My journey of trying to tell everyone why Michigan is such a great place to live and work, got a little easier today.  I had the privilege of  being interviewed today (Monday December 5) for the Michigan in Motion radio show on Michigan Business Network Internet Radio.  The host Tiffany Dowling and Taylor Kelsaw, where a blast to talk to, and really shared my passion for Michigan.  The interview can be heard on Monday December 5th, at 9am, 2pm, 7pm, and 12am at http://www.michiganbusinessnetwork.com/radio/.

I was so excited to start to talk about the great state of Michigan, I am sure that I forgot some of what I wanted to say, and also due to the short time period they could have me on for, I thought I would expand on some of my thoughts from the show.

IDEAS TO PROMOTE MICHIGAN

The path to recovery for Michigan is going to be through jobs.  Michigan has so much to offer it residents but with out jobs there is no reason for anyone to stay in Michigan.  Michigan so many advantages for entrepreneurs already.  The low cost of living, proximity to higher education that is pumping out some of the best minds in the country, a plethora of existing companies to help mentor and breed start-up.  These all make Michigan a great place to start a business.  We need more incubators and ways to help entrepreneurs to decrease the stress of starting a company.

Michigan has done an amazing job with the Pure Michigan campaigns.  I know that whenever I see one, I get goosebumps.  There needs to a campaign that promotes our businesses.  It is great to promote our bigger companies that most people already know about, how about the companies that are growing that many people may not know about.  The people of Michigan are very supportive of their own, lets help them find companies from Michigan that they can support.  It is also important that the bigger companies who already have a national presents, make sure their national customers know they are from Michigan.  Chrysler has been doing an amazing job of this with their “Imported from Detroit” campaign.

We can not just depend on our government and big companies to do our PR though.  It falls on every single person who lives here.  Instead of making Michigan jokes or just staying silent, stand up for Michigan.  When you travel make sure you tell people about the amazing things that are going on in Michigan.  Send your friends and family that are not lucky enouht to live in Michigan presents from Michigan companies.  We as Michiganders are our best PR, lets get to work.

RETENTION OF RESIDENTS

Michigan has two of the best universities in the world  for recruiting talent.  Michigan State University (39) and University of Michigan (52) according to New York Times.  We need to make sure that these students know about the amazing opportunities in Michigan. This needs to start from the day they walk on to campus.  We need to breed an Entrepreneurial culture the entire time they are going to school.  If a student wants to start a company they should have as much support as possible from the school and the state of Michigan.  We need to breed a culture of entrepreneurship.  The truth is that company are not going to just move to Michigan, but why not grow the companies here?    We also need to do a better job of making sure that our students are exposed to everything that we have to offer.

WHAT CAN YOU DO!

So what does it all come down too?  Michigan has a PR problem.  It is too easy for the rest of the country to just continue to put down Michigan.  There are so many positive things going on in our state, that we need to do a better job getting the information out to the rest of the nation.  It is up to all of us to tell the story of Michigan to anyone that will listen.  If we have to change the our reputation one person at a time, that is what has to happen.

What are your ideas of how Michigan can attract and retain people to our state.  I would love to hear them.

While exploring twitter recently I came across Twitter profile of Scott Westerman.  Being an avid Spartan fan I instantly fell in love with his Twitter background.  I thought it was one of  the most fun, and entertaining backgrounds that I have seen.  On the urging of Scott, I would like to see how creative Michigan can be.  So I am announcing the first WonderMichigan Twitter Background Contest.

Contest Rules:

1. Submissions will be taken from November 10 – November 19, 2011
2. Submissions  can be an existing twitter background or designed just for the contest
3. Please Submit backgrounds on the Contest Page
4. A panel will decide top 5 submission for public vote
5. On November 21 the finalist will be announced and voting will take place for the next 7 days (Nov 28)
6. There will be 3 methods of voting: (1) Tweet Title and #MIbackground to @WonderMichigan (2) Comment at WonderMichigan Facebook page with title of submission (3) Vote contest page at WonderMichigan.com  You may vote once per day per method
7. The background chosen will be displayed on WonderMichigan.com and will get a $100 Visa Gift Card.
8. The theme for the contest is “What makes Michigan Great”
9.  Background must include elements of Michigan
10. Please do not use any copyrighted images
11. Backgrounds must be original
12. To track nominations please use hashtag #MIbackground

Moosejaw is one of my favorite Michigan retailers.  Not only do they have great products, their staff also really knows what they are talking about.  It is always so much fun to be at the stores.  If you have ever to called their customer service, you are always greeted by a resounding MOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOSEJAW.  If I was looking for a job with a great company culture, Moosejaw would be first on my list.  Well you are in luck.  They are holding a job fair September 16th, for Holiday positions.   See below for more information.

