Contact:
Jessica Weirauch
Michigan Municipal League
[email protected], 734-669-6311

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE: April 17, 2026

ANN ARBOR, Mich. — Staff members of the Michigan Municipal League will travel to several central Upper Peninsula communities next week to expand the work of its Local Economies initiative. This trip has been made possible with the support of the Lake Superior Community Partnership (LSCP)’s Central Upper Peninsula Small Business Support Hub.

Developed with support and partnership from the Michigan Economic Development Corporation (MEDC), the Ralph C. Wilson, Jr. Foundation, and the Michigan Municipal League Foundation, the goal of the Local Economies initiative is to help smaller Michigan communities learn how to best support microbusinesses (defined as those with ten or fewer employees) and entrepreneurs, and to close gaps in accessing capital, technical assistance, networks, and other resources. It recognizes that local small business support ecosystems are driven more by word-of-mouth than by formal networks, demonstrating the need to strengthen connections and help entrepreneurs build relationships on the ground.

From April 20 to April 24, League staff will visit the central Upper Peninsula communities of Forsyth Township, Gladstone, Ishpeming, Manistique, and Marquette. These visits will include tours of downtown districts and convenings with local and regional stakeholders, including elected and appointed officials, business owners, Downtown Development Authority (DDA) representatives, and media outlets.

The schedule is as follows:

• April 20: Forsyth Township
• April 21: City of Ishpeming
• April 22: City of Gladstone
• April 23: City of Manistique
• April 24: City of Marquette

“We’re excited to be in the U.P. with this program—our initial round was in southeast Michigan, and as a statewide organization it’s great to share that work with another group of our member communities,” said Richard Murphy, program manager for the Policy Research Labs. “The Central U.P. Small Business Support Hub has been a great partner in connecting us to the folks doing the work in these communities so we can tap their expertise.”

For more information on the Local Economies initiative, please click here to visit the League’s Local Economies webpage.

Michigan Municipal League is dedicated to making Michigan’s communities better by thoughtfully innovating programs, energetically connecting ideas and people, actively serving members with resources and services, and passionately inspiring positive change for Michigan’s greatest centers of potential: its communities. The League advocates on behalf of its member communities in Lansing, Washington, D.C., and the courts; provides educational opportunities for elected and appointed municipal officials; and assists municipal leaders in administering services to their communities through League programs and services. Learn more at mml.org.