Perspective delivered by

Christopher Germain, AICP, EDFP

CEO, LSCP.

The Lake Superior Community Partnership team has built a deep and well-balanced bench of benefits for our Partners over the year. While much of the attention often goes to tangible benefits such as ribbon cuttings, Business After Hours, the business listing, and more, there are many more behind the scenes that are powerful but often out of sight. One of the most powerful benefits is our ability to amplify the voices of all of us to share advocacy.

Before we go further, it’s important to note that advocacy is not the same as lobbying, which occurs when a registered lobbyist seeks a specific vote or action on a specific bill or request. Instead, we advocate by informing and enhancing understanding of key issues for our membership. Those issues range from staying abreast of issues, collaborating with similar organizations with the Northern Michigan Chamber Alliance, and meeting with legislators on a regular basis to maintain relationships to trips by the Marquette County Ambassadors and letters of support or opposition.

As you may have heard, 2023 was one of the most action-packed state legislative sessions in recent history. We had two successful advocacy trips downstate, dozens of meetings with government officials, and opportunities to host events about essential topics such as energy. We also reviewed what felt like endless legislative reports from Gongwer. While things have slowed down in Lansing with a 54-54 tie in the House, we're preparing for a busy budget season in May and June and likely a “lame duck” session later this year.

Outside of legislative advocacy, the LSCP also tracks progress on and submits comments on various issues that can impact our shared mission of a vibrant local and regional economy. Already in 2024, we’ve tackled a wide variety of issues, including USPS’ plans to change postal processing capacity in the Upper Peninsula, proposed building code updates that would further increase the cost of new housing, updated federal labor rules which are set to increase the minimum threshold for salaried workers (leaving businesses to make some tough decisions on labor costs), advocated for additional air service at Marquette Sawyer Regional Airport, ensuring state rules factor in unique needs of rural communities, advocating for our region to be at the forefront of innovation for better collaboration between state and local governments (for example, by allowing local inspectors to also conduct inspections on behalf of state departments so our businesses aren’t left waiting months for critical state inspections), and more.

Advocacy is a marathon, often requiring years of relationship building, education, and collaboration to navigate misunderstandings, competing interests, and limited resources. Every day, the LSCP team strives to deepen our own understanding and ensure the voices of our members are not just heard, but amplified. We do this in partnership with organizations like InvestUP, Marquette County Ambassadors, Small Business Association of Michigan, and others, underscoring the collective effort that drives our advocacy work.

The advocacy isn’t just at the state or federal level either. We also work directly with local government partners to ensure our members are informed and included in crucial efforts like master planning, budgeting, and more. These local connections help us all become more informed and create a more predictable environment for investment. Housing – an issue the LSCP has heavily invested in elevating – is a prime example. Our new housing webpage, is not just for show. It’s a chance for us to advocate and support local governments and our members to all pitch in and solve this challenge together.

It takes many forms, but one thing is consistent: advocacy is a significant benefit of being part of the LSCP network. We welcome new voices and issues, so please reach out if you’re not already a part of the conversation. We’d love to have your voice added to the chorus.