Presented by Kaiser Permanente, registration is now open for the immersive program designed to help shape the future of the Capital Region
The Sacramento Metropolitan Chamber of Commerce will convene leaders from business, government, nonprofit organizations, and community institutions across the Capital Region to Detroit, Michigan, as part of the 26th Annual Study Mission scheduled for September 15-18, 2026. Presented by Kaiser Permanente, Study Mission is a signature program of the Metro Chamber that brings together the people shaping the region to explore new ideas, expand perspective, and build the relationships needed to move Sacramento forward.
Study Mission is built on one simple idea: sometimes the best way to move a region forward is to step outside of it. Through direct access to peer-city leaders, practitioners, and innovators, participants gain perspective that is difficult to find while focused on the day-to-day work of leading at home.
“The future of the Capital Region will not be built by people staying in the same rooms having the same conversations,” said Robert Heidt, President & CEO of the Sacramento Metro Chamber. “Study Mission creates a space for leaders to step away from their day-to-day responsibilities, explore new ideas, build meaningful relationships, and return with fresh perspective. That’s where some of our region’s most important conversations begin.”
Detroit was selected for the 2026 Study Mission because it offers a compelling example of how a city can evolve while remaining grounded in its identity. Shaped by resilience, reinvention, creativity, and decades of intentional work, Detroit continues to confront growth, investment, and transformation in real time. Those experiences provide valuable lessons for the Capital Region navigating many of the same opportunities.
The 2026 Study Mission Program Chair is Phil Tretheway, Vice President & Creative Director at Position and a longtime advocate for the Capital Region. Known for helping organizations turn complexity into clarity, Tretheway has spent his career bringing people together around shared ideas, stronger brands, and a common vision for the future.
“Detroit is a city that has been to the bottom and found its way back,” said Phil Tretheway, Vice President & Creative Director at Position and Study Mission 2026 Program Chair. “I want Sacramento leaders to experience that, not as a cautionary tale, but as a call to action. We have the potential, but potential doesn’t build itself. Study Mission is where we stop talking about what’s possible and start learning from people who are actually doing it.”
Past Study Mission cities include visits to Boston in 2025, St. Louis in 2024, Toronto in 2023, San Diego in 2022, Indianapolis in 2019, Brooklyn in 2018 and Chicago in 2015. Some of the programs and projects that resulted from past Study Missions include Blueprint for Sacramento Area Council of Government’s (SACOG), the Sacramento Region Brandathon, Emerge Summit for young professionals, Measures Q & R, Align Capital Region (now Project Attain), and more.
Through conversations with civic, cultural, and business leaders, participants will explore how Detroit is approaching redevelopment, adaptive reuse, technology, mobility, arts and culture, and regional collaboration. The experience is designed to challenge assumptions, spark new ways of thinking, and bring fresh ideas and stronger connections home to the Capital Region.
To register, explore sponsorship opportunities, or find out more information about the 2026 Study Mission to Detroit, please visit www.metrochamber.org/studymission26. And, for more information about the Sacramento Metropolitan Chamber of Commerce, please visit www.metrochamber.org.
