Top 10 Innovations of 2008
By: Ivy Hughes, 12/17/2008
Choosing 10 innovations to represent the year’s best and brightest is no easy task, but we've managed to pull together 10 people who moved Mid-Michigan innovations forward in 2008.
Top 10 of Green
By: Brad Garmon, 12/17/2008
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.
Capital Gains Best Photos 2008
By: Staff, 12/17/2008
By finding the poignant in the prosaic, Dave Trumpie offers us a new outlook on our region. To close out 2008, Dave packaged a slideshow of his mastheads from the past year. So sit back, relax and look at your city through Dave's eyes.
A Farewell To 2008
By: Capital Gains Staff, 12/17/2008
The Capital Gains staff would like to wish you and yours a wonderful holiday season. In light of the season, we will not publish again until Wednesday, Jan. 7.
In the meantime, you can give the gift of Capital Gains! Sign up friends and family
here. See you in 2009!
DIY Writers Make Their Mark
By: Adam Molner, 12/10/2008
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.
Making a Living from Living History
By: Allison Gruner, 12/10/2008
In the heart of the small, historic town of Leslie, MI, about 20 minutes south of Lansing, one passionate period dressmaker is helping to weave together a network of authenticity advocates.
Capital Gains Video: SCENE Metrospace
By: Joshua Ortman, 12/10/2008
SCENE Metrospace is a relaxed, unique spot in downtown East Lansing where artists, musicians, poets and dancers share their art with the Capital region community.
Wanted: One Durable Economy
By: Brad Garmon, 12/3/2008
Just in time for the holidays, writer Bill McKibben visits Mid-Michigan with a wish list for building a deeper, sustainable and more satisfying local economy. Revise your shopping list here.
The Power of BWL
By: Ivy Hughes, 12/3/2008
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.
Crafting a Creative Community
By: Sandra Miska, 11/19/2008
Lansing area businesses and nonprofits are elevating the Capital region’s creative culture by building new partnerships with the area’s performing arts community.
Lansing Learns to Leverage Landfills
By: Larry O'Connor, 11/19/2008
While landfills put the olfactory nerves into overdrive, the growing green economy means that Lansing-based waste management and recycling firms are mining them for practical reuses.
Capital Ideas: Dianne Holman and Her Working Bugs
By: Ivy Hughes, 11/19/2008
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.
Capital Gains Takes a Turkey Break
By: Staff, 11/19/2008
Tryptophan, the Sleepy Turkey Chemical, will be crashing our Capital Gains party during the week of November 24. We're going to take a little break, but will return with another well-rested read Dec. 3. Enjoy your Thanksgiving!
The Many Masteries of Doug Neal
By: Jeff Shoup, 11/12/2008
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.
Capital Gains Video: Eastsider Joan Nelson
By: Stephen Worsfold, 11/12/2008
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.
Growing by Gaming
By: Gabrielle Johnson, 11/10/2008
Michigan State University is an emerging leader in video game development. With the support of East Lansing, MSU is adding a degree specialization and a national conference to the potent package.
Two Ryans Rising
By: Gretchen Cochran, 11/5/2008
Ryan Kincaid and Ryan Henry, both barely 30 years old, are wowing the Mid-Michigan building community with big projects and a commitment to growing Lansing's green development movement.
In Sync with the Lansing Symphony
By: Ann Kammerer, 11/5/2008
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.
Capital Gains Radio Catches a Ride
By: Michigan NOW, 10/29/2008
As a pivotal funding vote looms, CG Radio's ride-along finds that Lansing's buses are good places to save money, decrease our environmental footprint and apparently, learn German.
Careening Car-Free in the Capital City
By: Jonathan Ritz, 10/29/2008
Jonathan Ritz agreed to maneuver his way around the Capital region for a week using only the bus system. Read on for the play-by-play of his care-free, car-free Capital City adventure.
Capital Ideas: Eric Schertzing
By: Ivy Hughes, 10/29/2008
The Ingham County Treasurer and chairman of the Ingham County Land Bank has discovered that everything in the Lansing region—housing, climate, commerce, quality of life—is tied to transportation.
