At the end of July, the NLEA had the pleasure of hosting Back to Michigan partners at our offices in Boyne City thanks to the financial support of the Michigan Economic Development Corporation (MEDC). Back to Michigan is a group of talent attraction professionals and organizations from across Michigan that have been meeting virtually for the past three years.

The group is a network for support, brainstorming, and sharing best practices and has been instrumental as the NLEA has begun to better grasp our region’s talent challenges. Discussion at the first in-person meeting focused on talent attraction trends and initiatives in Michigan, potential collaboration with the MEDC’s talent campaign, and future programming hosted by the group.

A special thank you to Rachel Gray of Hello West Michigan for leading this group and organizing a rewarding visioning session.

The NLEA is excited to convene this panel of experts to discuss energy saving programs and solutions for businesses. As energy costs are rising, their pressure on businesses is rising too. This free panel is open to all businesses and will aim to provide context around recent rate increases and offer solutions to alleviate increasing costs.

To make this event accessible to audiences across the region, the panel will convene on September 27th in Mackinaw City at 10:00am at Biere De Mac Brew Works and in Charlevoix at 2:00pm at The Back Lot Charlevoix. Panelists will include representatives from Consumers Energy, DTE Energy, Great Lakes Energy, Lean and Green Michigan, Keen Technical Solutions, and Michigan Saves. 

As the summer ends and the 2023 NLEA/DTE Energy Foundation Interns move on, the Choose the North campaign will continue. The intern project was created with the goal of attracting and retaining young talent in our region. To achieve this, the interns created a secondary brand that highlights living, working, and playing in Northern Michigan. This summer, we have conducted twenty-six interviews with local professionals which serve as the basis for a key component of the campaign. The edited interviews are posted to YouTube and highlight not only their career path, but also their favorite pastimes and why they chose to live here.

Across our four different social media platforms (Instagram, TikTok, Facebook, and YouTube), we were able to reach over 41,000 people since we started our project in mid-June.

To support the campaign and learn more about Northern Lower Michigan, be sure to follow Choose the North at:

➡️ Instagram | ➡️ Facebook | ➡️ TikTok | ➡️ YouTube

At the beginning of August, WCMU Public Radio contacted the NLEA to learn more about the Choose the North talent attraction and retention campaign run by this summer’s NLEA/DTE Energy Foundation Interns. 

Click here to check out the full story which was aired multiple times on August 8th and 9th. The interview was an opportunity for our organization to reach a larger, statewide audience and demonstrate how the NLEA is beginning to address the talent challenges facing the region. Analytics show that social media content posted the same days the story ran saw more engagement than usual.

The NLEA is excited to announce that Sam Bailey, Strategic Initiatives Manager, has been accepted into the Leadership Little Traverse (LLT) Class of 2024! The nine month program begins in September and is an opportunity for Sam to grow his connections in the community and further develop his leadership capabilities.

Click here to meet the whole LLT Class of 2024 and learn more about the program.

This month, NLEA staff attended the Michigan Economic Developers Association’s annual conference in Marquette. Our team participated in best practice site visits; met with legislators and state officials; attended sessions on topics ranging from talent attraction to trail systems, to state financing programs, to workforce development, and more; and grew their network of economic development peers across the state.

The conference was also addressed by Governor Whitmer who highlighted recent projects impacting the state and the expansion of economic and community development tools. We look forward to leveraging what we learned to better support businesses and communities in Antrim, Charlevoix, Cheboygan, and Emmet Counties.

Michigan Department of Agriculture and Rural Development (MDARD) announced the release of a second round of request for proposals competitive grants through the Office of Rural Development’s (ORD) Rural Readiness Grant Program (RRPG). This reimbursement grant program empowers community-specific solutions that build capacity and readiness in Michigan’s rural areas.

Interested communities and organizations must submit a Letter of Intent outlining a summary of the proposed project, how it meets the parameters of the Rural Readiness Grant Program goals and include the total estimated project cost to Matt Wiitala at wiitalam@michigan.gov no later than 3 p.m. on Thursday, August 31, 2023.

Our offices will be closed on Monday, September 4th

in observance of Labor Day.