The Right Place announces board of directors changes for 2025 and key leadership promotions

The Right Place, Inc. has announced changes to its board of directors for 2025, welcoming 10 new members and recognizing the contributions of three retiring members. The board’s officers will remain the same for the coming year.

Officers for 2025:

• Chair: Steve Downing, President & CEO, Gentex Corporation
• Vice Chair/Treasurer: Bill Pink, PhD, President, Ferris State University

New appointments to the 2025 board of directors:

• Chris Hufnagel, President & CEO, Wolverine Worldwide, Inc.
• Joe Hune, VP & President West Michigan & Upper Peninsula, Blue Cross Blue Shield of Michigan
• James Kolodziej, Operations Manager, Flexco, Manufacturers Council Representative
• Michael Palizzi, CEO, Miller Canfield
• Stacy Paul, CEO, Array of Engineers, Tech Council Representative
• Robert A. Richard, President & COO DTE Gas, DTE Energy
• Triona Schmelter, EVP & President Consumer Self-Care Americas, Perrigo plc
• John Shay, City Manager, City of Wyoming, Community Partners Representative
• John Tuttle, President, Acrisure
• Daniel Watts, CEO, US Signal

Retiring from the board of directors:

• Jeffrey L. Connolly, Blue Cross Blue Shield of Michigan
• Joi Harris, DTE Energy
• Blake W. Krueger, Wolverine Worldwide, Inc.

To view the complete list of The Right Place board of directors, please visit The Right Place's website.

Alongside these board updates, The Right Place is pleased to announce two key leadership promotions that will strengthen the organization’s business development efforts.

Andria Romkema has been promoted to Senior Vice President of Business Development. Romkema has been with The Right Place since 2014, bringing more than 15 years of leadership and economic development experience to the organization.

Throughout her tenure, Romkema has held key leadership roles overseeing marketing, communications, human resources, and events. In her new position, she will lead The Right Place’s Prosperity team, which includes business development and MMTC-West, with a focus on driving economic growth and innovation in the region.

Romkema also spearheads Tech Week Grand Rapids, a premier community-wide event that draws over 16,000 attendees to celebrate innovation, foster collaboration, and highlight the region’s growing tech ecosystem.

Additionally, Brent Case has been promoted to Vice President of Business Development. Case leads the business development team with retention and attraction efforts, actively recruiting new companies and jobs to the region. He will also work to increase Greater Grand Rapids’ visibility among key site selection decision-makers while assisting existing businesses considering expansion within or beyond the region.

Before joining The Right Place, Case served as Senior Vice President of Business Development at Intersect Illinois, a statewide attraction agency focused on bringing new companies to Illinois. He also held the role of Vice President of Business Attraction for the Lansing Economic Area Partnership, where he successfully recruited businesses to the Greater Lansing area.