The Greater Bridgman Area Chamber and Growth Alliance will host its Annual Meeting next Thursday, February 26 to celebrate the organization’s accomplishments in the past year, outline goals for 2026, and just plain have a good time.
The Bridgman CGA’s Nancy Kiernan tells us 2025 was a year defined by collaboration and investment in the community, building on the previous year. She says Bridgman had a lot of wins.
“We pulled down $2 million in grants and capital as an investment in our community and that is great,” Kiernan said. “We really got a lot of support from our partners out there.”
Kiernan says new businesses coming soon to Bridgman include a Jimmy John’s and an Ace Hardware, and Lake Street Fit continues to expand. She also notes a fundraising effort for a new playground planned at the American Legion has gotten off to a good start and the annual Celebrate Bridgman Street Dance returned in 2025 after a hiatus.
Kiernan says Bridgman is a success story because the CGA and city have been following a strategy of “economic gardening.”
“Kind of growing our own and realizing that when you see somebody buy a property, they inevitably are going to make it a little bit better and that’s going to diversify the tax base and that’s going to encourage the guy next door to take a look at the property that’s vacant next door.”
Kiernan says the city in the past year also secured some major state grants for street reconstruction, one of which will support an expanding manufacturer.
The CGA’s annual meeting will be next Thursday at Haymarket Taproom in Bridgman starting at 5:30 p.m. Tickets are still available online.
