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The last couple years have been difficult ones for the people of Michigan. We’ve seen the strongest sectors of our economy falter, lost thousands of jobs, and dealt with all the economic ramifications of these changes—declining public funds, school closures, etc. Individuals and families have had to reinvent themselves, start new careers, and adjust to different standards of living.

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If there is one word that best sums up the outlook for small business in 2011, it is a word that has not been used for a long time: optimistic.

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Michigan small business owners closed 2010 on a positive note, but look forward to 2011 with somewhat less optimism. That’s an unusual attitude for usually optimistic entrepreneurs. It underscores the challenges weighing on their minds as we enter the new year.

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Carol Lopucki, State Director of the Michigan Small Business & Technology Development Center, participated in a Q&A with MiBiz Managing Editor Joe Boomgaard about the organization’s outlook for 2011.

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When considering how design may play a role in the future of our region, it’s useful to have some perspective from the past. Design has been a main thrust of economic growth in several regionally based companies who lived the axiom of Peter Drucker, who said, “Design thinking converts need into demand.”

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Under the new healthcare law, most U.S. residents will be required to have health insurance by 2014. About 32 million additional people are expected to enroll in some type of health plan. Evidence suggests that insured people consume twice as much medical care as uninsured people, other things being equal. This means that 32 million people will try to double their consumption of medical care.

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Ask any community member or a business looking to relocate, and they will tell you that together with education and public safety, hospitals are one of the indispensable services that lay the foundation for wellbeing and prosperity.

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If there’s one thing you can count on in the healthcare industry, it is unpredictability. Not only does healthcare delivery evolve on a daily basis as a result of advanced scientific knowledge, but it is also affected by countless other factors. Technology, insurance, legislation and regulation, pharmaceuticals, bioethics, state and federal economy, medical student loan debt, geography and even social media affect the way healthcare is delivered and received.

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Michigan farmers are chomping at the bit to get to business in 2011 and work with a new administration and legislature on rebuilding Michigan’s economy.

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2011 is likely to be a mirror image of 2010 regarding the real estate climate in West Michigan. The housing market is poised to begin a gradual recovery, but the hurt and depth of the housing problem is too deeply entrenched to turn around in a short period of time. Scars run so deep, huge efforts will be needed on multiple fronts to solve the underlying issues.