Peyton Hines, president and chief executive officer of Northern Lakes Economic Alliance, told council Nov. 6 the organization is focusing on business growth, infrastructure and development, talent retention and education/policy work across a four‑county region that includes Emmet County.

Hines said the alliance recently helped secure an employer assisted housing award that will allow employers to retain or attract at least 14 employees in the Petoskey area; the group also supported a childcare conversion project using a USDA zero‑interest loan to create more than 40 slots in Petoskey. "We were able to secure nearly $10,000,000 in state and federal funding to support local projects across the region," Hines told council, adding that about $3.5 million of that amount supports projects in Emmet County and roughly $2.5 million went to a Petoskey project.

Hines also briefed council on ongoing outreach to businesses to connect them to low‑interest financing (including Great Lakes Energy programs) and on marketing grants to support talent attraction campaigns. He said the alliance is coordinating with local partners on brownfield redevelopment and a number of mixed‑use projects in the Petoskey area; the alliance’s efforts have supported roughly $14 million in private investment tied to those projects so far this year.

Why it matters: The alliance’s grants and technical assistance can help small and mid‑sized local businesses access financing, and employer‑assisted housing and childcare projects can address barriers to hiring and retention cited by local employers.

Look ahead: Hines said some mixed‑use projects and business assistance efforts will continue into 2026, and he invited council to consider hosting a developer day in Petoskey to highlight priority sites to developers and investors.