Petoskey chamber to host 2023 State of the Community

Tess Ware, The Petoskey News-Review
·2 min read
The Petoskey Regional Chamber of Commerce is located at 401 E. Mitchell St.
The Petoskey Regional Chamber of Commerce is located at 401 E. Mitchell St.

PETOSKEY — Local leaders will update the community on important topics like housing, health care, education and tourism at the 2023 State of the Community event on Friday.

The Petoskey Regional Chamber of Commerce will host the 18th annual State of the Community on Friday, Feb. 3 at the Crooked Tree Arts Center. Doors will open at 1 p.m. for networking and refreshments and the program will begin at 2 p.m.

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People walk in Petoskey's Bayfront Park near downtown in September 2022.
People walk in Petoskey's Bayfront Park near downtown in September 2022.

The discussion will be an interview format, with local experts speaking on various topics that are important to community members. Event chairman Dan Ledingham, chamber president Nikki Devitt and membership director Lisa Hoyt will serve as the interviewers as well as emcees, using audio and visual tools to help present the information.

This year’s speakers include representatives from local government, health care, the tourism industry, businesses, education and nonprofits. Some new faces on the panel are Tammy Doernenburg, Emmet County director of planning and zoning, and Peter Bucci, executive director of Harbor Hall, which built workforce housing for its patients this year.

Several of the topics have been discussed in previous years. The program serves as a way to update Petoskey and Northern Michigan about progress and struggles relating to each issue. For example, in 2022, the Crooked Tree Wellness Clinic opened in Petoskey, filling a need for a local clinic that accepts Medicaid. Jody Werner, Little Traverse Bay Bands health director, will discuss the clinic during the program.

Also present will be David Roland Finley, president of North Central Michigan College, to discuss the fast-track program the college launched in 2022 and has since expanded.

Part of the Petoskey marina and downtown area is seen in September 2022.
Part of the Petoskey marina and downtown area is seen in September 2022.

More:North Central Michigan College offers new fast-track welding program

Tickets for the event have sold out, with about 200 people expected to attend. The discussion will be recorded and posted to the chamber website within 48 hours of the event so that anyone not in attendance can watch it. Last year, the event was live streamed for remote attendees.

“It's a great way for people to see leaders in the community discussing key issues. A lot of the things that people are working on are behind closed doors, so this is really a snapshot, an ability for the community to hear what everybody's working on for the greater good of the community,” the chamber's event and program coordinator Emily Stuchell said.

This event is sponsored by Blue Cross Blue Shield of Michigan, Consumers Energy and OHM Advisors.

— Contact reporter Tess Ware at tware@petoskeynews.com. Follow her on Twitter at @Tess_Petoskey.

This article originally appeared on The Petoskey News-Review: Petoskey chamber to host 2023 State of the Community