On Aug. 26, Detroit Regional Chamber President and Chief Executive Officer Sandy K. Baruah filled in for Paul W. Smith as a guest host of WJR 760 AM’s Focus With Paul W. Smith, interviewing several prominent business, community, and government leaders in the Detroit Region.
Hear what the interviewees had to say below.
Edsel B. Ford II is the Board Chair, and Bob Bury is President and Chief Executive Officer of Fair Lane: The Home of Clara and Henry Ford. They are overseeing a full and lengthy restoration of the historic estate, which was established in 1915 and offers a snapshot into the history of one of the world’s most innovative families.
According to Ford and Bury, restoring Fair Lane takes “a lot of time, a lot of money, a lot of skills, and expertise. What we’re trying to do … is bring it back to what it was when Clara and Henry lived there. We want it to look authentic, and we want it to be experiential … and interactive for visitors.”
Carla Walker-Miller is the Founder and Chief Executive Officer of Walker-Miller Energy Services and an energy thought leader. She’s one of the Detroit Region’s top executives and a board member of the Detroit Regional Chamber. In leading one of the largest African American- and woman-owned energy efficiency companies in the U.S., she’s also a leading voice on how the rapidly changing energy industry can drive equitable economic growth.
EV adoption has been slower than we hoped because of the dynamic market, according to Walker-Miller, but she remains bullish.
“People don’t know much about EVs,” she said. “They also believe that EVs are expensive and there are no charging stations. However, there are efforts to bring the costs down and exponentially increase the charging stations.”
The Honorable Mike Rogers brings a decorated career in the FBI and Congress to one of the nation’s most-watched Senate races in the November 2024 election. He spoke about the issues that are resonating with voters in one of the states that will determine what party lands in the White House and controls the U.S. Senate – results that will have a dramatic impact on the future of Michigan, the country, and the world.
Rogers spoke about how the U.S. government and businesses can navigate the transition to EVs.
“If you allow us to go to hybrid vehicles, work on the electric grid, [and] let car companies market not mandate…this market will get better,” he said.
Rogers said he believes the solution is promoting hybrid vehicles, working on the electric grid, and letting automotive companies market their own products without government mandates.
Fresh off covering the 2024 Olympics in France, WDIV’s Devin Scillian shared his perspective on some of the most exciting and memorable moments from the Paris games. He noted that the 2024 Paris Olympics was the first Olympics “that we had really past COVID-19.”
“It became the Olympics you and I and so many remember,” he said.
Jade Scott serves as the Senior Director of Outreach and Partnerships for the Detroit Promise, a scholarship program housed in the Detroit Regional Chamber that provides a tuition-free path to 32 partnering colleges and universities in Michigan to students who live in Detroit and graduate from a Detroit high school. This work is essential to ensuring the Region cultivates a robust talent pipeline critical for sustained economic growth. It delivers results and is a strong example of how the Chamber is working to close the racial equity gap and achieve 60% post-high school educational attainment by 2030.
Not only does Detroit Promise provide a tuition-free path to college, but it also provides the bigger-picture support that students need.
“The [program] is not only getting kids to college but through college,” Scott said, citing that students may need assistance with securing housing, registering for classes, and finding reliable transportation, which Detroit Promise coaches assist with.
Fresh off the Democratic National Convention, Rep. Elissa Slotkin brings a national security and public service background to one of the nation’s most-watched Senate races in the November 2024 election. Like her opponent, she is engaging Michigan voters in one of the states that will determine what party lands in the White House and controls the U.S. Senate – results that will have a dramatic impact on the future of our state, the U.S., and the world.
When discussing working across the aisle in divisive times, Slotkin said, “I think people have to get to know each other as human beings … and just be better than our current politics is trying to force us to be.”
In an era of innovation, few institutions play a larger role in the Detroit Region’s future than the University of Michigan. President Santa J. Ono is putting his vision in place and exploring how the university can drive innovation while serving the common good. He joined the Chamber in announcing Innovate Detroit at the 2024 Mackinac Policy Conference and spoke to how the two organizations can help cultivate innovation along the Detroit-Ann Arbor corridor. The Chamber team is also pleased to have welcomed President Ono to its Board of Directors this year.
“I’d like us to be known as the university for Michigan, not the University of Michigan,” Ono said. “We have to be part of the solution to invigorate the renaissance that’s occurring in Detroit and the state.”
Jenny Boettcher is President and Chief Executive Officer of the Grosse Pointe Chamber of Commerce, which promotes and supports its member businesses and surrounding community. She spoke about the exciting things happening around Grosse Pointe and what her members are focused on.
Boettcher said, “The mission of the [Grosse Pointe] Chamber fosters driving the business environment and celebrating our community” through events and projects throughout the year – including Legacy on the Lake and their street art project.