Great Lakes Manufacturing Council ceases operations
by Canadian Manufacturing.com Staff
The Council of the Great Lakes Region has taken up the mantle of promoting manufacturing in the Great Lakes region, which has the economic heft equal to the third largest economy in the world
DETROIT—Following 10 years of working to improve the conditions for successful manufacturing in the Great Lakes region, the board of directors of the Great Lakes Manufacturing Council (GLMC) has decided to cease the GLMC’s operations and pass the torch to the Council of the Great Lakes Region (CGLR).
Established in 2007 as a bi-national organization, the GLMC has played a pivotal role in advancing the idea that the Great Lakes economic region, which is comprised of eight U.S. states and the Canadian provinces of Ontario and Quebec, represents the third largest economy in the world.
“The GLMC has fostered a number of initiatives and forums to help organizations with a commitment to successful manufacturing to connect with, to work with, and to learn from one another,” says Sherm Johnson, President of the GLMC. “The Council helped to create a much deeper understanding among policy makers and many organizations of the vital, foundational role of manufacturing in the Great Lakes.”
The non-profit organization was founded and led by Ed Wolking, then the Executive Vice-President of the Detroit Regional Chamber, with support from the Government of Canada.
“We fostered innovative partnerships, identified best practices, enhanced resources and increased exposure to new ideas, all at a time when the sector needed a boost,” says Wolking, past President of the GLMC. “Today the sector and the economy are stronger and many groups and companies are touting strong, positive messages about manufacturing in the region.”
As the GMLC winds down, the Council of the Great Lakes Region (CGLR) says it will take up the GLMC’s focus on manufacturing and many of its outreach activities.
“Looking ahead, as the competitiveness of this important sector improves, CGLR will ensure there is a venue to consider the issues facing manufacturing in the Great Lakes to ensure its long-term success within a robust and diversified Great Lakes economy,” said Mark Fisher, President and CEO of the CGLR.
