Bing Goei is currently the CEO of Eastern Floral, a professional retail flowershop with locations in Grand Rapids, Holland and Grand Haven. He is also the owner of the Goei Center, a Conference and Banquet Center and Office Facility located in an economically distressed neighborhood. Bing has also started the International Center for Entrepreneurial Center, a resource center focusing on growing successful Women and Minority Entrepreneurs. Another initiative he started in February of 2019, is the Grand Rapids International Network. An initiative that focuses on the retention of International Talent and the Inclusion of longtime residents who are still feeling disconnected to the Region.Throughout his career, Bing has earned many awards for his work as a business owner and as an advocate for Diversity & Inclusion.

Steve Lowisz is an authority on all things talent, personal development, and business leadership. With experience consulting start-ups, equity-backed, and Fortune 500 companies around the world, you can count on Steve for expert insights and actionable advice. Best known as the founder and CEO of Qualigence International, Steve is a successful five-time entrepreneur with over two decades of practical business experience.

Cindy serves as the Vice President of Talent Initiatives and collaborates with other talent-related organizations to address regional talent pipeline challenges. Cindy worked jointly as Executive Director for Hello West Michigan and Vice President of Talent Initiatives for The Right Place for many years before stepping into her role for The Right Place full time. Under Cindy’s leadership, Hello West Michigan's membership, programming, and regional awareness grew exponentially, helping establish West Michigan as a destination for top talent.

Ellie Frey Zagel is 3rd Generation, Vice-Chair and Trustee of her family’s foundation the Frey Foundation based in Grand Rapids, MI. For nearly a decade she has been deeply involved in working with the next generation of family business, family philanthropy, and family wealth, first as Director of the Family Business Alliance and now as President and Founder of Successful Generations, a community for people who are part of the next generation, or rising generation, of a family business, family philanthropy, and family wealth.

Sara is the Regional Human Resources Manager for Rehmann’s greater-Michigan region and is based in Grandville, Michigan. In this role, she supports Rehmann’s “Firm of the Future” by passionately serving her clients – the employees of an organization. Her expertise combines over 15 years of experience in the areas of organizational development and human resources for IT, healthcare and financial service organizations and 10 years of experience in international software & cloud technology marketing. Sara holds both an SPHR and SHRM-SCP certification and serves on the West Michigan Best and Brightest Board of Directors.

Alexander Peric, A.A.E., is the Chief Operating Officer for the Gerald R. Ford International Airport Authority. Alex’s diverse background within the aviation industry includes strategic roles in airline relations, business management, real estate, operations, project management, revenue development, negotiations, risk management, data analysis, etc., with Continental Airlines, City of Phoenix system of airports; including Phoenix Sky Harbor International Airport, Phoenix Deer Valley Airport, and Phoenix Goodyear Airport. His current professional affiliations include: American Association of Airport Executives (AAAE), Airports Council International-North America (ACI-NA), National Association of Industrial and Office Properties (NAIOP), Aircraft Owners and Pilots Association.

Carrie is the Manager of Human Resources and serves on the leadership team for TowerPinkster, an Architecture, Engineering, and Interiors Design Firm in West Michigan. Carrie served on the committee of the SW-ERN, the Southwest Michigan Employer Resource Network, was a member of the Executive Leadership Team for The American Heart Association of West Michigan, and a prior Board Member for the Kalamazoo Area Runners. Today, she is still an active spokesperson for the American Heart Association, assist in the planning efforts of the annual day conference of local HR association chapter, and she looks forward to serving on the Advisory Council for the Kalamazoo Marathon.

Heather Burnett serves on the HR and accounting teams at Southwest Michigan First. In her role, she leads the organization’s hiring process as well as its benefits and wellness programs. Under Heather’s guidance, she has helped the organization gain recognition for its best practices in culture from Best and Brightest Companies to Work For, Outside Magazine, Inc. Magazine and Crain’s Cool Places to Work as one of the best place to work in America.

Jacob Maas is the Chief Executive Officer of West Michigan Works!, the workforce development agency for Allegan, Barry, Ionia, Kent, Montcalm, Muskegon and Ottawa counties. As CEO, Jacob oversees federal, state, local and foundation program funds and provides strategic direction for workforce activities in West Michigan. With over 15 years of experience in the public sector, Jacob is committed to creating systems that meet the needs of communities and clients and to providing a demand- and data-driven direction for region’s talent development efforts.

