ESCANABA — “U.P. Power.” It’s a phrase synonymous with U.P. high school playoff competition, and illustrates the energy and difference that result when Upper Peninsula communities come together. It is also the vision behind InvestUP: Bringing the assets of the U.P. together makes a difference in strengthening and growing our economy.   

InvestUP is a regional economic development organization, led by the private sector whose members employ 6% of the U.P. workforce, do business in each U.P. county, and work across 11 industry sectors. Our mission is to be a catalyst to drive prosperity across the Upper Peninsula by being proactive and collaborative. 

As COVID-19 has further demonstrated, collaboration is critical to finding solutions and opportunity. That’s why we look to work with partners like the Delta County Commerce Center organizations, who are a critical local resource, to work together on key economic development challenges and priorities — challenges and priorities that may also exist in other U.P. communities that can then be replicated.    

In Delta County and beyond, the end goal of our work is to be a partner and resource through the strategic assets on which InvestUP can draw, like critical private and public sector relationships and through the thought leadership of our three university partners. Those strategic assets allow us to provide local support to existing businesses and resolve barriers that may preclude growth or new opportunity.  

New opportunity, like remote workers and reshoring, that is sure to result in the post-pandemic world. That is why we also look to actively promote the virtues that make the U.P. someplace truly special as people or companies now reflect on something better.

We appreciate this opportunity from our friends at the Delta County Commerce Center to introduce InvestUP, and hope to return from time-to-time to talk more about the virtues of U.P. Power.

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Marty Fittante is CEO of InvestUP. Originally from Escanaba, he spent 15 years working on many varied and critical issues and opportunities impacting the U.P. while on staff in the Michigan Legislature before taking the helm of InvestUP in January of 2019.