Camille Hoisington: Setting the course for the blue economy

May 15—With the spring weather finally having arrived in northern Michigan, I'm eagerly anticipating the return of days spent on Lake Michigan and our region's inland lakes. The proximity to fresh water is what makes Traverse City and our surrounding area a top destination for recreation and nature's beauty.

It's also making our region a top destination for innovation and commercial development of freshwater and marine technology — what we and our regional partners refer to as the blue economy.

Water innovation was the focus of last week's Northern Michigan Startup Week, and the concluding event was focused on different sub-sectors of the blue economy already at work here in northern Michigan — startups, investment, technology and job development.

According to the World Bank, the blue economy refers to the "sustainable use of ocean resources for economic growth, improved livelihoods, and jobs while preserving the health of ocean ecosystem." For our region, and the country as a whole, the next iteration of the blue economy is looking inwards to the freshwater resources that are critical to our daily lives.

As the geographical center of the Great Lakes, Traverse City is uniquely positioned to be the hub of the freshwater blue economy. With the leading education programs at Northwestern Michigan College, research and technology hubs at Michigan Tech's Grand Traverse Area location and 20Fathoms, the region's manufacturing capacity, and its entrepreneurial spirit, we're building the support components critical for the blue economy cluster to grow and become a thriving segment of our economic ecosystem.

What does the future of the blue economy look like in the near and long term?

Michigan's Office of Future Mobility and Electrification partnered with Traverse Connect this spring to launch the first-of-its-kind grant program to support sustainable maritime mobility. The Fresh Coast Maritime Challenge will soon announce the recipients of grants for sustainable recreational boating activities, marina innovation, and commercial activities on the Great Lakes.

Fresh Coast Maritime Challenge projects will all be implemented in the 10 counties that comprise Northwest Michigan — from Manistee to Emmet counties — along the Lake Michigan shore. While southeast Michigan transforms its manufacturing sector to e-mobility, northwest Michigan is setting the course to position the marine e-mobility industry at the center of our blue economy.

The longer-term vision is for Traverse City to house the physical hub of the blue economy on the shores of West Grand Traverse Bay. The Traverse City Fresh Water Research and Innovation Center concept originated with project partners Discovery Center & Pier, Northwestern Michigan College, Michigan Tech, 20Fathoms and Traverse Connect.

This research center will become the hub for commercializing freshwater and marine technology innovations and host research on technologies and public policy affecting the Great Lakes and similar freshwater systems worldwide. The growth of the region's blue economy will originate with water-focused startups that will incubate and participate in business accelerator programs in maker and lab space designed to support early startup businesses.

With the components necessary to support innovations in technology, science, and commercial products, the region's ecosystem will grow and become a magnet for entrepreneurs, growing businesses and industries seeking a home base in the freshwater blue economy.

By co-locating technology and manufacturing innovators alongside the freshwater resources they are trying to study and preserve, they will have the key ingredients to tackle the more significant issues surrounding freshwater, including climate change, sustainable agriculture, and circular manufacturing.

The foundational building blocks are aligning to build a new component of the Grand Traverse region's economic ecosystem and attract talent and innovation from across the world.

As Dana Lowell, a Michigan-based entrepreneur in the marine e-mobility industry, stated at Northern Michigan Startup Week's Blue Economy event, "Let's say it and make it happen. Let's build the culture and ecosystem here. We are the Blue Economy."

Camille Hoisington is Traverse Connect's director of ecosystem development.