If you’re a business owner or manager, in all likelihood you have wanted in the past to have had the ability to influence decision makers before decisions are made that impact your business.

And why not? Getting perspective from professionals in the trenches makes all the sense in the world, if the best business-influencing decisions are to be made.

That, it seems, is exactly what is happening with a new survey from the Lake Superior Community Partnership and the Marquette Sawyer Regional Airport.

The brief five-question survey aims to identify demand that may be missed due to businesses and other travelers choosing to drive or not take a trip they would otherwise take.

“Reliable, affordable and convenient air service is critical to supporting economic vibrancy across our entire region, especially in Marquette County, where so many of our businesses are located,” LSCP CEO Christopher Germain said for a Mining Journal story in the matter. “We face a complex set of circumstances to bring back the air service we previously had. Expanding on that further will take creative solutions, a broad coalition and constant preparedness to capture opportunities when they come about. The data collected in this survey will help us do that while supporting other efforts actively underway with private and public partners to plan for the future.”

The data that will be collected from the survey is part of an effort by the airport to plan for the future of the airport, while also using the data to help secure new grant opportunities.

We encourage the local business community to get involved, if for no other reason, so the decisions made based on the survey are the best they can be.

The survey is now active and will stay open until noon on April 12. It can be found online at www.marquette.org/airservicesurvey.