West Michigan's manufacturing expertise has attracted the attention of
a Manhattan-based venture capitalist. As Washington lags on proposals
to incentivize investors, this go-getter is ready to move ahead when
the right opportunity surfaces.
According to excerpts from the story:
Tom Groos remembers when he had a spacious office with windows overlooking downtown Grand Rapids.
Employees were on hand when his
computer glitched or the paperwork built up as he ran Viking Group
Inc., which has a thousand workers in Hastings, Holland and around the
world, producing and selling automatic fire-sprinkler systems.
But after 25 years with his family's business, the tall, affable executive was ready to try something new.
Two years ago, he made a midlife career
switch. At 50, he shed his active role as CEO while remaining chairman
of the company founded by his great-grandfather, Emil Tyden, in 1921.
Today, Groos is a venture capitalist
working out of a small, windowless Manhattan office and searching for
investment deals around the country.
Read the complete story here.
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