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STRATEGIC SOLUTIONS FOR NON-PROFITS AND LOCAL GOVERNMENTS

Empowering agencies. Amplifying impact.

Great Lakes Strategic brings big-firm strategic rigor to the organizations that rarely get access to it — municipal governments and mission-driven nonprofits across Michigan and the broader Great Lakes region — without the markup or the jargon.

Proudly rooted in Southeast Michigan, serving communities across the Great Lakes region.

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Senior-level practitioners in economic development, nonprofit governance, and human capital strategy — rooted in Southeast Michigan and Lenawee County, serving clients across the Great Lakes region.

Bridging the gap between vision and implementation.

Community success is an ecosystem. We specialize in the synergy between municipal stability, non-profit impact, and human capital excellence — breaking down the traditional silos between these sectors so your strategic plans are backed by the right funding, the right people, and the right operational systems.

We're a boutique firm by design, not by limitation. No layers of junior analysts, no offshore teams, no one running your engagement who hasn't actually held your job. Every person you work with has sat in the seat — managed the DDA board, run the HR department, signed the fundraising campaign — and brings that same senior-level judgment to every engagement, regardless of size.

I. Practice Areas

Three practice areas, one standard of rigor.

01

Non-Profit & Mission-Driven

Strategic support to strengthen governance, build internal capacity, and secure diversified funding — whether launching a new organization or leading a capital campaign.

Sustainable Growth & Funding Strategy

Fundraising Strategy

Comprehensive plans for annual campaigns, major gifts, and capital campaigns.

Grant Writing & Management

Professional proposal research and writing with post-award compliance.

Non-Profit Formation

End-to-end guidance on mission definition, legal formation, and tax-exempt status.

Financial Health

Strategies to ensure fiscal sustainability and protect mission longevity.

Governance & Leadership Stability

Board Development

Clarifying roles and procedures to ensure consistent mission alignment.

Executive Director Searches

Full-cycle recruitment to secure high-performing organizational leadership.

Succession Planning

Proactive roadmaps to maintain continuity and donor confidence during changes.

Operational Excellence & Efficiency

Workflow Improvement

Identifying internal bottlenecks to implement systems that maximize productivity.

Strategic Planning

Defining long-term goals and actionable roadmaps for organizational growth.

Technology Strategy

Optimizing tech stacks to reduce administration and increase mission impact.

“Far and away the best prize that life has to offer is the chance to work hard at work worth doing.”

— Theodore Roosevelt
02

Human Capital & Organizational Strategy

A high-level extension of your leadership team, providing the strategic human resources expertise needed to build resilient cultures, optimize talent, and ensure organizational continuity.

Fractional CHRO & Executive Advisory

Fractional CHRO Services

Executive-level HR strategy and leadership without the full-time overhead.

Public Sector HR Strategy

Navigating municipal union environments, bargaining, and civil service rules.

Policy & Handbook Development

Creating legally compliant policies that reflect modern workplace standards.

Organizational Health & Culture

Culture & Retention Diagnostics

Auditing internal health to reduce turnover and build mission-aligned teams.

Conflict Resolution

Expert, neutral intervention to resolve disputes and restore workplace harmony.

Performance Management

Equitable evaluation systems that drive accountability and professional growth.

Leadership Pipeline & Talent Acquisition

Specialized Executive Search

Recruiting top-tier talent for City Managers, Executive Directors, and key roles.

Succession Planning

Developing formal transition plans to preserve institutional momentum.

Professional Development

Targeted training for emerging leaders to increase organizational capacity.

“You don't build a business — you build people — and then people build the business.”

— Zig Ziglar
03

Public Sector & Economic Development

We partner with local government and Downtown Development Authorities to transform community vision into reality — from financing the first feasibility study to opening day.

Public Finance & Funding Strategy

TIF Consulting & Formation

Creating and managing Tax Increment Financing districts to drive investment.

Infrastructure Grant Acquisition

Securing federal and state funding for capital and community improvements.

P3 Facilitation

Structuring complex development agreements between government and private entities.

