The Marquette arm of the MTEC SmartZone in Houghton is up and running, it announced in its first public statement.
The
Marquette SmartZone is the newly incorporated satellite of the existing zone in the Keweenaw, and is made up of a Local Development Finance Authority created last year, the new 501(c)3 corporation and its board, which is in the process of forming. Bylaws are being written, board members are being chosen, and the hiring of a new executive director is upcoming, all spurred by the recent approval of the SmartZone by the Michigan Department of Economic Development.
The new economic development engine will be named Innovate Marquette, according to its statement, or, in longer form, the Innovation Marquette Enterprise Corporation. It does have some specific areas of industry as its mission to develop, says finance authority chair Rosemary Smith.
"We are really energized and excited to be progressing through the paperwork and organization of the LDFA and SmartZone plans so we can move forward in creating high-tech, high-quality businesses and jobs here in Marquette with the focus on life sciences, green technologies, IT and social media, natural resources and food systems technology companies," she says.
Writer: Kim Eggleston
Source: Marquette SmartZone
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