Moosejaw.com Job Fair
Holiday Staff Needed:
Customer Service Representatives • Warehouse Shippers• Lion Tamers

A variety of schedules are available. Dogs.  And parrots.  This is so confusing.

Friday, September 16th
11am – 4pm

Moosejaw
32200 North Avis
Madison Heights, MI 48071

We’re hiring at Moosejaw.com.  You’ll love it here.  You will want to live here.  Sorry.  That can’t happen.  Please don’t bring your own sleeping bag to work.

Customer Service Reps have an enthusiastic and positive attitude while assisting customers over the phone and through IM with internet orders and questions. We have a reputation for giving the finest service in the world and having tons of fun while doing it.

Warehouse Shippers pack and ship Moosejaw merchandise to customers, handling each package with care and love. TLC folks.  We also have a reputation of playing great music in the warehouse. And sometimes taking breaks to shoot hoops.

Please tell six friends, one ex-girl/boyfriend and two enemies. If you can’t make it to our job fair, feel free to submit your resume to csjobs@moosejaw.com for Customer Service.  Or whjobs@moosejaw.com for Warehouse. Visit our website for more information or if you’re bored.

Mighty Detroit has done it again.  Just like the rest of the country they have got wrapped up in the amazing story that is the US Women’s Soccer Team.  They are offering a 15% discount on all women’s apparel from Today until Sunday July 17th. All you need to do is use Promo Code Women15.  Cheer on the US Women’s Team and help Support Detroit.

A little about Mighty Detroit:

Through our apparel, we hope to capture and present the love Detroiters feel for their City.  We draw from the City’s culture, grit and hard-work ethic.  We are influenced by our sports teams, our innovative automobile industry and the underlying pride that unites us all.  Our apparel is designed to reflect these influences and to show everyone that Detroit is still Mighty.  Most importantly, a portion of the proceeds from each shirt sold are donated to a local charity.

Over the past year, I have really started to enjoy granola and yogurt for breakfast.  In my continued quest to purchase as much local products as possible, I stumbled across Simply Suzanne Granola (formally Randy’s Granola) at my local grocery store.  My favorite flavors are Lotsa Chocolate and So Very Cherry.  Both are the perfect balance of rich flavor and sweetness that is a true breakfast indulgence.  For a true treat, nothing beats mixing the two flavors together.  I am a sucker for chocolate and cherry.  Simply Suzanne also offers an Original Granola and new as of last month, Dark Chocolate and Coffee.

Each bag of Simply Suzanne Granola is all natural and handcrafted in small batches using whole grain rolled oats. Local farmers and suppliers are used as much as possible in the process, too.  All flavors are all natural and made without preservatives, artificial flavors, trans fat, cholesterol and high fructose corn syrup. Each batch is produced in the Detroit area, but there are also production facilities in West Michigan and a warehouse in Detroit’s New Center area.

Since I first found Simply Suzanne I have been following them on twitter at @SuzanneVier.  As a big supporter of anything that is made in Michigan, I have been very happy to see that 2011 has meant 6 months of growth for the company.  Besides adding the Chocolate & Coffee flavor, they have expanded their distribution to selected Whole Foods and Michigan Meijer’s next week (June 18th), along with being sold at various grocers and restaurants in metro Detroit, Chicago, and New York.  To support all this growth, Simply Suzanne is also hiring many potions.  They are currently looking for:

Kitchen Production Manager
Baking Assistants
Farmers Market Managers
Production Intern (non-paid)
In-store Product Marketing Demonstrators

For more information on these positions please Direct Message @SuzanneVier on twitter.

If you see a quartet band riding down the street being pulled by bicycles, you are not hallucinating. You are witnessing Mr B’s Joy Box Express tour across Michigan. Starting in the beginning of July they will be cutting across Michigan, to help raise money for charitable organizations that help introduce and expand children’s involvement in the arts and athletics. If you have never had the privilege of seeing Mr B’s Joy Box Express, I would highly recommend trying to see one of their events, or cheering them on while they pass through your town. The journey starts on July 1st in
Saugatuck and will be finishing in Detroit on July 15th at the Detroit Institute of Art. During the ride through the state they will have many stops. Check out their schedule here. They still have many dates available, so if Joybox Express is coming through your city, and they may be available for a show or fundraiser.  Joybox Express has raised money for many organizations, to see a list of who they have helped.

