Lansing :
Featured Stories
Natalie Burg
Wednesday, June 22, 2011
For as much as we enjoy festivals and events as residents, it's hard to believe just how important they also are to creating a thriving downtown. Capital Gains' news editor, Natalie Burg, shares how in part 3 of The Recipe for Thriving Downtowns.
Gretchen Cochran
Wednesday, June 15, 2011
Not long ago content on Lansing Community College’s TV station centered on reruns of basketball games and still shots of billboards. Today, it has a new name, new program lineup and partnerships across the community. Best of all, it has Nicole Sclafani, producer and station manager, who embodies the bubbling energy of Mid-Michigan beginning to vibrate with the beat of a new economy. If it’s important and especially if it’s fun, know that LCC TV The Link plans to be in the middle of it.
Natalie Burg
Wednesday, May 25, 2011
Old Town Lansing ... winner of the 2011 Great American Main Street Awards. We all knew this part of our city was a gem, but now we have proof of its awesomeness!
Natalie Burg
Wednesday, May 18, 2011
Yes, volunteers are integral to creating a thriving downtown ... but what about economic development? We talk grants, small business, job creation and more in Part 2 of our four-part series, The Recipe For Thriving Downtowns.
Larry O'Connor
Wednesday, May 11, 2011
At Lansing Teen Court, first-time youth offenders are spared the scourge of the judicial system, which often leaves a permanent record of their youthful misdeeds to follow them. Instead, they face a jury of their peers: high school students, who are not exactly lenient, either.
Suban Nur Cooley
Wednesday, May 04, 2011
Did you know the Great American Fierce Beard Organization is based here in Lansing? Learn how this group is growing (literally and figuratively) and changing our community for the better.
Natalie Burg
Wednesday, April 27, 2011
This is the first of a four part series by our news editor, Natalie Burg, uncovering what it really takes to revitalize our downtown hubs. This week, we focus on volunteerism.
Natlie Burg
Wednesday, April 20, 2011
Capital Gains' News Editor, Natalie Burg, sat down with Bruce Katz of the Brookings Institution discussing the ways we can move cities - like ones in the Capital region - into the next economy.
Suban Nur Cooley
Wednesday, April 06, 2011
If you know Robin Miner Swartz, then you know why people have referred to her as Lansing's biggest cheerleader. She's engaged, invested and connected to the Capital region, both personally and professionally. Wonder why?
Gabrielle Johnson
Wednesday, March 30, 2011
There’s a new movement occurring in the Capital region. It’s not political or religious. They aren’t trying to sell you anything, take your money, or convert you. Heck, they won’t even tell you their names. You won’t see them coming and you’ll never know when they’re going to strike. Why? Because they’re Ninjas.
Leslie Wolcott
Wednesday, March 23, 2011
Was that a horse you saw on the bus last week? Don’t worry your eyes aren’t playing tricks on you. That was Cali, the American Miniature Horse who might be Lansing's first guide horse. She works with her human, Mona Ramouni. The two moved to East Lansing last August, but Ramouni and Cali already feel embraced and welcomed by the Capital region.
Gretchen Cochran
Wednesday, March 16, 2011
It suddenly seems that Mid-Michigan has a mushrooming supply of taxis. Does that reflect a trend, moving us closer to metropolitan status? The answer is yes, but not in the way you might think. So many things are happening here in the people-moving realm that we are well on the way to becoming a “transportation mecca”.
Daniel J. Hogan
Wednesday, March 02, 2011
Want to know what it was like behind the scenes at one of Lansing's biggest events of 2011? Join regular contributor, Daniel J. Hogan, as he shares his experience at Ignite Lansing 4.0 from the "inside," as a volunteer on the photography team.
Angie Jackson
Wednesday, February 09, 2011
Musicians Dave Suchanek, Kevin Pritchard and Carter Moulton are using computers, quilts, Christmas lights and California connections to boost the local Lansing music scene.
Ivy Hughes
Wednesday, February 02, 2011
Germany’s Ruhr District is repurposing massive, abandoned industrial facilities, turning them into cultural centers, business parks and museums. Is the Capital region ready or able to do the same?
Adam Molner
Wednesday, January 26, 2011
From Neon Tuesdays to LEAK parties, Lansing’s electronic dance music scene is blowing up, and Mike Weber is working tirelessly to make sure the party never stops.
Dan Nufer
Wednesday, January 19, 2011
A collaboration between a local record store and an MSU student is bringing The Middle of the Mitten music showcase to the Loft in Downtown Lansing.
Natalie Burg
Wednesday, December 08, 2010
So what does an all-star runner, coach and teacher — with a ceramics major and an art history minor — do for fun in the Capital region? How about everything.
Andy McGlashen
Wednesday, December 01, 2010
Capital region anglers can go head-to-head with some of the world’s most famous and challenging sport fish, right in the heart of the city.
Gabrielle Johnson
Wednesday, November 17, 2010
Transplanted from the plains of North Dakota, this 23-year-old has found a lot to like in Lansing, including beautiful weather, gourmet dining and interesting people (and even a fiancée).
Julianne VanWagenen
Wednesday, November 10, 2010
Tyson Pumphrey, aka Othello, recorded his first tracks on a karaoke machine when he was an elementary school student back in Seattle. At 28, he’s got a new album out and is embracing his life in Michigan.