Making the Move to Clean Commuting
By: Lydia Weiss, 10/29/2008
Too intimidated to try the bus? Afraid your carpool might accidentally leave you car-less? CATA’s Clean Commute service is helping residents and businesses make the jump to a new transportation paradigm.
Capital Gains Radio: Grabbing the Great Lakes Wind
By: Chris McCarus, 10/22/2008
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.
Transformational Transportation
By: Brad Garmon, 10/22/2008
A glimpse at an on-demand, grid-connected future where we move conveniently and happily between various small, clean vehicles depending on what we want to accomplish—and where we need to go.
Concentrated Creatives, City Builders
By: Ivy Hughes, 10/22/2008
An empowered creative class is a bridge that’s been pulling the world’s small, industrial cities like Lansing out of the doldrums and into the spotlight.
Capital Gains Video: Impression 5
By: Joshua Ortman, 10/15/2008
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.
Weaving Into the Global Economy
By: Jeff Shoup, 10/15/2008
With a combination of entrepreneurial spirit, networked collaboration and diligent customer service, Mesee Wilson has built a nationally significant fabric business in the heart of small town Michigan.
Williamston Reinvents Itself
By: Lynne Crandall, 10/15/2008
Nestled gently in the shadow of Michigan's Capital City, Williamston has found a way to mix small town charm, urban amenities and modern convenience to boost its economic vitality.
The Deep Green of Spartan Sports
By: Larry O'Connor, 10/8/2008
Beyond big plays and Heisman trophy speculation, Michigan State University athletics also inject some serious coin into the local economy.
MSU Fuels an Energy Revolution
By: Rachel Carr, 10/8/2008
As the United States wrestles to create a new energy strategy, MSU is on the front lines of a heated national debate and a quest for a cheaper, more cleanly powered future.
What Do Michigan Millennials Want?
By: Ivy Hughes, 10/1/2008
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.
Meet the Techies
By: Suban Nur Cooley, 9/30/2008
Meet Chad Paalman, Frederick Schramm and Justin Welsch, three young Lansing-area IT professionals who prove that our hometown techies are anything but geeks.
Thomas Friedman Offers Michigan Some Green Guidance
By: Ivy Hughes, 9/24/2008
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.
Capital Ideas: Denise Peek
By: Ivy Hughes, 9/24/2008
Denise Peek, executive director of the Entrepreneur Network of Mid-Michigan, chats with Capital Gains about Michigan’s economy, supporting local entrepreneurs, and revitalizing Lansing neighborhoods.
Salsa Scene Heats Up Lansing Nights
By: Yana Levovna, 9/17/2008
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.
Lansing Learns to CHILL
By: Sam Mills, 9/17/2008
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.
VIDEO Studio Intrigue
By: Kraig Westfall, 9/17/2008
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.
Did you know?
By: Capital Gains Staff, 9/10/2008
You can sign up to automatically receive the latest news from
Capital Gains,
right in your email inbox? Just enter your email address under
the"Tools" bar on the right side of your screen, under "Subscribe to
Our Newsletter."
We'll happily toss a fresh e-newsletter on your virtual doorstep every
Wednesday morning, but we certainly will not put you on any other email
lists or sell your email information.
Lansing Live and Local Radio
By: Ann Kammerer, 9/10/2008
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.
Greening Mid-Michigan Schools
By: Lydia Weiss, 9/10/2008
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.
Lansing Grows a Garden Party
By: Elizabeth Silver, 9/3/2008
More than 30 neighborhood gardens and one amazing greenhouse are helping Lansing improve parks, foster sustainability and provide fresh food to needy residents.
CG International: Couchsurfing in Toronto
By: Ivy Hughes, 9/3/2008
CG's managing editor, Ivy Hughes, and her husband, Peter, put the latest Web travel trend, couchsurfing, to the test. Read her report on finding free lodging and clickable camaraderie among our transit-friendly neighbors in Toronto.
Capital Ideas: Jim Herbert
By: Ivy Hughes, 8/27/2008
Capital Gains spent an hour with Neogen Corporation’s CEO Jim Herbert in his Eastside Lansing office, talking about combating food borne illnesses, running a $100 million company and Mid-Michigan innovation.
