Michigan Reimagined

Mr. Rogers famously stated “look for the helpers. You will always find people trying to help” and our next guests are clearly fit that billing. Joining Chris to share the story of the Davies Project is the Executive Director, Pam Miklavcic, the VP Fund Development, Rich Howard, and Board of Director, Mikhail Murshak!

If you’re in mid-Michigan, you know ScrapFest 12 is coming this summer, led by Friedland Industries. Joining Chris to share the ScrapFest story and to highlight the upcoming event is the Vice President of Friedland Insustries, Joel Conn!

Michigan is made up of many special organizations serving our communities and joining Chris to help highlight one such organization called "Origami Rehabilitation" is their President and CEO, Tammy Hannah!

The Fledge is a space best described by their self-written summary which reads “We are in this together, there is no they. The Fledge is value driven. We value ourselves, each other and our environment. We value a diverse community filled with gifts. We are radically inclusive striving to allow everyone to pursue their own happiness. We work hard to have a zero barrier to entry. We want you to com...

Running a business is monumentally difficult. Luckily, there are several resources out there to help you along the way. Joining Chris to discuss those resources - made available by the Michigan Small Business Development Center (SBDC) - is the organization's Capital Area Regional Director, Laurie Lonsdorf!

Michigan offers a tremendous amount of support for entrepreneurs in this great. Joining Chris to discuss the newest program to engage in called "Elevate" is the Chief Equity and Development Officer of LEAP - the Lansing Economic Area Partnership - Tony Willis & the Director of Client and Community Relations at PNC Bank, Jen Sturdy!

Whether you call it the Great Resignation or the Great Reassessment, if you talk to an employer chances are they are seeking new talent and are having trouble finding them. The pandemic has forced some of the workforce to change the way they work, and others have simply decided they want to work differently. Joining Chris from a company offering assistance during this Great Reassessment is the Man...

Paying for higher education, and the rising student loan debt is a hot topic these days. There is a resource to assist with your long term planning to fund higher education that you may not be familiar with. Joining Chris to discuss the value the Michigan Education Trust brings is their Executive Director, Diane Brewer!

Michiganders have pretty solid access to quality baseball. Most are loyal to their beloved Detroit Tigers, but if you roam around the state you can find serious baseball in many cities. Joining Chris to discuss the kick-off to what we hope is a normal, non-pandemic affected, season is the GM of the Lansing Lugnuts, Tyler Parsons!

As the world opens back up on the heels of the Coronavirus pandemic, social activities are resuming. Concerts, festivals and travel are returning swiftly. Joining Chris to discuss an annual event that had to hit pause then go into hybrid mode are three founding members of the Capital City Film Festival - Cameron Gnass, Nicole Szymczak, and Payal Ravani!

A little more than a year ago, Chris interviewed a local company that was growing by leaps and bounds. In this episode, we get to visit again with Orthopaedic Rehab Specialists - a mid-Michigan physical therapy firm - and learn about many of their new endeavors from the Chief Executive Officer of ORS, Kevin Barclay!

If you’re like Chris, you enjoy live music, great art, and community events. Sadly, he usually must travel out of mid-Michigan to Grand Rapids or Detroit to see some of those things he's interested in. Joining Chris to share the newly announced Ovation music and arts center coming to Lansing is the Director of the Lansing Public Media Center, Dominic Cochran!

Last fall Chris introduced this episode's guest, and at the time there was major excitement, but also more questions than answers. In case you missed it, Lansing is getting its own professional basketball team and they tip off their inaugural season on March 18th. Here to discuss the launch of the Lansing Pharaoh’s is Founder & President, Chris Jackson!

The City of East Lansing has been undergoing quite a renaissance over the past 4 years with a series of new mixed-use development projects, most with an emphasis on student living. Joining Chris to discuss a very different type of development proposed in the city is the Director of Development for River Caddis, John McGraw!

The pandemic has disrupted virtually all forms of business, but the restaurant industry has been particularly hard hit. However, there are some amazing stories of resilience and even expansion. Joining Chris to discuss how one brand has navigated the past few years are the co-owners of Saddleback BBQ, and newly formed Slice by Saddleback, Travis Stoliker and Matt Gillett!

There is a new development project coming to the intersection of Pleasant Grove and Holmes in South Lansing. Joining Chris to discuss why that location is significant and what features this dynamic project will contain is the Executive Project Manager of Ferguson Development, Christopher Stralkowski!

The promise of electric motor vehicles has prompted significant investment from auto manufacturers. Joining Chris to discuss the newest and massive investment announcement, and what it means to Michigan, is the President & CEO of LEAP, the Lansing Economic Area Partnership, Bob Trezise!

The pandemic has reduced society's willingness to dine in restaurants or frequent busy stores. Delivery has become king. Today we have a guest that has a unique spin on Delivery in greater Lansing. Joining Chris is the Founder of Red Bike Delivery, Jeremy Hurt!

Decades ago, businesses fled the downtowns and evolved in the suburbs. Today we are seeing more businesses valuing being back in the thick of it all. Joining Chris to give us the story of a company relocating into a downtown setting is the Vice President of Financial Technology of East Lansing, Sara Frank-Hepfer!

Our great state is made up of amazing people who bring many talents to our communities. Today we get to speak with a great local businessman who has a unique second organization as well. In this episode, Chris is joined by the Co-Founder and Visionary for Good Fruit Video and Founder of Beyond Our Barriers, Justin Caine!

On Michigan Reimagined we discuss a variety of topics - making Michigan an attractive and clean place to live and great start-up companies among them. Today we get to discuss both! Joining Chris to introduce a new Michigan-based company whose mission is to permanently eradicate PFAS risks to human health and ecosystems are the Director of Venture Creation for Spartan Innovations, Brad Fingland and...

The Michigan Economic Development Corporation is the state’s spearhead when it comes to economic development in Michigan. Joining Chris to discuss a new look on 2022 initiatives and strategies is the Executive Vice President & Chief Business Development Officer for the MEDC, Josh Hundt!

We are knee deep in a long-term pandemic which has upended businesses of all kinds. Even before the pandemic, retail shopping was being revolutionized by the advent of on-line shopping. But some business owners - and industries - are forging ahead nonetheless. Joining Chris to share a great new business about to hit mid-Michigan are the Co-Owners of Hooked, Matt Grossman & Sarah Reckhow!

Every quality community has a quality art gallery, and Lansing is no different. Joining Chris to give us an update on our Lansing Art Gallery and Education Center and some big news about their facility, is the Executive Director, Barb Whitney!

Support for entrepreneurship in Michigan can be found in a lot of places - and in Mid-Michigan, you will often find LEAP - the Lansing Economic Area Partnership, leading the charge. Joining Chris to discuss the newest class of the One and All program are our friends from LEAP. The Chief Equity and Development Officer, Tony Willis, and Director of Entrepreneurial Ecosystem Development, Katlyn Cardo...