Description

2024 Annual Economic Summit 

 Each fall, Traverse Connect presents the Annual Economic Summit to highlight trends, speak to issues affecting the economy, and garner wisdom from economic experts to look ahead at the emerging business climate.This year, the conversation will be focused on economic milestones and the outlook for our region as we reach the half-way point on our 10-year 2030 goals for economic development. We are excited to expand this day to include networking, economic outlook discussions, and business showcase.
 

Quick Connect & Showcase Tables:
(9:30 AM - 11:00 AM)

Start the day connecting and networking with businesses across the Grand Traverse region! Quick Connect is incorporating intentional B2B networking, encouraging movement over the course of two hours. Make new connections with business and community leaders to help build your network. This event is free to attend with the purchase of an Economic Outlook Luncheon ticket.

We have a Business Showcase in the exhibition hall leading into the Economic Outlook Luncheon. Open exclusively to Economic Outlook Summit attendees, the Business Showcase will highlight 20 businesses. The Business Showcase will be a great opportunity for businesses within the Grand Traverse Region to highlight who they are and what they do. Booths for the Business Showcase are open to Traverse Connect Investors/Members only for $500. 

The showcase includes one six-foot table with black drape, two chairs, and two tickets to attend our Economic Outlook Luncheon. Please note, these tickets may not be applied to a table purchase.
 

Economic Outlook Luncheon:
(11:45 AM - 1:30 PM)

Our traditional longstanding program is back by popular demand, bigger and better than ever! We are very excited to welcome Jeff Guilfoyle, Chief Deputy Treasurer with the Michigan Department of Treasury, to provide economic insight from a national and state level.

We will also have a panel discussion to focus more specifically on the Grand Traverse region, featuring panelists from Hagerty, Interlochen Center for the Arts and Rehmann, as well as a fireside chat featuring Garrick Rochow, President & Chief Executive Officer of CMS Corporation and Consumers Energy. 

Traverse Connect investors/members can purchase reserved tables of eight for $500 or individual tickets for $55 each. Non-investors/members can purchase individual tickets for $75.

We are also honored to have Fifth Third Bank back as our Presenting Sponsor for the luncheon. 


Lodging Accommodations:

Grand Traverse Resort & Spa has offered our attendees a discounted room rate of $119 for Hotel guestrooms and $149 for Tower guestrooms. To book your accommodations, please call (231) 534 - 6001 and speak with a reservations agent, and mention AES Traverse Connect or code AES1124.
​Please note that this is only available by calling.

Traverse Connect and Michigan's Creative Coast are pleased to invite 10 individuals from outside the Grand Traverse Region for a long weekend of creating personal and professional connections to help you make the move! These “Northern Explorers” will be welcomed at the Fresh Coast Quarterly Club on Friday, November 1 at Mount Holiday, before attending the 2024 Annual Economic Summit on Monday, November 4 as our VIP guests.  

If you or someone you know is hoping to make the move to northern Michigan, apply to be a Northern Explorer to meet with 550+ local business leaders, residents, and local northern Michiganders. Northern Explorers will receive a complimentary ticket and will be paired with one of our Michigan's Creative Coast ambassadors who will accompany them to the event. Learn more about our Northern Explorers HERE!

Garrick J. Rochow is President and Chief Executive Officer of CMS Energy and its principal subsidiary, Consumers Energy, which serves 1.9 million electric customers and 1.8 million natural gas customers. The company has annual revenues of $6.7 billion, assets totaling $29.7 billion and 8,500 employees. He was elected to this position in December 2020. Rochow previously was executive vice president of operations. He was responsible for the company’s electric and natural gas distribution and transmission operations, generation and compression operations, operations performance, regulatory compliance and planning and scheduling. Previously, Rochow served in several operations leadership roles. Before becoming senior vice president of operations, he was Consumers Energy’s senior vice president of distribution and customer operations. In that role, he led the company’s electric and natural gas distribution systems, engineering, energy operations, electric and gas transmission and customer operations.

Rochow graduated from Michigan Technological University with a bachelor’s degree in environmental engineering and earned a master’s degree in business administration from Western Michigan University. He also has attended an executive education program at the University of Wisconsin-Madison’s Wisconsin School of Business.

Jeff Guilfoyle is Chief Deputy Treasurer for the Michigan Department of Treasury. Prior to this role, Jeff was a vice president at Public Sector Consultants where he helped clients find answers to difficult policy questions. Jeff has worked extensively on early childhood policy issues, school finance, tax policy, intergovernmental fiscal relations, and issues pertaining to Michigan's economy and the state budget. Jeff is a past president of the Citizens Research Council of Michigan (CRC), an independent nonpartisan public policy research institution. As president of CRC, he developed CRC's research agenda and edited all of CRC's research. He also frequently presented CRC's research to a wide variety of audiences and stakeholders. Jeff also served as the director of the Office of Revenue and Tax Analysis in the Michigan Department of Treasury. His responsibilities included forecasting and tracking state tax receipts, estimating the impact of legislation on state tax revenues, and providing economic research support to the state treasurer.

Jeff has a BA in Economics from the University of Michigan and an MA and PhD in Economics from Michigan State University. 
 

 

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Check out sponsorship opportunities HERE, or contact Molly MacGirr, Director of Events & Programs: molly.macgirr@traverseconnect.com