Originally from New Orleans, I discovered Michigan a decade ago - when I met my husband-to-be, whose parents live in the Great Lakes State. For the past few years, Michigan has become my beloved summer home. Given my passion for the state - and my career as a freelance travel writer - it was perhaps meant-to-be that I was given the opportunity to revise Avalon Travel's 3rd edition of MOON MICHIGAN, a guidebook that does its part to promote the diversity of this amazing place.

I'm the author of MOON MICHIGAN (Avalon Travel, 3rd edition), a recently released guidebook that promotes the diverse communities, attractions, and landscapes that define the Great Lakes State. Its mission is to urge residents and tourists alike to explore this amazing place - and discover what makes Michigan so unique. During my search for photographs to accompany the guide's text, Buy Michigan Now referred me to a terrific photographer, Larry Diggs, whose wonderful photos now pepper the guide, highlighting everything from Comerica Park to Tahquamenon Falls. I'll be forever grateful for BMN's help.

Stadium Trophy began working with Comcast Business Solutions in Michigan 1 year ago to help boost their sales efforts. We provide monthly sales awards, quarterly awards and yearly awards to Comcast to assist in motivating their sales personnel. Since inception their sales have increased 400% and are still climbing. We offer an inexpensive, long term motivational product that can help any business. Our awards keep the appreciation from upper management to employees in front of the employees forever, and have certainly excited the staff at Comcast Business Solutions. www.stadiumtrophy.com, 734.487.3366

Stadium Trophy is offering a 10% discount on all web prices to all K-12 schools in the State of Michigan. Due to the current economic conditions and the struggles of Michigan public schools, we are anxious to help the public school system. We ship state wide. Please contact us for details. www.stadiumtrophy.com, 734.487.3366

Double Exposure, Inc. / RSVP Events, Bernie Stevens & Associates and their Board of Advisors' goal for this expo, is to have it grow into "the event expo in Michigan", showcasing the talent and resources that are available "in their own backyard", to the event and meeting planners of Michigan. With the current economic climate in Michigan, rather than having to have these professionals travel all over the country to learn "what's the latest and greatest in our industry", we will bring the finest, cutting edge vendors and speakers to them. WHY - The Michigan Connection The depressed state of affairs in Michigan can work to our advantage. Instead of whining about the economy and giving up, the event professionals and service providers in Michigan will soon be banding together to help each other. In the past to keep up with their education and the new trends in the industry, event professionals and service providers in Michigan, would have to spend money for travel and lodging to attend first-class, state-of–the-art expos and educational conferences all over the U.S. We are changing this by bringing the top event industry professionals and educational speakers to the state of Michigan. This event will always be Michigan-based, featuring the local vendor services in the Midwest, keeping the sales and expo dollars in the state.

I'd like to give a big shout out to one the finest microbreweries in the country, Bell's Brewery of Galesburg, Michigan! Since some of their offerings have been made available in Western North Carolina, I have tried their Amber Ale, Porter, Oberon Summer Ale, and Two-Hearted Ale. All have been exemplary. In fact, the last two may well be some of the finest brews I have ever tasted. I wish them continued success--if only so more of their beers will be made available in my area!

Food service at The Henry Ford has been sourcing locally for several years. We are committed to supporting family farms and local, regional and state producers and food businesses; in season this is up to approximately 60% of our purchases for our day service and catering operations.

Michigan Tape is proud to announce "Grown in Michigan" and "Made in Michigan" labels. Visit our new website http://www.thinkmichiganmade.com to find out more ! Promote your Grown & Made in Michigan products and encourage a heightened consumer awareness.

My organization successfully helped all our students achieve their college admissions goals this year. Each student received their Michigan Promise Scholarship along with admissions to several Michigan colleges with generous financial aid packages. Congratulations to our future engineers, teachers, musicians, artists, and business entrepreneurs! A Path to College also successfully placed 25 in the top 200 at StartUp Nation's competition for moms who launch businesses. Thank you everyone for your support. Michigan is a wonderful place to live and work.

On our family farm we raise turkeys, pigs, chickens and various other animals. We also have a large garden. We sell our meat and produce from our farm but also at the Hartland Farmer's Markets. To help our town of Hartland provide a Farmer's Market we expanded our garden. Customers are so happy to have fresh local food and products available to them. They really enjoy speaking to the farmer/grower face to face. It has been a good experience for us and for them.

Royal Arc Industrial Services is doing all it can to promote Buy Michigan Now initiatives. We have recently opened a retail and manufacturing facility specializing in synthetic slings and rigging used in overhead lifting. This is super special since most other synthetic slings in fact are foreign-made and US distributed. You can find more information at www.royalarc.com or www. royalarcslings.com. Call 888.829.9099

I do as much shopping as possible in my small home town. I frequent the grocery stores, restaurants, gas stations and even have major car repairs done in Portland because I believe in buying and supporting locals first, if it is possible. Support your local communities, it really does help!

