Welcome to Downtown Munising

The Small-Town Experience -
We perfected being a small town long ago and choose to remain so. As our community grows, we continue to call each other by our first names, gather and meet in-person, share civic duties and demonstrate our intense pride of place.  Though we may grow in popularity and visitation, Munising will continue to be an inviting, proud and community-minded small town.  It is our pleasure to be one of the stewards of such a wonderful small town, Munising, Michigan.

Munising is a Diversified Economy -
Unlike many other small rural towns across the Midwest, we are fortunate to have a diversified economy. Our largest employer, Neenah Paper, is one of the most successful paper and packaging manufacturing businesses in the Midwest targeting specialized products. Other large employers in the community are Timber Products and Alger Max Correctional facility. We are blessed with plentiful and beautiful natural resources with one of the Midwest’s most popular national recreation areas, Pictured Rocks National Lakeshore. This national lakeshore provides us with almost 800,000 visitors annually. These visitors come from not only the Midwest, but also from across the country and overseas to enjoy the area. This large influx of visitation has led to a boom in small business growth, both in the county and in Munising’s downtown. Tourism is now the leading economic driver in Munising and has not only led to tourism-based business growth but has led and helped sustain and support small businesses outside of the service industry. Many of our attraction businesses are some of the most successful in the upper Midwest and many are known for, and take pride in, their first-rate customer service. Much of our business growth has been “home-grown”, started with local talent. The DDA recognizes that this diverse economy has led to our town’s economic sustainability, success and popularity. Where many small communities see empty storefronts in their downtown, Munising is recently nearing full occupancy in our downtown storefronts; a large feat for a small community.

With Growth Comes Solutions, Projects and Opportunities -
Munising has worked together collaboratively to solve issues regarding infrastructure needs brought on by tourism growth. Numerous city and non-motorized projects are in the planning and construction stages, while others have already been completed. As visitation has increased, the Munising DDA has completed street, curb, sidewalk, alley and lighting projects. We have also added decorative and functional items such as trash cans, benches, bike racks, wayfinding signage, planters, city park improvements, art banners, outdoor art installations, outdoor city decorations and other placemaking projects.

The DDA invests thousands on an annual basis towards gardening efforts in our downtown and assists in the support of downtown events. One of our most successful endeavors has been our local DDA façade grant program. Since the inception of the program in 2006, the Munising DDA has awarded over 180 matching façade grants to businesses within the DDA district. The over $500,000 investment from the DDA has resulted in more than $1.5 million in downtown infrastructure improvements. The Munising DDA has extended our grant opportunities to Holiday Facades grants, Flower/Beautification Grants, Parking Lot Grants and Dumpster Enclosure Grants. In total, the Munising DDA has awarded over 300 matching grants.

We have also worked with outside agencies, including the Michigan Economic Development Corporation (MEDC), in bringing grant monies to assist in infrastructure improvements to the City dock, the Pictured Rocks Interpretive Center and most recently the development of three housing units above a commercial space in downtown Munising (the Harley store). The DDA continues to work with local and regional partners, business owners and the community to make this area an economically vibrant and attractive place to visit, live and work.

Dr. Reynolds is the C.E.O. of the Greater Munising Bay Partnership/Alger County Chamber of Commerce and the Executive Directer of the Munising Downtown Development Authority. Kathy brings a wealth of business knowledge to the organizations, as well as all the businesses they represent. Her education includes a Bachelor of Science in Business Education, a Master of Arts degree in Higher Education/Student Affairs, and a Ph.D. in Higher Education. Kathy has over 20 years of administrative and faculty experience in higher education settings, as well as additional work experience in the private sector and non-profit organizations. A few of the positions Reynolds has held include Campus Director for a Brown Mackie campus, where she supervised creation and operations of a new branch of the college in Fort Wayne, Indiana; Executive Director for a newly-formed Michigan State University Northern Area Health Education Center in Marquette; Vice President for Enrollment Management and Student Development at Finlandia University in Hancock and an Assistant Professor at Northern Michigan University in the College of Business. Kathy currently serves on a variety of boards that are in the community, region and in the state such as: Munising Memorial Hospital, Upper Peninsula Economic Development Alliance, Michigan Festivals and Events, Upper Peninsula Arts & Culture Alliance, Upper Peninsula Great Lakes Recovery Centers, Alger County Brownfield Authority and The Great Waters of the Upper Peninsula.

Pat Sanderson is the Office Manager for the Greater Munising Bay Partnership/Alger County Chamber of Commerce and Munising Downtown Development Authority. Pat brings over 35 years of customer service experience in both office and retail management. She provides administrative management support to the Executive Director and acts as liaison to the chamber members and DDA district businesses. Pat is responsible for the day to day operations of the office and organizations, as well as assisting with or coordinating any special events or projects.

Tucker was our Floor Manager, Goodwill Ambassador, Greeter and all around Good Boy. He loved people and was always happy to meet our visitors with a wagging tail.

While Tucker is no longer with us in body, his spirit can still be seen in the smiles of remembrance his many images throughout the community bring.