A NOTE FROM THE PRESIDENT & CEO |
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The Manistee Area Chamber of Commerce is eager to welcome visitors, and our amazing locals to enjoy our beautiful county this summer!
With so much going on during these summer months, please understand we are working hard to promote key areas of legislative advocacy, economic development, leadership, downtown development authority, and plan major programs and events, all with your best interest in mind. These take time and effort, so we appreciate your support and patience during these busy months.
The Chamber does have some staff transitions and upcoming vacations, which may cause a slight delay in our normal response time. Carmen Kott, our Operations Manager, has taken time away from work for maternity leave. Congratulations to Carmen & Kenny who welcomed the newest addition to their family, a baby girl.
Also, I am excited to announce that we’ve hired a new Marketing & Communications Specialist, Cassidy Jessup. We are happy to have her join our team, and appreciate everyone's understanding as we work to make this summer memorable and bring Cassidy up to speed!
We wish you all a successful season and a happy & safe 4th of July weekend!
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Sincerely,
Stacie Bytwork
President & CEO
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A native of West Michigan, we are excited to introduce you to our new Marketing & Communications Specialist, Cassidy Jessup!
Cassidy has a degree in Journalism and Technical Communication from Ferris State University. After studying every aspect of written, oral, and technical communication, she graduated with high honors. When she’s not in the office, you can find her hiking, kayaking, exploring new places, and spending time with her pets.
Please help us congratulate her on her new role and relocation to Manistee!
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WELCOME NEW CHAMBER INVESTORS |
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We encourage you to read and get to know a bit about your fellow Chamber Investors!
Conservatory of Dance - Conservatory of Dance was established in 1991 and is located in Manistee, MI. Our studio is the most comprehensive dance studio within Manistee County, offering 10 different styles of dance and classes for students from ages 3 to adult. Whether you are aiming for a professional career, looking to stay fit, or finally ready to give dance a try, we have a class for you. The teachers at Conservatory of Dance have a vast range of experience across many disciplines. Our collective approach is to share our love of dance while being supportive and encouraging.
O'Brien's Heating, Cooling and Refrigeration LLC - We are a family owned and operated business established in 2017. We pride ourselves on building strong relationships with our customers while providing expert knowledge, skills, and advice. We specialize in making homes comfortable, healthy, and efficient! Some of our services include sales, service, installation, and design services on all heating, cooling, refrigeration, and ventilation equipment.
AKT Peerless Environmental Services - We are environmental consultants and redevelopment experts who are proud to help build sustainable communities. Our services – environmental, sustainability, economic development incentives, and construction loan consulting – are tailored to the needs of each of our clients.
Clearly Clean, LLC - Our team of professional cleaners has been in business since 2003. From cleaning homes to managing properties, we have the experience. Some areas of expertise include vacation rentals, new construction, commercial buildings, move-in/move-out, and event clean-up.
Edward Jones - Ben Crowley - We are passionate about helping people make sense of investing, and believe choosing a financial advisor is an important and personal decision. Our goal is to provide you with the highest level of service possible. We look forward to earning the opportunity to partner with you and to help you accomplish your financial goals.
Johnson Sign - a division of Amor Sign - Our manufacturing & installation capabilities have made us one of the state's largest producers of custom fabricated signs. We have a significant footprint in lower Michigan with our three plants. Together we have one of the state’s largest installation fleets. We have a team of administrators, designers & project managers all ready to assist you on your next project.
MIFLAG - MIFLAG pronounced “My-Flag” is a Michigan-based brand developed on the shores of Lake Michigan. Creator, Randy Myers, had lofty goals to build a brand based on his childhood love for hats. Designed in 2010 by Myers, the Trademark MIFLAG logo was developed to represent the freedom we have in creating our own path through life. MIFLAG hats are hand-selected and finished here in Northern Michigan by the brand founder. Other products include apparel, golf wear, accessories, and more hats!
