GRAND RAPIDS – The Right Place accomplished what it set out to do for the Grand Rapids region in its just-concluded three-year economic development plan.
Now, officials say it’s time to do it again.
The Right Place, whose mission is to drive sustainable growth in the greater Grand Rapids region, launched its new three-year strategic plan before a packed house at Frederick Meijer Gardens. Officials say this plan carries the organization’s mission forward “with clarity, purpose, and momentum.”
“Greater Grand Rapids has moved up a weight class,” said Randy Thelen, President and CEO of The Right Place. “We are now competing with larger, more established regions across the country. That speaks to how far we’ve come—but it also challenges us to think and act bigger than ever before.
Developed in partnership with more than 550 community stakeholders, the plan outlines a strategic framework and a three-year roadmap to advance a bold vision: positioning Greater Grand Rapids as the most resilient, productive, and equitable regional economy in the nation.
Progress toward the plan’s goals will be achieved through continued commitment to the organization’s core pillars: People, Place, and Prosperity.
Initiatives include:
- Expanding employer engagement with K-12, higher ed institutions, and workforce development organizations; positioning the region as a premier destination for talent; and serving as a central resource to build robust talent pipelines.
“We’ve built out a diverse economy that has jobs that … young people want to stay for,” Thelen said. “And tied to that we’ve trained them properly, aligned them with the jobs that are out there and built a place or a collection of places all around the region that are interesting and attracted to retain young talent.”
- Supporting the creation and activation of build-ready sites; driving investment into vibrant public spaces; collaborating and supporting municipal partners; and working with the Gerald R. Ford International Airport to expand and increase nonstop service.
- Supporting existing businesses with outreach and programming to ensure growth in our region; conducting extensive and proactive business attraction campaigns focusing on key industries; and supporting manufacturers in diversification, adopting new tech, and expanding expertise.
The Right Place will measure the plan’s impact via the following metrics:
- 4,500 jobs retained and created by the end of 2028
- $30 per hour average wage by the end of 2028*
- $700M in capital investment by the end of 2028
- $200M in community development investment by the end of 2028
- 100 industry education partnerships by the end of 2028
The Right Place completed its 2023-2025 Strategic Plan at the end of last year and surpassed its key metrics:
- 4,153 new and retained jobs on a goal of 4,000
- $844.2M in new capital investment on a goal of $550M
- $487.2M in community development investment on a goal of $100M
- $30.90 average wage on a goal of $26.50*
“We’ve delivered on that (with) 50,000 jobs supported by the right place over the last 40 years,” Thelen said. “There are few places in the country that have had the sustaining power of an economic development effort … and the way we’ve implemented it here in West Michigan.
“This strategic plan was shaped by hundreds of community leaders, partners, and stakeholders,” he added. “It reflects a shared understanding that our future will be built together. We’ve made tremendous progress, but there is more work ahead if we want to lead at the next level.”
Thelen likened developing forward-looking plans to teaching a teenager how to drive. New drivers, he said, “look at the end of the hood” and focus on the road immediately in front of them. What the region needs now, Thelen argued, is to “elevate our sights” and look further down the road.
“That’s what we have to do now from a strategic plan at The Right Place and as an economic development strategy,” he said. “We have to elevate our eyesight further out and recognize and elevate our eyesight in terms of who we measure against.”
