Consumers Energy Put Your Town on the Map Pitch Competition Angela Thompkins•Cathy Wilson•Jessica AcMoody•Michele Wildman•Julie Staveland
Sponsored by: Consumers Energy
Come watch your community make a pitch to Put Your Town on the Map! The top 10 communities selected to pitch their ideas to Put Your Town on the Map will share their innovative ideas that will energize their towns and create momentum that builds a stronger sense of community.
Last year Cassopolis delivered a breakout session that wowed attendees! We have brought them back this year as our opening plenary so all attendees can experience their enthusiasm.
How do you take a community that is stagnant and afraid of change and growth and turn it into a community that wins the Community Excellence Award for the State of Michigan? Join the small but mighty team from the Village of Cassopolis as they take you through their journey from being on the verge of management by the state to a complete community transformation including tripling the general fund budget in 5 years! "If you invest in yourself, others will invest in you!"
Benjamin Anderson
DPW Superintendent at Village of Cassopolis
Tonia Betty
Village of Cassopolis
EMILIE LAGROW
Village Manager at Village of Cassopolis
Alexis O'Flynn
Village of Cassopolis
Lunch Plenary: Legislative Updates and Michigan's Roadmap to Rural Prosperity: Building Local Strength and Statewide Strategies for Success Sarah Lucas
Location: James Bay (basement level) Sponsored by: MSHDA
The Michigan Office of Rural Prosperity works together with state and federal agencies, rural communities, and other rural partners on key rural priorities like housing, workforce, infrastructure, and capacity building. In this session, the ORP will highlight its work to support rural communities, including its pilot Rural Readiness funding program and the Roadmap to Rural Prosperity, released in early 2024, featuring key statewide strategies for rural success.
Sarah Lucas
Director of Michigan Office of Rural Prosperity
Cocktail Hour
Sponsored by: FHLBI
Pairing Dinner with Boathouse Vineyards
Location: Northwest Territories Sponsored by: Dimension Renewable Energy
Crystal Mountain chefs will specially prepare a dinner to pair with wines from local winery, Boathouse Vineyards.
Boathouse Vineyards is a 23 acre property in the heart of Lake Leelanau. The property is home to 9 varieties of grapes from which all of the Boathouse wine is made. The average age of the vines is 13 years old and the vineyard sits on one of two main Leelanau ridges at approximately 1100 feet above sea level. 2024 is the second year of transitioning the vineyards from conventional to organic farming.
The goal of the vineyard management at Boathouse is to significantly reduce the amount of chemicals, even if within the organic limitations to near zero and remove the tractor from its cultural practices.Over time, this will create a 100% “by-hand” system that is void of spraying and relies on pruning, canopy management and cover crop to combat disease pressure and promote a strong vine immune system.
The property is based on a 100% estate model which means all the grapes from the vineyards are used to make the wine at the winery located on the property. Winemaker Doug Olson directs all vineyard management in addition to managing the winemaking process at Boathouse Vineyards.
Money Talks: A conversation with state agency leaders Brandon Fewins•Julie Staveland•Tracey Barnes•Tony Lentych
Location: Northwest Territories
Michigan’s state agencies deploy a diverse range of resources for communities to utilize, and we’re bringing all of them together to discuss what they have to offer! Join us for the final hour of the conference for a lighting round panel with leaders from MSHDA, LEO, EGLE, USDA RD, and MDARD. After their presentations there is a Q&A opportunity for attendees.
Brandon Fewins
State Director of USDA Rural Development
Julie Staveland
Assistant Division Director Materials Management Division of Michigan Department of Environment, Great Lakes, and Energy
Tracey Barnes
MDARD
Tony Lentych
Chief Housing Investment Officer at MSHDA
MSHDA MI-Neighborhood Statewide Grant Opportunity for Subrecipient Agencies Tim Klont•Tonya Joy
Fifteen regional housing partnerships around the state have completed action plans that identify regional goals and priorities. In response to those plans, MSHDA is launching a new coordinated program offering application in 2024 entitled MI-Neighborhood. This tool removes barriers and increases efficiencies by becoming a single point of entry to grant resources offered by the Neighborhood Housing Initiatives Division. The four funding components that will be covered are: rehabilitation, new construction, public amenities, and comprehensive activities. Participants will learn about the planning process, the regional investment strategy, and how agencies can access funding.
