As President and CEO of The Right Place, Randy Thelen leads the economic development strategy for the Greater Grand Rapids Region. To achieve the region’s vision of being one of the leading growth economies in the nation, Randy collaborates with business and community leaders to focus efforts on strengthening three strategic pillars: People, Place, and Prosperity.

Since taking the helm at The Right Place in 2021, the organization has supported the creation and retention of 4,000+ jobs and $1B+ in new capital investment for the region. Under Randy’s leadership The Right Place has grown to support an 8-county collaborative in the Greater Grand Rapids Region. Randy has expanded the organization’s initiatives to include community development and placemaking, along with increased talent retention, expansion, and attraction services. Randy also championed the launch of a 10-year regional tech strategy that will position the region as one of the leading tech hubs in the Midwest.

Past Experience

Randy joined The Right Place team in 2021 after serving as Senior Vice President of economic development at the Downtown Denver Partnership. There he led efforts to attract investment, recruit and retain business, and advocate for housing, retail, and public policy initiatives. He supported downtown projects totaling more than $1 billion in investments.

Prior to his role at the Downtown Denver Partnership, he led the Greater Omaha Economic Development Partnership, a two-state, eight-county regional economic development effort. Randy executed a $24 million Prosper Omaha strategy which brought $3.9 billion in new capital investment and 13,000 new jobs to the area.

Randy’s career began at economic development organizations in Evart and Monroe, Michigan before he moved to the Michigan Economic Development Corporation (MEDC). From there, he was hired as the first President of Lakeshore Advantage, where he led attraction of $1.2 billion in investments and 8,000 jobs during his 10-year tenure.

Education

• Master of Art in Applied Economics | Binghamton University
• Bachelor of Arts in Economics | Alma College