Headwaters North SmartZone

10/21/2026

Return North is back again!

A full week of virtual U.P. career connections will be happening November 9–13, 2026, and job seekers looking for U.P. jobs can jump in from anywhere. Meet employers one‑on‑one, explore real opportunities across the Upper Peninsula, and get your name in front of companies actively hiring.

Registration is FREE and closes November 5, so if you’re looking to build your career in Michigan’s U.P., this is your moment.

Sign up: www.return-north.com

Know someone job hunting? Send this their way.



MTEC SmartZone Innovate Marquette SmartZone Lake Superior State University

10/19/2026

Your business. Your needs. Your voice.

We are currently running a region‑wide Business Needs Assessment, and we want to hear from you!

If you’re a small business in Chippewa, Mackinac, or Luce County, tell us what you need to grow. Your experience drives future support across the Eastern U.P.

Take the survey by October 23! Visit https://www.research.net/r/EUPBusinessNeedsAssessment to participate!



Michigan Economic Development Corporation Chippewa County EDC Luce County Economic Development Corporation Sault Ste. Marie Economic Development Corporation Sault Area Chamber of Commerce Sault Tribe Thrive
Eastern Upper Peninsula Regional Planning and Development Commission Bay Mills Indian Community

10/14/2026

Real Ideas. Real Work. Real Vision. Real Momentum. Right here in the EUP.

If you’re building something real, or something bold, then you belong here!
Headwaters North is where people in the EUP show up, put in the work, and push their vision forward. Whether you’re shaping a new tech prototype or growing your small business, Headwaters North is the resource that helps you move from “thinking about it” to actually doing it. We back the bold.

Like and follow to plug into the momentum!

10/13/2026

If you’ve ever wondered what happens when you mix over 30 years of innovation, a brain wired for engineering and entrepreneurship, and a deep love for the Upper Peninsula, you get Vince Nystrom, Headwaters North’s Entrepreneur‑in‑Residence (EIR) and the lead behind the new LSSU Fellowship program!

Vince has done it all, robotics, venture capital, startup acceleration, statewide innovation strategy, and more! Now he’s bringing that energy straight to Headwaters North and Lake Superior State University.

The Faculty Innovation Fellowship is all about backing bold ideas, building real‑world momentum, and giving LSSU faculty and staff a launchpad to turn their concepts into prototypes, curriculum innovations, or even future companies. And Vince? He’s the guy who makes those sparks catch fire.

He’s worked across Michigan’s innovation ecosystem, helped build investment funds, supported founders from Marquette to Detroit, and now he’s here in Sault Ste. Marie to help LSSU faculty and staff push applied innovation forward. So buckle up, Laker faculty and staff because the Fellowship is launching, the ideas are flowing, and Vince is ready to help you turn your “what if…” into “look what we built.”



Lake Superior State University Michigan Economic Development Corporation

10/08/2026

Connecting talent with opportunity across Michigan’s Upper Peninsula, Return North is bringing professionals and employers together in one virtual room.

It’s your chance to explore meaningful careers, meet the companies shaping the region, and see what YOUR future in the U.P. can look like.

Be sure to check out the Return North Professional Career Fair, a virtual event running November 9-13! https://return-north.com/

Ready to return north?

The Return North Professional Careers Fair is back November 9-13, and this year the virtual event is expanding to a full week, allowing job seekers and U.P. employers more flexibility to connect on their own schedules. Participants can explore openings, review employer availability, and schedule one-on-one virtual conversations from anywhere.

Hosted by MTEC SmartZone in collaboration with Headwaters North SmartZone and InvestUP, with Upper Peninsula Michigan Works! serving as an event sponsor, is made to connect U.P. employers with professionals looking to return, relocate, or take the next step in their careers here.

Registration is FREE for job seekers! Find your way back to the U.P. at https://return-north.com/

09/28/2026

Headwaters North can help with the prototype stage of your idea or project! Not sure what a prototype is? Here is a quick, crash course!