As I sat in the Filmore Theater in October 2010 for the 140 Conference Detroit, I had an awaking of sorts. The realization came during Charlie Wolborg’s (@CharlieCurve) presentation “Combating Apathy in an Unsocial Detroit”. Charlie challenged the group to actually do something to make Detroit a better place. In a room with most of the elite social media characters of the Metro Detroit area, he wanted them to get off their high horse and make a difference. I took this message to heart. WonderMichigan is fast approaching our 2nd Birthday. We are still finding our voice and how we fit into the Detroit landscape. In two years we have made some great connections and I hope that we have made some people change their thoughts on Detroit and Michigan. Personally I still feel like I have not done anything to really make a change. That is until this month.

In my professional life, I have been working with a great organization Detroit Nation, which is a group of expatriated Detroit’s who are trying to help their native city. I have been working with them to build a website that will help to spread their message. I am proud of the work that I have done with them, and will be ready to share it with the world in the next few weeks. I still feel like I have more to give, so I went looking for an organization that I could help to make Detroit better from the inside. I am happy to announce that I have joined Detroit Synergy. A completely volunteer group who are working to showcase the beauty of Detroit, improve the city, and share ideas with the community. Detroit Synergy has events going on multiple times a month. Some of the more frequent are Third Thursday, Detroit Bikes, and FAB Detroit. Thirsty Thursday once a month and has two functions. First it introduces people to a bar / restaurant in Detroit, and help supports a charity. Detroit Bikes is a great way to see beauty of Detroit. They have a themed bike ride through different areas of Detroit. FAB Detroit is also once a month and it introduces people to what the best restaurants in Detroit have to offer. I am excited to work with such a great organization, and see a lot opportunities to help the city of Detroit.

It may have taken 7 months to actually get out from behind my computer and do something, but it is better to start late then never at all. I started the WonderMichigan project with one of my favorite quotes “A marathon can’t be run without the first step”. With those words I look forward to working with Detroit Synergy. If you have a project that you would like to work on, or any other thoughts I look forward to hearing from you.

Today on Twitter the Detroit Regional Office of the US Census Bureau ask me what would bring people back to Detroit? We all heard this week that Detroit has dropped to a 100 year low of population living in the city.  Detroit has gone from the 11th largest city in the US, to the 14th.  They are now behind Columbus Ohio.  This is not a new problem for the City of Detroit, they have been losing population for the past 50 years.  Michigan was the only state in the country not to grow in the past 10 years according to the 2010 Census.  There are many reason why this has happened, and we could dwell on the reasons forever, that was not the question.  The question was what is needed to bring people back to Detroit?

The short of my answer is Entrepreneurs, Schools, and Neighborhoods. 

I believe that the key to Detroit recovery will lie on the shoulders of the entrepreneurs, who are going to set up their businesses in Detroit.  Let’s face it, Detroit really needs people give it a chance.  Entrepreneurs are the exact type of person who would take a chance on a city that most believe is in decline.  There are definitely political issues that I do not want to get into that can make it hard for big companies to open up shop in Detroit.  Some of the advantages that Detroit holds is that real estate is cheap, labor is cheap, and there are groups out there that are dieing to help people start companies in Detroit.  These entrepreneurial companies are going to bring jobs to the city.  Lets face it, people are not going to live in Detroit if they have to leave to go to work.  These start-up companies also could attract the type of person that Detroit really needs to start a trend of moving back to Detroit.  They are young, risk taking, and are looking for a urban experience.

The second facet of what will bring people back to Detroit is Neighbor hoods.  Cities are built on small neighborhoods.   There is a strength in these small communities that bonds them together and makes it a home.  When I hear my father and grandfather talk about when they used to live in Detroit, most things they did were around their neighborhood.  These neighborhoods need to have local grocery stores, drug stores, parks, and restaurants.  A reason for people to stick around after work.  The would be that these neighborhoods would build up around the new companies.  Detroit has a few areas like this,  Corktown, Midtown, New Center, etc.  We just need a few more.  Once the jobs and the neighborhoods start to pop up, then the stabilizer will be the biggest and hardest to have that is a school system. 

If Detroit really want to attract people who are going to not only move to Detroit but also invest in their homes, and build striving neighborhoods, they are going to need a much better school system.  For Detroit really to make a come back, they need to attract families.  The only way to this is have a school system that rivals those of the suburbs.  Without this, then people will only live in Detroit for 3-5 years, and then will be off to the suburbs.  Once families move into the city they are making a long term investment.  It is hard for families to move all the time, they accumulate much more stuff.  Most families buy a home expect to live in the home for a longer time.  Since they plan to live in these homes longer they have a better sense of ownership, and will improve and take care of the house, which in turn with make the neighborhood better.  Again if the families can send their kids to school in the city, then there is no reason to live in the city.

This is a very simplist view of what will attract people to move into Detroit.  There are a lot of factors that need to be taken in to account, with all these factors that were not discussed in this blog.  The three factors that I think will attact the people to Detroit, will take a period of time that could be as long as 25 years.  I would really love to hear your ideas and thoughts on what will bring people to Detroit?

