Strong Marquette Area Business Growth and Development

The Marquette area is gaining recognition as one that fosters entrepreneurial growth and economic development.  The City of Marquette and Marquette Township have been recognized as four-star and five-star communities respectively by iLabs, the University of Michigan-Dearborn’s Center for Innovation research eCities study.

eCities is an annual research study that examines community-level factors that influence entrepreneurship, economic development, and job growth. Local communities who participate in the project receive benchmarking reports showing their performance at creating inviting business environments and encouraging entrepreneurial growth. The focus of the project is to learn and share the “Best Practices” to attract entrepreneurial development and create business growth. Understanding the best practices and utilizing these concepts across Michigan will have a positive impact on the state’s economic future.

The eCities study utilizes data supplied by participating communities to construct a six-factor, 32 item index of entrepreneurial activity.  It highlights factors like policies, community and education.  Researchers send surveys to more than 114 Michigan communities during the study, which identified 54 Michigan communities as either four or five-star.  This is the fourth consecutive year the city has been recognized and the first time for the township.