Ron Weiser was brought up in St. Joseph, Michigan where his parents owned a clothing store. Besides participating in three varsity sports, he almost always had jobs on the weekends and during the summers. Those jobs, among others, included working as a blueberry picker, driving an ice cream truck, and working at his parents’ store. He moved to Ann Arbor in 1963 to attend the University of Michigan where he graduated in 1966 and went on to do post-graduate work in law and business.

While attending the UofM Ron Weiser always had one or more jobs, including working at a snack bar, as a waiter, on the road crew for the state highway department, and as an accountant for the University Retirement Office and a CPA firm.

Weiser started his first business, a lawn service, in 1967 when he was in the business graduate school. In 1968 he left school and with $300 of capital and founded a real estate company, McKinley Associates. Over the years the company grew to employ more than 700 people with properties across the county. Ron retired as the CEO and Chairman in 2001 to become the U.S. Ambassador to the Slovak Republic. Since his return from the Foreign Service in 2005 he has been actively involved in political campaigns and non-profit work.

He’s been married for 26 years to his wife Eileen. They have three children and five grandchildren, all of whom live in Washtenaw County.

Ron also worked with me as our Finance Chairman during my first term as State Chairman and has been a good friend and supporter to Republicans across the state. I look forward to working with Ron as we get set to “win in 2010″!

Good luck my friend!

Ambassador Ron Weiser and former Chairman Saul Anuzis

Ambassador Ron Weiser was elected Chairman yesterday. He was kind enough to present me with a beautiful plaque that had a slice of the “under the oaks” oak tree where our party was founded…in Jackson Michigan.

Today was my last day as Chairman of the Michigan Republican Party.  As I was shoveling snow this afternoon I reflected on what we need to do to win..again.  Here is an op-ed I wrote discussing why conservative ideas can still win…

The Republican Party must shift toward the center say some pundits. Others urge a tilt to the right. The right answer is that our party must move forward as a party of ideas, innovation, and – yes – conservatism. 

But to be successful, our party must be more than a loyal opposition. Simply opposing the Democrats will guarantee another four years in the wilderness after Obama’s re-election in 2012. We can build our new majority one idea at a time, one neighborhood at a time, and one email at a time. By sticking to our core values and focusing on delivering results, we can start our comeback and show America that Republicans are once again a party that keeps its promises and solves problems. 

I think we are the party of the right ideas…now we need the right leadership to make it work!