East Jordan, MI – September 17, 2025 – On Wednesday, community and business leaders from across northern Michigan gathered at The Boathouse on Lake Charlevoix in East Jordan to discuss solutions and resources to the growing challenges of staffing shortages in the region. The event was hosted by Northern Lakes Economic Alliance (NLEA), a nonprofit economic development organization serving businesses and communities across Antrim, Charlevoix, Cheboygan, and Emmet counties.
The event featured a panel of business leaders and resource providers from across Michigan who have successfully built innovative talent pipelines in their organizations; Abe Manthei, Director of Missional Development at The Manthei Group; Ryan Schultz, President & CEO of Mr. Chain; Rena Dam, Global Talent Corporate Outreach Michigan Program Manager at Global Detroit; and Dustin Stabile, Head of Production at Mackinaw Trail Winery & Brewery. All four shared their experiences tackling workforce challenges, ranging from a local in-recovery program to hiring visa workers to fill a variety of positions across industries.
During the panel session, Abe Manthei, shared how The Manthei Group began its in-recovery program and the impact of implementing relational leadership on workforce retention. Manthei emphasized the importance of supporting employees beyond the job with their physical, mental, spiritual, and financial health – stating, “We really believe that we are called to steward the community and steward the employees that we work with.”
Also on the panel was Sam Bailey, Strategic Initiatives Manager with the NLEA, who discussed the demographic and labor force trends shaping our region. According to the US Census Bureau, the share of prime professional age individuals (ages 25 to 54) in the region declined by 13.6% between 2010 and 2023, a rate of almost double the state’s decline. This decrease has been felt by businesses across northern Michigan; 70% of respondents to the NLEA’s spring Economic Pulse Report listed staffing as one of the largest barriers to growing their business.
Sam Bailey stated that “While we have seen growth in our prime age population post-COVID which is a good thing, we still are faced with a population that is projected to continue to age. In the face of these challenges, the region needs to look for strategies to increase its labor force participation rate and bring new workers into the region.”
This week’s event was the third in the Catalyst Conversations series hosted by the NLEA, which the organization describes as solution-focused conversations on pressing regional economic development topics.
The Northern Lakes Economic Alliance is a 501(c)(3) regional economic development organization dedicated to supporting the economic vitality of Antrim, Charlevoix, Cheboygan, and Emmet counties. NLEA’s mission is to drive economic resiliency by ensuring the resources, infrastructure, and policies exist to fuel business growth and community prosperity.
For more information about future events and other NLEA initiatives, please visit our website.