Larry O’Connor
Wednesday, November 03, 2010
For 25-year-old Kelly Kobus, entrepreneurship and artistry are two ingredients in the mix of a successful cake-decorating business.
Leslie Wolcott
Wednesday, October 06, 2010
If your sixth sense is suggesting some paranormal activity, fear not! Lansing has its own gang of ghostbusters ready to investigate any unexplainable activity you might be facing.
Clare Zammitt
Wednesday, September 29, 2010
Photo-based scavenger hunts through Lansing are fun, entertaining and helping the community come together and realize the city's full potential.
Brad Garmon
Wednesday, September 15, 2010
The first in our two-part story about the unlikely alliance of grit, graffiti and government that turned one of Lansing’s most hated buildings into a creative cultural moment.
Dave Trumpie
Wednesday, September 15, 2010
Capital Gains photographer Dave Trumpie captures the creativity and color of the Deluxe Inn graffiti art project.
Daniel J. Hogan
Wednesday, September 08, 2010
Read the play-by-play as Capital Gain's man about town, Daniel J. Hogan, describes his aspirations and motivations for a recent relocation to an apartment in Downtown Lansing.
Sandra Miska
Wednesday, September 01, 2010
Two new boating venues—The Grand Fish and Metro Marinas—are opening the Downtown Lansing riverfront to new kinds of adventure, entertainment and recreation.
Jeff Shoup
Wednesday, August 11, 2010
The sport of roller derby has a history going back to the 1920s, but a recent surge in popularity has found a hot spot in Lansing, which now hosts two teams of enthusiastic female competitors.
Leslie Wolcott
Wednesday, August 04, 2010
In Michigan, there’s nothing to compare with a summer afternoon spent lounging on the beach with a great book. Unless, perhaps, it’s getting together with friends for a good book discussion accompanied by wine, beer and food.
Suban Nur Cooley
Wednesday, July 28, 2010
Happily settled into their Westside Lansing home, Dan and Ashley Lamb are the quintessential modern couple. They sing in a band, support local business and have great jobs. They’re also here in Lansing to stay, and are thrilled about it.
Kelsey Turek
Wednesday, July 21, 2010
Lansing’s historic Marshall Street Armory will soon be remodeled by the Gillespie Group, becoming a creative home for area nonprofit organizations.
Gretchen Cochran
Wednesday, June 30, 2010
Entrepreneurs like Jerry Norris, CEO of jadian enterprises, are bringing exotic places like Maylasia and Madagascar into the mid-Michigan mix—and fitting in some serious skateboarding in Dubai along the way.
STAFF
Wednesday, June 30, 2010
Join Capital Gains tonight for our third Speaker Series, this time focused on Walkable, Bikeable and Livable Communities. See you at the New Lansing City Market after work!
Staff
Wednesday, June 23, 2010
Walkable, bikeable, and mixed use development is critical for Michigan's future. Sign up for the Capital Gains Speaker's Series and hear how Lansing is redesigning itself for the future.
Jeff Shoup
Wednesday, June 23, 2010
In order to highlight and celebrate Lansing's destinations, the Team Lansing Foundation recently sent local leaders over
the Boji Tower’s highest balcony, 22 stories above the city.
Adam Molner
Wednesday, June 16, 2010
The five local DJ’s who comprise the Lansing Electronic Artist Kollective are working hard to put Lansing's electronic scene on the national map.
Gabrielle Johnson
Wednesday, June 09, 2010
MSU recruits faculty from all corners of the country, and many have little notion of what living in Michigan will be like. We talk to two couples about life, love and sushi in the Capital region.
Larry O'Connor
Wednesday, June 02, 2010
A few semi-pro football teams have come and gone in Lansing over the years. But the latest foray has a few creative advantages that are putting it ahead the field.
Leslie Wolcott
Wednesday, May 12, 2010
We're all guilty of touting success while hiding failure. But if we're serious about supporting entrepreneurship, a better strategy is to ask, "How can we help each other fail well?"
Brad Garmon
Wednesday, May 12, 2010
Thanks to Reach Studio Art Center's "Patterns of Place" exhibit, you get a rare chance to glimpse our urban places, especially the REO Town neighborhood, through the artistic eyes of more than 70 talented Lansing youth.
John Foren
Wednesday, May 05, 2010
They're tiny, transparent and difficult to understand. But in an old Lansing warehouse district, tiny nanoplatelets are working hard to reinvent the area’s high-tech business sector.
Brad Garmon
Wednesday, May 05, 2010
Once again, there are too many great things happening this week for us to pick just one. Support local volunteer service or toss milk jugs with medieval implements of warfare? Good luck deciding!
Ivy Hughes
Wednesday, April 28, 2010
Since forever Lansing bars have allowed smoking indoors, often with virtually no ventilation. Come May 1, this will all change thanks to a statewide non-smoking mandate from the Michigan legislature. We're going smoke-free, baby!
Ivy Hughes
Wednesday, April 28, 2010
Staff
Wednesday, April 21, 2010
We're doing double duty this week with two amazing events: the one and only Studio Crawl and Earth Day celebrations.
Staff
Wednesday, April 21, 2010
It's hard to keep track of all the urban gardening/urban farming initiatives taking place in the Capital region, which is why we're hosting a speakers series designed to get you informed and involved.
Chris McCarus
Wednesday, April 21, 2010
Greg LeRoy, author and government accountability expert, chats with Capital Gains about Michigan's economic recovery strategy. He'll be visiting East Lansing on Friday discussing Michigan's approach to federal stimulus investment.