Project Viability

Financial and market assessments to ensure long-term project sustainability.

Federal & Grant Compliance

Grant Administration & Federal Compliance (TPA Services)

Full-service third-party administration of MSHDA Community Development Block Grant (CDBG) and Housing and Community Development Fund (HCDF) grants on behalf of local units of government — including environmental review documentation, procurement compliance, Davis-Bacon labor standards oversight, contractor management, grant reporting, and closeout support.

Strategic Growth & Business Resilience

Economic Development Blueprints

Data-driven strategies for business attraction, job creation, and retention.

Retail & Business Analysis

Identifying market gaps and supporting existing merchants.

Market Research & Data

Visitor data and retail leakage studies to guide attraction strategies.

Placemaking & Revitalization

Actionable plans to enhance the economic appeal of downtown districts.

Governance & Leadership Continuity

Compliance Training

Workshops on the Open Meetings Act, ethics, and municipal conduct.

Board Governance

Coaching to streamline meeting efficiency and parliamentary best practices.

Succession & Interim Management

Transition roadmaps and stable leadership during executive searches.

“Strategy is a commodity, execution is an art.”

— Peter Drucker
II. Our Framework

The 5-P Model.

Every engagement is guided by our proprietary framework for assessing, analyzing, and optimizing organizational health — five pillars that apply equally to a municipal department and a nonprofit board.

01

Purpose

Mission, vision, and values — ensuring the core reason for being is clear and aligned with every action.

02

Programs

Impact and delivery — effectiveness, efficiency, and innovation in achieving intended outcomes.

03

People

Leadership and stakeholders — how well the organization engages and empowers staff and volunteers.

04

Partnerships

Collaboration and networks — strategic alliances and community engagement that expand reach.

05

Prosperity

Financial and operational sustainability — long-term planning to deliver on the mission.

III. Why Us

Experience from the inside, not just from the outside looking in.

Our firm is built on more than 50 years of combined experience across the public, private, and mission-driven sectors — bringing senior-level leadership and certified expertise to every engagement. We don't send junior consultants to study your problem; the same people who've run the department, chaired the board, and signed the budget are the ones in the room with you.

Public Sector Insight

Inside municipal government, not just advising it

Our leadership includes a former Economic Development & Main Street Director and a former DDA Board Member and Treasurer — so every recommendation is fiscally responsible, politically feasible, and built for implementation within an actual municipal framework.

Non-Profit Expertise

Risk-aware, credentialed, and campaign-tested

A risk-aware perspective honed in insurance and risk management, combined with a Certified Non-Profit Professional (CNP) designation and a track record leading major, sustained fundraising campaigns.

Human Capital Expertise

Senior HR credentials, not generalist advice

Our leadership holds SPHR (Senior Professional in Human Resources) and SHRM-SCP (SHRM Senior Certified Professional) designations — bringing certified, executive-level rigor to culture, talent, and labor relations work.

Execution

Strategy with project-management discipline

We pair strategic vision with the meticulous oversight of Project Management Professional (PMP) principles — so plans are built to actually run, not just to be approved.

Actionable Expertise

We eliminate the "consultant gap" by translating high-level strategy into practical, implementable solutions for real-world challenges.

Risk-Aware Strategy

We build resilient plans that protect our clients' public trust and assets by proactively identifying operational, financial, and legal risk.

Integrity & Transparency

We uphold the highest standards of transparency, especially concerning compliance mandates like the Open Meetings Act.

IV. Leadership

The people behind the practice.

Based in Adrian, Michigan, our team's relationships and track record are built in Southeast Michigan and Lenawee County — the foundation from which we serve clients across the broader Great Lakes region.

Jacob Cooper
Jacob Cooper
Founder & Consultant

Jacob founded Great Lakes Strategic on the principle that non-profit organizations deserve access to the same caliber of operational and resource support as major corporations. He brings a risk-aware perspective to the sector, honed through years of high-level work in insurance and risk management for clients ranging from small enterprises to Fortune 500 corporations.

