Op-ed: Business lessons learned from all 83 Michigan counties

Michigan’s small businesses are an integral part of the state’s economy. In an op-ed published to Crain’s Detroit Business, Michigan Economic Development Corporation CEO Quentin L. Messer, Jr. highlights the business lessons learned as the MEDC uplifted the Voices of Michiganders from across the state’s 83 counties through its regional storytelling project.

Inspired by the power of this storytelling, the MEDC spoke with business and community leaders across industries in every corner of the state to find out what matters to them, what is helping them succeed and where programs fall short. From the need for long-term investment to helping entrepreneurs find the right path forward, this op-ed highlights the MEDC’s key takeaways from the Voices project.

The following op-ed originally appeared in Crain's Detroit Business on March 9, 2026:

If you spend your time in any Michigan boardroom or the halls of Lansing, seemingly, Michigan’s economy is reduced to a series of neat, high-level metrics: state GDP growth, unemployment rates and investment rounds. While these figures are important, I plead guilty to relying on them too; these numbers don’t capture what’s happening on the ground with the risk takers who power Michigan’s small businesses.

To develop a more complete picture of the Michigan economy, the Michigan Economic Development Corp. hit the road. We’ve spent the last two years listening and sharing the Voices of Michiganders from each of our state’s 83 counties. Inspired by the power of regional storytelling, we spoke with business and community leaders across industries in every corner of the state to find out what matters to them, what is helping them succeed and where programs fall short.

Michigan’s small businesses are an integral part of the state’s economy that is partly measured in metrics like GDP growth, unemployment rates and investment round valuations. While many businesses and communities have grown with the help of state-backed programs, our conversations revealed many shared challenges across sectors, and that grit and resilience undergird these foundational elements of our state’s economy. From the need for long-term investment to helping entrepreneurs find the right path forward, here are some of our key takeaways:

The Investment long game

In an era of instant gratification, it’s easy to overlook slow-burn investments, like infrastructure improvements for site readiness. These projects are crucial for creating growth conditions while providing stability in a rapidly changing economy. For example, infrastructure work that took place at the Port of Monroe nearly a decade ago proved vital during the global pandemic. The port recorded its busiest season ever in 2020 and was able to keep hundreds of workers employed. Today, every international vessel with high-value cargo that comes into the port has a regional impact of roughly one million dollars.

In 2015, a modest community grant provided to Keweenaw County would eventually turn the Keweenaw Mountain Lodge into a culinary destination, attracting visitors from all over the Midwest and the globe to experience its "rustic worldly" cuisine. We have to continue prioritizing steady, long-term progress that builds resilience. These investments build on each other over time, building strong foundations for local economies through times of disruption.

Bridging the knowledge gap

Through our conversations, we noticed a recurring struggle: prospective entrepreneurs often have the right ideas and the grit to succeed, yet needed access to support mechanisms to get their businesses launched and growing. Innovation exists in every Michigan zip code, and we’ve seen what happens when the necessary resources are provided up front. Jill Zielinski of North Bay Fiber turned a passion for knitting into a thriving yarn and textile business with guidance from the Michigan Small Business Development Center (SBDC). In Hillsdale, Cobra AERO’s advanced drone systems are now available in key global markets thanks to support from the MEDC’s International Trade program.

Entrepreneurs don’t have to navigate this journey alone. The MEDC, along with local economic development partners and Michigan’s network of SBDCs, exists to help founders connect to the right support at the right moment, whether they’re just starting out or ready to scale.

Small towns, big impacts

Perhaps they might escape media headlines, yet investments in our small towns were important characters in the stories that we have told over the past two years. Across the Voices featured statewide, another pattern emerged: when Main Streets thrive, the surrounding neighborhoods did too. Vibrant Main Streets draw in talent and strengthen the local economy by fostering a stable, loyal customer base for small businesses. When a business like Cheboygan Coffee Roasters or 876 Baldwin revitalizes a historic storefront, their placemaking efforts improve the local scenery, activate foot traffic and transform a community’s sense of place.

Local businesses keep dollars circulating close to home, creating a flywheel effect that accelerates. The momentum grows, turning once-quiet downtowns into economic engines that expand outward and pick along surrounding areas. Small-town investment inspires entrepreneurial dreams, thus building community resilience. By supporting the entrepreneurs who choose to build on Main Street, Michigan is strengthening the connective tissue between local identity and statewide growth.

Listening and sharing stories across Michigan’s 83 counties have shown that Michiganders are innovating in every corner of the state, yet there remains a need to connect entrepreneurs to the right resources. Since a business owner's focus is on making payroll or securing the contract, my teammates and I hope to make it easier for business owners to find the experts, capital and resources that improve their likelihood of success. By giving voice and exposure through our platform, not only do we strengthen this collaborative network, but also ensure that the full story of the Michigan economy is told across our two beautiful peninsulas.