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MiMfg Magazine
February 2020
Keynote
Jim Ananich
Minority Leader
Conversation Senate
Michigan State Senate
with us a little bit of your
Q: Share
background and how that
positions you to help the
Legislature move Michigan
and its manufacturing
industry forward?
Ananich: My passion has always
been for teaching the next
generation. Before my first election
to the Michigan State Legislature,
I taught high school civics courses in Flint. For
me, one of the most rewarding aspects about the
job was helping kids uncover their interests and
providing guidance as they chose career and
education paths. For many of my students, the
skilled trades were a perfect fit.
That experience has motivated many of my
legislative efforts: I’ve introduced bills to establish
the Michigan Opportunity Scholarship, adjust math
graduation requirements to give students more
career flexibility, and in 2018, we successfully
established the Flint Promise, allowing students
from Flint to attend a community college or
university tuition-free.
have created a nation-leading
Q: Manufacturers
205,000 new industry jobs in the last decade. In
what ways do you see the industry continuing
that trend to make the next decade even better?
Ananich: Michigan will always be a leader in
making the latest research and design come to life
via manufacturing. In my hometown of Flint, the
best trucks in the world roll off the GM lot every
day, and much of our local economy is dependent
on the excellence the men and women at those
plants put into their work. Manufacturing will
continue to see job-creating success so long as the
industry stays flexible. Consumers are excited
about new innovations, like autonomous vehicles
and more eco-friendly cars. It is up to us as a state
to make sure that we’re ready and workers are
prepared to fill those good jobs.
1 1 Serves as the Minority Leader in the
Michigan State Senate and is in his second
full term as a Senator.
1 1 Served two terms in the Michigan House of
Representatives and four years on the Flint
City Council, including one year as president.
1 1 Former high school teacher in Flint and
worked as an education coordinator for
Priority Children, helping train Genesee
County youth to secure internships and jobs.
can Legislative Republicans and
Q: How
Democrats work together and with the
Whitmer Administration to ensure positive
movement on issues impacting employers
and the communities they invest in?
Ananich: I always say, “Let’s start where we can
agree and work from there.” We’ve already seen
some success despite divided government this
past year, namely with auto insurance and criminal
justice reform. We face challenges and disagreements
but at the end of the day, we all have constituents
who send us to Lansing. Many of our constituents
share the same concerns, regardless of their political
leanings: they want to make sure they can put food
on the table, afford their prescriptions, have clean
water to drink and provide the best education for
their children. If we start where we can agree, I
think senators and representatives from all perspectives
can work together with Governor Whitmer to find
common denominators that ensure Michigan’s
communities are friendly places for investment,
and that we have a big enough talent pool to fill
jobs and keep facilities up and running.
ahead, what is your vision for
Q: Looking
Michigan and its manufacturing industry
over the next 5-10 years?
Ananich: My vision is that we continue to lead in
making the best products money can buy! We are
already in the midst of the next big technological
revolution, and Michigan’s manufacturers will be
the ones to deliver quality, trustworthy products to
homes across the country and world.
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