After 15 years of spreading positive news in Northwest Indiana, GreatNews.Life is proud to officially make its debut in St. Joseph County, Elkhart County, and surrounding areas with the launch of its fifth website, Michiana.Life. GreatNews.Life hosted its Michiana.Life Grand Opening Celebration at WXYZ Bar at Aloft South Bend, inviting partners and Michiana community members to join the excitement on Thursday, July 25, 2024.
“It’s a really great thing to see someone focusing solely on positive news and positive things in our community,” said Greater Elkhart Chamber Member Engagement Specialist Jes Elam. “Not only do we need it, but we need it in today’s world; we need a bright spot. We are really thankful for GreatNews.Life and glad to have them on board.”
Featuring speeches from Founder Chris Mahlmann and four different chambers of commerce, a five-ribbon ribbon cutting, party favors, heavy appetizers, and more, there were plenty of chances to mingle and celebrate the positive future ahead. With so many strong partnerships already in place through GreatNews.Life’s first four websites, the company received a warm welcome to Michiana from long-time partners and new, aspiring partners alike.
“In Michiana, the reception has been so strong,” Mahlmann said. "Thank you to our current team, mayors, and partners that we have in Northwest Indiana because we wouldn’t be here on year 15 launching our fifth network if somebody didn’t believe in us in year one,” Mahlmann said.
Michiana.Life is a product of the same passion that fueled GreatNews.Life on day one of year one.
After meeting his wife, Natalie, who lived in Valparaiso, Mahlmann developed a passion for seeking out the good people and good stories in the area. This led him to create his own all-positive media company, GreatNews.Life, to propel good news forward. GreatNews.Life started with Valpo.Life, then Portage.Life, then LaPorteCounty.Life, then NWI.Life, and now Michiana.Life. The launch of Michiana.Life exponentially extends the reach of positivity, bringing Michiana’s good stories to light and doubling GreatNews.Life’s footprint.
While GreatNews.Life has ventured into Michiana little by little over the years, the launch of Michiana.Life will enable it to connect to more people, places, and stories than ever before. In addition to existing partners expanding their partnerships following the launch of Michiana.Life, GreatNews.Life Executive Director Jenny Craig-Brown is eager to meet new faces, secure new partnerships, and share the excitement about Michiana.Life with the community at large.
“Today is a dream come true because it's been years in the making,” Craig-Brown said. “We originally started talking to South Bend when Pete Buttigieg was mayor around 2015. It's incredible to see the reception from the community as a whole. People are excited to see us, and this has been the best reception of any community that we've ever had. I think that's because we do have a stronger foundation made by the cities we've already worked with. We can see the excitement on their faces every day, and it’s fantastic. We have a lot of great people here to support us.”
Whether it be coverage of Michiana high school’s sports, graduations, and extracurricular activities; highlighting Michiana community members through its Life in the Spotlight Series, Survivor Series, and Veteran Spotlight Series; or forming relationships with new Michiana partners, GreatNews.Life is ready to give Michiana its hub for good news.
After first meeting with GreatNews.Life, South Bend Regional Chamber of Commerce President & CEO Jeff Rea knew GreatNews.Life would be a great partner in spreading good news. He admired the active, intentional communication of the GreatNews.Life team both in the meeting and immediately afterward when he received pictures of his daughter from GreatNews.Life’s high school coverage.
“They are on their game and focused on delivering great news here in our area,” Rea said. “There are so many wonderful stories happening here, and now we have a super talented team that has done phenomenal work in other counties. We’ve watched from afar, and many of us have been subscribers after seeing what’s happening in other counties. We are thrilled that they see an opportunity here in our area and have now come to embrace our community. On behalf of the community, we want to say thank you to Chris, Jenny, and the entire team for your confidence in our market.”
Check out Michiana.Life and to engage with all the good people and positive stories happening in Michiana.
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