LANSING, Mich. (WZMQ) — The Lake Superior Community Partnership has been selected as one of ten organizations joining Michigan’s first-ever Community Growth Academy, an 18-month program designed to help communities prepare for and adapt to economic change.
The initiative, led by the Michigan Community & Worker Economic Transition Office, builds on work that began in 2024 to create the state’s Community Transition Playbook — a toolkit for communities facing industrial transitions such as plant closures or energy shifts.
“Coming out of our roundtables across the state, we heard communities saying they didn’t want someone to give them a plan — they wanted the tools to create one themselves,” said Transition Office Director Jonathan Smith. “The Academy will let them put those strategies into action while helping us refine the playbook before it’s released statewide.”
Smith said the Lake Superior Community Partnership stood out for its history of collaboration and its vision to ensure the benefits of growth are shared across Marquette and Delta counties. “There was a compelling vision for capturing what’s working in parts of the region and making sure that growth is more evenly distributed,” he said.
Participating communities will receive technical assistance, access to grant funding, and a full-time fellow to support their local projects. Over the next 18 months, they’ll test and refine the playbook while developing strategies tailored to their region’s needs.
The first statewide meeting of all Academy members is scheduled for October 20–21 in Lansing. The final version of the Community Transition Playbook is expected to be released next year for all Michigan communities to use.
