Looking for opportunities to attract and keep new business and industry, the
Mackinac County Planning Commission is working hard to make a case for the creation of an economic development center in the county.
Help for this county can't come soon enough.
The unemployment rate for Mackinac County stands at 23 percent, the highest in the state. And that's just the tip of the iceberg. The county has seen a 22 percent decrease in family households in the last 10 years. The only increase for Mackinac County is a dubious one: a 112 percent increase in homes for sale. There are currently 200 residential homes on the selling block and several commercial listings.
There's one thing just about everyone in the county can agree on: there is no "front door" existing or potential business owners can enter for assistance to start a new business or expand an existing one.
"We need a go-to person for economic development," says Cheryl Schlehuber, a local business owner and member of the planning commission. "We're basically volunteers, we don't have the time or resources to do it ourselves."
Schlehuber says county commissioners need to support the results of the planning commission; these suggestions are the result of years of feedback from creative minds, knowledgeable entities, including regional planning and development resources, and many entrepreneurs that understand business start-up, survival, and growth.
The lack of an economic development center has cost the county in jobs and tax revenue. For instance, one local resident, David Goudreau, whose family has lived in the area for more than 150 years, wanted to start an aerospace repair business in St. Ignace. But with the lack of a properly zoned industrial park or any kind of assistance from the county, he simply wasn't able to launch his business in Mackinac County.
His
now-sucessful company is currently located in Newberry where it employs 13 people with an annual payroll around $500,000.
Goudreau says for the county to be successful in establishing an EDC, they need to hire a director and make him or her accountable by establishing some measurable milestones.
Schlehuber adds in order for real economic development to take place, Mackinac County will need to work together with adjoining counties, and not worry if one area or business will benefit more than another. Other communities, such as Cheboygan, Petoskey and Boyne City and the Sault Ste. Marie area, are doing this with great success, she says.
"We need to promote the region, forget the boundaries," she says. "It will take a dynamic person to pull this together."
A study done by the
Northern Lakes Economic Alliance in October 2011 recommended that the county hire a professional director and appoint a local committee to study the issue of economic development. They contacted 110 interested parties in four key towns: St. Ignace, Mackinac City, Cedarville and Curtis, to get their input on the needs of businesses in the county.
From these conversations the NLEA was able to offer several suggestions which they put forth in their report, titled the Mackinac County Economic Development Strategy.
Specific suggestions include:
- Establish an EDC office and staff it with a full-time director
- Upgrade technology for internet and cell phone usage
- Increase cooperation between the private and public sector
- Offer business counseling, workshops and seminars
- Offer web based tools for entrepreneurs
The proposed center is supported and strongly encouraged by more than 30 local businesses and groups who have sent letters of support to the commissioners. These groups and businesses include the St. Ignace schools, First National Bank of St. Ignace, and the city of Mackinac Island.
"There are so many possibilities in this county (for business development) but no one is working on it," says Dean Reid, a member of the planning commission.
Reid and other planning commission members have a number of ideas to boost economic development in the county including tapping into the time, knowledge and resources of retirees who have moved to the county, constructing a recreational trail, and finding ways to reach the more than 4 million people who cross the Mackinac Bridge annually, and attracting those folks to stay in Mackinac County.
The idea for an economic center for the county is not a new one. The idea was tabled back in 2005 for lack of funding. Now, there's more than a $1 million available from the proceeds from sales of foreclosed homes. This money could be used to establish an EDC, should the board choose. The original proposal calls for a five-year plan to get an EDC up and running and possibly being funded by private and public funds thereafter.
Still, planners are taking a cautious approach. Planning commission member Diane Patrick, who also owns a business in the area, says, like many counties across the state, Mackinac County is not as flush with cash as they used to be. Commissioners are a little hesitant to go out on a limb with a huge outlay of funding. Patrick says there are several options on the table, including forming an alliance with townships in the county, who would in turn help with funding, or even a millage.
Meanwhile, a lot of people have left the county to look for work. However, folks like Goudreau would argue there isn't a better place to live than the U.P., particularly what is known as the "Straits Area."
"We need to draw people back to the U.P.," says Goudreau, who thinks too much time and resources are spent on tourism. "To do this you need to develop sustained economic activity…use tourism as gravy on top of that."
The NLEA's report said St. Ignace is "on the verge of greatness." How will St. Ignace and the rest of the county get there?
"If you take the lead, people will follow," says Goudreau.