Mindy Meyers, left, and Lois Ellis, former director of the Dickinson Area Economic Development Alliance, address a meeting of the Alliance earlier this year.

IRON MOUNTAIN — The Dickinson Area Economic Development Alliance is focused on continuing to tackle housing solutions in 2024.

“Our Infrastructure and Housing Development Task Force is making this a top priority,” Executive Director Mindy Meyers said.

The DAEDA acknowledges the significant challenges to developers, especially with the increased costs associated with housing development. However there are some new tools to assist them.

The $15 million Build UP fund, available through Invest UP, offers collateral support and infrastructure assistance. Meyers said there’s additional resources through a regional partnership with the Michigan State Housing Development Authority.

“We have a list of housing development tools, as well as properties available in Dickinson County,” she said.

The DAEDA also recognizes the employment opportunities in the area.

“We like to see them get filled,” Meyers said. “We are strongly advocating for solutions to the housing shortage here.”

The Belong Initiative was created last year by the Marketing and Branding Task Force in a partnership with Mountain Media House. The initiative will tell the story of living, working and thriving in the Dickinson area.

The talent retention and attraction-focused, multi-media marketing campaign is in production, gathering stories through interviews in collaboration with the business community. The media clip will feature the reasons those individuals chose Dickinson County as their place of residence.

“We feel it’s a great way to show why we believe it’s a wonderful place to settle,” Meyers added. “We want to let everyone know this is the place.”

In the last year, new retail brands including ALDI, Marriott and Kwik Trip chose to invest locally.

Pine Mountain Resort also announced plans to expand with a new cabin village adding 35 new units. The project also includes new trails, culminating in a significant collaboration with Dickinson County and the Dickinson Trail Network.

In the northern part of the county, Groveland Mine Solar took significant steps in permitting a proposed solar project, gaining approvals from Felch, Norway and Sagola townships.

“These are pretty big things that happened over the last year,” Meyers said. “If you have been in the Dickinson area within the last 15 years you can definitely see the growth and the continued prosperity that we have in the area.”

The Talent and Education Task Force is working to build upon the success of its Manufacturing Day at Bay College. In addition to Bay, the event is a collaboration with University of Wisconsin-Green Bay and St. Norbert College, offering local freshmen an inside look at manufacturing careers.

Many local businesses participate, giving those students a hands-on experience.

“There has been a lot of work done to change the stigma around the trades careers,” Meyers said. She emphasized the value of career and technical education through the Dickinson-Iron Intermediate School District.

Because of the manufacturing event’s success, the DAEDA is also implementing a Healthcare Careers Day in early 2025. This will highlight patient-centered careers and support occupations that are in demand.

Dickinson County’s major employers are based in large manufacturing and health care, Meyers noted.

“We have some exciting ideas to bring to the table for the sophomores,” she said. “They will also get hands-on experience.”

The Small Business Retention and Growth Task Force is about promoting and acknowledging the value of businesses in the community. The group provides workshops and training events.

They are looking into hosting a human relations forum to give insight into hiring for smaller businesses, Meyers said.

The Loyal 2 Local program was initiated in 2018 to create a culture of support and awareness of the importance of the small business community.

The Task Force’s vision is to engage as many local businesses as possible and share what they have to offer, along with the ways they give back to the community. They currently have 105 participants.

“The program shows how important it is to support local businesses and how critical it is for the area’s economy,” Meyers added.

The DAEDA’s Government Relations and Advocacy Task Force was formed to advocate for businesses and local communities.

“We believe it’s important that Dickinson County has a voice in Lansing,” she said. “When policies are moving through, we are pushing for what is best for the U.P. and especially those here.”

In 2023, they launched LinkUP, a new personal development and networking group that replaced the Young Professionals program.

LinkUP is a partnership with the DAEDA as a personal development organization to introduce and engage working individuals with others across the county and the U.P., helping them expand their leadership, influencing, networking, and knowledge-sharing opportunities.

Several social events took place and will continue with a full slate of activities this year.

Anyone interested can go to daeda.org/linkup.

Through marketing and branding efforts, The Alliance tells the unique story of a robust community in which to live and work.

It is made up of an executive committee and board of directors. They have 86 individual volunteers who share their time and talent to help them advance their mission.

Executive Committee members are Chair Tony Edlebeck; Vice Chair Benjamin Wood; Secretary/Treasurer Russ Kassin; Steve Feira and Lee Lofstrom.

Directors include Nikki Bowers, Michele Campbell, Luke Carey, Michelle Copley, Jon Coyne, Christopher Germain, Ryan Gordon, David Holmes, Paul Meneghini, Linda Plumley, Phil Shealey, Mandy Shelast, Joe Stevens and Steve Verrette.

Meyers explained economic development is something that happens behind the scenes. “It’s not a race where something gets done right away,” she said. “There’s a lot of moving pieces and slow progress to see the continued change.”

Meyers said they will keep moving forward.

“Dickinson County is such a wonderful place,” she said. “Our focus remains strong, and we plan to build upon the collaborative foundation of the organization.”

For more, go to daeda.org.

Terri Castelaz can be reached at 906-774-2772, ext. 241, or tcastelaz@ironmountaindailynews.com.