Born and raised in Michigan City, Indiana, Michael J. Gresham briefly moved away to Manchester before returning to his hometown, which he loves so much.
"It was just a better fit for my life," Gresham said. "I couldn't imagine living anywhere else now."
Gresham has worked in the trading and commodities industry since 1998. He has worked in the Chicago Stock Exchange, and currently works for a company that writes regulatory software for a lot of companies in the business.
When he's not working, Gresham spends a lot of his time on City by the Lake, a non-profit informational site he founded several years back. City by the Lake is a Michigan City discussion board that tackles everything from the serious and controversial issues confronting our town, to the more lighthearted things like where our favorite pizza joint is. Gresham's mission for City by the Lake is to turn as many people as possible into informed citizens to make them more able to participate in the return of greatness of Michigan City, Indiana.
When running for the school board back in 2006, Gresham bought the domain for a campaign website. He had been involved in running message boards in the past, so he decided to give it a whirl and it just took off. Starting out more political, Gresham came across things he wanted to see change around town, and it just continued to grow. With the development of time and technology, Gresham has been able to reach more and more people, not only through his website, but through Facebook and Twitter as well, gaining hundreds of thousands of followers on both platforms.
"The best part of this is to see everyone else's reaction," Gresham said. "There were a core of four or five, at the most, that did the commenting on what was happening in the city. Since it started, though, it has exploded. The number of people that read and comment is astounding, and I am very thankful to them all."
Gresham also volunteers a lot of his spare time to various groups around the area. This year will mark his last as President of the Michigan City Scholarship Foundation, which gives scholarships to local students who are going off to college. He also enjoys broadcasting football and basketball games for Michigan City High School, and helping out with stuff that his children are involved in.
"I love hearing back from some of the kids we give scholarships to," Gresham said. "Being able to hear them get to reflect on their college experiences, how their life is out in the big world, mixing with other people and cultures – it's an incredible thing to be a part of."
In what remains of his free time, Gresham enjoys spending time with his family and watching sports, especially baseball, hockey, basketball, and sporting events at Michigan City High School.