Julie Parks is the Executive Director of Workforce Training and the Leslie Tassell M-TEC at Grand Rapids Community College (GRCC). She has over 20 years’ experience in workforce development.  Under her leadership, the GRCC, workforce team successfully trained over 20,198 individuals in 2018-19 and provided training for 437 companies in various sectors, with a student completion rate of 86% and a placement rate of 93%.  In addition, in 2019, GRCC was awarded six different grants for workforce training programs, many focused on low-income neighborhoods and skill trades, and holds a $6 million dollar U.S. Department of Labor America’s Promise Grant focusing on health pathways. She and her team won the 2019 League for Innovation, Innovation of the Year, for the creation of a Sterile Processing Apprenticeship, and were finalists for the 2019 Bellwether Award for community colleges for the public works academy; and received a national promising practice designation for medical assistant apprenticeships.  

Justine Burdette is the Vice President, Technical Services at The Right Place and Regional Director for Michigan Manufacturing Technology Center West office in Grand Rapids, Michigan. Under her leadership, The Center provides consulting and training to small and mid-sized manufacturers in the 13-county West Michigan Region. She and her team develop more effective business leaders, drive product and process innovation, promote company-wide operational excellence and foster creative strategies for business growth and greater profitability. In her role at The Right Place, Burdette supports the economic development strategy to retain and expand smart manufacturing companies for the West Michigan region. She aligns regional activities that promote solutions for common manufacturing problems and leads the Manufacturers Council and Supply Chain Management Councils.

Pam Ries is senior vice president and chief human resources officer of Spectrum Health, a $6.5 billion not-for-profit integrated health system based in West Michigan. Pam is responsible for leading talent strategies, initiating new approaches to support short-term and long-term business objectives, and overseeing human resources functions throughout Spectrum Health. Pamela has nearly 30 years of experience in business administration and human resources in various industries, including health care, insurance, financial services, education and public transportation. Pam serves on the boards of Inforum, Literacy Center of West Michigan and Hello West Michigan, and the advisory board for Talent 2025.   

Peter D. Beukema is the Visionary, Chief Executive Officer and partner for Suburban Inns. Suburban Inns is a family-owned and operated hotel/restaurant management and development company, which was founded more than 40 years ago. Today, Peter serves on the Board of Directors and is a part of the IHG Rewards Club Committee and the Emerging Leaders. Peter also is on the Holland SmartZone Board (LDFA) which works to spur technology development and business creation in the greater Holland Michigan area.  He is a longtime supporter of the hospitality industry through organizations like the American Hotel Lodging Accusation and the Michigan Restaurant and Lodging Association.

Scott Hill is a member of Varnum's Corporate Practice Team and currently serves as the firm’s executive partner. His practice focuses on business representation including transactions, planning, and counseling. Scott deals with acquisitions, sales, mergers, succession planning, private equity, financing and joint ventures on a variety of levels. He also spends a significant portion of his time counseling clients on supply chain contracting issues.

Consumers Credit Union has 300 employees, over a billion dollars in assets and is headquartered in Kalamazoo MI. Shawn is responsible for providing leadership in establishing and implementing strategic human resource strategies. Shawn’s primary focus is on employee and member engagement. In 2016 Shawn was honored as Michigan’s Top HR Professional by the Michigan Council of SHRM. She also serves as the Director of the Michigan Chapter of Society of Human Resource Management (SHRM), the board of Southwest Michigan First, the advisory board for Kalamazoo Valley Community College’s Groves Facility, and chairs the board of Senior Services of Southwest Michigan. In addition to the organizations listed above Shawn also founded and chairs the Kalamazoo Area Wellness Networking group, which includes over 20 area organizations who come together to share wellness best practices.

Mike Novakoski is a CEO and entrepreneur with over 30 years growing successful businesses in the construction, staffing, and leadership industries. In addition to an undergraduate degree in Construction Management, Mike holds an MBA, completed 240 hours of intense study to receive an “Innovation Management Certification” and most recently completed a 3-year Owner/President Management program through Harvard Business School. As President & CEO of EV Construction, Mike has led the company through 14 consecutive years as a recipient of West Michigan’s “Best and Brightest Companies to Work For” award – with 11 of those years as an Elite Award Recipient. Mike thoroughly enjoys sharing the unique approach to the company’s success and helping other companies to achieve their full potential.