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MiMfg Magazine
May 2020
Wayne Schmidt
Keynote
Conversation
Senator
Michigan State Senate
you share how your
Q: Can
background has helped
you to represent your
constituents, including
local manufacturers?
Senator Schmidt: My back-
ground in hospitality and retail
has provided me with the tools
to successfully communicate with
my constituents and get to know
them on a personal level.
During my time as County Commissioner I
was given a unique opportunity to get to know the
many manufacturers in northern Michigan and
the Upper Peninsula. I served on the Brownfield
Board and Economic Development Corporation
helping companies expand their operations. As a
result, I came into the Legislature with a good
base of understanding of the manufacturing
industry. Furthermore, while growing up in
northern Michigan I got to know manufacturers
on a personal level by visiting operations and
learning their needs and challenges.
remains manufacturing’s top challenge;
Q: Talent
locating, training and retaining. Are there
current legislative efforts in place to help
employers fund training programs and ease
the overall workforce development effort?
Senator Schmidt: I previously served as Chair of
the Commerce Committee in both the House and
Senate and have always been supportive of these
types of programs. Currently, the Legislature is
working on Michigan Reconnect and Going PRO.
I will continue working closely with my colleagues,
including the Chair of the Labor and Economic
Opportunity/MEDC Appropriations Subcommittee,
Senator Ken Horn, to ensure their success.
Get More!
Find past interviews with manufacturing leaders
and policymakers at mimfg.org . Search “Keynote
Conversations” or go to mag.mimfg.org for past
issues of MiMfg Magazine.
1 1 Elected to the Michigan Senate in 2014. Serves
on the Senate Appropriations, Natural Resources
and Economic & Small Business Development
Committees and chairs the Appropriations
Subcommittees for both Transportation and
the K-12 & Michigan Department of Education.
1 1 Served as a Representative in the Michigan
House from 2008-2014.
1 1 Two-time recipient of MMA’s Legislator of the
Year Award, in 2011 as a Representative and
again as a Senator in 2015.
at your time in the Legislature,
Q: Looking
what achievements are you most proud of
and what are you still looking to achieve
before the end of your term?
Senator Schmidt: I am most proud of my involvement
in our state’s transportation system, including
roads, railways and airports — the manufacturers
in Michigan need a solid, reliable transportation
network. I am also honored to have been named
Legislator of the Year and Advocate of the Year
by MMA in the past. Moving forward, I plan to
continue my work on Michigan’s education system
and its funding.
ahead five to 10 years, where do you
Q: Looking
think Michigan manufacturing can go and what
still needs to happen to get the industry there?
Senator Schmidt: I am excited about the future of
Michigan manufacturing! We are living in
uncertain and unprecedented times, but each day
the manufacturers in this state prove that they can
adapt and work together to rise to any challenge.
I am confident that those skills will put Michigan
back in the driver’s seat as a hub of manufacturing
in the US. Our biggest challenges following this
crisis, and in the next five to 10 years, will be
prepping our workforce on all levels, from the
shop floor to top management. I have always
enjoyed working with Michigan manufacturers
and am grateful to have been recognized by them
in previous years. I look forward to continuing
working with them as I finish out my term.
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