Innovative: Support for business in Emmet County

For generations, the most respected and internationally regarded families, entrepreneurs, executives and corporate leaders have come to Northern Michigan for rest and relaxation, and found, in turn, a wealth of reasons to invest more than just their time.

In recent decades, summer homes have evolved into year ‘round residences, as working families find their niche along the shores of Lake Michigan. The region’s diversified economy—a mix of successful retail, industrial, tourism-oriented, agricultural, building trades and health and medical professions —is buoyed by responsive local units of government, convenient transportation, state-of-the-art technological infrastructure and an alliance of business professionals in place to ensure success from day one.

As Emmet County leaders see it, the easier it is for businesses to open shop and thrive here, the better it is for the county and the region as a whole. In fact, the county’s board of commissioners is currently examining its planning and zoning policies to streamline the process for those applicants who meet code at the get-go.

Further, at the state level, legislators continue to push for Michigan-wide broadband access, greater availability of micro-business loans and ways to keep funding levels steady for the award-winning Pure Michigan marketing campaign.

These factors come together to create a one-of-a-kind climate where you don’t have to choose between a viable business and an enviable lifestyle.

“Emmet County has a lot of things—the arts, recreation, great health care and public safety, and a small-town atmosphere, which you can’t say about everywhere in the state,” said Gary McDowell, state House Representative (Democrat) for the 107th District that includes Emmet County. “It’s a tribute to the people of Northern Michigan, and that’s what attracts people and business to our communities. So often, when it comes to locating a business, the decisions are actually made by the caretaker of the children—what kinds of schools do we have, what kind of health care, can we send the kids down the street to the playground and know they’ll be safe?

“Emmet County has all of that. It’s the best of both worlds.”

Whether it’s turning a penchant for extreme sports into a profession or catering to the tens of thousands of tourists who flock up North, operating a factory with hundreds of skilled employees or expanding a family specialty business, the sky is the limit in Emmet County when it comes to business opportunity.

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Organizations To Help Your Business

• Northern Lakes Economic Alliance (NLEA), www.northernlakes.net, (231) 582-6482
• Michigan Economic Development Corp. (MEDC), www.michiganadvantage.org
• Petoskey Regional Chamber of Commerce, www.petoskey.com, (231) 347-4150
• Emmet County Director of Transportation, Kelley Atkins, (231) 330-1837
• Emmet County Controller, Lyn Johnson, www.emmetcounty.org, (231) 348-1701
• Petoskey Area Visitors Bureau, www.petoskeyarea.com, (800) 845-2828

Business incubator gets a $50k boost

The Northern Lakes Economic Alliance’s business incubator recently received a $50,000 federal grant to help small businesses in Northern Michigan get off the ground. The U.S. Department of Commerce’s Economic Development Administration awarded the NLEA’s Small Business Incubator program the funding, which will help to provide advice on business strategy and access to capital and resources to emerging companies.

The NLEA uses a “virtual” format for its incubator, helping businesses line up resources for marketing, finance and Web design.

Since launching in October 2008, the incubator program has assisted more than 180 existing or prospective entrepreneurs and employers throughout the NLEA’s service area of Emmet, Charlevoix, Antrim and Cheboygan counties, according to its president, Andy Hayes.

The NLEA is a public-private partnership established more than 25 years ago to serve as a resource for local government and local companies to help create and retain jobs. www.northernlakes.net.

 

 

Emmet County Guide 2010 » Innovative: Support For Business