Prototyping 101: Start Small, Start Scrappy

Prototyping is just a fancy word for building the first version of your idea. It is not the perfect version or the sales-floor version, but the version real enough for you to poke at, test, and learn from.

So, what does prototyping look like in action?

Step 1: make a rough first version using whatever. Think cardboard, sketches, mockups, duct tape; whatever gets the idea out of your head and into your hands.

Steps 2 and 3: Test it with the people around you. Ask them what works, what doesn’t, and what they wish it did. Then, fix the obvious stuff and tighten it up based on what you learned and the feedback you received.

Step 4: repeat that steps until you get it right! Every prototype teaches you something new. Again, it's not about being perfect the first, third, or even tenth time, it’s about being practical. It’s how your ideas get sharper, stronger, and more real.

See how Headwaters North can help with your prototypes! Visit headwatersnorth.org for more information!



Lake Superior State University Michigan Economic Development Corporation City of Sault Ste. Marie, MI

09/25/2026

We’ve been talking about all kinds of idea‑building topics this month! We've touched on everything from SmartZones to Innovation to Commercialization. What topic should we take a deeper dive into?

A. SmartZones. What they are, how they work, and why the EUP has one.

B. Innovation. How can your new ideas actually take shape.

C. Commercialization. How do you turn a concept into something customers can buy.

D. An untouched topic this September: Prototyping. How to even begin building the first version of your idea.

E. Something else entirely! Let us know what topic you'd like to learn more about!

Drop your choice (or choices) in the comments and we'll get to work on bringing you the information you're looking for!



Lake Superior State University Michigan Economic Development Corporation

09/21/2026

We had a great time last Monday at the 2nd Annual EUP Exchange!

Small business owners, industry experts, and other support organizations joined together to discuss some of the issues affecting businesses here in the EUP.

Not only did local business owners get to connect and network with each other, but they also had direct access to industry experts, giving them the opportunity to connect about anything from marketing to business finance!

A big thank you to our sponsors , Banach & Cassidy, Law, and Hire Effect and to Lake Superior State University for hosting!



Sault Area Chamber of Commerce Sault Tribe Thrive Bay Mills Indian Community Chippewa County EDC Eastern Upper Peninsula Regional Planning and Development Commission Luce County Economic Development Corporation City of Sault Ste. Marie, MI Sault Ste. Marie Economic Development Corporation

09/20/2026

2026 has been packed with some great SMART Sessions! Experts have covered everything from marketing your business to tackling Quickbooks!

Have questions about your small business but were unable to attend a Session? No worries! You can catch this year's SMART Sessions for free and on demand right on the Headwaters North website. Head to https://www.headwatersnorth.org/smart-programming #:~:text=On%2DDemand%20SMART%20Sessions to check them out!



Bay Mills Indian Community Sault Tribe Thrive Chippewa County EDC Luce County Economic Development Corporation City of Sault Ste. Marie, MI Sault Ste. Marie Economic Development Corporation Sault Area Chamber of Commerce Eastern Upper Peninsula Regional Planning and Development Commission

Download free grant guides, pitch deck templates, cash flow tools, and hiring handbooks for EUP entrepreneurs. Curated resources to help you build faster.

09/18/2026

We've covered what a SmartZone is and tackled innovation, now what about commercialization? Think of it as a close cousin to innovation.

Commercialization is the moment an idea stops being “interesting” and starts being something people can actually buy!

It’s the process of taking a solution, a product, or a tool you’ve created and getting it ready for the real world. There are real customers, real product value, and real revenue.

In simple terms, commercialization is:

1. Making your idea usable for someone else

2. Proving it solves a real problem

3. Figuring out who will buy it

4. Building the first version

5. Getting it into the hands of actual customers

Did you know that Headwaters North can help with this? Visit our website and then contact us, we want to get started!

headwatersnorth.org



Lake Superior State University City of Sault Ste. Marie, MI Michigan Economic Development Corporation