Tim Klont
MSHDA
Tonya Joy
NHID Director of MSHDA
Barry County Housing Toolkit Bonnie Gettys•Randal Stephens
The Barry County Housing Toolkit serves as a case study in engaging rural communities with unique housing goals. Many communities seek to find a balance between preserving community character and growing or improving the local housing market. Through a collaborative planning process engaging developers, real estate professionals, local leaders, residents and more, a series of strategically crafted resources was developed to support communities in achieving their housing goals.
Bonnie Gettys
Barry Community Foundation
Randal Stephens
Operations and Grant Administrator at Antero Group
Opportunity matchmaker: how to launch a successful Developer Day in your rural community Travis Alden•Julie Burrell
Developer Day events can proactively connect the regional real estate development community with top-priority development sites in your area. We launched this initiative in Greater Grand Rapids in 2022 with much success, and in 2023 included rural communities in Kent County and helped replicate this model successfully in ten counties.
SPONSORED BY: ITC
Learn the nuts & bolts for how to roll out this initiative in your town, which could catalyze direct redevelopment projects in housing, commercial and more.
Travis Alden
The Right Place, Inc.
Julie Burrell
Senior Economic Development Director of The Right Place
The Power of Partnership: Unlocking Potential Across Funder Types David "DJ" Jones•Sakura Takano•Laura Galbraith
Three funders—a community foundation, a CDFI and a public charity—will describe their capacity building and support to advance rural development. The Petoskey-Harbor Springs Area Community Foundation provided funding and facilitated relationship building for the Lofts at Lumber Square. Venture North acted as a safety net for small businesses during Covid and deploys affordable loans to small businesses. Rotary Charities provides grants for pre-development and community engagement projects.
David "DJ" Jones
Executive Director of Petoskey-Harbor Springs Area Community Foundation
Sakura Takano
CEO of Rotary Charities of Traverse City
Laura Galbraith
Executive Director of Venture North
Affordable Housing: Why is it so D@mn hard?! Marilyn Chrumka•Jane Mackenzie•Jon Stimson
Sponsored by: Fishbeck
Ever wonder why everyone is talking about the affordable housing crisis, but hardly any affordable housing is getting built? Three non-profit developers share the biggest hurdles to implementing affordable housing and what you can do about it!
Marilyn Chrumka
Michigan Community Capital
Jane Mackenzie
Northern Homes CDC
Jon Stimson
Home Stretch Housing Corp.
The Importance of Strong Michigan (Rural) Downtowns Dana Walker
Strong downtown management organizations are essential to the economic vitality of a community and region. Tools are available to rural communities to assist with economic vitality, placemaking, and development and a downtown management organization and director can assist in the process. In this session, attendees will hear how rural communities use best practices to manage downtown and discover the real economic benefits of creating and maintaining a strong downtown management organization.
Sponsored by: DTE
Dana Walker
Director of Michigan Downtown Association
Poverty Solutions in YOUR Town: Community Action Leading the Way Michelle LaJoie•Brian McGrain•Lori Johnson
For sixty years, Community Action has been at the forefront when it comes to implementing creative, homegrown solutions to poverty challenges in communities across the nation. Michigan's 27 agencies are part of this legacy, covering all counties and offering a variety of programming, ranging from safe/affordable housing to utility assistance to early childhood programming to workforce readiness -- and beyond! Come learn about the history of this movement and how it continues to transform lives.
Michelle LaJoie
Community Action Alger Marquette
Brian McGrain
Executive Director of MI Community ACtion
Lori Johnson
EightCAP
Rural Economic Growth Needs Business Leadership Too Tammy Carey•Richard Raffaelli
Sponsored by: MDARD
Shelby is a West MI community that is investing in projects to attract new residents and grow its economic opportunities through a master plan developed with stakeholders. Projects include expanding affordable housing options and strengthening water infrastructure for new developments, building a new elementary school and a daycare facility, improving roads, and designing new community parks. This economic growth supports major expansions at Peterson Farms & attracted a new pet food processor.
Tammy Carey
CEO of Community Foundation for Oceana County
Richard Raffaelli
Peterson Farms, COO & Shelby Township Supervisor
USDA-Rural Development: Your Partner in Building Rural Prosperity Valarie Handy
Great things are happening in rural Michigan and USDA Rural Development is your community’s investment partner. This session will provide an overview of funding opportunities available in housing, childcare, clean energy, economic development, and more. Real life examples will be highlighted as well as updates on our Agency’s priorities and collaborations.
