Why Do We Do What We Do?

First, let me thank all of you once again for the warm reception the Made in Michigan Movement has received. We at Made in Michigan are constantly reminded why we are doing this and your encouragement drives us further each day.

We are days away from launching our website. Our programmers and designers believe in our mission and our working hard to provide you the most comprehensive resource available on the Internet today. I want to take a moment to thank them for their diligence.

I’m always amazed that in the midst of doing something positive, there are always those who feel the need to take their shots. It reminds me of a bucket crabs. A crab by itself can usually find its way out of a bucket. Put more than one crab in the bucket and as one tries to escape the others will pull it back in the bucket. So to our supporters, I say thank you. To the naysayers, what are you offering?

Recently, I was asked why we are doing Made in Michigan and what the rewards of our movement are. We’re doing this to raise awareness of Michigan products, their quality, and the impact that supporting those businesses have. An Economics student challenged me in a recent email. He said that supporting Michigan business is a closed-minded approach to solving our state’s economic woes and does little to stave of our national crisis as it relates to some theory in a text he recently read. While I am an educated man, I cannot attest to the effect our movement has on neighboring states nor do I have the slightest idea it has on the nation. I don’t live anywhere but Michigan, but if I did, my thoughts would still be the same: BUY LOCAL FIRST. I cannot wax poetic on economic theories nor would I pretend to. I do know that there is a guy just like me working the loading dock at a company in Grand Rapids and a woman working a sales route in Monroe that rely on the people of this great state to buy the products and services their companies offer. It is our responsibility first and foremost to take care of our neighbors here in Michigan. Made in Michigan was built on this premise: To take care of our Michigan family first. As far as the rewards go, I can honestly say it is all about the people we have met, and will meet, and the relationships we make. We look forward to spending a night in a B&B in Grand Rapids or sampling new micro-stilled Vodka in Detroit. Further, the handshakes, warm smiles, and the sampling of our state culture make this all worth while.