Andy Balaskovitz
Wednesday, April 14, 2010
What will we get out of new federal Neighborhood Stabilization Program funds? How about $17.4 million worth of tools to address foreclosure, revitalize areas near Downtown and attract new talent?
Staff
Wednesday, April 14, 2010
Welcome to Spring! Ready to grow some city greens? Join us for our second Speaker Series event, where we'll talk to local leaders about the Capital region's blossoming urban gardening movement.
John Foren
Wednesday, April 07, 2010
Attracted by the convenience and freedom offered by walkable neighborhoods, authentic food and diverse culture, some Baby Boomers are trading their empty suburban nests for busy Downtown living.
John Foren
Wednesday, March 31, 2010
Chad Badgero, a successful New York actor, has no pretenses: he loves the Capital region and wants to see it thrive.
Larry O'Connor
Wednesday, March 24, 2010
In the game of life, these entrepreneurs have opted to play the home version, and have sorted through the advantages (dominion over the coffeemaker) and the challenges (hello, distractions) of running a home-based business.
John Foren
Wednesday, March 24, 2010
MSU entrepreneurs dazzled by the business spirit in the Capital region are opening their own businesses between—and sometimes instead of—hitting the books.
Ivy Hughes
Wednesday, March 24, 2010
Area techies are prepared to hole up at
I5 until they produce thousands of dollars in services for area non-profits as part of this month's
Give Camp.
Gretchen Cochran
Wednesday, March 17, 2010
Capital region businesses and state leaders are embracing the allure of Michigan's forests, rivers, ski trips and mountain bike adventures to help keep more young talent in Michigan.
Ivy Hughes
Wednesday, March 17, 2010
We think it's time to get noticed by
Google and vastly increase residential broadband access. You can help make it happen.
Julianne VanWagenen
Wednesday, March 17, 2010
Foursquare.com, the up-and-coming social networking app with a flair for local flavor, is giving rise to a new informal mayoral class in Lansing.
Ivy Hughes
Wednesday, March 10, 2010
Time to get happy! Join us for some after-work drinks today, from 4 p.m. to 6 p.m., Wednesday, March 10.
Staff
Wednesday, March 10, 2010
What are incubators? How are they helping drive the economy in the Capital region? Capital Gains will be listening for answers at our very first Speaker Series, on March 25 at The Loft in Downtown Lansing.
Larry O'Connor
Wednesday, March 10, 2010
Public transportation—which in Lansing means CATA buses—sometimes gets lost amid other planning considerations. But a couple of Capital region developers are making the connection in their projects.
Ivy Hughes
Wednesday, March 03, 2010
It's idea time! Get ready to light up one of Lansing's most innovative events—IgniteLansing!—with your mind, body and wallet.
Gretchen Cochran
Wednesday, February 24, 2010
No one seems to know exactly how many murals the Capital region hosts. But there’s a movement afoot to create more of the wall-sized paintings.
Ivy Hughes
Wednesday, February 17, 2010
Clare Zammitt
Wednesday, February 10, 2010
An underground poetry scene in Lansing is gathering steam, starting with a devoted group of committed followers.
Adam Molner
Wednesday, January 27, 2010
Lansing residents have been using technology and social media tools to pull together public gatherings that draw attention to the region.
Gretchen Cochran
Wednesday, January 27, 2010
Beyond appreciation for cafés and great wine, what else do the streets of Paris have to teach Lansing? Capital Gains' Gretchen Cochran offers a few observations from the City of Light.
Kelly Steffen and Joshua Croft
Wednesday, January 27, 2010
As MSU works to bring car sharing to the town, two MSU students share their thoughts on what it could do for the region.
Viki Lorraine
Wednesday, January 20, 2010
Proving that Lansing has plenty of opportunities for creative, passionate people, homegrown-proud Mike Stratton has found international success as a therapist, writer and DJ.
Daniel J. Hogan
Wednesday, January 20, 2010
What’s the dating scene like in Lansing? Local geek Daniel J. Hogan explores the good, the bad and the hilarious of being single in the Capital region.
Larry O'Connor
Wednesday, January 13, 2010
Mark Boyd is getting a second take on his acting career, parlaying his performing experience into cameos in many of the big-budget films coming to Michigan.
Staff
Wednesday, December 16, 2009
What does “green” really mean? Our readers, developers and community members ask us this question all the time. We take it to mean lots of things — LEED (Leadership in Environmental and Energy Design) development, sustainable living, public transportation, walkable communities and the reuse of abandoned properties.
Throughout 2009, we’ve run several articles concerning green ideas and green developments. After much deliberation, we’ve put together our Best of Green issue.
These feature, development and innovation articles include large green developments such as the renovation of the 20,000 square foot former Cedar Street School, as well as large green ideas such as the City of East Lansing’s commitment to becoming the first Michigan city to adopt a green building policy.
Thank you for your loyal readership! Have a great holiday and we’ll see you again in 2010.
Stephen Worsfold
Wednesday, December 16, 2009
Videographer Stephen Worsfold takes Capital Gains on a tour of David Muylle's eco-friendly urban house on Lansing's Eastside.
Ivy Hughes
Wednesday, December 16, 2009
Out-of-business gas stations are abundant in the Capital region. But just because they’re closed today doesn’t mean they have to stay that way.
