MEDC CEO touts region in visit to TC

Jan. 19—TRAVERSE CITY — The Michigan Economic Development Corporation divides the state into 10 different Prosperity Regions.

Since Quentin L. Messer Jr. was named the MEDC CEO in July he's made a point of visiting every zone at least once. Messer was in Traverse City for the third time on Friday, sitting on a panel at the Northern Chamber Alliance's 2022 Policy Conference.

Prior to the start of the fourth policy conference — presented by a coalition 16 chambers and economic development organizations — Messer said the MEDC's mission is to help drive development for the entire state. His attendance at the Northern Michigan Policy Conference and participation in the second panel discussion on Friday is proof, he said.

"It says that we have to be relevant to all 10-million plus Michiganders," Messer said. "There are tremendous opportunities throughout this great state, particularly up north. When you think about a couple things — No. 1, tremendous quality of life, which is attractive to families, like where we are in Great Wolf Lodge."

Messer said there are few locations that put an emphasis on place any better than northern Michigan.

He saw it for the first time while attending the Center for Automotive Research Management Briefing Seminars in August at Grand Traverse Resort. A late October visit to 20Fathoms, with its view of West Grand Traverse Bay, cemented it.

"That's big marketing right there," Messer said in October to a brief visit to 20Fathoms in the Bayview Professional Centre.

"What we're building from tourism is, people are now aware in this endemic time where we're still wearing masks, people are thinking and rethinking sense of place," Messer said late Friday morning. "I think the quality of place is incredibly important. Places like 20Fathoms and others are saying, 'Hey look. This is a part of paradise.'

"And it truly is a unique part of paradise and it is incumbent on me and incumbent on our team that we understand and can tell their story and work beside folks like (Traverse Connect president and CEO) Warren and others who are constantly advocating for this region, to get people to more effectively know, you can build an incredible life here."

Of course there are challenges to carving out a place to live in northern Michigan including affordable housing and childcare access.

That was a message delivered by Michigan Gov. Gretchen Whitmer, U.S. Senator Gary Peters and a panel of state legislators at the policy conference in another portion of Great Wolf Lodge.

The recently created Office of Rural Development is one of the things Whitmer and Messer both pointed toward.

"I know if we stay focused on the fundamentals, we can get Michigan on a real path to real prosperity in all communities," Whitmer said. "We created the office of Rural Development focusing on affordable housing, focusing in on talent — drawing talent in and retention of talent."

Peters echoed Whitmer's comments about training playing such a crucial role.

"We have to match those skills to employers," Peters said. "That requires a much bigger investment in skilled trades, people that may not be going to college but need to have specific skill training that they need to have to get a job. It will help both that individual as well the business getting the people they need."

The Michigan High-Speed Internet Office is also a critical piece to the economic development puzzle in northern Michigan, he said, especially with the increase in the number of remote workers.

A map at the conference showed several places in the northern Lower Peninsula and the Upper Peninsula where high-speed broadband access is lacking. Peters said accurate maps are critical when federal money is allocated to address an issue.

"The maps we are using to allocate the money are being updated in an expeditious way, so we know exactly what areas need the resources," Peters said. "Unfortunately in the past we had flawed maps, saying an area had broadband access when in fact they had none. That's simply unacceptable."

Connection also goes beyond having high-speed internet access, Messer said. He said it creates other cultural amenities "which leads people to say, 'Hey, look. I may work for a company based in Tucson or Phoenix or Los Angeles or Detroit, but I can also live up north, where I always wanted to live' and still be able to connect to opportunities."

Agritourism is one example of a way that connects northern Michigan to the bigger picture. Messer cited Food for Thought and Cherry Republic as companies that connect the region to the state and the country as a whole.

"I think it's critically important we appreciate the intersection between rural development and economic development," Messer said. "We have the second-most diversified agricultural economy in America (behind California). We have the chance to connect that diversified economy — a lot of it based here up north and in the U.P. — but also connect that to the economy."

Otie McKinley, Media and Communications Manager for MEDC and Travel Michigan, likened the interconnection in a different way — one Messer said creates a clear visual.

"It's the pinwheel of economic development," McKinley said. "Talent needs place, place needs business, business needs talent. It's tough to draw talent to a place nobody wants to be."

"It's also tough if you're not telling the story of place," Messer said, adding that northern Michigan does not have an a problem in that area.

Messer said MEDC Senior Community Assistance Team Specialist Dan Leonard, Call and others will keep telling the story of northern Michigan.

20Fathoms Executive Director Eric Roberts will do the same on The Michigan Opportunity podcast. McKinley said Roberts will be the podcast's 55th guest in its 10th month.

The MEDC has invested in 41 projects in Grand Traverse County from 2020 until now, leveraging a host of different programs. An email from McKinley said these projects included $71,517,595 in private investment and another $18,131,717 in total public support leading to a commitment of 267 total jobs.

Messer said it's not just the MEDC doing the work of economic development in the state and the region.

He said the Michigan Land Bank, Michigan State Housing Development Authority (MSHDA) and the Michigan Department of Labor and Economic Opportunity (LEO) are other agencies working toward the same goal because northern Michigan "can't be a hidden gem." Strategic Outreach and Attraction Reserve legislation is also important to provide critical infrastructure to help small- and medium-sized businesses to grow, Messer said.

"We have to level a whole government approach," he said. "We have to leverage all of these resources, come together and make it easier for developers to create affordable housing for folks."

Messer said the MEDC 's commitment to northern Michigan will continue well beyond this trip. He said the region really is not that far from Lansing, saying it could take less time to make the trip than getting from one side of metro Houston to the other during rush-hour gridlock.

"It's not like it's thousands of miles away," Messer said. "It's a three-hour trip. It's one I hope to make as frequently as possible. This isn't just for show.

"It's vitally important because I'm coming back and getting information that will make us better as an organization."

Editor's Note: This story was amended to fix an error regarding the labeling of Michigan's 10 different Prosperity Regions.