Helping Businesses Thrive - Negaunee Economic Development

Innovate Marquette SmartZone, one of 21 SmartZones located throughout the state, was established in 2015 to provide entrepreneurial services to the Marquette County and Upper Peninsula community. We provide this service by leveraging our unique set of resources, experiences, and knowledge available in our network. Our mission is to provide support, guidance, and services to local entrepreneurs, innovators, startups, and small business owners looking to innovate internally. To grow and maintain a successful entrepreneurial ecosystem, we partner with Northern Michigan University’s Invent@ NMU program as well as other local economic development organizations. Our mission is to thoughtfully and powerfully uplift the upper peninsula business ecosystem. Innovate Marquette SmartZone is a valuable and approachable resource to innovators, entrepreneurs, and small business owners. With a concentration on accessibility, sustainability, and connectivity, we foster opportunities for the careers of the future while honoring the roots and natural wonders of Upper Michigan.

The Innovate Marquette SmartZone and Invent@NMU have had a solid and lasting relationship with the City of Negaunee. Through strong collaboration with city officials, Innovate Marquette and Invent@ NMU presented the innovation process and potential applications of innovation to create, strengthen, and grow businesses in Negaunee. Through outreach events and the installation of an Invent@NMU kiosk at the local library, Innovate Marquette SmartZone and the city of Negaunee have provided a portal for residents to submit product and business ideas. Unfortunately, due to the covid-19 epidemic, these resources have been temporary unavailable. Recently, Innovate Marquette and Invent@NMU’s CEO Joe Thiel and Negaunee City Manager Nate Heffron, recognizing the need and opportunity to re-start the Innovation programming, are developing a robust new initiative. The programming includes regularly sponsored events with residents and businesses in the city of HELPING BUSINESSES Thrive BY JOE THIEL, CEO INNOVATE MARQUETTE SMARTZONE 38 Negaunee, innovation workshops, and workshops for young entrepreneurs within the local k-12 school system. Innovate Marquette is proud to support local innovation in Negaunee and looks forward to continued success.

In addition to sponsored events and outreach, Innovate Marquette SmartZone CEO Joe Thiel will participate in the Negaunee marketing and branding initiative. This collaboration will support the City of Negaunee as a remote work and play hub, in conjunction with the Make It Marquette initiative. Make It Marquette (www.makeitmqt.com) was created in 2021 to attract, retain, and support the people and ideas that will shape the future of the business economy in the Upper Peninsula of Michigan. Make It Marquette will tell stories of those living, working, and starting businesses in the area. Marquette is the most densely populated county in Michigan’s Upper Peninsula; big enough to be recognized by mainstream media and entrepreneurial circles as a focal point of American potential, and small enough that every person brave enough to pursue their own goals can make an impact. With a business, tech, and entrepreneurial ecosystem established and growing, broadband across the entire region, and ample space to enjoy an active and outdoor lifestyle, Marquette county is an ideal place for those looking to move into a rural location. Innovate Marquette SmartZone and Invent@NMU look forward to the opportunity to continue to work with Negaunee and its residents. Maintaining these strong bonds will ensure everyone can capitalize on these and other opportunities in the future.