2025 Legacy Award to Chris and Jim MacInnes
Michigan Legacy Art Park will hold its annual Legacy Gala on Friday, August 15, 2025, at 6:00 p.m. at the Crystal Center at Crystal Mountain. During the Gala, the Michigan Legacy Art Park’s Legacy Award will be presented to Chris and Jim MacInnes, owners of Crystal Mountain with the Petritz Family, and supporters of the arts, culture, community and the environment throughout the region. The award was established in 2009 to unite those involved in Michigan arts and culture and to demonstrate and recognize the power of collaboration and peer influence.
“Michigan Legacy Art Park would not exist without the trust, support and partnership of Crystal Mountain, led by Chris and Jim MacInnes,” said Joan Verla, board president. “As we celebrate our 30th anniversary year, we are delighted to honor Chris and Jim for believing in Michigan Legacy Art Park from the very start.”
Chris MacInnes was born in northern Michigan and along with her husband Jim joined the family business at Crystal Mountain in 1985.
“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,” said Chris. “Michigan Legacy Art Park is part of this special community, located on 31 acres at the heart of the resort.”
Crystal Mountain leased the land to the Art Park for $1 per year, until fully transferring the land ownership to the Art Park in 2024, ensuring its permanence at Crystal Mountain. “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 said.
Jim and Chris MacInnes have also served as leaders in renewable energy in northwest Michigan. Jim has been described as one of Michigan’s most important voices in encouraging state policymakers and energy leaders to move to a renewable energy future.
Under the leadership of Chris and Jim MacInnes, Crystal Mountain was the first resort in Michigan to invest in wind energy credits to offset its carbon footprint; built the first LEED-certified (Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design) spa in the Midwest; was the first northern Michigan resort to provide complimentary electric vehicle charging stations, later adding a Chevy Volt as the resort’s primary security vehicle; installed a closed-loop, geothermal heating and cooling system to the Inn at the Mountain; and more.
Crystal Mountain has been awarded the Climate Change Impact Award from SKI magazine and the National Ski Areas Association (2018) and the White Pine Award from the Sierra Club (2007). For his leadership, Jim has received the Michigan Governor’s Energy Excellence Award for ‘Innovator of the Year’ (2015), was named a Green Leader by the Detroit Free Press (2010), and received the prestigious Clarence Kroupa Award (2017) at the Northern Michigan Environmental Action Council’s “Environmentalist of the Year” awards.
