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
Jeffrey Carr has 22 years of experience as an economist with particular expertise in macroeconomics, economic forecasting, economic impact analysis, and fiscal policy analysis for federal, state, and local governments. Jeffrey has served as the Vermont State Economist and Principal Revenues Analyst as a consultant for over 14 years. He also serves as consulting economist to the Vermont Department of Economic Development and a number of businesses, and communities in northern New England. Jeffrey served as Legislative Director and Economist for a member of the U.S. House of Representatives. He served in the Executive Branch of Vermont government, and as Director of Research for a national education organization specializing in federal fiscal policy analysis. He has been the Econometric Model Manager for the New England Economic Project for the past 14 years. He taught economics in the Graduate School at St. Michael’s.
Zachary Sears is an expert in tourism economics with 17 years of consulting experience. Zachary consults with Crane Associates in the areas of market demand forecasting, macro-economics, economic modeling, economic and fiscal impact analysis, and tax revenue forecasting for a wide range of projects including hotels, recreation and sports facilities, waterfront redevelopments, mixed-use developments, and tax incentives. He is currently pursuing a PhD in economics with a focus on macro-economics.
