MARQUETTE -- Dozens of community and business leaders gathered at Northern Michigan University Wednesday to learn how to grow Michigan's economy.

Doug Rothwell, President and CEO of Business Leaders for Michigan, was the keynote speaker. Rothwell presented the Michigan Turn Around Plan.

Through strategic planning, Rothwell described ways to make Michigan a top ten state for economic growth in the country.

One of Rothwell's recommendations is utilizing the U.P.'s natural resources.

"We're a state that's not as big or as wealthy as we were 30 or 40 years ago," explained Rothwell. "So for the Upper Peninsula, that means acting as one, having a single minded set of priorities. One of the most important things we can do to moving forward is look at our natural resources as something we should feel like are an asset that's beneficial to all of Michigan, not just the Upper Peninsula."