On Friday, MLive reported that Xconomist Mike Finney, president and CEO of the Michigan Economic Development Corporation, Detroit Venture Partners‘ Jake Cohen, and Rick DeVos, heir to the Amway fortune and founder of Start Garden, traveled to New York City to sell the story of Michigan’s comeback to reporters from national outlets such as the New York Times, the Wall Street Journal, and Forbes.
We at Xconomy definitely agree that Michigan and Detroit, in particular, are mounting legitimate comebacks. (In fact, we wrote about it at the end of last year and included a slideshow of reasons why.)
But I would argue that Michigan’s improving fortunes have less to do with regulatory changes spurred by Governor Rick Snyder—like when he and the legislature turned Michigan into a right-to-work state in the middle of the night to the consternation of thousands of protesters—and more to do with strong leadership from entrepreneurs and philanthropists, as well as a desire on the part of young professionals to be a part of a meaningful urban renewal movement.
But, hey—we trust that journalists at places like the New York Times are smart enough to figure that out, and we look forward to their coverage.