After the devastating ating catastrophe that recently occurred in Japan, there has been an unbelievable amount of support and aid offered from groups, individuals and businesses, here in the US and worldwide.  I wanted to call your attention to the efforts of one company in particular, Mighty Detroit.  Mighty Detroit is an apparel company that was started by two young Detroit ex-pats, who hope to capture and present the love Detroiters feel for their City through their unique designs.  A portion of the proceeds from every sale go to a charity committed to rejuvenating and restoring Detroit.  While civic pride and commitment to returning Detroit to its former glory is what drives Mighty Detroit everyday as a company, the compassion and giving nature of the two inspiring entrepreneurs behind the brand, is what really makes it so special.  In an effort to help those in need, Mighty Detroit has created a Mighty Japan tee, of which 100% of the profits benefit the rescue/relief efforts in Japan.  Below is a note from the Mighty Detroit team, as well as a link to where you can purchase the tee’s.

Since 1805 Detroit’s city motto has been “Speramus Meliora; Resurget Cineribus” which translates to “We Hope For Better Things; It Shall Rise From the Ashes.”  With every test and every obstacle, Detroit has bounced back and lifted itself up.  As much as Detroit was, is and will continue to be a “come-back” story, we, here at Mighty Detroit, cannot ignore a Japanese culture and society that has faced immeasurable obstacles and has always made a come-back.  Today, Mighty Detroit offers its help to Japan.  For an unlimited time, Mighty Detroit will donate 100% of the proceeds from every sale of the Mighty Japan t-shirt to rebuilding efforts in Japan.  Be Mighty.

To order a Mighty Japan t-shirt, click here.

We hear a lot about Michigan “No Fault” Insurance, but truthfully I am have never really knew what that meant or why it was an advantage or disadvantage for living in Michigan.  This posting was submitted by Michigan Auto Law to help explain what “No Fault” insurance is and the benefits of it. 

Michigan ‘No Fault’ Pays for Victims’ Medical Bills, Wage Loss, Housework Expenses and Attendant Care Regardless of Who Was ‘At Fault’

Michigan’s No Fault Insurance system is one of the state’s true hidden gems, but one that most Michigan residents know very little about. The insurance laws that protect Michigan drivers are considered the nation’s very best.

Described by the Insurance Institute of Michigan as “the Cadillac” of auto insurance systems, Michigan’s No Fault auto insurance system guarantees that seriously injured Michigan auto accident victims will get the care and treatment they need regardless of who was “at fault.”

In other words, even if a Michigan auto accident victim was “at fault” in causing the accident that resulted in her injuries, she is still entitled to the many generous benefits promised by Michigan’s No Fault insurance law.

That is why Michigan’s auto insurance system is called “No Fault.”

Michigan No Fault benefits generally come in three varieties:

Medical Expenses

Michigan No Fault will pay for a Michigan auto accident victim’s medical expenses that reasonably necessary to the victim’s accident-related care, recovery or rehabilitation. Medical expenses encompasses many services products, services and accommodations, including, but not limited to, medical treatment, hospitalizations, medical procedures, rehabilitation services, in-home attendant care, home and vehicle modifications, medical equipment and reimbursement for mileage and transportation costs.

Wage Loss

If a Michigan auto accident victim’s injuries prevent him or her from returning to work, Michigan No Fault will reimburse the victim for the wages the victim is losing as a result of being disabled from working.

According to Michigan’s No Fault Insurance Law, a car- or truck-accident victim is entitled to have an insurance company pay him or her work loss benefits consisting of 85 percent of the gross income “from work an injured person would have performed … if he or she had not been injured.” (MCL 500.3107(1)(b))

 Wage loss benefits are payable for three years following the date of the victim’s accident, and they cannot exceed a certain monthly amount set by law.

Replacement services

Michigan No Fault provides that a car- or truck-accident victim’s insurance company may be required to pay for someone (i.e., a “replacement”) to do the “ordinary and necessary services” a victim would have done for himself or herself, or his or her dependents, if he or she had not been seriously injured in the accident. (MCL 500.3107(1)(c))

Common Replacement Services include: housekeeping; lawn and garden maintenance; auto maintenance; meal preparation; baby-sitting/child care; and driving family members to school and appointments.

 “Replacement services” benefits, which are also known as “household services” benefits, are payable up to $20 per day for three years from the date of the accident.

- Steven Gursten is a partner of Michigan Auto Law and one of the most renowned truck accident lawyers in the country. He is past president of the American Association for Justice Truck Litigation Group, and has received the top-reported trial verdict in Michigan for truck accidents. Steve was named a Michigan Lawyers Weekly Leader in the Law for his efforts in promoting national truck safety.