennsylvania, Ohio, Michigan, Indiana, Illinois, Wisconsin, Iowa and Minnesota. The key federal priorities identified by the coalition are:

  • Transportation and infrastructure upgrades that result in efficiencies for employers
  • Development of secure but streamlined commerce between U.S. and Canada
  • Domestic energy development
  • Protection and continued improvement of the Great Lakes – a national resource and treasure which hold 20 percent of the world’s fresh water
  • Immigration policies that encourage skilled talent to relocate in the diverse Great Lakes region.

More than 25 CEOs and Chamber reps comprising the Coalition met with Canadian Ambassador Gary Doer, key Congressional Committee and Subcommittee chairs, key committee staff and others in a series of briefings this week to discuss plans to accommodate job creation within the Great Lakes region.

The primary reason for this week’s visit was to urge Congress to pass a long-term term surface transportation reauthorization, and to include a requirement to use the Harbor Maintenance Trust Fund for its intended purpose of port and waterway dredging. More than $5 billion collected for the fund has been diverted to other uses while the Great Lakes face a dredging crisis.”

Ed Wolking of the Detroit Regional Chamber, who is organizing the work of the Coalition, said the group was well-received.

“Our visit was well-timed,” he said. “Both House and Senate leaders indicated that surface transportation infrastructure is one of their top priorities, and they plan to move their bills within the next month.”

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