Sam Moore is optimistic about the county’s economic future
LAPEER COUNTY — Sam Moore had been waiting in the wings for months, but it was not until October 19 that he assumed his new duties as the executive director of the Lapeer Development Corp. (LDC).
Before accepting the LDC position, Moore had served as Croswell’s city administrator for the preceding eight years.
He succeeds Quentin Bishop, who left the LDC job to become Lapeer County Controller/Administrator in January 2021.
Moore acknowledged the support of many people, including Karl Osentoski of Huron County Economic Development Corp., and Lapeer County Treasurer Dana Miller, who stepped in as the interim LDC director after Bishop moved on.
New LDC Director Sam Moore expects good things to come for Lapeer County.
Since taking the helm at LDC, Moore has been making the rounds, meeting with community and business leaders and elected officials to acclimate himself with the major concerns local business owners and employers are facing.
Those meetings have included “meet and greets” with business owners and community leaders in Almont, North Branch and Lapeer.
Moore said he has been encouraged by the feedback and positivity shared among most of the business owners he has encountered.
“The people I talk to are generally optimistic about the economy,” Moore said. “Of course, some employers are still having a tough time getting their people to come back to work.”
He said the employee shortage is requiring some employers to make adjustments and be more creative to meet those challenges.
Downtown dilemma
Moore said he has noticed that some of the county’s downtown districts appear to be struggling with a lack of foot traffic and regular customers.
“Some downtowns are losing their retail businesses,” he lamented. “Downtowns need to have destinations, where people want to come back again and again.”
Moore added that easy accessibility to a downtown district is also helpful in attracting customers to downtown businesses.
“Some of our downtowns are off the beaten track,” he said. “That can be a challenge for downtown business owners, and for the DDA (Downtown Development Authority) directors who are trying to promote those downtown districts. “There’s really no quick fixes or easy solutions for some of these problems,” Moore said. “But it helps for business owners to maintain a positive attitude.
“And it’s always good to walk into a store or business to find people who are cheerful, gracious, and helpful to their customers.”
For more information, contact Sam Moore at 810-667-0080, or visit the LDC website at www.lapeerdevelopment.com.
The Lapeer Development Corp. office is located at 449 McCormick Drive in the City of Lapeer.
Sam and his wife Kelly reside on a small farm near Croswell.
They have been married nine years and have two children, Penelope, 8, and William, 6.