Deborah Richmond
Wednesday, December 16, 2009
ACD.net's Kevin Schoen hopes to turn a problematic vacant property on Kalamazoo Street into a city-friendly community sculpture park.
Ivy Hughes
Wednesday, December 16, 2009
With the new Accident Fund headquarters and the construction of the new City Market, Lansing’s riverfront is coming alive. So what's next for the city's watery waysides?
Brad Garmon
Wednesday, December 16, 2009
One of the nation's leading thinkers on real estate trends says walkable urban places are the future. So what advice will he have for Lansing on April 15?
Christian Czerwinski
Wednesday, December 16, 2009
Lansing is kicking off a summer of Smart Commuting, complete with festivals, competitions, classes and lots of reflective gear. Check out the region's committed, car-free trekkers.
Ivy Hughes
Wednesday, December 09, 2009
One Capital region entrepreneur takes a look at social business, a business model he believes could give the region a positive boost both economically and socially.
Ivy Hughes
Wednesday, December 09, 2009
Lansing has plenty of networking groups and business organizations, but now it’s got something entirely different—a group of young professionals who are investing their time, businesses and ideas in creating a city they want to live in.
Brad Garmon
Wednesday, December 09, 2009
It's movie time! Lansing makes a notable big-screen debut on Sunday with the premiere of Michael McCallum's gritty new full-length, indie noir flick, Fairview St.
Daniel J. Hogan
Wednesday, December 09, 2009
Tired of fast food wrappers and pizza boxes piling up in your car? Embark on a gastronomic quest by sampling some of Lansing’s fine world cuisine.
Deborah Richmond
Wednesday, December 09, 2009
Two DeWitt high school teachers are spearheading a movement designed to get students involved in community building and New Economy entrepreneurship.
Larry O'Connor
Wednesday, December 09, 2009
Wave goodbye to the stinging eyes, graveling throat and clothes that smell like you've been in a fire. These fine establishments have found a new kind of smoke-free success.
Ivy Hughes
Wednesday, December 02, 2009
Lansing and Pittsburgh have quite a bit in common as they scramble to reinvent economic success. Capital Gains talks with one of the leaders who helped the Steel City pull itself back.
Kelsey Turek
Wednesday, December 02, 2009
The Crown Boxing Gym in Lansing hosts more than a boxing ring. It also houses the HAWK Foundation, which brings at-risk kids support, life skills and a fun, physical outlet.
Staff
Wednesday, December 02, 2009
Meet Suban Nur Cooley, the Aussie, born in Switzerland, who is taking over as Capital Gains' Innovation editor. Did we mention she speaks Somali?
Adam Molner
Wednesday, November 18, 2009
More communities are turning to local currencies to encourage people to buy local goods, build neighborly bonds and reward unpaid actions. Is Lansing missing out?
Jeff Shoup
Wednesday, October 28, 2009
Capital Gains takes a tour of the new business and education incubators that are becoming driving forces for economic and cultural reinvention in the Capital region.
Ivy Hughes
Wednesday, October 28, 2009
MSU's Vincent Delgado brings to Lansing a world's worth of new ways to look at issues like community engagement, immigration and entrepreneurship.
Ivy Hughes
Wednesday, October 21, 2009
Lansing hosts one of the most progressive manufacturing facilities in the state—a place where good design counts, protecting the environment is important, and social contribution ranks high.
Andrea Kerbuski
Wednesday, October 14, 2009
Riverfront Cycle in Downtown Lansing, offering top-of-the-line bicycles and products since 1988, recently added a manufacturing arm in Mason.
Ivy Hughes
Wednesday, October 07, 2009
Is it possible to make money with fine art? Lansing artist Kimberly Lavon thinks so, and is using the weight of the press to make it happen.
Justin Caine
Wednesday, October 07, 2009
Ignite Lansing 2.0's sold-out crowd of 500 at the Old Town Temple Building was on fire with possibilities.
Daniel J. Hogan
Wednesday, October 07, 2009
After a globe-hopping career that included visits to Europe, Malaysia, Thailand, Japan, Korea, and 41 cities in China, Shirley Saylor chose to land in and fall in love with Lansing.
Sandra Miska
Wednesday, September 30, 2009
With the start of the school year, MSU student DJ Rob Perry is working to turn Old Town's Spiral dance club into a hotspot on the national Switch network.
Ivy Hughes
Wednesday, September 30, 2009
Jamie Schriner-Hooper talks to Capital Gains about Old Town, the Michigan Main Street Program, and a grassroots movement to rebuild Michigan’s downtowns.
Ann Kammerer
Wednesday, September 23, 2009
Lansing entrepreneur and tax expert Max Pricco developed a tool to bring order to the often frantic business of tax preparation. Now he's turning the valuable software into a growing business.
Justin Caine
Wednesday, September 23, 2009
For those of you who didn’t get a chance to ride the river with the Gillespie Group's Downtown boat tours, Good Fruit Video takes you there.
Ann Kammerer
Wednesday, September 16, 2009
With an in-store jeweler, shoe-fit shop, 2,000 ties and the largest collection of tailored suits in the state, Kositchek’s menswear in Downtown Lansing delivers on every meticulously measured inch of its 140+ year legacy of quality.
Daniel J. Hogan
Wednesday, September 16, 2009
Local IT entrepreneurs are joining forces to create a website guide that will help you find the hippest happenings in Lansing.
Viki Lorraine
Wednesday, September 09, 2009
Long known for its artistic side, Old Town has recently been attracting a new set of eco-conscious businesses. Why? Chalk it up to a strong sense of community.
