Michigan Governor Rick Snyder, Bill Ford to Discuss Growing the U.S. Economy in San Francisco Thursday, Oct. 1

Event to be hosted by Business Leaders for Michigan

SAN FRANCISCO -- Sept. 14, 2015:

SPEAKER: Michigan Governor Rick Snyder and Bill Ford, Executive Chairman of Ford Motor Company

TITLE: Growing the U.S. Economy

DATE: Thursday, October 1, 2015

TIME: 1:00pm, 12:15pm check-in

PLACE: The Commonwealth Club of California

555 Post Street, San Francisco

RSVP: RSVP REQUIRED. Contact Keegan Calligar / Keegan.calligar@aboutdci.com/ 212-444-7121 Michigan Gov. Rick Snyder and Bill Ford, Executive Chairman of the Ford Motor Company, will be at the Commonwealth Club of California on Thursday, October 1, to discuss a variety of topics that address a common theme: growing the United States economy.

The Governor and Bill Ford will discuss a variety of issues facing the American economy, including growing the talent pipeline, the value of public/private partnerships, the country's biggest growth opportunities, and how new mobility solutions will change the auto industry and cities alike.

As the Governor of Michigan since 2011, Rick Snyder has led the state's impressive turnaround from the Great Recession, with Detroit emerging from the largest municipal bankruptcy in U.S. history faster and stronger than anyone would have predicted. He will discuss how the state and Detroit have changed, and how other states and Washington, D.C. use lessons learned in Michigan as a roadmap to follow for economic growth.

Under Bill Ford's leadership, Ford Motor Company published its first corporate citizenship report – now called the Sustainability Report – in 2000, outlining the economic, environmental and social impact of company products and operations around the world. In 2012, he announced the company's Blueprint for Mobility that set near, mid-term and long-term goals to address the changing transportation landscape. In January 2015, the company announced its Ford Smart Mobility plan to drive innovation in connectivity, mobility, autonomous vehicles, the customer experience and big data.

With the automotive industry fast becoming a mobility industry, Michigan's history as an automotive leader and deep R&D assets position it to be the leader in mobility. Bill Ford's vision for mobility calls for a radically different transportation landscape where pedestrian, bicycle, private car, commercial and public transportation are woven into a connected network that saves time, conserves resources, lowers emissions and improves safety. Bill Ford views the automobile as one element of a broader transportation ecosystem, and believes we will need new ways to optimize the entire system. He has said that it is a huge challenge that will only be successful if government, infrastructure development and industry come together globally.