Salt City CPA - We are a full-service accounting office dedicated to client needs. John and Suzanne Long each have decades of accounting experience along with an innate talent for helping and connecting with others. We enjoy working with individuals, small business owners, and all types of organizations. We bring a wealth of experience and a deep love of West Michigan to our community. Our focus is accounting, payroll, tax, and QuickBooks.
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LEGISLATIVE ADVOCACY UPDATE:
It’s All About Childcare!
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A special thank you to Rep. O’Malley & Rep. Roth for their dedicated efforts in childcare and to Governor Whitmer for signing these bills! |
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This bipartisan childcare package creates a stronger, more sustainable childcare industry with common-sense regulatory reform and new strategies to expand options for families.
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Child Care Assistance for Employees: Tri-Share Program |
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As a community partner and employer, you can help to increase employee retention and improve productivity by helping to address childcare challenges.
More parents are now eligible for financial assistance to help find adequate childcare through the Childcare Development and Care (CDC) Program.
It is super easy for an employer to initiate. We have plenty of room to service about 80 more children in the 10 County Region. To begin, simply:
- Sign an MOU
- Verify income with us as employees apply
- Create a benefit
- Set up Payroll deduction from the employee
- Send the Employer 1/3 and Employee 1/3 to the United Way
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ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT UPDATES:
Forward Momentum!
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Residents and visitors may have noticed construction equipment, workers, and barricades at various locations in the area. Several of these are projects that the Chamber has worked with and assisted within our Economic Development program.
Demolition has begun on the Gateway Project downtown, with the gas station already down. Crews will cease operations and move barricades back for the Fourth of July.
Across town, masons have built stairwells at the Hampton Inn Lakeshore site, and are working on the elevator shafts.
One new home is weatherproofed at Chippewa Cottages, and there are prospects for additional homes soon.
Finally, the pizza ovens have been delivered to Fricano’s on Manistee River!
There is also the unseen work of site plans and other coordination on other projects, like the Northern Hotel, the Vault, and others.
We are seeing tangible, forward momentum in economic development, and this is a welcome sight since many projects take between two to five years to come to completion.
Stay tuned for more progress and news!
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LEADERSHIP & PROFESSIONAL DEVELOPMENT UPDATES |
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Congratulations to the 2021/2022 Leadership Program Graduates! |
After nine months of hard work and dedication, please join us in congratulating these amazing participants on their completion of the program and a successful Manistee County Big Day of Serving!
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Registration is now open for the 2022/2023 Leadership Program |
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Join our 2022/2023 Leadership Program cohort for the opportunity to grow, learn, and build connections within the Manistee County community!
Meetings are once a month, September through May, and target skill development, community improvement, collaboration as a team, and maximizing the individual's contribution to current employers.
Cost: $1200 per participant
The application deadline is August 19, 2022.
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Another successful Annual Golf Outing! |
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Thank you to our 2022 presenting sponsor, Smith & Eddy Insurance! And congratulations to their overall first-place team, with a score of 59.
We appreciate all our other sponsors and participating teams who worked to make this event possible. We'll see you all next year!
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MANISTEE NATIONAL FOREST FESTIVAL |
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The Manistee National Forest Festival is coming up quickly, with events from June 30th through July 4th for the whole family. We hope that you take advantage of these summertime opportunities to enjoy the area we live in and celebrate Independence Day!
Thank you to all our amazing sponsors, dedicated volunteers, City of Manistee staff, and the Manistee County CERT Team for making these events possible!
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The fireworks display this year is sponsored by Little River Casino Resort, an enterprise of the Little River Band of Ottawa Indians. So come on down to First Street Beach or Fifth Avenue Beach at dusk (about 10:30 p.m.) on the Fourth of July for a spectacular show synced to music on Eagle 101.5 FM.
Looking for some promotional material? Table tents are available for local businesses with a run-down of the Forest Festival events. Pick them up at the front desk of our office located at 400 River Street.
Visit our website for more information or download our digital brochure below!
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