Adam Molner
Wednesday, September 09, 2009
Former East Lansing mayor Sam Singh spent a year traveling the world. Now he's back and ready to put that experience to work in the Capital region.
Adam Molner
Wednesday, September 02, 2009
Competing in a global environment requires a global perspective. That's where Vamshi Bommavaram comes in. Educated in Hyderabad, India, Bommavaram is bringing a few new ideas to Lansing.
Daniel J. Hogan
Wednesday, September 02, 2009
Nick Gavrilides has soup for you. With a focus on "going local" and a hearty commitment to Lansing, he's turning The Soup Spoon Café into a tasty Eastside tradition.
Larry O'Connor
Wednesday, August 26, 2009
A ball, a net and ample sand are chief ingredients in the Capital region’s bustling beach volleyball community, which draws the dexterous from ages 18 to 40.
Gabrielle Johnson
Wednesday, August 19, 2009
The Michigan Avenue corridor might be primed for a facelift as citizens, students, professors and local governments look to take on the project themselves.
Andy Owen
Wednesday, August 12, 2009
Young and mobile talent in the Capital region is looking to business leaders and local government to make changes.
Tara Adams
Wednesday, August 12, 2009
With popular new eateries and loft developments finding a hungry law student and residential market, REO Town is a neighborhood on the rise.
Chris McCarus
Wednesday, August 05, 2009
The
Michigan Municipal League (MML) has established eight elements they say will help change the way millennials view Michigan.
Larry O'Connor
Wednesday, August 05, 2009
The Brewer's Caucus is an amalgamation of Capitol lobbyists, legislative aides and others who are raising awareness about Michigan's craft beer culture, one pint at a time.
Ivy Hughes
Wednesday, August 05, 2009
As envisioned by MSU interior design students, the retro-cool Knapp’s building in Downtown Lansing can be transformed into a vibrant part of the region again.
Ivy Hughes
Wednesday, July 29, 2009
MSU prof Bryan Ritchie landed in Michigan with all the credentials of a Creative Class leader. Capital Gains chats with him about entrepreneurship and what he and his students are doing to keep the Capital region's best and brightest here.
Ivy Hughes
Wednesday, July 22, 2009
After two years of pulling Capital Gains together in no less than 20 different houses, offices, cafes and cottages, we’ve managed to assemble an authoritative mobile workstation guide for Capital region nomads.
Jack Helder
Wednesday, July 15, 2009
Boasting both local talent and national headliners, "Pickin’ in the Park” has become the hot place for impromptu musical magic on Lansing summer nights.
Tara Adams
Wednesday, July 15, 2009
Public art can catch your eye or catch you off guard. In the Capital region, it's also helping capture the spirit of the community.
Larry O'Connor
Wednesday, July 08, 2009
Capital Gains caught up with people who have left Michigan for Madison, Raleigh and Austin. Our goal? To see what coaxed them out of the region, and how we could keep them here.
Sandra Miska
Wednesday, July 08, 2009
For more than two decades, it's been a hot spot for national musicians and local music lovers alike. We take a tour with the edgy innovators and insiders who built the Mac's Bar mythology.
Chris McCarus
Wednesday, June 24, 2009
What does Lansing need to keep talented young entrepreneurs like Bunmi Akinyemiju? Try mass transit, entertainment centers and a more risk-tolerant attitude.
Ivy Hughes
Wednesday, June 24, 2009
Kevin Shaw, one of six partners with the Wieland-Davco construction company, sits down with Capital Gains to talk about green building, world travel and diversification.
Bryan Mitchell
Wednesday, June 24, 2009
We've got those tiny little lakes for entertainment, but Capital region mountain biking enthusiasts are also making mountains out of Michigan's molehills.
Jeff Shoup
Wednesday, June 17, 2009
In addition to steering the cash flow at
Jackson National (JNL), one of the region's financial powerhouses, CFO
Andy Hopping, is also rocking his JNL house band onto the national scene.
Philip Zaroo and Peter Hughes
Wednesday, June 17, 2009
The summer's heating up and grills are being lit, so Capital Gains sent two intrepid writers out on the streets to find Lansing's best-tasting beef on a bun.
Chris McCarus
Wednesday, June 10, 2009
Two of the region's leading economists say that, when it comes to fresh water and hard workers, no other state can compete with Michigan.
Judy Putnam
Wednesday, June 03, 2009
How does a Lansing social network and annual fund-raising blowout morph into a respected avenue for supporting early childhood development? Like this.
Suban Nur Cooley
Wednesday, June 03, 2009
How many times have you walked past a business or museum in Lansing and never stopped? Every year Lansing gives its residents a chance to re-experience the city with Be a Tourist in Your Own Town, a one day event designed to reengage citizens in their community.
Adam Molner
Wednesday, May 27, 2009
A Lansing-based contingent of sports enthusiasts are quickly maturing a tailgate party staple into a sanctioned game bolstered by a self-organizing national network. Behold Michigan's Monkeyball masters.
Ann Kammerer
Wednesday, May 20, 2009
With the right combination of education, training and social savvy, job seekers can find promise by aligning with bright spots in the Capital region economy.
Bryan Mitchell
Wednesday, May 13, 2009
Who finds their way to Lansing? How about a South Dakota transplant with Wyoming political credentials.
