Marty Fittante
CEO, InvestUP
On January 1, 2019, after working on many sizable issues facing the U.P. while on staff to the Michigan legislature, Marty Fittante brought his passion for the region to InvestUP where he began to lead the region’s private sector-led regional economic organization. Since taking on its leadership, Marty has grown the investment base of the organization by nearly 200% and secured the only Enhancement Grant given to an economic development organization as part of the State’s 2023 budget, resulting in $15 million being devoted to the region’s strategic priorities, starting with housing development, with leading the creation and launch of Build U.P., a housing fund to help fast-tract high impact shovel-ready housing projects to address the immediate need for housing and to provide the region with a long-term, sustainable fund to solve future housing challenges.
In addition, he was appointed by the MEDC as the fiduciary of $7.2 million in. pandemic assistance grants which, in working together with local economic development organizations, were distributed to more than 1,100 unique businesses throughout the U.P.; he has engaged in business development and retention work in all 15 Upper Peninsula counties; advanced a data-driven focus for the organization that led the organization to adjust its strategic planning and focus; and recently helped lead the strategy and advocacy, including building a coalition of 19 state stakeholders, to secure a $200 million state business development incentive that anchored the largest private sector investment ($1.09 billion) ever made in the Upper Peninsula.
Marty is also the Economic Development Leaders of Michigan Chair and on the Citizens Research Council of Michigan’s Board of Trustees and was most recently appointed by Governor Whitmer to the Growing Michigan Together Council as co-chair of the Job, Talent, People Workgroup to bring a voice to the issues and opportunities in the U.P., and all rural Michigan, as they advise Governor Whitmer on specific policies to grow Michigan’s population.
