When Capital Gains launched one year ago, the concept was a little strange, even to those of us who were doing it. An online-only publication covering growth news in Lansing? How long would that last? A month?
The common refrain we heard in those early days was “You’ll never find enough stories in Lansing to keep it going.”
Well, as we celebrate our one-year anniversary this month, that hurdle seems to have been a problem of perception, not reality.
Our story list of new developments, business start-ups and eagle-eyed entrepreneurs keeps growing.
And that, in a nutshell, is what Capital Gains is all about: Getting past perceptions, and changing the narrative about the Lansing region, one good story at a time.
So as we celebrate our one-year anniversary this month, we figured it was about time we take the opportunity to answer some Frequently Asked Questions.
Or at least a few questions we’ve been asked once or twice and thought were pretty good.
What is Capital Gains?CG is an online-only, weekly magazine and Web site devoted to documenting growth and investment in the Lansing region.
It’s an alternative narrative that has the transformative power to change the way we see ourselves and talk about our city and our region.
We’re finding that people are hungry for journalism that digs deep enough to show what Lansing’s transformation to the New Economy is really all about, and who’s doing the heavy lifting.
And we’ve got the email inbox to prove it: “I think it's great for our region and long overdue.” “Capital Gains’ ability to highlight the good news stories in Lansing business helps us all to recognize there are still bright spots here, and we can and should continue to grow our businesses.” “It's great, and you cover lots of exciting things the Lansing area has to offer.”
How does it work?We’re local journalists who talk to entrepreneurs, developers, artists and business owners, and focus on finding stories of job growth, investment and entrepreneurial innovation.
Because let’s be honest: The media is pretty good at covering bad news and loss. And that’s fine, because we want journalists shedding light on our failures and foul plays.
But that’s not us. At Capital Gains, we’re out digging up stories about growth, investment and innovation, and spending time on stories, trends and people the mainstream media doesn’t really cover much.
What is your editorial philosophy?We work hard to find the individuals and companies that are making an impact on the city by creating opportunity and enjoying what Lansing has to offer. The best way we’ve found to do that is to turn the TIDE—to specifically look for examples that highlight the region’s Talent, Innovation, Diversity and Environment.
With those criteria as our guide, we’ve turned up stories about a
T-shirt company using Web 2.0 to go global, and
nuclear physicists in Lansing putting Michigan machinists to work smashing atoms. We’ve found
façade renovations that bring downtown businesses to life, and
college students discovering a city at their fingertips.
Who reads Capital Gains?Based on information from a third party tool from
Google Analytics, the Capital Gains website gets more than 50,000 unique visitors each month. They come from 4,020 different cities in 188 different countries. We have 33,000 subscribers to the weekly e-mail magazine that we send out each Wednesday morning. And we have dozens of web sites pointing to us already, ranging from the
Capital Area IT Council to the
Harem Urban Lounge.
Why Lansing, and why the focus on cities and neighborhoods?Functioning core cities, small towns and neighborhoods are vital to the new economy, because they attract talent. And companies today go where the talent goes.
The Lansing region is full of thriving, diverse neighborhoods, from REO Town’s cars to Old Town’s art, East Lansing’s bars to Southside’s parks.
We offer our readers a way to visit each of these cities and neighborhoods, with maps and
detailed neighborhood guides, and maybe get to know them more intimately with suggestions about how to invest and move into them.
We currently have four Lansing neighborhood guides and East Lansing completely built out, with plans to finish off two more this year, and add more neighboring towns soon.
Who started all this?Paul Schutt is CG’s publisher, and he and his partners at
Issue Media Group kicked it all off after starting
Model D in Detroit in 2005 and adding publications in
Grand Rapids,
Pittsburgh,
Cincinnati and beyond.
Managing Editor Ivy Hughes was in on the ground floor as CG’s Development News and Innovations News Editor. Ivy started writing professionally in her home state of Colorado. After covering Michigan politics for more than two years for MIRS, Ivy launched her own freelance writing business.
The energy surrounding Downtown Lansing prompted Ivy and her husband to buy a house in Lansing's diverse
Eastside, where they spend countless nights people-watching on their porch. She spends most days traveling from coffee shop to coffee shop, catching a caffeine buzz and writing about politics, business and technology.
Local photographer, David Trumpie, is responsible for the evocative imagery—so central to capturing the soul of a city—and has been taking photos in the Lansing area since 1987. His freelance photography business,
Trumpie Photography, has developed a client list that includes the area's major PR firms, publications and businesses. Dave's photos have popped up in the
Los Angeles Times,
Chicago Tribune,
The Detroit News,
The Detroit Free Press and
USA Today.
Dave lives with his wife, Jen, in an 1890 farmhouse and their children, Piglet and Sydney—an adopted cat and dog. When they can, they head to the state's West coast to play with Shooter, their sailboat.
In addition, we work with an amazing group of talented freelance writers from the area who regularly find fresh, fun and surprising things to tell us (and you) about.
How can I get Capital Gains?The email magazine goes out every Wednesday morning, and is a sure-fire way to liven up your inbox. So sign up
here! It’s free. We don’t sell your email address. We don’t buy lists, so most of our subscribers signed up on their own or were signed up by friends and relatives.
I want to be associated with Capital Gains! How can I support this one-of-a-kind publication by advertising on the site, sponsoring a section or underwriting a cool program?Well, if you insist. Contact us by clicking
here.
Brad Garmon started off with the Capital Gains as Managing Editor before wheedling a cushier gig as Editor-in-Chief. A Jayhawk by birth, he’s been full-time environmental and urban redevelopment advocate for the
Michigan Environmental Council since 2001. Favorite spots in Lansing include Oldsmobile Park, the Golden Harvest Restaurant, and the backyard of the house he shares with his wife, Jennifer, near the Lansing River Trail.
Photos: Lansing high tech company NioWave story
Feature on Old Town's Elderly Instruments
Feature story on East Lansing native and MacArthur award-winning artist, Julie Mehretu
Green River Cafe Shape Note Singers story
Indoor soccer boom attracting young professionals
Steppin In It at the Green Door, part of the Lansing music scene
Managing Editor Ivy Hughes
Managing Photographer Dave Trumpie (photo by Jennifer Trumpie)
Editor-in-Chief Brad Garmon
All Photographs © Dave Trumpie unless noted