What will our biggest cities look like in three years? In five years? In 50 years?

That’s the topic we tackle in the May 2015 issue of Be Inkandescent magazine, and we shine a light on one of the cities that is busy planning ahead for the future.

Our featured entrepreneur is Jane Ferrara, the chief operating officer of the City of Richmond’s Economic Development Authority. Her expertise in commercial real estate transactions, honed over 30 years in the private sector, allows Ferrara to anticipate the real estate needs of prospects and negotiate deals.

Case in point: Making a deal with one of the hottest companies in the country, Stone Brewing Co. Find out how she, and 200 of her colleagues, got Stone to bring its operations to the River City.

And be sure to check out Ferrara’s Tips for Entrepreneurs on how to make your company attractive to a large economic development authority.

Also in this issue:

• In Food news, we raise our glass to the craft brewery coming to Richmond by sharing some of the health benefits of beer.

• Future in Focus founder Michael Vidikan explains that the innovative technologies being developed by a rising number of the world’s cities will not only cut costs and help the cities run more efficiently, but will reduce carbon emissions and possibly inspire other cities to do the same.

• Our Book of the Month, by journalist Daniel Brook, looks forward by first looking back. Don’t miss our Q&A with him about A History of Future Cities.

• In which cities do Millennials want to live in the future? Our Inkandescent interns shine a light on where 20-somethings are hoping to land post-graduation.

• We also celebrate Live Earth 2015 by helping to draw attention to the No More Bull crowdfunding campaign by our new client, ChompingClimateChange.org.

• And we give a huge thumbs up to big-hearted Rob Chasteen-Scheer, founder of the nonprofit Comfort Cases. He is on a mission to provide the essential supplies to foster children on their journey to find home.

We leave you with this parting thought about the future of cities from Enrique Peñalosa, former mayor of Bogotá, Colombia: “Cities are only a means to a way of life, and whatever we do over the next 40 years will determine the quality of life for millions. I am convinced that we need radically new designs … that can lead us to more sustainable cities where people will lead happier lives.”

Cheers to your incredible, indelible, Inkandescent success! — Hope Katz Gibbs, publisher, Be Inkandescent • founder, Inkandescent PR • Inkandescent Radio • Inkandescent Speakers