Coming Soon: The New Michigan
During a period in the late 1800s, Michigan led the nation in lumber production. Michigan lumber was shipped throughout the country to help build the great nation we have today.
Not too long after that, a new industry – the automobile industry – would redefine the state. Though its lumber was prized, its cars and trucks would get the country moving in a way no industry ever had before.
And though we still produce lumber and we’ll always produce automobiles, Michigan again has the opportunity to redefine itself. What Michigan means in 20 years will be forged by our efforts today.
There’s almost a surplus of options:
The installed engineering and manufacturing base in southeast Michigan is unmatched anywhere in the nation, making our state a prime destination for companies involved in green energy initiatives such as lithium-ion car batteries and wind turbine engines.
Anyone who’s ever vacationed in Traverse City or Mackinac Island understands that Michigan is a tourist’s dream. Few states can boast the miles of coastline and breathtaking landscapes some of us simply take for granted.
Just as New Mexico’s film industry bolstered that state’s fortunes, a proposed Allen Park studio and more productions such as Clint Eastwood’s Gran Torino could very well make our state the new Hollywood.
- Within a 90-minute drive from our Troy office are some of the most outstanding universities in the region, including the University of Michigan, Michigan State University, Wayne State University and Oakland University. Any out-of-state, or even out-of-country, guests looking for an academically rich locale could not be better served.
It’s most likely that Michigan’s new identity will be one of diversity in both business and population, as its natural and man-made wonders attract attention from people around the world.
It hasn’t been an easy transition: many fine men and women across a variety of industries face tough times. Hopefully, programs such as No Worker Left Behind and federal economic recovery efforts will help.
Our role
As Realtors caught up in the wake of this change, we understand all too well how difficult it can be. That’s why your association continues to develop a robust portfolio of programs and services. Free programs include two Jeremy Conaway events, Think & Grow and The Mastermind Group, Legal Update, Thriving with Short Sales, How to Sell HUD Homes and an overview of Oakland County’s Home Buyers Assistance Program.
Your association also offers professional standards support, continuing education classes, affordable meeting space for your office and more. The association continually evaluates its offerings in an effort to provide you with the best. If you have a suggestion, don’t keep it to yourself: your valuable insight could help make the association even more valuable to you and your fellow agents.
Doing more for you
Just as Michigan has had to redefine itself over the years, so too must Realtors and their professional associations; that’s why we offer such a wide array of education programs and events. For example: five years ago, it was okay for an agent to not know all there was to know about short sales and HUD homes, while today that’s inexcusable. So we offer short sale and HUD courses, and there’s even more coming down the pike. Meanwhile, we’ll keep pushing to reduce cost and transition into the kind of organization you need for these tough times.
Michigan and her residents have weathered such storms before. If we stick together and do what we can for one another, we’ll weather this one, too.
Ghostwritten article for non-profit trade association president's newsletter column.