The following is what my wife and I have found in the way of home-grown products, while shopping in the west suburbs: - Hiller's, Northville --- Better Made chips, etc; Faygo pop; greeting cards made in Detroit - 7-Eleven, Redford (Schoolcraft & I-96), Livonia (Ann Arbor Tr & Newburgh) --- Better Made chips, etc; Kars nuts, etc - Kroger, Plymouth --- Koegel meat products - Gas station / food shop (SW corner of Plymouth & Levan), Livonia --- Better Made chips, etc; Kars nuts, etc There is also a "Michigan Made" store in downtown Plymouth that specializes in Michigan products. It may soon be moving, however. When visiting Frankenmuth, we have always been very happy with the wild game meat products purchased at Willi's Sausage Co on the N side of town.

Thanks, Buy Michigan Now! I had no idea SVS Vision was a Michigan company until I found them on your site. I drive by the one in Grand Rapids all the time. I finally stopped in, and Lisa, and everyone else who helped me was great!

This Saturday we're hosting a Michigan beer party! All our guests are required to bring a Michigan brewed beer to share. Appetizers are all Michigan made as well: coney dogs, Hostess, Kellogg's, Better Made, Wonder, Morley's, Saunders, Faygo and Vernor's (for the drivers), sliders, Polish and Middle Eastern food and good ol' Michigan cherries. Our goal is twofold: 1. to encourage our guest to patronize their local brewpubs and 2. to teach our friends that 'drinkability' just means its closer to water than beer should be. Life is good.

I live three miles from the Indiana boarder and 15 miles from the town of Coldwater. Since moving here (in 2000) I have bought beer in Indiana - no 10 cent deposits and about $2 bucks a case cheaper! NO MORE. I am buying all my beer in the great state of Michigan. Thanks Lisa!

My wife and I shop at Hiller's in Northville and Meijer in both Northville and Westland, and we are very happy with the selection of groceries and products at both stores. For our vacation this year, we will be travelling around the upper peninsula and the northern part of the lower peninsula, and this will be a follow-up of sorts to our honeymoon. Both of us love Michigan, and we'll do our best to keep our dollars in the state, as often as possible.

I recently acquired the exclusive licensing rights for a program called CAMP MILLIONAIRE! We are committed to teaching every child in our state financial literacy. We educate kids 10-17 in the basic principles of earning, saving, spending and giving back to the community as well as teaching them the tenants of entrepreneureal thinking. We see the need for Michigan to diversify and we also know that the opportunities are here in our state. This summer we will host 48 camps in 10 school districts in Oakland County. We plan to stay here and ride the wave of financial literacy across the state from Traverse City to Trenton and Grosse Pointe to Grand Rapids! Go to creativewealthintl.org to find a camp near you!

All our soaps, waxes, protectants in current use, are manufactured in Detriot. All the soft cloth on all the equipment is made Michigan.

My husband and I purchased the oldest building in the Village of Elberta, in Benzie County. It needed lots of work, but we saw so much potential in its location. It took us three years to renovate the building, but we opened our cafe in the summer of 2008. We were tired of hearing all the negativity about Michigan, so we decided to promote all the great products made in Michigan in our store. Our first year was a great success. We serve Kogel hotdogs and Better Made potato chips. We turned lots of people onto Sanders hot fudge, Faygo pop (no not "soda"), and Hilltop Ice Cream- better than Moomers and homemade right in Benzie County. We made Boston Coolers (which can only be made with Vernors) for some visitors from Washington and they claimed they had never had anything so delicious. We even sold Michigan made beer, wine and spirits! It is amazing how many out of state visitors tell us that they never realized how beautiful it is in Michigan. As residents of this GREAT state, we need to ban together and shout very loundly about all the wonderful things Michigan has to offer. GO MICHIGAN!

My husband retired from Fords in 2001 and we moved from Taylor to the Tawas area in northern Michigan. I had spent over 30 years in the fundraising industry calling on schools and sports leagues in the Downriver area. I welcomed the opportunity to get out of the fundraising business, the brochures were getting too over priced and it was getting embarrassing to ask people to buy candy bars that were shrinking in size every year. Then on a trip to Mackinaw I met the owner of Marshall's Fudge and we discussed the possibility of me marketing his great fudge thru fundraising. He said he always wanted to help schools in some way and this seemed like a great idea. Well, the rest of the story is a great example of two Michigan companies working together to create jobs in Michigan and provide a great Michigan product for fundraising groups. It is easy to sell everyone knows and loves Mackinaw fudge. I love helping people so I guess I will never retire! PS. My husband loves helping too. We are growing our business everyday and welcome any non profit group anywhere within Michigan to call us for free samples and information. I would love to talk to anyone who needs a part time job. I need people to help me spread the word about this great Michigan opportunity.

Shelving, Inc (shelving.com) provided several hundred locker organizing products to schools in Oakland County for the school's PTA's. several schools raised several hundreds of dollars for their PTA with our Locker PAL program. For each Locker PAL sold the school made $ 5.00. Kid's loved them, parent's loved them and the school PTA loved them because it wasn't promoting junk food or gift wrapping paper. To learn more about the Locker PAL please contact our Locker PAL coordinator Joan Aiello at 800-637-9508. Shelving.com, making space work since 1960.

