I’ve always loved Muskegon. Long before there was a logo or an organized effort that encourages people to actively proclaim their affection for Muskegon -- and on occasion, dance and sing in front of a camera -- I’ve loved this town.
 

I know others will, too, after seeing the Pure Michigan singalong that’s creating such a stir and getting so many YouTube hits. Muskegon looks spectacular; downtown all beautiful and everything; people looking and sounding great, singing a Michigan-centric parody of “A Good Time” by The Owls.

You know the story by now, I’m sure. Social media phenom and producer Rob Bliss and his partner Jeff Barrett asked the Pure Michigan promotion staff for some help financing a video of some of Michigan’s towns and cities. Supposedly the Pure Michigan folks said yes, but only if Bliss could get to 50 cities in Michigan in a week’s time.

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The view from Des Moines, Iowa, is that the Beachtowns of West Michigan – including Muskegon  – are pretty much the same.

That impression was smashed this week as a half dozen travel writers from around the Midwest made their way north up the West Michigan Pike from Benton Harbor Monday, eventually ending in Ludington Friday. The group experienced the unique offerings of Muskegon County on Wednesday afternoon and Thursday morning.

The writers said they were impressed with the unique characteristics found in each community. For Muskegon, it was the “one of a kind” nature of the Muskegon Winters Sports Complex at Muskegon State Park and its winter and summer luge runs.


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Muskegon Area First economic developer Jonathan Seyferth is one of two people featured in a Michigan Economic development video on talent attraction to Michigan.

Seyferth is a young professional featured in the 2:27 video that introduces the state's MichAGAIN initiative of bringing former Michigan residents back to the state for business and professional development. The business development specialist for Muskegon Area First is a Muskegon native who recently had a job in Wyoming before coming back to Michigan and his home town in 2012 to work for the local economic development agency.

Training, attraction and retention of skilled workers is going to be a major public issue in 2012. Both President Barack Obama in the State of the Union address and Michigan Gov. Rick Snyder in the State of the State address highlighted worker training and development of highly-skilled individuals.

When we ask young people how to make West Michigan a more welcoming and attractive place to live and work, and they tell us what they think – do we listen?  What steps are we are taking to make their ideas a reality in the region’s largest cities?

The recruitment group Quaeris | HelloWestMichigan.com is sponsoring a free seminar on attracting and retaining young talent this on June 24.

It will include a panel with West Michigan mayors George Heartwell (Grand Rapids), Kurt Dykstra (Holland) and Gary Nelund (Norton Shores) discussing what West Michigan is doing be an attractive destination for the next generation to live and work.

After 14 months of construction, the $2.3 million Sidock Building has opened its doors in downtown Muskegon, the latest new structure on the former Muskegon Mall site.

 

“Since Sidock Group is an architectural and engineering firm, we wanted a presence downtown that could show off what we can do with our designs,” says Heather Caputo, Sidock spokesperson. “The company’s owner, Bill Sidock, wanted to invest in downtown Muskegon. He’s from the area and he saw an opportunity with all of these great new buildings going in downtown.”

Muskegon’s former Edison Landing, now known as Harbor 31, is 34 acres of Brownfield redevelopment along Muskegon Lake at the end of Terrace Street, with the potential for $100 million to $200 million worth of green, sustainable development. The owner, Grand Rapids-based True North, is marketing that potential nationally and is prepared to wait for the right developers with the right vision—green and self-sustainable.

 

 

If you ask Dan Rinsema-Sybenga, Muskegon, Mich. is on the crest of a wave of revitalization and he wants to be on the lip of that surf rushing toward the city’s shore. So much so he’s known to many locals as Downtown Dan. He lives downtown, works downtown, and finds entertainment…yup…downtown.