Career Day shows options for students

The Presque Isle County Development Commission (CDC) is forging ahead on a number of economic development initiatives that will help create jobs in the county. One such project is the Northern Michigan Broadband Cooperative. ?This is a multi-county effort designed to bring state of the art telecommunications technology to the rural areas in the tip of the mitt,? says William Valentine CDC executive director. Valentine serves as the chairman of the executive committee for the cooperative.

?We are in the process of formalizing the coop and are working closely with a number of organizations in the region such as the Northeast Michigan Council of Governments (NEMCOG) and the Northern Lakes Economic Alliance (NLEA) as well as Michigan State University, University of Michigan, Alpena Community College and Northwestern Michigan College,? he continued.

The CDC recently closed a deal on the first Renaissance Zone property to be handed over to a new business. The Hentkowski Funeral Home broke ground this spring for their new facility to be located at the Rogers City Air Commerce Park on US-23.

CDC Chairman of the Board, David Nadolsky was one of several presenters at the joint Posen and Rogers City high school career day conducted at the Rogers City Sigh School. The program was sponsored by the BO$$Y project that is also providing business related text books and other classroom materials for the two schools as well as Onaway High School. ?Kids may not really know what entrepreneurship means but they understand what it means to be your own boss,? Nadolsky said.

?BO$$Y is an acronym for Business Oriented $uccess $trategies for Youth. We like the dollar signs in the title. It came about under the Creating Entrepreneurial Communities (CEC) project sponsored by MSU and the Edward Lowe Foundation,? said Ed Lamb, who is the Rogers City CEC representative. ?Additional funding for the program came from the Community Foundation of Northeast Michigan, Rogers City, the County Board of Commissioners, Presque Isle Electric and Gas and the Wolverine Power Cooperative as well as private donations from a number of people around the county demonstrating the broad support for this program,? Valentin

e added.

The CDC is working with the Governor?s Port Cities Collaborative to enhance, promote and preserve port cities around the state. This group is looking at commercial, recreational and maritime heritage aspects of port cities to stimulate growth and economic development. The location of the NOAA Thunder Bay National Marine Sanctuary in the region further supports this initiative and efforts are underway in Congress to extend the preserve into Presque Isle waters up to Rogers City. Along with the attraction of new businesses, the CDC also works to assist existing businesses to locate new markets and expand.

?We are growing businesses one job at a time in Presque Isle County and always looking for ways to capitalize on our natural assets and dependable workforce,? Valentine said. The CDC office is located in the county courthouse. The toll free phone number is (888) 355-8046, the web site is www.picdc.org and the email is info@picdc.org.

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