Soon after Alan Caron started GrowSmart Maine in 2004, he persuaded the Brookings Institution to come to Maine to evaluate the state’s strengths and weaknesses and recommend ways to grow the economy. The 2006 report Charting Maine’s Future propelled conversations about the state’s quality of place, helped expand downtown and historic restoration, and focused attention on the value of the Maine brand, Caron says. After leaving GrowSmart Maine in 2009, Caron founded Envision Maine, which is a membership group comprised of individuals, businesses, and organizations from around the state working to create a sustainable economy through entrepreneurship and innovation. Caron also owns a communications company and writes a weekly column for the Maine Sunday Telegram, Kennebec Journal, and Morning Sentinel. He’s the author of Reinventing Maine Government and Maine’s Next Economy. “What I hope to achieve with all of it is to inspire others to do everything they can do and more for Maine, and for Maine people,” Caron says. “I want us to love not only our history but our future as well. And to care about the natural beauty of Maine with as much energy as we do the people of Maine.”