INTERNATIONAL MARKETS FOR DIVERSE REGIONAL MANUFACTURING CLUSTERS

Ralf Wilhelms

Letitia Phillips

Lake Superior State University

ABSTRACT

Rural areas encounter challenges to economic growth in a knowledge-based economy. The

limited capacity to reach economies of scale and declining populations are at the core of the

underperformance of rural economic development. The two main industries present in rural areas

are agriculture and manufacturing.

This study utilizes students from an international marketing course at Lake Superior State

University to identify potential international markets based on personal knowledge, cultural

backgrounds, and personal connections to the manufacturing industry in the Eastern Upper

Peninsula of Michigan. The project examined a rural regional cluster in terms of geographical

setting rather than in terms of the common industry categorization.

A website was created with products from Eastern Upper Peninsula (EUP) manufacturing

firms and numerous country specific marketing campaigns were employed. The visitor data was

recorded and then analyzed. The findings pointed towards an increased international audience for

the EUP and showed initial support for the geographic cluster paradigm. The project also offered

a framework as well as suggestions for future rural regional exporting initiatives.