There continues to be a workforce shortage in Muskegon County. The challenge remains finding and retaining qualified talent.

Manufacturing, health care and social assistance, and retail trade are currently the top industries advertising online according to West Michigan Works!. The top Muskegon job occupations being advertised online for the month of May were supervisors of retail sales workers, retail salesperson, and registered nurse. There are several resources available to employers in Muskegon County who are struggling with talent recruitment. Click here to visit our business directory, which lists reliable staffing resources.

Road construction along Colby Street in Downtown Whitehall is officially complete, just in time for the peak of tourism season!

The project started in the beginning of April and included resurfacing and widening of Colby and Thompson streets, which run through the business district. 

The White Lake community organized a completion celebration called 'Feet on the Street' which was held on June 25 to celebrate the re-opening of Colby Street. Downtown Whitehall provides a great experience for tourists visiting Muskegon County! You can find more information about this project at http://cityofwhitehall.org/. 

The cruise ship, Pearl Mist, will arrive at the Port of Muskegon, located at Heritage Landing, this Sunday, July 2. 

The 200-passenger cruise ship has already made 3 stops this year and will make another 7 stops in Muskegon throughout the summer as part of its Great Lakes Tour.

As a result of several recruitment efforts, the Victory cruise ship will also be making a stop at the Port of Muskegon, September 24. Cruise ship guests are given the entire day to experience Muskegon by visiting local museums, our markets, breweries, restaurants, beaches, and more. Click here to view the complete cruise ship schedule.

Thousands of Muskegon residents and visitors enjoyed Taste of Muskegon in Hackley Park Friday, June 16 and Saturday, June 17. This year marked the most successful Taste of Muskegon over its 11 years! Throughout the two-day event, there were an estimated 25,000 people who attended, over $65,000 in revenue generated for 21 local food vendors, and the event even “maxed out” Hackley Park on Friday night.

“Taste of Muskegon is Downtown Muskegon Now’s signature event,” said Dave Alexander, DMN Executive Director. “Downtown supporters and event volunteers have created a festival for the Muskegon area that kicks off the summer season. What I love about the Taste vibe is that it brings together all ages, races, walks of life and Muskegon County communities to revel in our good fortune of living, working and playing here.”

As DMN looks toward the 2018 Taste of Muskegon, the small downtown non-profit agency is exploring passing the festival’s baton to another local non-profit which can sustain it much better in the years ahead. DMN would then like to explore assisting new events that would highlight our community’s assets and bring new people into our downtown.