Brad Garmon
Tuesday, May 12, 2009
The green economy is touted as one the key sectors for Michigan's struggling auto suppliers. Turns out, the state might have the assets and people to do a whole lot more.
Suban Nur Cooley
Wednesday, May 06, 2009
In an adventure that will have her heading to work (gasp!) on foot, CG's favorite Aussie import, Suban Nur Cooley, sets out to test the boundaries of our waistline-busting, couch-to-car commuter culture.
Larry O’Connor
Wednesday, April 29, 2009
Robert Selig, executive director of the Capital Region International Airport, is pushing a global agenda that includes a $25 million terminal expansion and federal inspection area.
Daniel J. Hogan
Wednesday, April 29, 2009
Many Michigan natives who venture out into the wider world also come boomeranging back, bringing with them a better sense of Lansing's assets and advantages. Some of them actually enjoy the cold!
Ann Kammerer
Wednesday, April 22, 2009
As the City of Lansing kicks off a major initiative to update its Master Plan, one of the big issues is going to be building a transportation system that caters to people like Chelsea Kennedy.
Suban Nur Cooley
Wednesday, April 22, 2009
Is it loud in here, or is it just my helicopter? Local entrepreneur Michael Doherty launches his latest fashion line with an East Lansing mega-party that blends hometown and Hollywood.
Tara Adams
Wednesday, April 15, 2009
As Lansing ramps up a new city-wide Master Plan, the Eastside is looking at sustainable development that embraces the community’s history, diversity and natural assets.
Adam Molner
Wednesday, April 15, 2009
Reach Studio Art Center is a community art gallery in the heart of Lansing committed to art education for people of all ages. Along the way, it's helping beautify REO Town and providing critical skills to kids and adults.
Bryan Mitchell and Brad Garmon
Wednesday, April 08, 2009
Capital Gains kicks off a new series exploring the city's efforts to revamp its decades-old Master Plan. This week, the New Economy shakes up old land use strategies.
Brian Fisher
Wednesday, March 25, 2009
Twitter, the real-time, micro-blogging and communications tool, is a surprisingly powerful presence inside Lansing's marketing, political and business realms. We offer up 10 local leaders whose chatter really matters.
Rick Steele
Wednesday, March 25, 2009
Noah Filipiak, pastor of the Barefoot Church, will knock your socks off! At 22, he started a church. Four years later, its become a core community-building resource in the city.
Ivy Hughes
Wednesday, March 25, 2009
Bobby Bringi of MBI International in Lansing is helping cutting-edge companies make the jump from great idea to marketable product. "De-risking" commercialization can move Michigan ahead in emerging areas like bio-tech.
Suban Nur Cooley
Wednesday, March 18, 2009
From vegemite to jumpers, the Chrome Cat to wedding cakes, here's Capital Gains' firsthand account of how one awesome Aussie landed in (and learned to love) Lansing.
Sandra Miska
Wednesday, March 18, 2009
The Hard Lessons formed in East Lansing, and have since taken their music to venues around the world. But the role-model rockers still give their home state a hearty high-five for hipness.
Staff
Wednesday, March 18, 2009
For all fans of Capital Gains, please join
our Facebook group so we can get a discussion going outside of traditional media about the issues facing this area. If you’re interested, please click
here.
Ann Kammerer
Wednesday, March 11, 2009
High-tech approaches and environmental consciousness are calling cards of a Lansing print shop that churns out many of the area’s political publications.
Daniel Hogan
Wednesday, March 04, 2009
Audiophiles are Old Town’s original aural recyclers, investing their money and musical cravings in the hard-to-find vinyl available at Uncle Sam’s Record Emporium.
Chris McCarus
Wednesday, February 25, 2009
Michigan legislators and Lansing area leaders recently hosted a discussion about attracting the younger and more mobile workers that characterize the New Economy.
Ivy Hughes
Wednesday, February 25, 2009
Kira Carter, the president and CEO of Sparrow Specialty Hospital in Lansing, talks to Capital Gains about the healthcare industry, and about attracting new talent to Lansing.
Larry O'Connor
Wednesday, February 25, 2009
Nearly 1,000 players hit the ice in the Capital region's vibrant adult hockey community, where late-night games, camaraderie and a little frat humor offer respite from the 9-to-5 grind.
Adam Molner
Wednesday, February 18, 2009
Though far from New Orleans, Lansing has plenty of southern imports and is building on a strong set of new and old Mardi Gras traditions.
Gretchen Cochran
Wednesday, February 11, 2009
Developer Gene Townsend’s newly built home in Old Town Lansing—the first Gold LEED certified house in town—suggests that the biggest new ideas are sometimes "Not So Big."
Chris McCarus
Wednesday, February 11, 2009
Hundreds of people from the Capital Region spent aweekend recycling 100,000 thousand pounds of old technology.
Joshua Ortman
Wednesday, February 11, 2009
Adam Molner
Wednesday, January 28, 2009
The edgy, underground of art culture seems to germinate best in the dark. So it makes sense that Lansing's would bubble up from Basement 414, hidden in a Downtown Lansing alley underneath the Nuthouse Sports Grill.
Brad Garmon
Wednesday, December 17, 2008
Green isn’t just the color of the holidays—it’s also the color of the coming economy, and a hallmark of a movement that’s building a more sustainable future for Lansing.
Adam Molner
Wednesday, December 10, 2008
Ambitious Capital region authors are bypassing the challenges of traditional publishing by turning to self-publishing to get their books in the hands of fans.
