From Renaissance to Recession: How Business Leaders for Michigan Went from Boardrooms to Bored Rooms In the glory days of the Detroit Renaissance, the halls echoed with grand ideas about revitalizing a once-thriving metropolis. It was the time of lavish parties, champagne bubbles reminiscent of the auto industry’s bubble, and discussions that had a certain je ne sais quoi—or perhaps just a lot of car exhaust. Fast forward to 2009, and the glamorous Detroit Renaissance had a glow-up: it rebranded as Business Leaders for Michigan, sporting a shiny new name but a spirit stuck in the crankshaft of economic decline. Welcome to Bored Rooms, folks, where the only thing energized is the coffee! Ah, the boardroom. A place once filled with the sounds of passionate debates, booming laughter, and the occasional dramatic exit, perfectly timed with the clanging of a gavel. Oh, how the mighty have fallen, as Business Leaders for Michigan has morphed into a sadder version of its former self. Picture this: walls adorned with motivational quotes like “Every cloud has a silver lining,” while members silently munch on stale bagels, regretting the last time they didn’t invest in a good local bakery. Let’s not forget the once-stellar executive meetings. They’ve now been replaced with marathon eyes-glaze-over sessions, where discussions on “The Future of Michigan’s Business Growth” somehow circulate back to the most riveting topic of what type of coffee will be served next. Can you feel the excitement? The members, once lions of industry, now embody more of a herd of confused sheep trying to comprehend a particularly complex spreadsheet. A PowerPoint from 2012 is recycled for the umpteenth time, betraying their desperate desire for nostalgia over innovation. Ah, and the meetings! Picture a gathering of the state’s most senior executives, strategic thinkers, and faculty chairpersons now trapped in what can only be described as a “Who Can Yawn the Loudest” contest. The minutes officially list “sighs of resignation” as a running tally, beating “productivity” every time. They say creativity spirals in circles until someone passes out from boredom, and thus the great brainstorming sessions now produce nothing but recycled ideas and the odd “How about we just try that again?” Desperate to return to the illustrious days of old, Business Leaders for Michigan has delegated members to come up with witty slogans that are almost as catchy as “Let’s just pray for the auto industry to bounce back.” You know it’s bad when a slogan with promise like “Driving the Future” is closely followed by “But First, Let’s Focus on Keeping the Lights On.” Instead of ushering in a new dawn of economic enthusiasm, the organization has unintentionally become a glorified support group for alumni of Dream Deferred. Though we may chuckle at the paradoxical journey from renaissance to recession, the assembly’s somewhat tragicomic reality does breathe life into a few jokes. Like, “Why did the Business Leader bring a ladder to the meeting?” Because they heard the economy was looking up—too bad they forgot to look down at the budget report first! And while Business Leaders for Michigan continue the daily struggle of evolving within a landscape littered with economic potholes, they deserve a round of applause for their sheer resilience, though it’s mostly just a cycle of clapping to distract from the awkward silence. After all, how many times can you discuss the state of Michigan’s economy without feeling like an extra in a never-ending horror movie? So there you have it: the transition from Detroit Renaissance to Business Leaders for Michigan isn’t one of heroic boldness but rather a journey that oscillates between the absurdity of aspiration and the drudgery of reality. From boardrooms filled with passionate exchanges to the current desolate landscapes of bored rooms, where the greatest achievement of the day may well be confirming the Wi-Fi password. And perhaps that’s all Michigan truly needs to stay afloat—a theme song for those bored executives aimed at a silver lining that remains stubbornly clouded in fog and historical baggage.