By John Bebow - July 18, 2008
The struggling downtown district of the little town I live in -- Milan -- is a bit brighter since a new brewpub called "Zero Gravity" opened in June. I stopped in for a pint of homemade amber a few nights ago and ran across this add in a brewers' newspaper...
"It's time to stick together and stand up for Michigan," began the ad from Enerco Corporation, a brewery sanitation company based in Grand Ledge. "Let's face it. Michigan's economy isn't the greatest right now. Every day, more jobs and more money leave Michigan. Every day, we seem to be a little more stuck. The Big Three isn't going to pull us out of it. The State Government isn't going to pull us out of it. If we want to get out of the rut and back on the right road, we are going to have to stick together and do it ourselves. Whenever possible, buy products from Michigan-owned and operated businesses. Buy locally to keep your money in Michigan. Keep business in Michigan, and you keep Michigan in business."
That revelation in little 'ole Milan came at the same time Chemical Bank, based a couple miles up the highway in Midland, launched a new billboard campaign called, simply, "Save Michigan." According to the West Michigan Business Review, the stark billboards are the prelude to a wider campaign celebrating the strength of Chemical bank and community-based businesses.
"People and businesses throughout Michigan are working hard to turn things around, saving and building our communities for the future," said Chemical Bank CEO David Ramaker.
Next thing you know, Crain's Detroit Business features a front-page story about the boom in locally grown produce.
Then I saw the Michigan Department of Agriculture's list of home-grown foods and specialty products. The Ag Department declares that "if every household started spending just $10 per week of their current grocery budget on locally grown foods, we'd keep more than $37 million each week circulating within the Michigan's economy."
So, wring your hands, if you must, about a Big Three manufacturing economy that will likely never return to it's 20th Century glory in Michigan.
Just remember, there are 10 million people in this state, including an awful lot of folks laboring away, anonymously, in diverse, home-grown businesses. Buy from the home team!
6 Comments
Great sentiments - now if only State-run entities would listen:
Invoices paid to the University of Michigan are sent to... Pittsburgh, PA
Parking fines paid to Ann Arbor are sent to... Tarrytown, NY
If the State wants to retain jobs, maybe its leader should practice what they preach.
Launched two weeks ago (working polishing the site up a bit), we're adding more products every week!
That would be, http://www.harvestmichigan.com
Buy from the home team is a great idea. Unfortunatly, we don't toot our horn nearly enough to offset the out of state competition - specifically California. Next time you go grocery shopping, notice: California plums, California prunes, California grapes, California raisons, California melons - they even claim California cherries. TV ads proclaim: "Great cheese comes from happy cows. Happy cows come from California - California cheese". Now how many items carry a Michigan label? Do the cherries, or the apples, or the blue berries? Kalamazoo was once known for its celery. Now celery carries a California label. Kellog's cereal once proudly proclaimed, "Kellog's of Battle Creek" - not any more. Grand Rapids was once the furniture capital. That title now belongs to North Carolina even though Steel Case and Hermin Miller, the largest office furniture companys are still headquartered in Grand Rapids. Who knows that? How much longer will Detroit claim to be the "Motor City"? Los Angeles now claims to be "Motor City West" and Motown Records is no longer in Motown - guess where they went.
Advertising is important and Michigan doesn't do enough of it. If anyone doubts the value of advertising, go into a wine store and look at the thousands of different wines from all over the world and ask yourself: Is California wine really the best in the world or is it the best because we are told to believe it's the best?
My point is, we don't seem to care enough anymore to thump our chest and proclaim our achievments - and they are many. Due to apathy or loss of pride as Michiganians or personal loss of self esteem we are letting other states, other regions strip us of what is ours.
It is a growing trend, but for many people the difficulty is in identifying which companies or products are local. That is why we created http://www.BuyMichiganNow.com, to motivate people and make it easier to support Michigan-based businesses.
I'm a consumer trying to do my part in supporting local/regional food producers...which is very difficult here in mid-Michigan simply because the public here in the middle of the Mitten doesn't seem to have an awareness or interest in locally grown food -- at least not to the degree one finds it in northwest lower Michigan. Despite this, I have slowly built a network of local farmers, including members of the local Amish community, with whom I do business directly. For anyone interested, my blog, Mid-Michigan Foodie, http://midmifoodie.blogspot.com, is my journal of my adventures in this endeavor.
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