LPEF Facts and Accomplishments
Vision Statement
Our vision is for Leelanau County to be a great environment for all people to live, work and play.
Mission Statement
As a nonpartisan, nonprofit organization, our mission is to create collaborative opportunities to strengthen and sustain the economic vitality of our businesses and communities while being sensitive to the natural beauty of Leelanau County.
Facts About LPEF
Established March 24, 2014 as a Michigan Nonprofit Corporation
Email: hello@leelanau4business.com
HISTORY
The foundation was the idea of the board of directors of the Leelanau Peninsula Chamber of Commerce to bring together all of the existing Leelanau County village Chambers and other business leaders in a collaborative effort to identify, prioritize and address the wider variety of challenges facing all businesses in Leelanau County.
OUR PRIORITIES
Covid-19 Economic and Community Recovery
Early Childhood Programs and Services
Workforce Development and Job Creation
Internet/Broadband Connectivity
Workforce Housing
BOARD MEMBERS
Jim Bardenhagen - Agriculture, LIFT Committee Member
Ed Beuerle – Suttons Bay Chamber, Building Trends Expert
Emily Heston – Cedar Area and Falling Waters Lodge, Leland
Scott Walker – Northport - Omena Chamber of Commerce
Laura Galbraith - Venture North Funding and Development
Tim Haring, LPEF founder
Patricia Soutas-Little, Chair LPEF – Leelanau County Commissioner
Jeff Shaw – Elmwood Township Supervisor
Casey Noonan – Leelanau County Parks and Recreation
Brayton Farr - State Savings Bank
Todd Avis - Leelanau Education Group
Dick Guzowski - Ski Enterprises
CHAMBER PARTNERS
Leelanau Peninsula Chamber of Commerce
Lake Leelanau Community Association
Glen Arbor Chamber of Commerce
Northport - Omena Chamber of Commerce
Suttons Bay Chamber of Commerce
STRATEGIC PARTNERS
Leelanau County
Traverse City Rotary Charities
TART Trails
Leelanau County Housing Action Committee
Housing North
Northwest Michigan Works
Michigan Economic Development Corporation
Region 2 Collaborative Development Council
Sleeping Bear Gateways Council
ACCOMPLISHMENTS
Surveyed over 100 Leelanau businesses to determine advantages and constraints to doing business in Leelanau County and how local businesses wish to partner on community-development initiatives.
Partnered with regional economic development agencies such as MEDC, Michigan Works! and Venture North connecting Leelanau businesses with critical resources to meet their needs including talent attraction and workforce retention.
Developed three-year strategic plan to inform the work of LPEF. The plan was informed by the Leelanau stakeholders LPEF is intended to serve or partner with, including representatives from the agriculture, business, education and local government sectors.
Established the Leelanau Internet Futures Team (LIFT), comprised of over 20 stakeholders from throughout Leelanau County and tasked with examining the status of broadband services and developing an action plan to provide high- speed Internet access county-wide. LIFT continues to meet with government and community partners to implement the action plan, including working with five internet service providers to establish their infrastructure within the County.
Co-led the county's housing task force supporting the creation of a Housing Action Committee (HAC) for Leelanau County. A representative of the LPEF serves on both the newly formed Housing North organization and as a member of the HAC actively pursuing an Action Plan for Housing Ready Communities. The goal of the plan is to put in place a program that assists Leelanau County's villages and townships develop affordable workforce housing plans and policies. Presentations have been made to local units of government serving the communities of Northport, Suttons Bay, Empire, Elmwood, Centerville, Leland, and Glen Arbor, and plans to engage the remaining townships and villages are underway.
Expanded the LPEF board of directors to include all of the local chambers reflecting the business community more broadly. Updated the strategic plan incorporating new initiative goals consistent with the expanded Board membership. Our priorities for 2020 remain supporting and attracting young families in Leelanau County, creating year-round employment opportunities with a livable wage, increasing broadband strength and connectivity countywide, finding opportunity for development of workforce housing units, workforce recruitment and retention, and designing the systems required for our organizational sustainability.
Secured $25,000 to hire a part-time coordinator, effective January 2020, to further board progress on initiatives.
Partnered with the Leelanau Peninsula Chamber of Commerce to develop and lead the Leelanau Recovery Team (LRT), a collective of nearly 100 community leaders and business owners concerned with Covid-19 recovery initiatives. The LRT meets bi-weekly on a Zoom call facilitated by LPEF to share Covid-19 business and community best practices, and foster critical connections between Leelanau business owners and community service providers including local media, parks and recreation, chambers of commerce, Michigan Works!, financial institutions, and the Benzie-Leelanau District Health Department to encourage unifying and collaborative responses to the Covid-19 pandemic across Leelanau County.
Partnered with Venture North to develop and implement the Regional Resiliency Fund which has so far provided $98,500 dollars in emergency relief grants to 42 small businesses in Leelanau County.
Co-led the Early Childhood County Committee reviewing existing childhood programs and services, creating and recommending a sustainable, high quality, expanded early childhood program for families in Leelanau County. A ballot proposal requesting millage funding to support this program expansion was placed on the November 2019 ballot and was passed by Leelanau County voters. The program is housed in the Benzie-Leelanau District Health Department and began offering services in March 2020. The need for early childhood programs ranked high in the LPEF business survey. An LPEF early childhood committee was created to continue work on early childhood issues relating to childcare providers, childcare partnerships, and financial support for families.