NLEA History
Past NLEA Presidents and Past Board Chairs
Timeline of Significant Events:
- 1984 Charlevoix County Business & Industry Task Force formed
- 1985 Antrim County joins. New name is Antrim-Charlevoix Growth Alliance
- 1988 Emmet County joins. New name is Northern Lakes Economic Alliance
- 1990 Business Development Center (BDC) opened at NCMC, Petoskey
- 1992 MSU Extension partnership formalized
- 1995 NLEA receives 501(c)3 private non-profit status
- 1997 Northern Homes Community Development Corp. formed in partnership with the Northeast Michigan Council of Governments
- 2000 Value-Added Agriculture Program initiated
- 2001 Michigan Economic Development Corp. (MEDC) partnership established
- 2001 NLEA enters formal partnership with MSU Extension
- 2001 Partnership formed with the Char-Em ISD
- 2002 NLEA becomes a satellite Small Business & Technology Development Center (SBTDC)
- 2005 1st Business Resource Center (BRC) established in the Boyne District Library, Boyne City
- 2005 NLEA Chamber of Commerce Council organized
- 2006 Partnership formed with Northwest Michigan Council of Governments
- 2007 Cheboygan County joins the NLEA
- 2007 NLEA Entrepreneurial Division formed
- 2012 Business Resource Center Network grows to 10 locations throughout the four-county region
- 2013 North Central Michigan College (NCMC) becomes a “Core Partner”
- 2014 NLEA Celebrates 30th Anniversary
- 2014 Another site is added to the Business Resource Center Network at North Central Michigan College Library
- 2014 NLEA, in collaboration with core partners NCMC and MEDC, rolls out first Mobile CNC Fabrication Lab (Fab Lab) in Michigan to train local workforce
- 2015 NLEA partnered with the City of East Jordan and Cannonball LLC to establish a CRD to redevelop a $3+ million mixed-use facility in downtown East Jordan
- 2016 NLEA summer interns create 30 career profiles focussing on in-demand “Hot Jobs” in Northwest Michigan
- 2017 Construction is underway on new $125 million foundry for EJ (East Jordan Iron Works) in Warner Township, Antrim County. Retaining 350 family-supporting base jobs.
- 2018 Votorantim Cimentos St. Marys Cement plant expansion is complete with a $230 million investment in Charlevoix, MI
- 2019 Moran Iron Works awarded $564,300 from U.S. Department of Transportation Maritime to expand shipbuilding operation. NLEA, local and state elected officials collaborated.
