The Plante & Moran 2008 Perspective on the Midwest Middle Market: Recognizing Optimism in Uncertain Economic Times

Are you hearing conflicting information about our current economic outlook? Do you know what other business leaders are doing to help grow their organizations?

Plante & Moran’s White Paper, which is now available, offers you the opportunity to sit down with 344 business leaders and get their candid opinions.

As part of our ongoing commitment to middle market businesses, Plante & Moran contracted with the Center for Urban Studies at Wayne State University to survey business leaders in the middle market regarding their perspective on continued business growth, additional tools that are needed for success, resources that are unique to our geography, and opportunity to grow the region’s economy. We heard from 344 organizational leaders in Ohio, Michigan, and Illinois during January–February 2008. Respondents included chief executive officers, chief financial officers, chief operating officers, executive directors, and owners.

The survey’s qualitative and quantitative data is provided in our report, “The Plante & Moran 2008 Perspective on the Midwest Middle Market: Recognizing Optimism in Uncertain Economic Times.” Following is a look at what the survey shows:

• The middle market is optimistic:  Sixty-seven percent of business leaders surveyed felt somewhat or very optimistic about the continued growth of their organizations.
• People are key to our prosperity:  The majority of business leaders surveyed stated that the availability of a skilled workforce and strong work ethic are the greatest assets to this region.
• Collaboration is vital:  Middle-market companies say that collaborating with other organizations is necessary for their success.
• Identifying the gap:  While business leaders are optimistic and have identified opportunities for continued growth, they also identified the resources necessary to support their growth.