Michael is an Environmental Economist who specalizes in using natural resources to create vibrant and resilient local economies. Sustainable economic development is the common thread that links his diverse 30-year career. Starting as a Peace Corps Volunteer in rural Africa, he was always involved in the search to define sustainability in real terms and actions.   Economic development is more than simply creating jobs, it means creating resilient economic systems, establishing good governance, and improving the general welfare of societies outside of the workplace as well as in. Michael's work requires him to cross disciplines: climate change, urban economics, sustainable jobs, economic impact analysis, life-cycle costs, environmental benefit/cost analysis, and capacity building in these fields. Throughout his career, Michael’s feasibility studies led to financing and eventually building hundreds of housing units, public parks, recreation faciliities, and millions of square feet of commercial and industrial space. He has identified untapped economic development potential for regions, cities, and companies through competitive advantage modeling, place-based marketing, industrial cluster analysis, urban economics, tourism growth strategies, value-added manufacturing, and employment training.

Michael has 13 years of international experience in Africa , the Middle East, and the South Pacific. He has a B.A. in International Studies and Environmental Policy from Marlboro College and the School for International Training, and an M.S. in Environmental Economics from the University of Vermont, where he wrote a thesis on the economic valuation of rivers. He has been an AICP certified planner since 1998.  When he is not working, you’ll find him on a river or in the mountains.

Jeff Crane has over 30 years of hydrologic engineering experience with a major emphasis in habitat restoration, water resource engineering, and hydrology. He is also well versed, with 18 years of experience, in the organization of diverse local stakeholder coalitions and collaborative project development. He has organized and managed a wide range of diverse and various sized stream and floodplain restoration projects from conception through design; funding and construction. Jeff holds a B.S. degree in Civil Engineering from the University of Colorado, Boulder