Valarie Handy
Michigan Deputy State Director of USDA Rural Development
Our Future Communities Start Here: Predevelopment Assistance for Growth & Advancement in Michigan Nate Scramlin•Jada Tillison-Love Porter•Kate Knight
Great projects require diligent planning and ample support through each stage of the development process. The Michigan Economic Development Corporation and Michigan Municipal League work closely with communities to cut through red tape, providing assistance to get their priority sites off to a strong start. This session will highlight stories from Michigan communities that have persisted in tackling barriers to development and maintained momentum toward implementation.
Nate Scramlin
Senior Community Assistance Specialist at MEDC
Jada Tillison-Love Porter
Program Coordinator at Michigan Municipal League
Kate Knight
Executive Director of Farmington Downtown Development Authority
Food! The Common Thread That is Transforming NEMI John Fisk•Kristine Ranger
Come and learn how an infusion of resources centered around food production, distribution transportation and consumption is empowering leaders in the 11 counties of NE Michigan to rally around a common cause, support individual efforts, and collaborate together to design a better economic future for all of the residents of the region.
John Fisk
Kristine Ranger
NEMI Healthy Food Project
What the New Renewable Energy Siting Legislation Means for Michigan Local Governments Madeleine Krol•Zona Martin
Significant changes to the permitting process for large-scale wind, solar, and energy storage projects were enacted in HB 5120 last fall. The new law grants permitting authority to the Michigan Public Service Commission, unless local governments adopt 'compatible renewable energy ordinances'. To help communities prepare for the new law, which goes into effect in November 2024, this session will provide an overview on the knowns and unknowns and discuss implications for local policy.
Madeleine Krol
Clean Energy Land Use Specialist at Graham Sustainability Institute - University of Michigan
Zona Martin
Michigan Department of Environment, Great Lakes, and Energy (EGLE)
Loved to Death: Managing the Growth of Rural Tourism Will Cronin
As we emerge from the pandemic, rural communities continue to experience an increase in tourism driven by a booming outdoor recreation industry and the expansion of vacation rentals. These communities often lack capacity to mange these pressures. This session will use grassroots work being done in the Keweenaw Peninsula as a case study to offer rural community leaders strategies, tips, and tricks to implement a coherent response to the issue.
The Align Center for Workforce Development: Addressing the needs of people, companies and communities as The New Economy emerges Kelly McNicol•Kristie Mendoza•Patrick Farver
The session will describe a 2-year effort to build consensus for a workforce development center, and a $10 million award to create the center: The focus: Technical skills for k-12 graduates without a path, adults trying to enter the workforce or reskill, and employers needing a local training resource. Partners include HOLA, a local Hispanic cbo, ProMedica Health System's EBEID Promise - teaching basic life skills and entry level job skills, regional community colleges, and local colleges.
Kelly McNicol
Career Education Navigator at Align Center for Workforce Development
Kristie Mendoza
Career Education Navigator at Align Center for Workforce Development
Patrick Farver
Executive Director of Lenawee Now
Insights from being on both sides of the community development equation Richard Anderson
Richard and his co-founders created an environmentally sustainable and community-engaging business supporting prosperity building in a very rural place. He's done important work throughout Michigan and the country around economic and community development, and founded Northern Initiatives, a community development financial institution that operates across Michigan. In his session, he shares insights from being on the non profit and for profit sides of the community development equation.
Richard Anderson
Partner at Iron Fish Distillery
The Impact of Healthcare on Rural Economic Development Steven Gilbert•Oliver Kim•David Walker II
Access to healthcare is critical for economic development, but health providers themselves can be a key part of economic growth for rural communities. Health providers can bring good-paying jobs and attract other businesses. One study found that healthcare-related organizations provided over 500,000 direct jobs in Michigan in 2021. But rural health faces challenges, threatening long-term stability. We will discuss such challenges and potential opportunities and solutions from our experience.
Steven Gilbert
Public Policy Analyst at Priority Health
Oliver Kim
Senior Policy Director of Corewell Health
David Walker II
Public Policy Advisor at Corewell Health
Internet for All is Coming: How to Participate and Prepare Ben Fineman•Eric Frederick
Discover the roadmap to accessing and effectively utilizing upcoming federal grant funds to achieve internet for all in your community. This session will focus on preparing for grant opportunities, tackling deployment challenges such as permitting, and strategies to foster digital equity. Gain insights on how the Michigan High Speed Internet Office is working with the NTIA to make sure all of MIchigan's rural communities are connected and digitally included.
