Technology Century V.17 N.1 - ESD

ECONOMYWe can enact the Michigan InvestmentCorporation Act.We have draft legislation to create a mega authority withthe power to lower the cost of doing business in Michiganby 30 percent without relying on tax or fiscal incentives.This authority lays the foundation for Michigan to be aglobal export state. An authority incentivized by savingsremoves the uncertainties of the political risks andfractional regionalism that prevent first-choice businessinvestment here. We call upon the governor and thelegislature to enact the Michigan Investment CorporationAct before the upcoming election.We can shorten supply lines and reinvigoratemanufacturing.In order for Michigan to thrive as an export state, wemust replace the export of people with the export ofgoods. Thus, to rebuild and attract the best engineeringtalent pool in the world, manufacturing is a necessity.ESD will conduct a manufacturing symposium bringingtogether business, labor, and government to find theanswers to out-compete anyone as a manufacturingengine. With today’s supply lines subjected to anunprecedented level of risk, bringing manufacturers andengineers home simply makes good sense. In doing so wegive real opportunity to youth, stabilize the middle class,and rebuild the tax base. Let’s “re-shore” manufacturingto Michigan as the location of choice.Our public projects can be built efficiently.Best practices, specifically those identified at ourConstruction Productivity symposium, can and shouldmaximize the investment of every public dollar inconstruction and infrastructure. The constructionindustry, like the auto industry a few short decadesago, now faces global competition (as evidenced bythe second Bay Bridge in San Francisco that will besupplied from China). And yet, waste in the Americanconstruction supply chain exceeds 50 percent. With thehelp of a diversity of owners, contractors, and A/E firms,we are developing case studies that will show in dollarsand cents the clear advantages of best constructionpractice to drive out waste. We see an endgame thatwill be embraced by the governor to sign an executiveorder mandating the use of these practices to realize animmediate savings in all of our publicly funded projectsthroughout Michigan. The results have far-reachingimplications, from lowering tuition for college students toquicker and stronger road repair.We can attract talent through innovative healthcare.The most talented members of any workforce willnaturally be most attracted to positions that providesecurity for themselves and their families. Healthcarecoverage is at the forefront of every jobseeker’s mind, andwe can be proactive. Using the Investment CorporationAct, Michigan can create a two-tier healthcare deliverysystem with defined coverage using best practices togive employers a break from out-of-control costs and stillprovide security to employees. A second catastrophic layercan be funded by federal block grants, giving Michiganthe freedom to craft a healthcare delivery system thatoptimizes patient care. And, along the way, imagine asingle-loss system without present workers compensationand disability systems. Yes, the best healthcare system willbring engineers and their families home to Michigan.THE TIME IS NOWThe need for swift, measured action on multiple frontsis shouted in the numbers. According to the Bureauof Labor Statistics, Michigan has lost 17 percent of itsengineers since 2007. This is confirmed by ESD’s own jobfair statistics: in spring 2009, nearly 1,400 job seekersattended the job fair to apply for engineering andtechnical positions offered by 30 companies. In spring2012, we saw the number of companies rise to 51, but thenumber of job seekers had dropped to nearly 600.The ESD Made in Michigan Pipeline is multidimensionaland multidisciplinary: there is a piece that eachand every person can identify with and take hold.We know that when we all work together in concert,progress is faster, results are longer-lasting, and impactis far-reaching. We are proud to stand with all the manyfine people helping to make the ESD Made in MichiganPipeline an effective reality.Christopher J. Webb, JD, FESD, isCo-Director of The Engineering Societyof Detroit Institute (ESDI). As a neutral,problem-solving forum, ESDI’s mission isto bring together individuals of differingbackgrounds, opinions and expertise tofoster creative and independent thoughtand to deliver focused and consensusbasedactions that can be adopted by policymakers.Darlene J. Trudell, CAE, is Executive VicePresident of The Engineering Societyof Detroit (ESD). ESD’s membershipconsists of 6,500 individuals, 3,000corporate members, 92 affiliatedtechnical societies, 34 constructionorganizations, 38 educationalinstitutions, and 52 unions.38 | Technology Century | SPRING 2012