Established 1936 – John A. Collins, President

EMBASSY SUITES BY HILTON, GRAND RAPIDS DOWNTOWN

Big E's Sports Grille

710 Monroe Avenue NW, Grand Rapids

WEDNESDAY, FEBRUARY 25, 2026 – 7:00 AM

Jacob Smith, a fur trader, founded Flint in 1819. It was incorporated as a city in 1855, as it grew from a trading post on the Saginaw Trail into a major lumbering hub and later a world-wide leader in carriage and auto manufacturing.

From a population of 197,000 in 1960, it has declined to about the generous number of 80,000 today. Boasting a high crime rate, when the mention of the name “Flint” appears, most today think of the Water Crisis of a few years ago.

How has this differed from Grand Rapids? From a Native American settlement, Louis Campau established a trading post in 1826. Grand Rapids was incorporated as a city in 1850. It grew rapidly due to the hardwoods nearby and the moniker “Furniture City” was applied for many years. The pioneering medical research of recent times, the label of “Beer City,” and the home of Gerald Ford put this 200,000 person city on the current map.

Steve Wilson will examine these two cities and describe their differences.

Invocation: Eric Nelson
Introduction: Paul Chardoul

What Makes a Great City?

1. “Without continual growth and progress, such words as improvement, achievement and success have no meaning.” – Benjamin Franklin
2. “The mark of a great city isn’t how it treats its special places – everybody does that right – but how it treats its ordinary ones.” – Aaron M. Renn
3. “A smart city is a city where humans, trees, birds and other animals can grow with all their glories, imperfections, freedom, and creativity. They are not just cities of technology but cities of love, life, beauty, dignity, freedom and equality.” – Amit Ray