Northwood Faculty and Students Join U.S. Chamber’s National Free Enterprise Tour
Northwood University students and professors helped bring a national conversation about free enterprise to Midland when the U.S. Chamber of Commerce’s Free Enterprise Express Opportunity Tour stopped in the community on Saturday, Oct. 3, 2026.
The event featured Neil Bradley, executive vice president and chief policy officer of the U.S. Chamber of Commerce, alongside two Northwood University economics faculty members: Dr. Alexander Tokarev, associate professor of economics and philosophy, and Dr. Michael Makovi, assistant professor of economics.
Together, they contributed to a discussion about the importance of free enterprise, economic freedom and the opportunities these principles create for individuals, businesses and communities.
Northwood students also played an important role in the conversation, offering perspectives on how free enterprise has influenced their education and communities.
The U.S. Chamber highlighted those student contributions in its social media coverage of the Midland stop, underscoring the importance of engaging the next generation in conversations about America’s economic future.
Northwood Faculty Bring Expertise to the National Conversation
The participation of Tokarev and Makovi highlighted Northwood’s role in advancing the understanding of free enterprise through teaching, research and public scholarship.
Tokarev, an accomplished scholar of economics and classical liberal philosophy, has contributed to international discussions about economic freedom, free markets and individual liberty. His work draws on both academic research and his personal experience growing up under socialism in Bulgaria.
Makovi brings expertise in economic theory and public policy, examining how government intervention, market incentives and individual choice influence economic outcomes. His published commentary applies economic principles to contemporary policy questions affecting businesses and consumers.
Their participation in the U.S. Chamber event reflected Northwood’s commitment to contributing faculty expertise to important public conversations while preparing students to understand and apply the principles of free enterprise.
A National Effort to Demonstrate the Impact of Free Enterprise
The Midland visit was part of the U.S. Chamber’s Free Enterprise Express Opportunity Tour, a six-week national initiative launched Sept. 18 that includes more than 50 events across 20 states.
The tour seeks to demonstrate how free enterprise creates opportunities, drives innovation, supports economic growth and strengthens communities.
Through conversations with business leaders, community members and other stakeholders, the Chamber is highlighting the practical impact of economic freedom on people’s lives.
The stop involving Northwood students and professors brought an important educational perspective to that mission.
As America’s Free Enterprise University, Northwood teaches that freedom, individual responsibility and enterprise are essential to human flourishing. Its educational philosophy emphasizes that people are empowered to create, innovate and serve others when they have the freedom to pursue opportunities and the responsibility to exercise that freedom wisely.
Those principles are not confined to textbooks or classrooms. They are reflected in the university’s academic programs, faculty scholarship and the experiences of students preparing to become tomorrow’s business leaders and entrepreneurs.
By bringing Northwood students and faculty into a national discussion about economic freedom, the Free Enterprise Express visit reinforced the university’s enduring commitment to preparing the next generation to understand, defend and advance the principles of free enterprise — and to demonstrate how those principles can improve lives, expand opportunity and strengthen communities.