and scalable. This foundation is key to attracting and retaining businesses seeking shovel-ready opportunities. PRO-BUSINESS CLIMATE: INCENTIVES AND PARTNERSHIPS Escanaba has cultivated a business-friendly ecosystem through strategic incentives and collaborative partnerships. The city actively leverages tax abatements and Brownfield redevelopment tools, including TIF districts, to spur investment. “We’ve been very pro-business as it relates to rezonings to make projects happen, and financial incentives to make projects happen,” says McNeil. This flexible approach is complemented by direct engagement with the private sector. “We’ve grown our presence by working with partners to try and receive a little more input from the private world of what exactly is it that they need to hear from us or that they need to see us doing to be interested in doing work here,” McNeil explains, emphasizing the shift from bureaucratic processes to proactive dialogue. Key partnerships amplify these efforts. State programs like Michigan EGLE’s SRF and federal American Rescue Plan funding have been instrumental in financing infrastructure upgrades. InvestUP, a regional advocacy organization, plays a critical role in promoting Upper Peninsula growth. “They’ve done a tremendous job of advocating for the interest of the UP and for business investment in the UP,” McNeil notes. This multilayered support system, combining financial incentives, responsive governance, and regional collaboration, positions Escanaba as a C2AE is an engineering and architecture design firm with nearly 60 years of experience. Through underground infrastructure, surface transportation, buildings, or a harmonious combination of all that we offer, we empower the communities in which we live, work, and pass on to the next generation. We go beyond the challenge at hand to envision the world to come. We’re proud to work with the City of Escanaba on reliable and resilient infrastructure solutions to meet the present and future needs of the city’s businesses and community members. c2ae.com Infrastructure – Schools – Libraries – Wastewater – GIS C2AE.COM 188 CIVIL AND MUNICIPAL VOLUME 06, ISSUE 09
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