A proven leader in sustainable funding, Jacob spearheaded a $500K+ annual fundraising campaign for eight consecutive years, and has served on multiple boards spanning social causes, animal welfare, and education.

CNP PMP B.A. Communication
jacob.cooper@greatlakesstrategic.com · 517-260-1709
Deb Elliott
Deb Elliott
Lead Consultant, Human Capital & Organizational Strategy

Deb brings more than two decades of senior human resources leadership to Great Lakes Strategic, most recently as Senior Vice President — Chief Human Resources Officer & Secretary at Gleaner Life Insurance Society, where she led HR strategy for over nine years following a decade as Assistant Vice President of Human Resources at TLC Community Credit Union.

Her background spans the full scope of organizational health — from conflict resolution and employee benefits to executive-level governance — and she has also served as an adjunct instructor at both Adrian College and Siena Heights University, where she earned a Master's in Organizational Leadership and a B.A. in Business Administration. Deb is based in Adrian, Michigan.

SPHR SHRM-SCP M.A. Organizational Leadership
deb.elliott@greatlakesstrategic.com · 517-403-5101
Jay Marks
Jay Marks
Lead Consultant, Economic Development & Revitalization

Jay brings a specialized, results-driven record in municipal governance, financial analysis, and community-wide transformation. He served for three years as Economic Development & Main Street Director for the City of Adrian's DDA, overseeing the district alongside a 13-member community board — direct experience that gives clients real insight into navigating public-private partnerships.

Under his leadership, the City of Adrian's DDA district saw $20M+ in cumulative investment, with substantial reductions in commercial vacancy and real improvements in housing, infrastructure, and historic preservation. Jay holds an M.S. in Project Management from Central Michigan University and a B.B.A. in Accounting from Davenport University, and serves as an active School Board Member.

M.S. Project Management B.B.A. Accounting
jay.marks@greatlakesstrategic.com · 517-442-6926
V. Method

How an engagement runs, from first call to handoff.

Diagnose

Interviews, document review, and data analysis to establish what's actually true — not what the org chart implies.

Frame

A small set of real strategic options, each with honest tradeoffs, presented to leadership before any plan is drafted.

Build

A plan built around your actual governance process — board votes, council approvals, union conversations — from day one.

Hand Off

Implementation tools your own staff can run without us. We are not in the business of permanent dependency.

VI. Selected Casework

Recent engagements spanning each of our practice areas.

01

Grant Strategy & Proposal Writing

Local Preschool — Non-Profit & Mission-Driven

Partnered with a local preschool to identify funding opportunities aligned with its mission and developed a competitive grant proposal on its behalf — from research and positioning through final submission.

Grant successfully awarded
02

Developer Due Diligence Report

Local Municipality — Public Sector & Economic Development

Conducted a due diligence review of a private property developer on behalf of a local municipality considering a financial partnership, including a loan, with the firm — assessing risk before public funds were committed.

Report delivered to inform the municipality's decision
03

DDA Tax Increment Financing Plan

Downtown Development Authority — Public Sector & Economic Development

Led the development of a TIF plan for a Downtown Development Authority, structuring the financing mechanism to support district investment priorities and guiding it through the formation and approval process.

TIF plan adopted by the board
04

Annual Fundraising Committee Strategic Plan

Community Fundraising Committee — Non-Profit & Mission-Driven

Led strategic planning for an annual fundraising committee, clarifying goals, roles, and a year-over-year campaign approach to build a more consistent, repeatable fundraising process.

New strategic plan adopted for the campaign
05

Facility Assessment & Strategic Plan

Regional Fairgrounds Association — Human Capital & Organizational Strategy

Leading a facility-wide assessment and multi-year strategic plan for a regional fairgrounds, prioritizing safety and infrastructure needs alongside a coordinated grant and fundraising strategy to support near-term and long-range capital projects.

Engagement underway

Ready to apply our strategic, insider expertise to your organization's greatest challenge?

A 30-minute discovery call, no proposal pressure — just an honest read on whether we're the right fit.

Schedule a Discovery Call
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