DIVERSITY MEANS STABILITY
Economic development effort is focused on the expansion of new and existing business and industry.
New manufacturers are welcome in Dickinson county, especially at the county's 3 industrial parks. Dickinson County's stable economy is rooted in the area's abundant natural resources. Forest, land and waterways support a diversity of industries ranging from lumbering to tourism.
Manufacturing accounts
for about 20 percent of the county's total employment, and paper and lumber
mills have long played an important role in the local economy.
A list of the area's principal employers demonstrates the magnitude of
business development in the Dickinson County area:
|
Business
|
Location
|
Employees
|
Product
|
| Dickinson Cty. Hospitals | Iron Mountain |
648
|
Medical |
| Verso | Quinnesec |
602
|
Pulp and Paper |
| Cable Constructors | Iron Mountain |
500
|
Cable systems |
| Grede Foundries | Kingsford |
485
|
Gray Iron Castings |
| Stora Enso | Niagara, WI |
450
|
Pulp and Paper |
| Veterans Affairs Hospital | Iron Mountain |
430
|
Medical |
| MJ Electric | Iron Mountain |
300
|
Electrical Contractors |
| Systems Controls | Iron Mountain |
205
|
Boss Snowplow / elec. sup. |
| Louisiana-Pacific Corp. | Sagola |
180
|
Oriented strand board |
| Khoury, Inc. | Iron Mountain |
150
|
Unfinished wood products |
| Multicolored Ink | Norway |
100
|
Commercial printing |
| Dickinson Homes | Kingsford |
100
|
Prefabricated homes |
Even the small,
specialized manufacturers in the Dickinson County area utilize state-of-the-art
equipment and technology in their manufacturing processing.
Service related jobs account for 27 percent of the Dickinson County
area's labor market. Large employers in this sector include Dickinson
County Healthcare System, which employs 590, and the V.A. Medical Center
in Iron Mountain, which has almost 400 employees. The area's school
districts, between teachers, administrators and support staff, also
employ hundreds.
Dickinson County's pristine beauty and year-round recreational opportunities are nurturing the growth of what has become the country's second largest and fastest growing industry: tourism.
Rounding out the area's economic pie are retail businesses (25 percent); Government (19 percent) and construction and mining (9 percent).
Dickinson County's businesses are supported by a multifaceted transportation system. State and federal highways offer excellent road access to major markets in Michigan, Minnesota, Wisconsin and Illinois. Two railroad lines, the Wisconsin Central and the Escanaba & Lake Superior, make connections to major Michigan and Wisconsin cities, as well as the Great Lakes ports of Escanaba, on Lake Michigan, and Marquette, on Lake Superior.
Great Lakes Airlines operates a passenger service out of Ford Airport in Kingsford offering the United Airlines product line to travelers. Daily flights go to Chicago-Ohare and Minneapolis/St. Paul. Additionally, Superior Aviation provides weekday service to Lansing.
Spearheading and
coordinating economic development for the entire Dickinson County area
is the Dickinson Area Economic Development Alliance. Incorporated in
August 1996, the nonprofit Alliance is especially focused on the retention
of the businesses and industries comprising the area's diverse economic
base. Founded by the Dickinson County Area Chamber of Commerce, Dickinson
County and the Industrial Development Corp., membership is being expanded
to include additional local governments, businesses and industries.
The initial participants committed over $130,000 in cash and in-kind
contributions to fund the Alliance during its first two years. The current
Alliance office is staffed and housed in the Chamber building. The board
of directors consists of three representatives from each of the initial
participants.
Dickinson County has been
blessed by nature. The key to the county's success has been to combine its
natural resources with progressive local governments, committed business leaders
and hard working citizens.
For More Information, call:
Bruce Orttenburger, AICP
CEO
(906) 774-2002
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