2023 MARC Grand Rapids Tours
This year’s annual Mid-America Regulatory Conference (MARC) took place at the JW Marriott in downtown Grand Rapids over the dates of August 6-9, 2023. The conference represents an association of regional organizations of utility and energy regulatory agencies from 14 states that include: Arkansas, Kansas, Illinois, Indiana, Iowa, Michigan, Minnesota, Missouri, Nebraska, North Dakota, Oklahoma, South Dakota, Texas and Wisconsin. Since 1958, MARC has sponsored an annual meeting and conference of Commissioners and staff from member state agencies, as well as representatives of regulated industries and the public at large, to share ideas and discuss regulatory and policy issues affecting their states, region and the nation.
The Grand Rapids 2030 District, along with the City of Grand Rapids Office of Sustainability, organized two tours for the conference, a bus tour around the larger city area and a walking tour in the city center, which took place on Tuesday, August 8th. The bus tour traveled a large loop of the Grand Rapids area, passing highlights and local businesses such as Cella Building Company, Vicinity Energy, Pharmhouse Wellness, Samaria J’s Salon Suite, Plaza Roosevelt, and Butterworth Landfill, ending at local restaurant hub, Brewery Vivant. The walking tour explored the heart of downtown Grand Rapids, touching on LEED Certified buildings in the area. The tour highlighted buildings such as the Grand Rapids Art Museum, CityFlats Hotel, TowerPinkster office, and Fountain Street Church. You can find a PDF of each of the tours, including maps and highlighted locates, below.
On behalf of the City of Grand Rapids and the Grand Rapids 2030 District, we would like to thank MARC for the opportunity to highlight our wonderful city! This wouldn’t have been possible without our dedicated community members, including Emma Wilkins, Jesse Douglas, Casey Kornoelje, Synia Gant-Jordan, Beverly Thiel, and Kris Spaulding.