Petoskey chamber hosts State of the Community

The highs and lows of 2025 were celebrated and debated on Friday, Feb. 6 during the Petoskey Regional Chamber of Commerce’s 2026 State of the Community.

A total of 10 speakers, ranging from health care officials to nonprofit groups to entertainment venues, provided their insights on the region’s economy during the 21st annual event in the Ovation Hall at Odawa Casino.

Nikki Devitt, the chamber’s president and CEO, said the State of the Community is important because the room is always filled with “business owners, our nonprofit leaders, our educators, our health care professionals, our public servants, our invested community members.”

“We want everyone to take part. We want everyone to contribute because you all contribute,” she said. “This event is not about headlines, sound bites, the latest news on your social media channel. We don’t want to be your sound bite. We want to be your community, because we are. It’s about clarity. It’s about awareness. And if you take anything away today, it’s we’re going to understand what’s new, what’s changing, what’s coming, what deserves to be celebrated across our region.”

Devitt noted that the region is in “a catalyst moment where everything continues to change.”

“But that’s not a bad thing. That’s actually a really good thing,” she said. “Our economic conditions are evolving. Our policy conversations are very active at every level, as they should be. And growth is happening, believe it or not, but it’s not evenly. And it’s not without pressure. And that puts a lot on our businesses and our communities and organizations trying to plan ahead because if we haven’t figured it out yet, uncertainty is just as difficult to manage as disruption is.”

This year’s speakers included:

• Cassandra Hernandez, Dean of Workforce and Continuing Education at North Central Michigan College

• Shane Horn, Petoskey City Manager

• David Boyer, Emmet County Administrator

• Kirsten Korth-White, East Region President of Munson Healthcare

• Megan DeWindt, Executive Director of the Bay View Association

• Bill Mansfield, Proprietor of Lavender Hill Farm

• Jill Cook, Director of Community Engagement for the Emmet County Friendship Center

• Gail Kloss, Executive Director for the Women’s Resource Center of Northern Michigan

• Caitlin Koucky, Executive Director for Community Recovery Alliance

• Dakota Baker, Director for the Northern Michigan Chamber Alliance

“Our hope is that you’re going to leave better informed, connected and confident on how we move our region forward,” Devitt said. “The strength of Northern Michigan has never been more needed that it is now, today. Forward in ’26, and that’s how we’re going to do it together. We’re going to solve the challenges. We’re going to celebrate our successes.”

Each speaker touched on some of their successes from the past year. For example, the Munson Healthcare Petoskey Community Health Center opened in September and now provides a wide range of services to local residents.

More: Munson Healthcare opens new Petoskey Community Health Center, widens accessibility

“We’re truly honored to bring more care closer to home. Today, residents can access urgent care 365 days a year. Additionally we have primary care, a full lab, a comprehensive radiology suite that includes X-Ray, CT, 3D mammography, ultrasound and bone density. We also have specialists here in Petoskey including urology, general surgery, spine care, orthopedics, nephrology and cardiology,” Korth-White said. “Having these services locally means people don’t have to travel as far for the expertise they need, which makes a huge difference for patients and their families.”

Horn, Petoskey’s city manager, made note of many park improvements, ongoing master plan updates and housing projects opening to the public. A new dog park in the Bear River Valley Recreation Area is even set to open this summer.

“The beautiful thing about a master plan is it really has community engagement wrapped in it,” Horn said. “It’s the core of what a master plan really is. We’ve been getting a lot of feedback. Our role is to try to compile all that feedback, get it in front of our elected officials and try to move forward with a plan that makes the most sense for our community.”

More: Petoskey council approves 2026-2031 Capital Improvement Plan

The past year was not without its challenges. For example, many speakers touched on how the late spring ice storm affected the community.

“I don’t think the ice storm is anything that anybody’s forgot,” said Boyer. “It certainly was a trying time here for us, for the county, for the cities, the villages, the residents. It was something that we’ve never faced or haven’t faced in a long time.”

More: ‘A daunting task’: Emmet County ice storm recovery continues

Boyer said the storm highlighted the importance of a coordinated emergency response, the strength of the community and where there were infrastructure vulnerabilities in the county.

“I think the community should be very proud of how it came together,” he said. “Neighbor helping neighbor, and that’s the only way we got through this because we relied on outside help and it took days and days for them to get here. But the community did a great job.”

The annual event coincides with the release of the chamber’s State of the Community report, which includes 38 sections on important regional topics. The report is available to view in its entirety at petoskeychamber.com/state-of-the-community-luncheon.

— Contact Jillian Fellows at jfellows@petoskeynews.com.   

This article originally appeared on The Petoskey News-Review: Petoskey Chamber of Commerce hosts 2026 State of the Community