{"id":97219,"date":"2026-02-21T12:12:01","date_gmt":"2026-02-21T15:12:01","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/tech.einnews.com\/article\/894363949"},"modified":"2026-02-21T12:12:01","modified_gmt":"2026-02-21T15:12:01","slug":"from-a-coal-dock-to-a-blue-tech-hub","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/new7.shop\/zerocostfreehost\/index.php\/2026\/02\/21\/from-a-coal-dock-to-a-blue-tech-hub\/","title":{"rendered":"From a Coal Dock to a Blue Tech Hub"},"content":{"rendered":"
<\/div>\n
The Freshwater Research and Innovation Center eyes this time next year to open<\/h5>\n
By Molly Cox<\/a> | Feb. 21, 2026<\/h6>\n

A burgeoning industry is taking root in Traverse City: blue technology. While marine technology covers traditional engineering tools for exploring and working in marine environments, blue tech refers to the application of innovative technology to drive sustainability and protect marine environments.<\/p>\n

The Freshwater Research and Innovation Center (FRIC) is a collaboration between Discovery Pier, Northwestern Michigan College (NMC), Michigan Technological University (Michigan Tech), 20Fathoms, and Traverse Connect. Next year, the 38,000-square-foot facility on West Bay Shore Drive will be home to several blue tech companies and at least two college marine science and technology programs.<\/p>\n

We spoke to Matt McDonough, CEO of Discovery Pier, and Ed Bailey, the construction project manager, to learn more about FRIC and what locals can expect when it opens in early 2027.<\/p>\n

History of the Site<\/h4>\n

For 70+ years, the land that the Discovery Pier and FRIC sits on served as a holding area for coal that was used to fuel Traverse City\u2019s power plant. The plant closed in the 1990s, and the land was donated to Rotary Camps and Services to be transformed into a public space.<\/p>\n

In 2016, a grant from Rotary Charities of Traverse City enabled the construction of Discovery Pier and a nonprofit of the same name. The pier is now a popular spot for the public to enjoy the bay whether fishing, picnicking, or taking a trip on one of the tall ships docked there.<\/p>\n

After the transformation of the pier, the Discovery Pier\u2019s board of directors began discussing what to do with the land across the road. \u201cThe directives from the board were to redevelop the site in a way that would help advance scientific understanding and stewardship of the Great Lakes, and do it with strong partners,\u201d McDonough says.<\/p>\n

To get started on this mission, McDonough first reached out to the Great Lakes Water Studies Institute (GLWSI) at NMC, which offers Associate and Bachelor\u2019s degree programs in marine science and technology. (It also boasts 100 percent job placement for graduates.) Currently, the GLWSI\u2019s main offices, classroom, and laboratory spaces are at NMC\u2019s Aero Park campus, a few miles from the waterfront where their research vessel is docked. Moving the program to the FRIC will allow them to operate right on Lake Michigan and grow the program effectively.<\/p>\n

McDonough then reached out to Michigan Tech and learned that they were interested in having a presence in Traverse City. An R1 research institution, Michigan Tech\u2019s campus on the Keweenaw Peninsula provides direct access to Lake Superior. By partnering with FRIC, they saw an opportunity to expand their Great Lakes research and marine technology programming to the shore of Lake Michigan.<\/p>\n

Traverse Connect and 20Fathoms then joined the FRIC team, recognizing it as a place that would allow blue tech companies to start up, grow, and ultimately expand the blue economy in Traverse City.<\/p>\n

The next step was to define the path forward. As McDonough explains, \u201cWe said, let\u2019s co-locate all this under one roof and have this place be a driver for blue tech education, innovation, and research and development.\u201d<\/p>\n

Fundraising began, including meetings with state government representatives in Lansing.<\/p>\n

\u201cThe one thing we heard consistently from everyone we met with was how unique our project was, in that you have a small nonprofit like us\u2014at that point I was the only staff person\u2014a community college, a four-year university, an economic development entity, a tech startup all working together and collaborating around an idea. They were all blown away by that,\u201d McDonough says.<\/p>\n

FRIC was awarded $15 million in funding from the American Rescue Plan Act of 2021 (ARPA), and the idea started to become a reality.<\/p>\n