Ivy Hughes
Wednesday, December 03, 2008
Lansing’s looking to its largest utility, the Lansing Board of Water & Light, for answers to big energy issues, like adding alternative energy options that include solar, wind, biomass, hydro and landfill gases.
Ivy Hughes
Wednesday, November 19, 2008
Dianne Holman started the East Lansing-based company, Working Bugs, and is using cutting-edge fermentation and microorganisms to rebuild the country's basic, bio-based roots.
Jeff Shoup
Wednesday, November 12, 2008
Doug Neal, host of 88.9 FM's Progressive Torch & Twang, has managed to meld fluid dynamics, entrepreneurialism and an encyclopedic knowledge of alt-country music into a supremely satisfying Mid-Michigan experience.
Stephen Worsfold
Wednesday, November 12, 2008
Videographer Stephen Worsfold recently sat down with Joan Nelson, director of the
Allen Neighborhood Center, to talk about community development and sustainability on Lansing's Eastside.
Ann Kammerer
Wednesday, November 05, 2008
Since 1929, the Lansing Symphony Orchestra has scored the cultural scene in Greater Lansing. Here's how it keeps attracting up to 20,000 area leaders, business people and first-time fans to its concerts each year.
Chris McCarus
Wednesday, October 22, 2008
Listen in as Michigan Now's Chris McCarus talks with leading experts about the potential of powering 80 million homes with clean, Great Lakes-based offshore wind turbines.
Joshua Ortman
Wednesday, October 15, 2008
Contributing videographer Joshua Ortman takes us on a walk-through of Lansing's popular Impression 5 Science Center with its talented young director, Erik Larson.
Ivy Hughes
Wednesday, October 01, 2008
For years, Lansing-area leaders have tried to figure out how to hold onto our college graduates, to stem their outflow to big cities. But maybe it’s time to let them go.
Suban Nur Cooley
Tuesday, September 30, 2008
Meet Chad Paalman, Frederick Schramm and Justin Welsch, three young Lansing-area IT professionals who prove that our hometown techies are anything but geeks.
Allie Gruner
Wednesday, September 24, 2008
As a summer of record-high gas prices winds down, we offer the flip side of the cost equation: the positive local impacts of $4 per gallon gas.
Ivy Hughes
Wednesday, September 24, 2008
New York Times columnist and author, Thomas Friedman, recently visited Michigan to talk green revolution, local innovation, and the opportunities for Michigan in a hot, flat and crowded future.
Yana Levovna
Wednesday, September 17, 2008
Put together an entrepreneurial young Venezuelan salsa dancer, a hot local salsa band, and a Lansing riverboat captain, and you’ve got the ingredients for a booming new Lansing dance scene.
Sam Mills
Wednesday, September 17, 2008
Ashley Medina is a Life Stylist. From her shop in Downtown Lansing, she's in the business of helping creative professionals grow, network and stay put in Lansing.
Kraig Westfall
Wednesday, September 17, 2008
In the first of many Capital Gains video features, Kraig Westfall gives us a glimpse into Studio Intrigue, a young, REO Town-based architecture firm that’s taking the term “walk the walk” to a whole ‘nother level.
Ann Kammerer
Wednesday, September 10, 2008
Ensconced in subterranean studios at Lansing Community College, WLNZ 89.7-FM fills a niche that showcases the talents of local broadcasters, musicians and non-profit organizations.
Lydia Weiss
Wednesday, September 10, 2008
Not only are designated “Green Schools” good for the environment, they’re an economically sound investment. A look at the Lansing region’s efforts go geen in the classroom.
Elizabeth Silver
Wednesday, September 03, 2008
More than 30 neighborhood gardens and one amazing greenhouse are helping Lansing improve parks, foster sustainability and provide fresh food to needy residents.
John A. Kinch
Wednesday, August 27, 2008
As the gold standard in green, Grand Rapids is giving the Capital City’s sustainability efforts a collaborative boost.
Jack Helder
Wednesday, August 27, 2008
Here’s Capital Gains’ look at moving to Old Town Lansing. Also check out our guides to
visiting and
investing in Old Town.
Gretchen Cochran
Wednesday, August 20, 2008
Even as kids head back to classes, Lansing execs are turning vacant school buildings into green ventures that fuel the local economy.
Tara Adams
Wednesday, August 20, 2008
Skateboarding is a $3 billion a year industry, and Lansing is becoming a national leader in attracting the sport’s talented and trendy disciples.
Josh Marino
Wednesday, August 13, 2008
For St. Johns, Michigan artist, Brian McKelvey, what started out as a local craft has turned into a national — and possibly global — product that's helping people re-imagine their towns.
Elizabeth Hoyt
Wednesday, July 30, 2008
Can’t teach an old dog new tricks? Lansing is proving otherwise with new dog-devoted businesses and expansive new city park facilities that pamper our prized pets.
Gabrielle Johnson
Wednesday, July 16, 2008
Downtown Lansing nightlife has gotten a boost from a host of successful new venues, and the young professional crowd is finding places to let loose in the city. CG's quick guide to the new places, old favorites, and hot picks for a night (or two) on the town.
Brad Garmon
Wednesday, June 25, 2008
Along with a cadre of other talented indy-film upstarts building high-quality films on miniscule budgets, Michael McCallum works in a world well below the radar of big-budget film incentives.
