Opinion | Michigan businesses need more than workers. We need healthy families

As a business leader, I spend most of my days thinking about people.

I think about how to attract talented employees. How to retain them. How to help them grow their careers. How to create an environment where they can do their best work and build a future for themselves and their families.

man poses at the side of an aircraft — Andy Richards is executive vice president and chief operating officer-Michigan for Duncan Aviation. (Courtesy photo)

At Duncan Aviation, we know that our greatest asset is not our facilities, equipment, or aircraft. It is our people.

That understanding is one reason Duncan Aviation has invested in Rx Kids. We are proud to support the program because we believe strengthening families is not only good for children — it is good for communities, employers, and Michigan’s economy.

Some people view programs like Rx Kids solely through the lens of social policy. I view them through the lens of workforce development and economic growth.

Businesses across Michigan face a common challenge: finding and keeping talented workers. We invest millions of dollars in recruiting, training and developing employees because we know that long-term success depends on having a strong workforce.

But workforce development does not begin when someone applies for a job.

It begins with healthy pregnancies. Healthy babies. Stable families.

At Duncan Aviation, this is not a theoretical issue. We have seen firsthand how challenges at home affect employees at work. Several years ago, we surveyed our workforce and found that child-care challenges were causing many employees to miss work regularly. Like employers across Michigan, we recognized that workforce participation and productivity are deeply connected to whether families have the support they need.

Rather than simply accept those challenges, we partnered with local leaders and child-care providers to help create solutions. We did so because supporting families is not separate from business success. It is business success.

That experience taught us an important lesson: When families are stronger, businesses are stronger.

Rx Kids applies that same principle even earlier, during pregnancy and infancy.

The earliest years of life shape everything that comes after: educational attainment, health, workforce participation and economic productivity. If we want a stronger workforce 20 years from now, we need stronger starts for children today.

That is why Rx Kids is such a compelling investment.

The program provides direct financial support to families during pregnancy and infancy, helping them afford essentials like housing, food, diapers, transportation and other basic needs during one of the most financially challenging periods of life.

As an employer, that makes sense to me.

When families are under intense financial stress, it affects every part of their lives. It affects their health, their ability to focus at work, and their confidence about the future. When families have greater stability, everyone benefits—including employers.

The business community understands the value of prevention. We routinely invest upfront to avoid larger costs later. We maintain equipment before it breaks. We train employees before problems arise. We invest in safety before accidents happen.

Rx Kids follows the same logic.

Instead of paying later for poor health outcomes, educational challenges and economic instability, it helps families when support can make the greatest difference.

The results we are already seeing are encouraging. Research has found improvements in maternal and infant health, housing stability, food security and birth outcomes. Families report less financial stress and greater ability to meet their children’s needs. These are exactly the kinds of outcomes that help create stronger communities and a stronger future workforce.

At Duncan Aviation, we understand that developing talent takes time. The skilled technicians, engineers and leaders who keep Michigan businesses competitive are not created overnight. They are the product of years of investment, opportunity, education, and support.

Communities work the same way.

When we invest in people early, we create opportunities that compound over a lifetime. When we fail to invest, we often pay far more later.

Michigan has an opportunity to lead the nation by recognizing that supporting families is not merely social spending. It is economic development.

Every business leader talks about the importance of talent. Babies are where talent begins.

The future workforce sitting in Michigan classrooms, factories, hospitals, offices and hangars is being born today.

That is why Duncan Aviation chose to invest in Rx Kids, and why I hope more employers across Michigan will join us. Supporting babies may not look like traditional economic development, but few investments have greater potential to strengthen our future workforce, our communities and our state’s economy.

Supporting moms and babies is not only the right thing to do.

It is a smart business investment.

And smart investments are exactly how Michigan grows.