Ben Fineman
Federal Program Officer at NTIA, U.S. Department of Commerce
Eric Frederick
Chief Connectivity Officer at State of Michigan-High Speed Internet Office
Growing Local Recycling Programs for Shared Success William Derouin•Devan Dodge
This is a beginner/intermediate level session for community officials; grant writers; tribal leaders and those with materials management responsibilities to learn more about utilizing EGLE recycling infrastructure grants for shared materials management success; navigating EGLE recycling grants in general and tips for growing local recycling programs. EGLE recycling grant recipients will be part of a panel discussion to provide their grant and project experience.
William Derouin
Agriculture Manager at Grand Traverse Band of Ottawa and Chippewa Indians
Devan Dodge
Recycling Specialist at Michigan Department of Environment, Greats Lakes, and Energy
Lake Huron Forever: How partnering with local non-profits can strengthen environmental and community resilience Abigail Ertel•Heather Huffstutler
Participants will learn about Lake Huron Forever’s programs that are activating elected officials to prioritize and implement actions to protect Lake Huron water quality and support community health and well-being. Presenters will share stories of communities that are overcoming barriers to implement plans, elevating the connection and priority of natural resource protection in community planning and resource allocation, and engaging constituents in accomplishing success for water and people.
Abigail Ertel
Huron Pines
Heather Huffstutler
Development Director of Huron Pines
Partnering with Tribes to expand broadband access and economic opportunity Jim Lundberg•Bob Stoval•Larry Jaques
The recent deployment of BEAD and ROBIN funding for the expansion of broadband access to communities across the state provides a grand opportunity for rural communities to leverage this for regional economic growth. Learn how rural community and Tribal partnerships can enhance opportunities with reduced cost and higher impact that keeps money local.
Jim Lundberg
Upper Peninsula Engagement Manager at Merit Network
Bob Stoval
Vice President of Infrastructure Strategy & Research at Merit Network
Director of Strategic Planning at Sault Tribe of Chippewa Indians
Pathways to Decarbonization: Natural Gas Alternatives and Renewable Energy Dena Isabell•Neal Dreisig
Let Consumers Energy walk you through the future of natural gas decarbonization and a net zero future. This session will explore clean fuel technologies and how they impact Michigan.
Dena Isabell
Consumers Energy
Neal Dreisig
Consumers Energy
Igniting Change: Transforming Rural Childcare with the Childcare SPARK Initiative Christopher Germain•Zosia Eppensteiner
In this session, attendees will gain access to insights and strategies outlined in the "Childcare SPARK" initiative. This initiative is a community-driven effort to address the childcare needs of families in Marquette County by fostering cross sector collaboration. With a focus on sparking positive change through strategic action, this initiative combines expertise from business development, childcare operations, and childhood development organizations into a business accelerator model to help interested entrepreneurs understand, launch, operate, and grow home-based childcare businesses. Presenters will share firsthand experiences, best practices, and success stories from Childcare SPARK, offering attendees actionable takeaways to implement in their own community.
Attendees can expect to:
1. Gain insights into the childcare landscape of rural communities, including challenges and opportunities.
2. Learn about the innovative approach of the "Childcare SPARK" initiative to support in-home childcare in rural areas.
3. Explore strategies for community engagement, stakeholder collaboration, and sustainable investment in childcare infrastructure.
4. Understand the economic and social impact of high-quality childcare on rural development and workforce participation.
Christopher Germain
CEO of Lake Superior Community Partnership (LSCP)
Zosia Eppensteiner
Chief Executive Officer at Community Foundation of Marquette County
Getting the Most out of MEDC Technical Assistance Pepper Lockhart•Scott McLennan•Audrey Tappenden
This session focuses on MEDC’s community development TA tools as a framework for capacity building across the state through a moderated panel of 3 communities who have experience with RRC, MMS, and/or CLG and in supporting local priorities. Looking to communities who have utilized these tools and have experienced added capacity for projects as result; shifting from thinking of theses as regulatory programs and processes but instead as tools to implement their community’s vision for the future.
Pepper Lockhart
City Manager at City of Evart
Scott McLennan
Mayor at Rogers City
Audrey Tappenden
Director of Coldwater Main Street and Branch County Economic Growth Alliance
US Economic Development Administration Grant Resources for Rural Economic Development Lee Shirey
The U.S. Economic Development Administration offers numerous grant resources to help promote economic development opportunities for underserved communities in Michigan. EDA programs support infrastructure, capacity building and strategic planning to support the creation and retention of jobs and leveraging of private sector investments. Representatives of government, nonprofit organizations, tribal entities, EDOs and higher education are encouraged to participate in this presentation.
Lee Shirey
U.S. Dept of Commerce Economic Development Administration
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