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Leaders of the Grand Rapids Area Chamber of Commerce hope a funny thing happens on the way to the forum – the West Michigan Regional Policy Forum. Can business groups from across the state put aside differences and embrace a unified message? The chamber expects they can. PHOTO: JEFF HAGE

By Nathan Peck | MiBiz
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GRAND RAPIDS – Fighting always gets more attention than collaboration, but it’s those areas of cooperation where many believe real change can occur.

That’s true for the Grand Rapids Area Chamber of Commerce. Rather than accentuate policy positions or ideology that divides the state, it’s looking to coalesce the state’s business community behind a common voice, a voice spoken in a distinct West Michigan dialect, with a message decided by the community at the second West Michigan Regional Policy Conference, set for Sept. 16 and 17 in Grand Rapids.

“We are not focused on the 40 percent we can’t agree on, we are focused on the 60 percent that we can agree on. But what we’re focused on is how we go about getting that done with a common voice,” Jeanne Englehart, president and CEO of the Grand Rapids Area Chamber of Commerce, told MiBiz. “That is where working together on those issues we can agree on becomes the topic of discussion at our policy forum.”

Regional chambers of commerce have a reputation for being rather insular, islands unto themselves pushing agendas unique to their region, but the problems of the last two years have made cooperation key. That message was common among a trio of leaders within the organization — board chairman Curt Wells, vice chair Meg Goebel, and Englehart, all of whom sat down with MiBiz to discuss the issues affecting West Michigan businesses, the chamber’s priorities heading into the November elections, and the health of the organization.

Rather than fracture into geographical or industrial boundaries, they say business leaders must rally around and encourage regional cooperation to help turn the state’s fortunes around.

“We’ve been through two years of a very difficult time, and I think the chamber recognizes that because, if ever there was an opportunity to help people win and continue to sustain their business, the chamber has done that through all of the programs we offer,” Curt Wells, board chair and senior VP for Huntington Bank, said.

Through reaching out to other chambers in the region and beyond and to other business groups across the state, the chamber hopes to get a unified voice on the issues most important to businesses in Michigan.

“What has happened over the last eight years is a lot more reaching out from the east to the west,” Wells said. “Before, there was a line dividing east and west, and it was Lansing. I’ve seen a lot of really positive extensions, people really realizing that we have to work together.”

Englehart does not hold a great deal of optimism that any serious political work will get done before the November elections. Every major political post in the state is up for election this year, from the governor to every seat in the Michigan Legislature.

While producing action might be tough to come by in an election year, the chamber can still help elect candidates who will adopt a pro-business agenda and help end the stalemate in Lansing. With business groups across the state, it can also help educate candidates about what businesses need to grow and thrive in the state — a message that should become clear through the policy conference.

“It is about holding legislators accountable for being pro-business and for supporting those issues that are important to our members. It may be a consolidation of governments issue. It might be a healthcare issue. We have to put it in black and white that this is what our members want,” Englehart said. “We have to (elect) legislators that will stand up and support business interests. We need to hold them accountable, and we need to be there and say we will be behind you. Because there have been so many voices from so many different organizations and groups in the past, we have not always been on the same page.”

While the chamber and its board embrace the idea of bringing more business voices to Lansing, they also don’t want to get lost in the echo chamber. As groups such as the Business Leaders for Michigan add to the political discourse, Goebel said they all risk their messages losing effectiveness as it becomes more diffused. She expects the repeal of the Michigan Business Tax, education and infrastructure to emerge as common ground from which a pro-business platform can develop to be presented to candidates.

“The problem with the report (from the 2008 conference) is that it was not really specific on how these things would happen,” Goebel said.

Accentuating the common ground among business leaders around the state will be at the top of the agenda for the West Michigan Policy Conference in September, Jeanne Englehart, center, said. PHOTO: JEFF HAGE

Strong financial standing, strong services
While the policy forum will drive the chamber’s key advocacy activities, the organization must also keep an eye on the books and be responsive to members needs. That’s a balancing act that has forced Englehart to get creative with how the organization provides services to its members. Periodically surveying membership has yielded insights into member priorities.

“We went to our members and asked them what should we be doing, what shouldn’t we be doing? What should we be doing differently? We found that there was a group that didn’t know what we did,” Englehart said. “We heard from those members who were engaged that we had too many options. We were trying to be all things to all people.”

So some creativity was in order, such as moving the chamber’s various awards to a single night. Others initiatives, such as Grand Rapids’ push for diversity and inclusive workplaces have garnered acclaim from chambers around the state and interest from cities around the nation that want to make the financial case for promoting inclusion. All the more remarkable, Wells explained, is that the chamber has kept fees flat over the years.

“There are a lot of chambers that are living week to week. Grand Rapids is in a very elite group that is stable,” Wells said. “Speaking as a banker, what makes West Michigan different than the rest of the Midwest is that the small businesses are the key thing that have sustained this part of the state. A lot of them are family-owned and are committed to this region. People ask why are you different than east Michigan, why are you different than Indiana, and I think it is that commitment and the values that we have here. If I had to be anywhere, I’m glad it was here during that two-year nightmare we all experienced.”

As the murky waters surrounding healthcare reform begin to clear, Englehart said the chamber is taking an active role in helping members determine how to react to the legislation. As new industries like advanced batteries move in, the chamber must educate its members about the changing economic landscape.
“It is our responsibility as a Chamber to help our members identify the next trends and how they can take advantage of them,” Englehart said.

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• business leaders of michigan
• curt wells
• economic development
• grand rapids
• grand rapids area chamber of commerce
• huntington bank
• jeanne englehart
• meg goebel