Useful business tool for your entrepreneur's toolbox

Andy Hayes, Michigan State University Extension -

Michigan Economic Development Corporation's site selection tool offers ore than just your next business location.

Whether you’re a first time business owner or have decades of business owning experience, knowing the details of your location and surrounding area is an important key to success. When it comes time to select a new community to open your business or expand what you already have, there are tools to help you with the research. One tool, available free of charge through Michigan Economic Development Corporation, is Real Estate Database or Zoom Prospector.

Zoom Prospector offers property and site availability, broadband and energy information and community demographics. This multiple-city comparison option include beneficial information to consider when comparing different sites such as labor force, demographics, consumer spending, housing, etc. Michigan State University Extension partner Northern Lakes Economic Alliance (NLEA) uses Zoom Prospector when assisting current and potential companies in their four county region.

The NLEA can offer assistance to help you continue to expand your business with a wide range of trainings and workshops, utilizing the most comprehensive academic and economic development resources available today from our many federal, state and local partners. Whether you are a new business start-up, or Fortune 500 company seeking to expand, NLEA staff will help you with a variety of industry-specific issues and challenges and continue to work with you on an on-going basis to identify and prepare for future growth opportunities.

“Michigan State University Extension has had a unique relationship with the regional economic development organization Northern Lakes Economic Alliance (NLEA) for more than 20 years. Recognizing the strength of combining resources, this partnership focuses on economic development, entrepreneurship growth and community infrastructure throughout a four-county region in the northwest Lower Peninsula, specifically Antrim, Charlevoix, Cheboygan and Emmet counties. As a result, the NLEA utilizes resources offered through MSU Extension as it provides leadership to state-wide programs sponsored by MSU Extension.” 

This article was published by Michigan State University Extension. For more information, visit https://extension.msu.edu. To have a digest of information delivered straight to your email inbox, visit https://extension.msu.edu/newsletters. To contact an expert in your area, visit https://extension.msu.edu/experts, or call 888-MSUE4MI (888-678-3464).

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