Michigan Legacy Art Park presents the Legacy Award to honor someone from the community making a significant, positive impact on Michigan’s arts, history, culture, or environment. The goal for the award is to create a unifying experience for those involved in Michigan arts and culture and demonstrates the Art Park’s values in recognizing the power of collaboration and peer influence. This year, the award honors Chris and Jim MacInnes, owners of Crystal Mountain and champions for the arts, culture, community and the environment throughout the region.
“Michigan Legacy Art Park would not exist without the support, encouragement, and partnership with Crystal Mountain, led by Chris and Jim MacInnes,” said Joan Verla, Board President. “There is no better choice for this award in our 30th Anniversary year.”
Chris MacInnes was born in northern Michigan, and returned home with her husband Jim to join the family business at Crystal Mountain in 1985. According to a recent article in traversecity.com, Chris MacInnes described their early years:“By 2000, we realized we were building a community where people not only wanted to play, but also live and make memories with family and friends.” Michigan Legacy Art Park is part of this special community, located on 31 acres at the heart of the resort.
Crystal Mountain conveyed the land to the Art Park in 2024, ensuring its permanence at Crystal Mountain, and in northwest Michigan. “It was serendipity that brought us together, but the value to both organizations cannot be underestimated and is a powerful example of partnership and collaboration creating value over time,” Chris explained in the article.
Jim and Chris MacInnes have also served as leaders in renewable energy in northwest Michigan. A My North feature in 2017 describes Jim who “has quietly become one of Michigan’s most important voices in encouraging state policymakers and energy leaders to move to a renewable energy future.“ Larry Ward of the Michigan Conservative Energy Forum also said in the article: “Jim understands energy better than anybody I’ve ever met—he’s the great explainer.”
Under the leadership of Chris and Jim MacInnes, Crystal Mountain has made a difference:
- Being the first resort in Michigan to invest in wind energy credits, offsetting their carbon footprint
- Building the first LEED-certified (Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design) spa in the Midwest that uses 28% less energy than a baseline structure
- Becoming the first northern Michigan resort to provide complimentary electric vehicle charging stations, later adding a Chevy Volt as the resort’s primary security vehicle
- Including a closed-loop, geo-thermal heating and cooling system to the Inn at the Mountain reducing CO2 emissions by 150,000 pounds per year
- Setting aside a 31-acre wooded preserve for Michigan Legacy Art Park
- Utilizing LED lighting in accommodations and public spaces
- 2018 Climate Change Impact Award from SKI magazine and the National Ski Areas Association
- 2015 Michigan Governor’s Energy Excellence Innovator of the Year Award
- 2010 Detroit Free Press Green Leaders
- 2007 White Pine Award from the Sierra Club
To attend the event or become a sponsor, please visit the event page on the park’s website: https://michlegacyartpark.org/events/legacy-gala
