Media Business | How Media Deals with Economic Development in Lansing and Michigan

Tony Conley kicks off his thirteenth episode with a three-part interview of Bob Trezise, who has been President & CEO of the Lansing Economic Area Partnership (LEAP) since 2011, representing the Lansing, Michigan region (Clinton, Eaton and Ingham counties) with an MSA population of over half a million. During Bob’s tenure with LEAP, the tri-county Lansing regional economy welcomed private sector investment projects totaling over $3 billion, along with more than 6,400 direct-private jobs. This economic development success grew LEAP into a nationally recognized top 20 economic development organization (Site Selection Magazine, 2021 MacConway Award Winner). Beyond LEAP, Bob has been leading or guiding the city of Lansing’s economic development efforts since 2006, having served as president and CEO of the Lansing Economic Development Corporation (LEDC) from 2006-2011 and leading LEAP’s contract for economic development services with the city of Lansing since 2011. LEAP manages the city’s Brownfield Authority, Tax Increment Finance Authority, Corridor Improvement Authorities and LEDC programs and board of directors through this contract. Under Bob’s leadership and guidance, the city has experienced massive revitalization ranging in the billions of dollars, thousands of jobs created and eight straight years of population growth. In 2011, Bob received the Michigan Economic Developer’s Association (MEDA) Economic Development Medalist of the Year award and, in 2016, received MEDA’s prestigious President’s Award. Bob’s projects have also, seven times, received the International Economic Development Council’s (IEDC) Gold and Silver projects of the Year awards. Bob’s pinnacle project, the $182 million revitalization of the long-abandoned, downtown Lansing riverfront “Power Station” into a national corporate headquarters, won the National Brownfield Association’s Region 5 Phoenix Award and was the National #1 Runner Up winner. Bob was honored to be selected as one of North America’s 50 Top Economic Developers in 2020 by Consu