The Keel launches, charting a new course through St. Clair County

Think back. Do you remember from younger days, the lines drawn on the bedroom door frame year after year, marking how tall you'd grown? During some years, there were growth spurts so dramatic that it came as no surprise when the next mark was more than an inch higher than the last. Other years, the development was in such tiny increments that when the next birthday rolled around, you didn't expect any mark at all. But there it was—less than a quarter inch, maybe, but still proof that the body was maturing, the bones and internal organs were growing, taking us from infancy to childhood to adolescence to young adulthood to full maturity (at least physically) as a grownup.

In my years as a reporter, I've had the privilege of seeing whole communities grow in similar ways. Like the physical anatomy of a human, there are some growing pains, stunted growth, but then—voila!—progress!

When startup investor and consultant Paul Singh from Results Junkies came to Port Huron, it was a chance to see how the city would measure up, much in the same way the black marker showed on the door frame. Based in Washington, D.C., Singh went on a country-wide 2016 "Tech Tour" to visit dozens of communities, especially the smaller towns. He spent most of the week in town touring the city, sharing his experiences in the business world, answering questions and giving practical advice for small businesses. He also met privately with entrepreneurs to give them his assessment on how they were doing and how they could improve.

He emphasized the use of the internet—online businesses that were smart enough to know how to reach their target audience.
 
"Stop depending on people walking by for business," he advised at one of many meetings with city leaders and business owners. "Think of how much we use the internet. There are customers around the world you can attract. You can't be just a brick and mortar store anymore." 

He explained that knowing how to sell our product was key; that in spite of some great merchandise, poor advertising could still kill your business. Learn to sell, he said. 

But on the internet, the customer can only read about and look at a digital image. How can we sell it?

"Talk about the product so they can almost touch it," he said.

Now to the exciting part—Singh's overall assessment of Port Huron's economic development.

"When I came to Port Huron, people told me to lower my expectations, that it was not as far along. I don't see that," he told us. What he saw was a town that was growing and alive, with innovative ideas and talented people with vision. 

He was drawing a line for the city. And it was much higher than last year's mark. 

This is the launch of The Keel, a magazine that will highlight amazing talent and economic transformation in the communities in St. Clair County—in particular Port Huron, its largest city and its nerve center.

I think Singh's assessment is dead on. This is your time, Port Huron. And The Keel is launching just in time to see it through!

Jeri Packer is the editor of The Keel. 

Pictured: Part of Paul Singh's 2016 Tech Tour on the trolley in Port Huron the end of July. Pictured are Dana Duncan, director of alumni engagement at the Iron Yard in D.C.; Blake Eitniear of Tech Port in Port Huron; John Robbins of Robbins Group and St. Clair County Economic Development Alliance; Tina Frazer of the EDA; Jeri Packer of The Keel; Paul Singh, start-up investor, consultant and investor and Matt Brooks, founder of Loft 912 in Port Huron.