Formed in 2010, the
Greater Ishpeming-Negaunee Chamber of Commerce works to provide a voice for western Marquette County’s businesses. Upper Peninsula Second Wave writer Julia Woehrer interviewed the chamber’s executive director, Elizabeth Peterson, to learn more about the presence of the chamber in the west end.
Upper Peninsula Second Wave: The chamber has only been in existence since 2010. What obstacles did it face during its first few months and how has it grown since?
Elizabeth Peterson: I was just talking with someone about my first day at the chamber. I remember sitting at my desk in the Ski Hall lobby and literally at that point, that desk was all the chamber had. It sat empty. No phone, no computer... maybe one or two leftover pens in the top drawer. It was a little frightening to be honest. But, we wasted no time in getting started. I knew in order to be successful, I needed to hear the stories of the individual business owners in the area.
One of the first areas I found needed work was communication. Communication between businesses, communication with visitors, tourists and prospective new business owners. We needed to come together as a group of determined community and business leaders. I saw this happen over the past year. It's been incredible to watch the connections being made, the relationships formed, the flow of information, the genuine interest and concern our members have for each other and the community.
UPSW: Why is it important for the area to have a chamber of commerce?
EP: It's important for the west end to have an organization focusing on this community’s wants and needs, to have a separate focus--spotlighting the businesses, recreational opportunities, events, communities, and organizations. To say the needs of Marquette County are the same in each of the cities that define it, would simply be untrue. The west end has its own voice and we work to be sure we, as an organization, not only understand it, but are able to communicate it. We're still in the process of figuring out exactly what we'll be when we "grow up." But, I strongly believe--and if you look at our past year, it seems--we're on the right path.
UPSW: How many members does the chamber have? How many do you hope to add in the next year?
EP: The chamber currently has 202 members. We are more than thrilled with the growth of membership and appreciate the support of the community. It is our goal to not only continue increasing our membership but retain our current members.
UPSW: What are some of the biggest obstacles that local businesses in western Marquette County face?
EP: One of the consistent concerns we hear from our members is technology. It goes a little like this: "So, I thought I was doing really great, I finally had someone design a website, now I hear I should do a mobile site. What in the world is a mobile site? Am I supposed to be tweeting? What about Facebook? Am I supposed to be texting? Why do I need all of this and how much is it going to cost me?"
So we're working on some of those issues. Obviously there's a lot of change in technology; there always is. That's why we chose the directory we did. We're working on a mobile marketing campaign. We've held luncheons on Twitter, Facebook and web design. It can be daunting for a business owner to try and stay on top of all of this, so we're trying to take some of that burden and at least provide some information and education.
UPSW: What types of challenges has the chamber faced?
EP: One of the biggest challenges I face as the director of the chamber is finding an appropriate balance between checking in with current members, meeting with potential members interested in the benefits of joining, keeping up with our current programs and events, and researching new benefits, events and programs that we can add to make our community and organization stronger.
When I first started with the chamber I had time to meet one on one with many of our businesses owners in the community. I spent a lot of time listening and taking notes. I don't want to stop doing that, but at the same time, with 202 members, I certainly can't commit the same amount of time to this and it's important to me to take those initial conversations and suggestions and put them into action. It's challenging, but we work through it. We have decided to hire a full time employee. And I'm confident this new position will help strengthen the chamber and make for a more efficient organization.
UPSW: How does the chamber benefit area businesses and the local economy?
EP: The chamber exists because a group of local business leaders decided the community needed an organization to promote, aid and focus on the west end. It's as simple as someone being there to answer their questions. I think about that often. We receive a lot of phone calls from tourists, prospective business owners and residents. We see people stopping at the chamber looking for maps, phone books, directions.
The question dawns on me from time to time: Where would these people found the answers to their questions had the chamber not been here? Would they have just given up, frustrated, and assumed western Marquette County an unfriendly place to visit or do business? I can't be sure. But I am sure that we do everything we can for each person that calls, each business looking for help, and I'm glad we're here. I'm glad their search ends with information and details.
UPSW: The GINCC website provides
chamber member information such as submitted testimonials, location information, coupons and upcoming events for each business. Have chamber members found this feature to be an effective tool in promoting their businesses?
EP: This is definitely an effective tool for a large number of them. When we started the directory, many of our area businesses didn't have a web presence. We've been able to provide them with that and offer a place to provide information about their services and business to consumers. It's not a perfect system, and we're still working to make it better, a bit more user-friendly and accessible. Some of our members even use this directory and their profile page as their website, linking a domain name to the profile. This seems to be an efficient and effective way to promote business and ultimately the west end.
UPSW: What do you say to people who are thinking about relocating to Marquette County but may think the wintry weather will be too much for them?
EP: Honestly, I don't think anyone has ever asked me this. But if they did, it wouldn't be too hard to answer: Embrace it. Our winters are part of what makes us unique. Want to snowmobile on some of the best trails in Michigan? We have them. Want to cross-country ski or snowshoe for miles and miles on trails surrounded by pristine wilderness? We have them. Want to celebrate snow and all the opportunities it provides us? We do. Want to tube slide onto Teal Lake and watch fireworks bounce off the ice? We do that too. Ski jumping? Oh yeah, we excel at that too. It's not sugar coating. It can be brutal. Blustery. Make driving way too difficult. But I'm not one to look at the glass half empty.
UPSW: Tell me about a local business that has fared well despite the recent recession.
EP: I'll give you two.
Midtown Bakery & Café and
Wilderness Sports. Both are members of the chamber and both businesses I have watched continue to push boundaries, think outside the box and defy the odds. They've accepted that things are different today than five, even two years ago. They're constantly looking at new partnerships, new angles, new ways to stay competitive, keep their quality, and remain genuine despite the economy, rising costs, big box stores and internet sales. They are great examples of businesses pushing forward.
UPSW: The chamber has an exciting event coming up on August 25, the
Suicide Hill Mud Plunge. Are people excited to go out and get all muddy? Will you be participating?
EP: The Suicide Hill Mud Plunge turned out to be our big event last year. We expected 200 people, and it turned out 750 signed up to run on the trails between Ishpeming and Negaunee. It was incredible. We saw people come from Wisconsin, Minnesota, Illinois, downstate, even as far as Florida to participate. With that kind of a turnout, it was pretty obvious we had to do it again...and so the second annual event is scheduled for Aug. 25. Over 130 people are already signed up. We can't wait. We're designing more obstacles, making more mud, and working to make sure this event continues to be a draw for residents and visitors. We learned a lot last year and I can't wait for our participants to see some of the changes. Oh, and yes, I am going to try and run this year; I was too nervous last year.
Editor's Note: This interview was edited and condensed.
Julia Woehrer is a freelance writer and photographer. She attended the School of Art and Design at Northern Michigan University where she concentrated in photography and minored in journalism. She volunteers at a local no-kill cat shelter and enjoys spending time with her cats, Bella and Macy.