Southwest Michigan Regional Chamber of Commerce joins call for smart and consistent trade policies
June 17, 2026
Group latest to join coalition calling on Congress to enact straightforward trade policies
LANSING, Michigan — The Southwest Michigan Regional Chamber of Commerce is the latest organization to join the growing Michigan Smart Trade Alliance (MISTA) coalition calling for Congress to enact smart and straightforward trade policies that allow Michigan businesses to grow and plan for the future.
The Southwest Michigan Regional Chamber was established in 1954 and represents more than 1,000 diverse members in Berrien, Cass and Van Buren counties across 14 cities, 20 villages and 55 townships.
“Our organization is deeply committed to supporting a broad array of businesses across southwest Michigan so they can succeed and grow, and to do that we need stable and predictable trade policies,” said Arthur Havlicek, the chamber’s president and CEO. “That’s why we are standing with a broad range of groups across Michigan coming together to support the Michigan Smart Trade Alliance.”
The business advocacy group joins a growing coalition of more than a dozen MISTA members spanning industries including manufacturing, retail, healthcare, automotive and tourism and hospitality.
“Our growing coalition of organizations representing a wide range of industries shows how important it is for Congress to enact stable and predictable trade policies that allow Michigan businesses to plan for the future and help lower prices for families,” said Mark Fisk, a spokesman for MISTA.
“The addition of Southwest Michigan Regional Chamber to MISTA’s diverse and dynamic bipartisan coalition of groups from across the Great Lakes state shows the increasing chorus of support for an end to erratic trade policies and for Congress to enact trade policies that can help businesses in Michigan grow and thrive,” said John Sellek, a MISTA spokesman.
