It wasn't all doom and gloom on the Island this week. For starters, the fudge smells as good as ever and the clip-clop of the horses every bit as peaceful as years past. (Yes, that's meant as an advertisement to get out and sample whatever amount of Michigan tourism bounty you can afford this summer.)

But, wait, there's more…

For all the present panic in the auto industry, Mackinac attendees are beginning to see a light at the end of the tunnel. Seventy percent of attendees said they expect the Michigan economy to be stronger in five years than it is today (up from 66 percent last year).

And for all the talk about unemployment, the Detroit Regional Chamber's new online internship service — interninmichigan.com — is off to an impressive start. The month-old site has garnered more than 3,000 student sign-ups, nearly 400 registered employers, 120 posted internships and 14 internships filled, as of Thursday morning.

Here's something to chew on… Ann Arbor-based Domino's Pizza saw a 69 percent increase in first quarter earnings and has become the nation's largest sandwich delivery firm over the past nine months, CEO David Brandon told the crowd during a business diversification session Thursday. "Change is at hand, but it has made us a better company," he said, and bluntly suggested it's time for political leaders to adapt in Lansing with a reference back to his college football days at Michigan. "Sometimes, you get to the line and forget the play," he said. "In those times, what I was coached to do was to do SOMETHING. Hit somebody!"

Henry Ford Health Systems Chief Operating Officer Robert Riney offered a wonderful illustration of entrepreneurial success. In 2002, the hospital took a chance and honored a doctor's request to buy a largely unproven, $1 million robotic prostate surgery tool. "Today, we are considered a national leader in prostate surgery," Riney said, ticking off the patients from every state and 23 countries who flock to Henry Ford to receive the benefit of the robotic surgery tool. "They eat in our restaurants, they stay in our hotels, and they leave here with a very good impression of our region."

And Bill Parfet, the founder of MPI Research in Kalamazoo and one of several prominent west Michigan voices at this year's conference, unblinkingly looked past the island's dreary skies and cast off the long-held impression that Michigan's climate and economic reputation made it hard to recruit talent t the state.

Parfet said it is "easy" for MPI to recruit talent "because we've created a system where people have a voice in what they do."

"You bring people to Michigan for 24 hours – I don't care what time of year it is – and these people will stay when they see the quality of life and the affordability of our communities," Parfet said.

Amen.