Navigating through challenging times
Posted by Lake Superior Community Partnership on June 20, 2016
I have been accused of being a glass half full kind of a person, and many of my columns have shared the positive services we provide as economic developers. Truth be told, we also play a role with clients and investors who are navigating through challenging times and provide services unique to these situations.
To use a current example, the permanent idling of the Empire Mine requires many organizations across the region, state and federal level to come together to assist in transitioning those individuals, businesses and communities affected by the change.
In this instance, at the LSCP, we play several roles. One is a convener. Another is a communicator. And yet another is an economic developer.
As the convener we have been meeting with the company and various state organizations regularly for months. This is important so we are all sharing our resources and expertise in a manner that is coordinated and appropriate for the individual situation. It is also a great way to create and implement strategies that meet the individual needs of the community. A good example of this was the recent forum the team put on to provide updates to our local municipalities and school districts. The meeting was well attended and resulted in important dialogue and an opportunity to learn about additional needs the participants have. Included in the program were our partners from Upward Talent Council and the Michigan Economic Development Corporation (MEDC).
Because we are the local economic development organization in the affected community, we are often asked for updates on the idling. It is important to make sure we have the FACTS when answering questions keeping the message accurate and consistent. In this instance and other similar situations, we rely on our relationships with our business partners in order to receive the most current and factual information. (Did I mention that economic development is all about relationships?)
Our role as the economic developer is critical in situations like this. We want to meet with the downstream businesses affected by the mine idling. For example, not only the vendors and suppliers who do business with the Empire Mine but the businesses who may be impacted in our communities with the loss of dollars being spent. The LSCP business development team is currently visiting with a long list of companies who will be impacted. We want to understand their strategy for overcoming this loss of business and find out if there is anything we can do to assist. There are a variety of programs and resources available that just might fit and we want to make those connections.
An upcoming event that may be of interest to affected businesses is titled Diversifying Your Customer Base. This will take place on Thursday, June 23 from 4:30 – 8:30 p.m. at the Red Rock Banquet Center in Ishpeming. The event is hosted by the Upward Talent Council in partnership with the LSCP and MEDC.
On the displaced workers side, Upward Talent Council/Michigan Works is hard at work to assist folks in their transition. Please remember each individual situation is different and we encourage anyone who is facing a layoff to connect directly with Michigan Works as soon as possible to understand the support available to you.
While we will face economic challenges at times, it is important to remember how resilient Marquette County is and how the opportunities far outweigh the challenges. You need just look around at all the construction and ground breakings happening to see how true that is.
Amy Clickner, CEO, writes a bi-weekly column for the Mining Journal.
