Grand Rapids-based
Right Place, Inc., has been so busy helping West Michigan companies grow and create jobs it has had to add new positions to its own staff to keep new programs running.
Right Place bills itself as a regional economic development organization, and its annual report indicates that in 2011, the firm assisted in the creation of 1,400 new jobs in Kent County, alone. The organization has also expanded services from a previous seven-county area to 13 counties. That growth, plus new programs like
Innovation West Michigan, created the need for four new positions within the company.
"We've added a business development specialist that serves only Ionia County, a director of fund development, administrative support and a director of innovation services," says Tim Mroz, VP of marketing and communications. "Each one of our new hires fills a gap that was created with the addition of new initiatives. Without adding these resources, those initiatives would not have been launched."
Mroz says business owners turn to Right Place, Inc. for workforce development, workforce training, expansion assistance, or even help in downsizing with workforce placement.
"A large part of our work is networking -- helping businesses understand what businesses are in, say, Ionia County, and getting them to know each other," Mroz says. "Why use businesses in Indiana or Ohio when there might be three businesses nearby that can do the same thing and be part of your supply chain?"
Mroz adds that in 2011, the 1,400 Kent County jobs created an estimated $45.9 million in new payroll.
Source: Tim Mroz, Right Place, Inc.
Writer: Deborah Johnson Wood, Development News Editor
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