Jim MacInnes: Michigan's Changing Winters

Speaking of Resilience

We invite Jim MacInnes, CEO of Crystal Mountain Resort, in Benzie County, Michigan, to discuss the impact of warmer winters on the people, culture and business of Michigan—and what we must do now to slow global warming. Jim is among the best people in the nation to explore this topic because prior to running a ski resort he was an electric power engineer working with some of the nation’s largest electric utilities. Crystal Mountain is a 1500-acre four-season resort near Traverse City, Michigan. The resort employs up to 650 people and offers skiing, golfing, fine dining, meetings and conferences, spa services and accommodations for over 1,600 guests. Prior to joining Crystal Mountain in 1985, Jim developed renewable power plants in California and worked as a power engineer for the company that designed the Ludington Pumped Storage facility. Crystal Mountain has a history of investing in clean energy initiatives, including purchasing wind-energy offsets to cover the energy use of a chairlift in the late 1990s; installing public charging stations for electric cars in 2011; re-lamping its conference center with 300 LED’s in 2012, and in 2017 installing a closed-loop geothermal heat-pump system for a multi-unit lodging project. In 2009 Crystal built the Midwest’s first LEED certified spa. In 2010 Jim was recognized by the Detroit Free Press as one of 16 “Green Leaders” in Michigan, and he has been appointed by governors of both parties to various boards and committees including: by Governor Granholm to serve on the Great Lakes Offshore Wind Council; by Governors Snyder and Whitmer to chair the Michigan Utility Consumer Participation Board, and by Governor Whitmer to the Michigan Travel Commission. In 2017 he received an Environmentalist of the Year award from the Northern Michigan Environmental Action Council for his work on land conservation and clean energy, and in 2019 he was inducted into the Michigan Energy Innovators Business Council’s Hall of Fame.Jim has testified on energy issues before Michigan House and Senate energy policy committees. He is a Life senior member of the electrical engineers professional association, the IEEE, and served as vice-chair of its national energy policy committee. He is a member of the Michigan Conservative Energy Forum leadership committee and holds BSEE and MBA degrees from the University of California, Irvine.

Speaking of Resilience is created by the Groundwork Center for Resilient Communities and the Michigan Climate Action Network. This episode was produced by Taylor Cramer of Cold Shower Media in collaboration with Nick Loud of the Boardman Review, and hosted by Kate Madigan.