Northern Initiatives opens new office in Iron Mountain

Northern Initiatives, an economic and community development nonprofit, is opening an office in Iron Mountain.

Based in Marquette, Northern Initiatives specializes in helping small businesses and entrepreneurs start up with loans and other resources. Dale Cook will be the commercial lender located in Iron Mountain at the new office, which is located in the Dickinson Area Partnership offices, at 600 South Stephenson Avenue.

“We are very happy to have for the first time an office in Dickinson County,” says Northern Initiatives president Dennis West. “Historically when we have had a community presence, we have seen our loan volume grow.”

And that should translate to more small businesses spreading their wings in Dickinson County as the doors opened on Northern Initiatives as of Oct. 14.

Cook is an Iron Mountain native and previously was a community bank manager and retail banking officer. He has more than 14 years of accounting, finance and management experience, as well as experience in consumer and commercial lending.

Northern Initiatives serves 46 rural Michigan and Wisconsin counties, providing alternative lending services to first-time business owners and working with community banks to support growing businesses. The organization also offers technical assistance like accounting and marketing consulting.

Writer: Sam Eggleston
Source: Northern Initiatives