Great Lakes Manufacturing Council shuts down

The Great Lakes Manufacturing Council (GLMC) is shutting its doors after 10 years, to be replaced by the Council of the Great Lakes Region (CGLR).

Established in 2007 as a bi-national organization, the GLMC was designed to advance 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,” Sherm Johnson, president of the GLMC, said in a statement. “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,” Wolking said. “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 Toronto-based 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.