The Pontiac G6 has more US content than any other vehicle and it is made right here in Michigan. Most of my family owns one and it is a great vehicle to own.

Singing the Praises for a Detroit public school education! East side, west side...Our family moved to 8 mile-Gratiot area when my twin brother and I were about to begin Jr. High at Gabriel Richard in the fall of 69'. So many seeds of inspiration were planted by those teachers. We had a fabulous art room...we learned copper enameling (there was a kiln in the room-can you believe it!) carving, drawing,painting,pottery. Home economics was one of my favorite classes-cooking sewing. Real skills. Local parks were manned with employees who would unlock the storage rooms to reveal basket balls, volleyballs etc. for weekend play. I, to this day, dabble in art because I was given the tools early on and was not critized for what I created.

Made a commitment to only purchase cereal made by Kellogg's (which meant saying goodbye to 4 of my favorite cereals). I try to spend as much as I can on food items produced in the state. Yesterday my grocery total was $66.14 and $27.65 of that was MI made - cereal, milk, potatoes, cookies, tortilla chips, and bread. If you love great dressings, look for Litehouse brand in the refrigerated section - their Bleu Cheese is the BEST and they are made in Lowell. They also have great vinagrettes.

My Sign Shop was featured in The Oakland Press, Wednesday February 11, 2009. The article was in the Money Talk section under Business Briefing. "Laid-off Chrysler employee starts new sign business Former Chrysler employee Mekeba Massey now owns Sign-A-Rama of Rochester Hills. She was laid off from the automaker after 14 years. The shop is staffed by experienced sign makers and marketing professionals. Sign-A-Rama participates in the "Buy Michigan Now" campaign and gets its supplies from local vendors when possible. The shop is on the northwest corner of Auburn and Crooks roads in the Auburn Place shopping center."

I recently started a blog focusing on all of the wonderful things Michigan has to offer. I will be sharing cultural and natual attractions, businesses, restaurants and anything else that will help show people what is available here in Michigan! http://www.yes-michigan.blogspot.com is still very new, but I'm hoping that it will really take off!

I've opened a green store in the UP, downtown Newberry, inhabiting a MI Historical Building. It features locally-made fine art and handicrafts, MI green products and MI organic foods. I also celebrate our state's abundant natural resources through book selections and art exhibits. We cater to nature-lovers and feature products supporting the world-class birding opportunities in the area. This site will be a wonderful asset for me as I search for quality green products to offer in The Old Bank Collection of Shops. Examples of our MI lines include solar-powered chimes and mobiles, organic cotton sweatshirts and T's and Eden Foods products from pasta to tomatoes! So, if you're in the neighborhood and want to support Michigan products, stop in The Old Bank at 318 Newberry Ave/M-123, www.oldbankofnewberry.com

Growing up in the Upper Peninsula of Michigan brought many wonderful things into my life. One favorite from my childhood was receiving Sayklly's chocolates or fudge eggs for Easter. This Michigan business has been around since 1906 and is a tradition for many families. I also remember selling "Yooper Bars" (milk chocolate candy bars with a raised impression of the Upper Peninsula on them) as a fundraiser for youthgroup and band. Sayklly's is to up north what Morleys or Saunders is down here in southern Michigan. If you've never tasted their mouthwatering treats, I encourage you to visit their website and place an order for yourself or as a gift. You won't be sorry - MMMmmmmm. Or better yet, take a trip to the U.P. and visit their store in Escanaba!

The action I have taken for help boosting Michigan Economy is supporting a MADE IN MICHIGAN ART GALLERY with over 30 Michigan local artist. Art Is In Market is located in Laurel Park Place mall In Livonia, "Art is In Market" is doing its part in Helping Michigan economy all the Artist have Pledge to put the money back into the Michigan economy. They have a great sign MADE IN MICHIGAN!!!!!

I very recently switched from a Minnesota based pro lab to a great Michigan based professional lab for the majority of my print work. I'm searching out Michigan based vendors to do business with rather then search out of state. If each of us vow to do business locally as much as possible we will grow Michigan back into prosperity.

I use the grocery guide and have posted it at work. The response has been very positive.

As A Michigan manufactor . I started my frist Job working at the Sawmill furinture store (Northville,Michigan). After several years working I now own the business . We have stated building Fireplace Mantel and are distrubing throughout the country . We use all Michigan products and employees to to build our Mantels. http://sawmillmantelco.com/downloads.html

This December, I hosted a ladies night in my home for holiday shopping. I had about 50 ladies in that night, and 6 vendors for them to choose from. All 6 vendors were Michigan Based business, and they all did well, and hopefully, they will get repeat business. I have actually made it a priority to buy from or shop at Michigan companies whenever possible. We recently renovated an entire house, and I tried to buy Michigan items and it was hard, that is when I became more concerned with where things are being made these days, and I have actually asked companies to consider relocating to Michigan. We need to get our people back to work. This website is a huge help, and I forwarded it to many, many people to help get the word out.