West Michigan Policy Forum is Sept. 16-17

In collaboration with the chambers of commerce in Grand Haven/Spring Lake/Ferrysburg, Holland, Kalamazoo, Muskegon, Saginaw and Traverse City, we are pleased to invite you to the 2010 West Michigan Policy Forum. The event will take place September 16-17, 2010, in Grand Rapids at the DeVos Place Convention Center.

At our inaugural Policy Forum in September 2008, 600 business and civic leaders, legislators and local officials gathered in Grand Rapids to create a common business policy agenda. Participants at this year's Forum will have an opportunity to continue the dialogue and engage in state policy discussions. We will take a deeper look at the agenda established in 2008 and further develop the policy goals and initiatives for moving Michigan forward.

Now is the time to register for this event! Early registration discounts for members of several participating Chambers can save you up to $150, and save non-members up to $100. Don't wait...register today for $425/member! Just visit www.grandrapids.org/policyforum for more information and to register to attend.

"This is your chance to have a seat at the table with the brightest business and policy minds in the state," says Jared Rodriguez, Senior Vice President of Government Affairs at the Grand Rapids Area Chamber of Commerce. "Armed with solid solutions and strategies, the Chamber in partnership with other business organizations will take our pro-business agenda to Lansing."

Here's a look at some of the sessions planned for this dynamic event:

* Thursday night's dinner will feature political satirists Mo Rocca and P.J. O'Rourke in a one-time-only joint appearance created just for this event! Rocca has appeared on The Daily Show, The Tonight Show and CBS Sunday Morning, among many others. O'Rourke is the author of 15 books and a regular correspondent for The Atlantic Monthly, The American Spectator, and The Weekly Standard. Both are also regular panelists on the National Public Radio game show "Wait Wait...Don't Tell Me!"

* Economic Recovery in Michigan with Brian Wesbury, economist and economic forecaster. Brian is published regularly in The Wall Street Journal and is a CNBC analyst.

* Sessions such as Health Care - The Economic Impact of the National Health Care Plan and Future of Education - Cradle Through Career

* A "Meet the Gubernatorial Candidates" moderated Q&A.

* Rapid Exchange Sessions, featuring presenters such as Marge Potter of the Detroit River Tunnel Project, on Michigan's Infrastructure and International Trade Corridor, Streamlining Government Services, and Taxing Michigan. (topics may change)

* Closing session: A Look Ahead with lunch keynote speaker William Clay Ford, Jr., Chairman of Ford Motor Company.

For updates, including a detailed agenda with specific times, additional speakers, and topics, please visit www.grandrapids.org/policyforum.

PHOTOS:

PJ O'Rourke

Mo Rocca

Bill Ford Jr.