I recently met a longtime friend for lunch. This friend lives near the city and has worked in the city for a long time. The topic got around to Lansing and one of his comments was, “I’m really disappointed that Lansing hasn’t changed in so many years. We always seem to be so content looking tomorrow like how we looked yesterday.” I took issue immediately and began pointing out some of the things that have cropped up here.

I told him that cranes are over at the State Police headquarters being built in Downtown Lansing; that the cranes over at the old Ottawa Street power station are working on what is soon to be the Accident Fund Insurance Company of America’s world headquarters, and so on.
The discussion pointed to the fact that sometimes when you are in an area daily, you don’t see the progress because it’s part of your everyday existence. You see it incrementally, you see it creep along and not in the same way as someone coming into the city periodically—to them the progress will appear more startling. We are undergoing change in the entire Greater Lansing area, so much change that we decided to give a report card on great developments that have progressed, others that have sprung up, and the  personalities involved in each.
That’s what this issue is full of: people who cause the change and the projects to become the face of that change. The developers, companies, CEOs and risk takers—those who step out and say: “I think this will work, and I’m willing to put my money, my time, and in many cases my reputation, on the line.” That causes progress.
One of the most enjoyable parts of my professional life is spending time with people in the “idea stages” of their projects. When they can envision and    create renderings to demonstrate a project that is only an idea, it has a very good chance of becoming a reality. It’s these dreamers and visionaries who keep us moving forward and making sure that tomorrow doesn’t look like yesterday, all the time improving our Greater Lansing area.
As always, this magazine and you are a reflection of the ongoing improvement in this progressing community that we all share. 

Have a prosperous month,

		Chris Holman Publisher