TRAVERSE CITY -- Steep challenges remain in turning around a decade of economic malaise in Michigan, but area businesses are rising to the task.
The state and region continue to shed manufacturing jobs, unemployment rates are stubbornly stuck in double digits and a raft of local businesses shut their doors over the past year.
But some sectors are weathering the storm. Northern Michigan tourism showed solid numbers in 2009, local agriculture continues to gain clout, area banks appear to have stabilized, and some manufacturers are charting new growth paths by expanding in fields like aerospace and alternative energy.
Today's print edition Record-Eagle includes the second annual Economic Forecast publication. "Forecasting our Future" is published in conjunction with the Traverse City Area Chamber of Commerce's annual Economic Forecast Breakfast and Business Expo that will go on all day at the Grand Traverse Resort & Spa in Acme.
The 16-page insert includes profiles of various northern Michigan business sectors, including lodging and tourism, manufacturing, retail, health care, agriculture, and more, with local business owners discussing plans to turn around Michigan's economy.
The publication also includes a perspective on the state's economic challenges from Patrick Anderson, a former deputy state budget director. A local overview is offered by Tino Breithaupt, the chamber's senior vice president for economic development, and Matt McCauley of the Northwest Michigan Council of Governments. It also includes various economic and demographic information on Michigan and the 5-county region.