Lansing Gets Green with Grand Rapids
By: John A. Kinch, 8/27/2008
As the gold standard in green, Grand Rapids is giving the Capital City’s sustainability efforts a collaborative boost.
Capital Gains 101: Power of Place
By: Staff, 8/20/2008
All our past stories live on our
website, so if you missed
a few issues, don't hesitate to wander the virtual aisles for awhile and
see what's back there.
Also, if you click on a particular
city or neighborhood,
and then choose from the story lists on the red tab bar, you'll be able to read all our past stories about that particular area—a great way to learn all about a local community you've been curious about.
New Economy Goes Old School
By: Gretchen Cochran, 8/20/2008
Even as kids head back to classes, Lansing execs are turning vacant school buildings into green ventures that fuel the local economy.
The Heads of Skate
By: Tara Adams, 8/20/2008
Skateboarding is a $3 billion a year industry, and Lansing is becoming a national leader in attracting the sport’s talented and trendy disciples.
MSU Biking Goes Global and Green
By: Jeff Shoup, 8/13/2008
Based on a bicycling obsession that's taken him from the velodromes of Japan to the streets of East Lansing, Tim Potter's Green Bike program is cleaning up at Michigan State University.
Finding Fine Art in Downtown Scenes
By: Josh Marino, 8/13/2008
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.
Birthday Bash! A Year of Capital Gains
By: Brad Garmon, 8/6/2008
Capital Gains launched one year ago this month. Here's a quick rundown of some of our most Frequently Asked Questions, and a few personal tidbits about just who we are, exactly.
What's Next for Capital Gains?
By: Staff, 8/6/2008
You know we love writing about growth and development in the Lansing
area. Well, now we’re happy to announce that we’re experiencing some
growth of our own!
Vote for Michigan!
By: Staff, 8/6/2008
Football season hasn’t even started, but
Michigan and
Virginia are head-to-head in spirited competition. The two states are competing for best tourism Web site. Virginia and Michigan were the only states to make the finals.
So giving Michigan a boost by voting
here. Polls close August 8 at midnight.
Lansing Goes to the Dogs
By: Elizabeth Hoyt, 7/30/2008
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.
Prosperity Planning 101: Charting E/Lansing's Metro Future
By: Staff, 7/23/2008
With the future of the U.S. economy on the line, Bruce Katz, from the DC-based Brookings Institution, is rallying the country's largest 100 metropolitan areas to action, and offering us a gut-check on how the Lansing/East Lansing metro stacks up in the new, global paradigm.
Young Entrepreneurs Put the Snap in Lansing-Area Small Business
By: Matthew Bishop, 7/16/2008
At 25, Ryan Carter embodies the next generation of Michigan's young entrepreneurs. With business partner Dennis Kloss, 42, Carter is taking on risks, working hard, and overcoming adversities that make Michigan's economic transition look like a walk in the park.
For Young Professionals, New Venues Fuel Lansing Nightlife
By: Gabrielle Johnson, 7/16/2008
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.
Revenue and Rare Isotopes: Going Nuclear in East Lansing
By: Elizabeth Silver, 7/9/2008
With a reputation for “homemade” isotopes, the National Superconducting Cyclotron Laboratory at MSU produces more elite nuclear scientists than any other school but MIT, and helps bring millions of dollars to Mid-Michigan.
Going Hollywood: Lansing Financiers Get Film-Friendly
By: Melinda Clynes and Brad Garmon, 6/25/2008
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.
Editor’s Note: Freedom for the Fourth!
By: Capital Gains Staff, 6/25/2008
We’re going on vacation! Well, not really, but in recognition of the July 4th holiday, we won’t be publishing during the week of June 30. Don’t worry. We’ll be back with a new issue July 9!
Haze Gallery Opens Doors to Opportunity
By: Ann Kammerer, 6/18/2008
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.
Upsides of a Down Housing Market
By: Brynn Howard, 6/18/2008
Home sales might be struggling in the wake of the mortgage and credit crunches, but if you’re in the market for a green remodel or a neighborhood makeover, things aren’t looking so bad in Lansing.
Lansing Cooks with Local-Source Food Fans
By: Ann Kammerer, 6/11/2008
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.
