How has the smoking ban affected your business? Do you see this regulation as being stifling to restaurants like yours?

It began in the summer while MSU was still on break and it initially increased our food sales and moderately reduced drink sales. Now that we’re in the fall, drink sales are still not as high and food sales are slightly less but it has not dramatically hurt our business.

To start out can you describe what the Michigan Public Service Commission (MPSC) is and what are some of its goals?

The MPSC is an independent state regulatory agency. We have close to 200 staff underneath it. It’s operated by 3 commissioners who are appointed by the governor. We each serve 6 year terms that rotate so our 6 year terms expire at different periods. Our primary goal is to ensure that we have safe energy services for the state and we also monitor issues dealing with motor carrier and telecommunications in the state as well. One of our primary objectives is to truly ensure that we have policies in place that help build economic development in each of these areas and also ensure that customers, whether they be residential customers or business customers have accesses to the services that they need in order to operate.

Interview - Rob Fowler, President/CEO of Small Business Association of Michigan

Q1: "I would like to begin by talking briefly about the history of the SBAM. When was it founded? Is it part of a bigger nationwide organization? And finally, what was the primary objective for the organization?"

A1: "SBAM, as we are called was founded in 1969, so we just celebrated our 40th anniversary. It was actually founded in Kalamazoo, MI by a group of small business owners who had found themselves struggling with issues regarding health care - providing health insurance for their employees, and also tax and regulation. Those tended to be the three categories. They just felt that they would have more influence together than any of them would have separately. And really, the primary mission hasn't changed much over the years. We continue to believe that together, we are more likely to have a greater influence on, certainly the public policy process, than any of our members by themselves. As far as a national organization, we have somewhat of a loose affiliation, that is to say we are not a chapter of the National Small Business Association, but rather a member of the National Small Business Association. However, we have several members in our organization who sit on the board of the NSBA. I sit on the board, so we do have a really strong relationship but it is a loose confederation of small business associations."

1. Can you tell me about your professional and educational background?

Doug Roberts went to Hope College and got a BA in Business Administration and Political Science. He then went to MSU and got his master’s in public administration. After that, he worked as a member of the policy staff in the House of Representatives. In 2002, he started at the Michigan Chamber of Commerce, and he really enjoys it.