MARQUETTE - At a time when the national headlines seem to scream only about dismal economic times and more layoffs, a recent survey shows Marquette County is apparently above the trend.
The report, recently released by the Lake Superior Community Partnership, found an overall positive business outlook for the county, based on surveys sent to partnership members.
"I think that's really good in this economy," partnership CEO Amy Clickner said. "There's a lot of communities who wish they were stable or only sliding back a bit."
The more negative aspects of the current economy tend to create more "hype" in the media, which paints a darker picture, said Tawni Ferrarini, an economics professor at Northern Michigan University.
"It's not the doom and gloom that you hear," she said.
Of the 110 businesses that participated in the LSCP survey in late 2008, 67 percent said business had increased in 2008 or was the same compared to 2007.
In addition, 72 percent of businesses said they were able to secure funding in 2008, even with national banks clamoring for bailout help and talk of tight credit markets.
Ferrarini said some businesses are seeing growth because of a shift in market conditions, like the increase in business she has seen at some local restaurants.
"People are continuing to eat out, it's just a shift to quick or fast food stops," she said.
Local business Jon's Auto in Marquette, a member of the LSCP, had a record year in 2008, thanks to some market shifts.
"2008 ended as a record year for Jon's Auto," General Manager John Kivela said. "We enjoyed a really good first nine months."
Kivela said he attributed some of that upswing to high gas prices and the new demand for more fuel-efficient vehicles.
Keeping on top of the market takes some anticipation though, he said.
"We watch the market and we adjust accordingly," Kivela said. "We try to keep our inventory as new as we can."
Kivela also said he has hope for the future.
"This area continues to be a highlight in Michigan. We're holding our own. You just keep plugging away and hope the market improves," he said.
Overall, Clickner said the survey showed Marquette businesses were prepared for lean times - whether through having a diverse range of products or making sure they had a large enough cushion of funds.
In terms of employment, businesses were fairly evenly split on whether they changed the number of workers in 2008.
For those who did decrease the number of employees, most business owners (43 percent) said they chose to not hire new employees for open positions, instead of choosing layoffs (19 percent).
Businesses that increased the number of employees credited higher revenue and sales (25 percent) or expanded operations (46 percent).
Looking ahead into 2009, only nine businesses said they were considering layoffs and three said they were considering selling their business. Six said they were looking at new capital investments and 24 were hoping to expand or hire more employees.
The survey, which was sent electronically, was the first of its kind conducted by the partnership, and Clickner said she was impressed by the number of businesses that responded.
"That's a pretty decent rate of return," she said. "I think it's a good snapshot."
The LSCP currently has more than 500 member businesses.
The organization plans to repeat the survey each year, and possibly at the mid-year mark to track trends, Clickner said.
Marquette County is helped by not only the diversity of its businesses, which range from mining to small manufacturing to education, but also by its isolation from downstate industries, like the auto industry, Clickner said.
"We have such a strong work ethic and business mind," she said, citing the county's ability to overcome other economic hardships like the downturn of the mining industry in the 1980s and the closing of the K.I. Sawyer Air Force Base in the 1990s.
One factor that has hurt county businesses, however, is found closer to home - the rumor mill, Clickner said.
"We're actually hurting our own businesses with rumors," she said, because once people hear a business might be closing, they tend to stop shopping there, even if the business is not closing.
"Don't assume a business is closing," she said. "Ninety percent of the time, the rumors are false."
