As I sit in North Carolina writing this Blog, I am struck by how different the emotional mood is here than back home. The whole country is feeling economic anxiety today and North Carolina is no exception. But North Carolina, a state I cited previously as a “benchmark” for Michigan to emulate, remains optimistic about its future. They believe their public institutions are largely doing the right things and their private leaders remain engaged to see things through.

The focus down here remains on economic development the “old fashioned way” – creating good jobs. There’s
a strong interest in rebuilding downtowns, transit, etc. But they focus on the fundamentals: maintaining a competitive business climate and cost structure, remain welcoming and appreciative of business investments, and build on the state’s assets that most impact the economy – higher education
and infrastructure.

It’s hard to have North Carolina’s optimism given what we seem to be experiencing every day. But if we can’t lift the negative emotional cloud that hangs over us, we will only make matters worse. So much in business is based on confidence in the future. Who will want to stay or move to a place where people are pessimistic about the future?

We can lift our spirits by getting engaged, not withdrawing from the public arena. The way to get Michigan back on track isn’t that complicated. Yes, it will take some time to get the economy growing again, but we know how to do it. Do we have the will
to fight back? If we don’t, who will?