Resources @ NWMCOG Hagerty Headquarters, the worldwide leader in classic car and boat insurance.
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or good reason, the 10-county region of Northwest Lower Michigan ranks as a nationally renowned tourism destination, but because its beauty and fun factor leave such a strong and lasting impression on people, they tend to cast the region as a place with a one-pillar economy: tourism, offering jobs only in that line of work. Career-oriented people contemplating a move here can be assured, however, that the economy of the region stands on a surprising number of pillars, and as a result it achieves an economic stability that outperformed Michigan and many parts of the nation in the recent recession. Yes, the things that draw people to vacation here—the water and natural beauty and four-season climate—are the same things that draw people here to live and start businesses, and the diversified economy reflects that. A 2013 study by the Michigan Economic Development Corporation shows that Accommodations and Food Service jobs make up just 14.6 percent of jobs in Northwest Lower Michigan, with the remaining 85.4 percent split among healthcare (17.1 percent), retail (14.0 percent), manufacturing (12.3 percent), education (7.5 percent), financial services (3.0 percent), and many others. Some of the area’s hottest job types are not well represented in the study because the hiring takes place within a large organization. Information technology, for example, is a much needed and rapidly expanding area of expertise within companies throughout the region, including Munson Healthcare (the region’s largest medical system), Hagerty Insurance (a national leader in insurance), and the region’s schools. Remote workers are another growing part of Northwest Michigan’s workforce. These professionals remain connected to
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distant employers and clients via Internet and telecommunications, but they live in, say, a small northern town near the shore of Lake Michigan. Patrick Middleton exemplifies the ideal. He’s an independent software engineer who lives on a farm near Traverse City. He stays connected to his clients, his three employees and one of the highest tech and expanding industries in the global economy all via the web—and meanwhile keeps a half-dozen cattle, a horse, a goat and some ducks, and is a star on his Thursday night downhill ski team at nearby Crystal Mountain. He likes that his children attend a small rural school where the teachers really know the kids. The Northwest Michigan Council of Governments is keenly aware of the stability that a diversified economy provides, and how important that is for business owners and career-minded people here. As a way to maintain and further economic diversity, the NWMCOG Regional Planning department works with communities to plan for economic growth and vitality. This may include assessing infrastructure needs, collecting public input, and assisting the community with determining best strategies. For example, in Mesick, a small, rural town a half-hour south of Traverse City, NWMCOG worked with town leaders to map out a strategy for building infrastructure for long-term nursing care businesses. Manufacturing companies in Benzie are convening with the help of NWMCOG to develop skilled trades training programs. And NWMCOG is helping the village of Kalkaska to explore leveraging its economic potential because of its location on the US 131 corridor. Leveraging local economic strengths naturally furthers the economic diversity and resiliency of the region, which pays long-term dividends to local businesses and families.
ABOVE AND OPPOSITE: TODD ZAWISTOWSKI.
Northwest Lower Michigan’s Diverse Job Possibilities
Traverse City Region Careers
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