Broadway's Love Affair with East Lansing
By: Tara Adams, 6/11/2008
The Wharton Center in East Lansing continues to land some of the biggest-name Broadway shows in the nation. So why is it that East Lansing—not Chicago—lights New York's fire?
Selling Lansing's Urban Shift
By: Rick Ballard, 6/4/2008
Two new offices are returning residential real estate to Lansing’s core, and capitalizing on the growing demand for downtown living.
At Home in the Music House
By: Joshua Marino, 6/4/2008
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.
Lansing in the Raw at Magdalena's
By: Dawn Gorman, 5/28/2008
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.
East Lansing's Fast-Paced Filmmakers
By: Sandra Miska, 5/21/2008
East Lansing’s popular 48-hour filmmaking contest is attracting creative talent to town, and building a reputation among area filmmakers.
Lansing's Summer on the Water
By: Brad Garmon, 5/21/2008
The sun is out. The trees are green. And in Mid-Michigan, that means it’s time to hit the water. Welcome to Lake Lansing.
Out-of-Staters Moving to Lansing
By: Larry O'Connor, 5/14/2008
New Economy jobs, a family-friendly reputation and a high quality of life are tempting talent to Lansing and East Lansing from national hot spots like California, Boston and Chicago.
Powering Mid-Michigan With Eco-Projects
By: Joshua Hagadorn, 5/7/2008
Boosted by business, government and personal commitments, recycling efforts in the Mid-Michigan region have more than doubled in the last 10 years, making the region a leader in going green.
Old Town's Red Hot Creative Duo
By: Larry O'Connor, 5/7/2008
Two henna-haired owners are growing their small, Old Town studio into a powerhouse of Lansing community values while supporting a surge in small business growth.
Small Business Takes Flight
By: Brad Garmon, 4/30/2008
With enthusiasm for flight and joy in his "work," Peter Kamerainen has landed his successful regional charter business among the top tier of Lansing's leaders.
The Shape of Green River Music
By: Ivy Hughes, 4/30/2008
An old musical form is finding new popularity among a worldly and diverse network of folks gathering in the basement of a downtown East Lansing hot spot.
To Live and Brew in Downtown
By: Staff, 4/23/2008
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.
A Profitable Pet Project
By: Rick Ballard, 4/23/2008
Under the massive roof of their iconic new digs in Old Town, Rick and Debbie Preuss and their team operate several pet stores—and a rather rigorous matchmaking service.
Award-heavy Artist Takes a Lansing Sabbatical
By: Rick Ballard, 4/16/2008
East Lansing native and MacArthur award-winning contemporary artist, Julie Mehretu, is back in the Lansing area for a sabbatical, and she likes what she sees.
The E-Evolution of Elderly Instruments
By: Rick Ballard, 4/9/2008
Stan Werbin’s heart was never in biochemistry, the “practical” career he pursued in college. It was in music. And his pursuit of it has turned into
Elderly Instruments, Lansing’s Web-savvy, $17 million, international magnet for musicians.
Franchising From B to T
By: Ivy Hughes, 4/8/2008
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.
Lansing's Leading Ladies of Laughter
By: Ivy Hughes, 4/2/2008
Lansing's female comics are winning contests in Vegas, selling out venues and raising money for worthy causes. And yes, it's a laughing matter.
The Booming Business of Small Beer
By: Joshua Hagadorn, 3/26/2008
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!
Capital Ideas: Don LeDuc
By: Brad Garmon, 3/12/2008
Downtown Lansing is bustling with development, and people in the know point to a major driver: the Thomas M. Cooley Law School. We visit with the man at the helm, President Don LeDuc.
Making the Move to Old Town Lansing
By: Jack Helder, 3/5/2008
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.
Capital Ideas: Terry Terry
By: Brad Garmon, 2/27/2008
Terry Terry and his firm, Message Makers in Old Town, Lansing, have discovered that technology and talent can make Lansing the center of an increasingly flat world market.
Historical Gem is a Capitol Attraction For Downtown Lansing
By: Bob Gwidzdz, 2/13/2008
You don't need a political penchant or a knowledge of Neoclassical architecture to appreciate the romance and regality of the Capital City's central figure. And did we mention the best view is from flat on your back?