The Finnish American Chamber of Commerce Upper Michigan was formed in 2014 to promote business and professional cooperation between the Upper Peninsula of Michigan and Finland. The FACC Upper Michigan serves as a platform for communicating information on business opportunities, by providing information on how to do business with Finland, and to directly foster the development of business and professional cooperation with Finnish companies, organizations and regions. The Chamber furthermore supports the region’s Finnish-American heritage by assisting in the continual development of social, cultural and educational activities with Finland.
Our Finnish Roots
During the Copper mining boom of the late 1800s and early 1900s, thousands of Finns immigrated to the Keweenaw and other areas of the Upper Peninsula and became an important part of the growth and development of the region. The descendants of many of the original Finnish copper miners that settled in the Upper Peninsula continue to play an important role in making the area an energetic and exciting place to live, study, and work. Today, the Upper Peninsula is still home to the highest concentration of Finns outside Europe. Houghton, Keweenaw, Baraga, Ontonagon and Gogebic counties are the only counties in the United States where residents claiming Finnish ancestry are the largest single ethnic group. The Finnish sauna and the concept of sisu have been adopted widely by residents of the Upper Peninsula. Finlandia University, America’s only college with Finnish roots, is located in Hancock. Street signs in Hancock appear in English and Finnish to celebrate this heritage.
Do Business With Us
Pioneers to Michigan’s Upper Peninsula mainly settled for the region’s untapped wealth of natural resources developed in mining, logging and farming. This era ushered in a strong work ethic and survivalist determination that still exists today. As production methods improved, the region’s economy transformed with value-added processing and manufacturing, and in recent decades, developed around a strong knowledge-based economy. The region offers three public universities with Michigan Technological University, Northern Michigan University, and Lake Superior State University, plus a select number of community colleges that together offer a robust capability for engineering, science and technology, business, medicine, and many other disciplines that support community and business needs around the world. Through an extensive service provider network, Upper Michigan offers robust collaboration opportunities for research, product development and manufacturing, sales and marketing, talent, financing, and other needs to support a strong and growing business for companies of all sizes in nearly every industrial sector. We welcome you to explore the opportunities.