From the Economic Development Desk of the
September 18, 2019
You are receiving this email because your organization is at one of the economic development tiers  with the Alpena Area Chamber of Commerce. As always, we encourage your comments and questions.
Hello! The following list is a snapshot of work that has been done since we last wrote.

Economic Development staff:
  • Met with City of Alpena staff regarding a potential development opportunity
  • Discussed the former Alpena Power Company site with a development partner
  • Presented to the Township Planning Commission
  • Presented our annual report to the City (view the report HERE)
  • Presented at Kiwanis
  • Met with the site consultants working on the Kmart redevelopment project
  • Met with the Michigan Economic Development Business Development group

A message from Economic Development Director, Jim Klarich...
Busy doesn't begin to describe the last couple of months for us. From making presentations to local service groups to attending space symposiums and covering just about everything else under the sun in between. It’s beyond busy.

Recently, I was talking with a small business owner who was a bit down in the dumps. The person was very concerned that they had made some mistakes, that their business wasn’t growing fast enough, and that they were starting to suffer from burnout, among other things. My advice to them, we’re human and we all make mistakes. We can't be paralyzed by our mistakes but can instead keep moving forward. I told this person to review what they’ve done to promote the business, identify any gaps and fill them, grow the positives, mitigate the negatives, and stay true to their mission. I know, easy to say, hard to do, especially in the heat of the moment. We can't be all things to all people, so just keep the focus and keep taking one step forward at a time.

There’s been some cool announcements made lately. The redevelopment opportunity at the former Kmart building, the potential for condominiums downtown, Bingham School being turned into apartments, and the possibility of extraordinary improvements at the Maritime Heritage center, are just a few. What’s really behind the curtain? YEARS of work, headaches, heartaches, and failures, led up to each of those announcements – just like operating a small business. Stay the course, stay true to your mission and you will keep making progress.

A message from Krawczak...
Hello All! We would like your input. You know we cannot share specific details about many of the updates we list in this monthly update. But beyond sharing those secrets, is there anything else that you would find of interest in this publication? You are our highest investors and we want to make sure we are giving you what you want (when possible). If you have ideas for what you might like to read more about in this email, reply to this and send us a message with your input! Thank you.
There are a number of businesses who will be moving up in tiers for 2020. If you are interested in changing tiers, just let us know.
Chairman Level ($3,201+)
Alpena Agency, Inc.
Alpena Alcona Area Credit Union
Alpena Community College
Alpena County
Alpena Power Company
Besser Foundation
Blue Cross Blue Shield of Michigan
Charter Township of Alpena
City of Alpena
H.P.C. Credit Union
Huntington Bank
Lappan Agency
mBank
Presque Isle County
Presque Isle Electric and Gas Co-Op

Leader Level ($3,200)    
Edward Jones - Marc Ferguson, Charles R. Ingle, Pamela Kirchoff, Andrew Kowalski, Bryan Strong
Lafarge 
MidMichigan Health
 
Partner Level ($1,500) 
Alpena Public Schools
Bannan Funeral Home
Bedrock Contracting and Excavating
Besser Company
Chemical Bank
Community Foundation for Northeast Michigan
Downtown Development Authority
Decorative Panels International
DTE Energy
Employment Services Inc. (ESI)
The Home Depot
ITC Holdings, Corp.
Keystone Rental Equipment
LeFave Pharmacy
Northland Area Federal Credit Union
Pennzoil Ten Minute Oil Change Center of Alpena
PNC Bank
Propane Plus Inc., MI Stop Citgo, MI Stop Deli
Ripley and State Street Auto Washes
Star Staffing Alpena
Timm Construction Company, LLC
Walmart
Wolverine State Credit Union
  
Sponsor Level ($475)
Alcona Health Center 
Alpena Area Convention & Visitors Bureau
Alpena Beverage Company
Alpena Biorefinery
Alpena Community Credit Union
Alpena County George N. Fletcher Public Library
Alpena Events Complex
Alpena Glass Company, Inc.
Alpena News Publishing Company
Alpena Supply Company
Art Van Furniture/Young Appliance
Austin Brothers' Beer Company
Ball Tire
Banner Realty
Besser Senior Living Community, Inc.
Boldrey, Senchuk, Rouleau & Williams, CPA's, PC
Bolenz Jewelry
Cardell and Sons Landscaping
Century 21 Crow Realty
Clark Construction Company
Cliff Anschuetz Chevrolet Inc.
Consumers Energy
Control Solutions Inc
Cutting Edge Construction
Dean Arbour Ford Lincoln
Downtown Union 76 LLC
Everett Goodrich, Inc.
Fiber Char
H&R Block
Holiday Inn Express & Suites
Huron Engineering & Surveying
Industrial Image, Inc.
Neiman's Family Market
NEMCSA, Inc.
NEMROC, Inc.
Northern Eye
Omega Electric & Sign Company Inc.
Ossineke Industries
Plowman's Collision Service
Pompeyos Mexican Grill
R.A. Townsend Company
R.S. Scott Associates, Inc.
Ramada Alpena
ServiceMaster Home & Office
Sherwin Williams
Sixty Minutes to Freedom
Skiba Insurance Services
SkyWest Airlines
Specification Stone Products
Straley Lamp & Kraenzlein P.C.
Suez
Switzer Veterinary Clinic
Tarkington Family Dentistry
Team Elmer's
The Drug Store
Thunder Bay Accounting
Thunder Bay Electric, Inc.
Thunder Bay Eye Care
Thunder Bay Family Dentistry
Thunder Bay National Marine Sanctuary
Thunder Bay Therapy & Sports Medicine
Thunder Bay Tree Services, LLC
Time to Shine Carwash
True North Radio Network
W.G. Benjey Inc./S&A Company
WATZ
Weinkauf Plumbing & Heating, Inc.
Werth Development, LLC
White, Wojda and Curtis
Wolf Family Dentistry
Wolgast Corporation
Zen 24 Hour Fitness Center