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Northern Michigan chamber alliance urges targeted state support for rural economic development
Summary
Representatives of the Northern Michigan Chamber Alliance told the Michigan House Committee on Economic Competitiveness that region-specific tools — from small-scale business incentives to employer-assisted housing and site-readiness funds — are critical to sustaining rural communities and helping the state grow.
Members of the Northern Michigan Chamber Alliance told the Michigan House Committee on Economic Competitiveness that Michigan must pair statewide resources with regionally tailored tools to sustain and grow rural economies.
Haley, speaking for the alliance, told the committee the group represents chambers across Northern Lower Michigan and the Upper Peninsula and that its purpose in Lansing was “to highlight what rural economic development means to us in our communities.”
The alliance framed its testimony around three themes: regionally driven development, workforce and talent, and “real prosperity” that ties together housing, childcare, health care and outdoor recreation as economic assets. “The thriving foundation of any community is 100% tied to its people,” said Nikki Devitt, president and CEO of the Petoskey Regional Chamber.
Presenters described programs and local projects they said illustrate how targeted state investments leverage private and local funding. Christopher Germain, CEO of the Lake Superior Community Partnership, cited public–private partnerships that…
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