Latest News & Blogs

Lacking a clear road map for getting back to prosperity after a global pandemic is daunting, especially in geographic areas where peer business groups like this simply do not exist. Our ‘small but mighty’ rural team at The Right Place identified this gap in the communities where we live and work, which was the spark that inspired our recent ‘Re-Engaging The Rural Economy’ virtual round-table series.

In The Right Place’s role as the regional economic development organization, we often talk about what makes this community the ‘right place’ for businesses to grow and create jobs. Without a doubt, there are many reasons to live and do business in West Michigan - which tends to make these conversations straightforward. However, as the events of these past several days have brought to light, there are also painful realities being experienced by our communities of color that we must address.

The Kent County Department of Public Works today announced it has issued a Request for Proposals (RFP) for an anchor tenant at the future Sustainable Business Park, which is planned for 250 acres adjacent to the South Kent Landfill in Byron Center, Michigan.

Chief Executive's annual "Best and Worst States for Business" survey, now in its 16th year, is a collection of opinions gathered from CEOs on which states are the most -- and least -- business friendly in the U.S.

As employers reopen across Kent County, personal protective equipment (PPE) will be a critical component in helping to protect employees, visitors, clients and customers from the spread of COVID-19. This program will provide PPE to qualifying small businesses and other employers, at no cost, to assist in reopening their operations.

Today, Governor Gretchen Whitmer signed Executive Order 2020-110, rescinding her Safer at Home order and moving the entire state to phase four of the MI Safe Start Plan.

Millennials, who make up roughly 11% of homeowners in cities with populations over 150,000, were found to make up 19.5% of Grand Rapids' home-owning population. This is the second highest concentration of home-owning millennials, only falling behind Clarksville, Tennessee at 23%.

In mid-May, The Right Place hosted the first webinar in its new monthly series, Navigate 2020. Guest speaker Rick Mattoon, senior economist and economic advisor for the Federal Reserve Bank of Chicago, provided insight and answered questions surrounding the anticipated economic recovery in the U.S. following the Novel Coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic.

Today, Governor Gretchen Whitmer signed executive order 2020-96 to reopen retail businesses and auto dealerships by appointment statewide on Tuesday, May 26, as part of her MI Safe Start plan. The governor’s executive order also lifts the requirement that health care providers delay some nonessential medical, dental, and veterinary procedures statewide beginning on Friday, May 29.

Today, The Right Place, Inc., in collaboration with the Michigan Economic Development Corporation (MEDC), announced that medical device packaging engineering firm, Packaging Compliance Labs, LLC (PCL) will be expanding its current operations at 4334 Brockton Dr SE in Kentwood. In addition to a capital investment of $2.57 million, the company will bring 27 new jobs to the area.