Melinda Clynes and Brad Garmon
Wednesday, June 25, 2008
Thanks to new state incentives and a few ambitious Lansing entrepreneurs, a vacant parking lot in Downtown Lansing may soon be bustling with the action—and cash—of big-budget, Hollywood films.
Ann Kammerer
Wednesday, June 18, 2008
Hazel Hotwagner left a highfalutin’ corporate job for paintbrushes and an easel. Now the artist’s community she helped create is following her to new gallery space in Old Town Lansing.
Larry O'Connor
Wednesday, June 18, 2008
Rivka and Chris Fountain have opened several doors—and a few eyes—to the potential of Eastside Lansing housing stock by turning worn, fix-me-uppers into sparkling castles.
Ann Kammerer
Wednesday, June 11, 2008
Take a taste of summer with area food advocates, who are serving up a sample from the bountiful Lansing harvest of locally produced, meat, dairy and other dietary staples.
Joshua Marino
Wednesday, June 04, 2008
From the cozy confines of their not-so-quiet Eastside Lansing house, five young musicians are making their mark on a simmering local music scene.
Ivy Hughes
Wednesday, May 28, 2008
A nationally recognized MSU program is combining new media tools and student-led ideas to boost area communities and small-business owners.
Dawn Gorman
Wednesday, May 28, 2008
Miko Fossum wanted her business to reflect her values and beliefs. So she took her Eastside Lansing tea house to a whole new level of healthy.
Staff
Wednesday, April 23, 2008
Young entrepreneurs like Jessica Decker are revitalizing Downtown Lansing by working in, living in, and loving on a Cool City that's quickly earning the chill name.
Gabrielle Johnson
Wednesday, April 16, 2008
From
Frye boots to
Spanx to
True Religion jeans, three female boutique owners are chasing the dust bunnies out of Mid-Michigan closets and replacing Midwestern frocks with New York couture.
Ivy Hughes
Tuesday, April 08, 2008
There’s nothing glamorous or chic about a coffee bean, one stuffed toy or a single moving van. But, if you’re creative and have the business savvy of three of Michigan’s most successful franchise owners, you can turn one bean into 150 coffee shops, one truck into 202 international moving locations, one toy into a national franchise or one dollar…into millions.
Ann Kammerer
Wednesday, April 02, 2008
With passion for percolation and a disarming alter-ego, Rudy Baggs is building a better bean and putting Lansing's coffee craving on the road to the good life.
Joshua Hagadorn
Wednesday, March 26, 2008
Before mega-brewers made the American beer landscape a mass-produced monolith of light-bodied lagers, beer was the small-batch bastion of entrepreneurs. The tide is turning; our toast to the Lansing area's growing horde of happy hand crafters!
Rick Ballard
Wednesday, March 19, 2008
Nuclear engineers and former autoworkers are hard at work at Terry Grimm's tech company, fabricating the next generation of nuclear accelerators in an old Lansing school.
Bob Gwizdz
Wednesday, March 12, 2008
Grab a front-row seat as interns at Downtown Lansing's BoarsHead Theater take over the stage on off-nights, letting the creativity fly.
Ivy Hughes and Brad Garmon
Wednesday, March 12, 2008
Here’s Capital Gains’ look at moving to Downtown Lansing. Also check out our guides to
visiting and
investing in Downtown.
Bill Perry
Wednesday, March 05, 2008
Using non-motorized trails and greenways to connect Lansing with neighboring communities like Holt and Mason is a vision shared by planners, business and recreationalists alike. It’s getting closer to reality.
Jack Helder
Wednesday, March 05, 2008
From young professionals to real estate brokers, people are putting down roots in one of old Lansing's hip, new hot spots. Here’s Capital Gains’ look at moving to Old Town Lansing; you can also check out our guides to
visiting and
investing in Old Town, too.
Ann Kammerer
Wednesday, February 20, 2008
Educators from China, Michigan State University and Lansing Public Schools are preparing today’s students for tomorrow’s world by focusing on language and culture.
Rick Ballard
Wednesday, February 06, 2008
Lansing pipe organ restorer, Scott Smith, has turned a passion for Michigan's musical treasures into a nationally unique business niche.
Jonathan Ritz
Wednesday, January 30, 2008
Thanks to good venues, collaboration, and a supportive community, the Lansing area boasts a growing army of talented folk and roots musicians. Now, they’re banding together and giving back.
Rick Ballard
Wednesday, January 23, 2008
Lansing’s high-tech companies are growing through innovation, and a handful, like
Agate Software, are changing the way governments and companies across the country do business.
Rick Ballard
Wednesday, January 16, 2008
Lansing has always had much to offer students and families with children, and now Grand River Connection is helping those in between discover each other and the Capital city.
Bob Gwizdz
Wednesday, January 16, 2008
With his successful, nationally syndicated comic strip "
Frazz," Lansing's Jef Mallet could be working anywhere. Get to know him, and find out why he stays.
Brad Garmon
Wednesday, January 09, 2008
Big changes hit downtown Lansing over the last 12 months, and 2008 promises more. We offer a quick recap to bring you up to speed as we kick off what looks to be a very exciting year in the city.
Kevin Madness
Wednesday, October 03, 2007
With a lead singer who often tours with national acts like The Verve Pipe, and a completely spontaneous and localized approach to their live performances, The Dewaynes could be the city’s best kept secret. A look into the music scene, venues, and the interests of a band born from Lansing’s improvisational Eastside.