Becoming a Hub for Blue Tech<\/h4>\n

Ed Bailey has a background in mechanical engineering and project management for new construction. He retired in June from NMC and jumped right into his role as project manager for the construction of FRIC.<\/p>\n

\u201cIt\u2019s going well,\u201d says Bailey of the progress. \u201cThe building is coming out of the ground now, although it\u2019s relatively slow because of the weather. It\u2019s scheduled for completion in early 2027, so probably a February-March timeline. It\u2019s currently on track and you will see steel going up in the next few weeks.\u201d<\/p>\n

Discovery Pier will remain open and its programs will run throughout construction.<\/p>\n

As the building moves forward, \u201cthe goal is to attract both small and large businesses,\u201d says Bailey in reference to the completed campus. There will be shared and individual laboratory spaces on the first and second floors, as well as offices, a classroom, and a spacious lobby with educational public exhibits. There is also space allocated at the pier for FRIC\u2019s tenants to dock their research vessels.<\/p>\n

Finding those tenants is one of the next key initiatives for FRIC, and one source is the NMC\u2019s Great Lakes Blue Tech Challenge. The mission of the competition is to inspire, support, and fast-track early-stage businesses that are developing technologies and solutions for issues impacting the Great Lakes basin.<\/p>\n

\u201cFunding for that comes from NOAA, and we have been able to offer $60,000 in cumulated prizes for the award,\u201d Bailey explains. \u201cThe idea is to provide a cash influx and make them [blue tech entrepreneurs] aware of this region as sort of a home, creating that economic development opportunity.\u201d<\/p>\n

FRIC partners hope to entice blue tech businesses to come to Traverse City and create a workforce pipeline via the college programs that will operate there. Ultimately, this could help to build up a stronger, year-round economy that isn\u2019t as reliant on tourism.<\/p>\n

\u201cWe want them [the local community members] to have a sense of pride and ownership in the facility and support this bigger effort to change the narrative for Traverse City. It\u2019s known as this great place for beaches and cherry pie, but it also has a very entrepreneurial spirit,\u201d says McDonough.<\/p>\n

Building Community Interest<\/h4>\n

The team is also spending a lot of time (and money) to make sure the public lobby is a point of pride for the center, and that the multimedia exhibits highlight the important work being done there.<\/p>\n

\u201cIt was important to us, Discovery, to not develop a research faculty where there wasn\u2019t a public education component\u2026we want the community to be really proud of what happens here,\u201d says McDonough.<\/p>\n

The 3,000-square-foot lobby is being designed by Bridgewater Studios out of Chicago, which specializes in creating high tech experiential spaces. \u201cThe plan is to showcase to the public the tech involved in marine and water technologies,\u201d Bailey says.<\/p>\n

After years of dreaming, strategizing, and fundraising, the FRIC team is excited to welcome visitors in 2027.<\/p>\n

\u201cWe hope to host a public speakers\u2019 series where we have university researchers, experts in different things dealing with the great lakes, and blue tech entrepreneurs,\u201d McDonough says. \u201cIf folks are interested in what\u2019s happening here, there\u2019s going to be opportunities to become informed.\u201d<\/p>\n

To follow along with the building\u2019s progress, you can check out the site\u2019s construction cam and learn more on the FRIC\u2019s website at freshwatercenter.org.<\/em><\/p>\n

<\/a><\/strong> <\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

… in Traverse City: blue technology<\/span>. While marine technology<\/span> covers traditional engineering tools … environments, blue tech<\/span> refers to the application of innovative technology<\/span> to drive … blue tech<\/span> companies and at least two college marine science and technology<\/span> …<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"fifu_image_url":"","fifu_image_alt":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[1],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-97219","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-news","wpcat-1-id"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/new7.shop\/zerocostfreehost\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/97219","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/new7.shop\/zerocostfreehost\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/new7.shop\/zerocostfreehost\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/new7.shop\/zerocostfreehost\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/new7.shop\/zerocostfreehost\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=97219"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/new7.shop\/zerocostfreehost\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/97219\/revisions"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/new7.shop\/zerocostfreehost\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=97219"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/new7.shop\/zerocostfreehost\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=97219"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/new7.shop\/zerocostfreehost\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=97219"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}