Great Lakes Ag Irrigation Begins New Venture with Capital Access Support

Michigan has just under 10 million acres of farmland and is home to roughly 47,600 farms. Michigan farmers produce more than 300 agricultural products, making our state one of the most agriculturally diverse states in the nation.

Everyone benefits from products made by Michigan farm families who take pride in perfecting the art and science of growing fresh, high-quality foods and products, year after year – yet they can’t do it alone. Growers rely on partners like Six Lakes, Michigan-based Great Lakes Ag Irrigation Inc. to provide them with customized irrigation and water management solutions to help them keep up with the ever-growing demand for food and natural resources.

President and CEO, Clayton Irani, started Great Lakes Ag Irrigation Inc. in early January 2021. The company provides new irrigation and service to local farmers within a 100-mile radius of Six Lakes.

Faced with the challenges of competition in the industry, Irani knew that in irrigation, time is essential. “As an irrigation dealership, if you don’t have the parts you need to fix a farmer’s problem today, then they’ll go somewhere else.”

Irani was tasked with finding the working capital to purchase the inventory needed to set his business up for success. That is when he turned to Isabella Bank and the Michigan Economic Development Corporation (MEDC)’s Capital Access Program. Read the full article to learn how Great Lakes Ag Irrigation found the help it needed to begin its new venture.

Opportunity to Learn More About Capital Access Programs

The Capital Access team remains committed to assisting lenders with their small business lending needs. In an effort to spread greater awareness and understanding of the Capital Access programs offered by the MEDC, our team would welcome the opportunity to meet with you and your team. During this meeting we will present information on our programs offered and answer any questions you may have.

Please contact Amber Westendorp at westendorpa1@michigan.org for more information or to schedule a date and time.

Second Initiate Training Cohort Begins in May

Small businesses across the state now have access to new tools and resources to help them launch and grow in Michigan, including an online small business learning platform called Initiate. The Initiate resource portal covers topics such as money, marketing, management and COVID-19 resiliency resources by using a variety of learning methods including videos, templates and guides.

Through a “Train the Trainer” model, partner organizations that serve small business customers will learn how to use available tools to understand business needs, where to direct businesses using the MEDC.Initiate portal, and how to develop consistency, accountability and follow through in your organization’s technical assistance and small business support.

Over the next year, the MEDC in partnership with Northern Initiatives, will be offering three training cohorts, each lasting about 12 weeks, that will provide four strategic learning sessions for trainers. Registration is required and space is limited. The next training cohort will begin in May and will be announced soon.

MEDC Capital Access customers are invited to participate in the training cohort and gain access to the MEDC.Initiate portal to be able to provide technical assistance to small business clients.

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