The Right Place staff honored with several awards

Brent Case, TaRita Johnson, Tim Mroz, Allyssa Murphy, and Andria Romkema from The Right Place have recently been honored with awards from Consultant Connect, Crain’s Grand Rapids Business, West Michigan Hispanic Chamber of Commerce, and West Michigan Public Relations Society of America. Read more below to learn about the awards they received and the organizations that honored them.

Brent Case named one of Top 50 Economic Developers in the U.S. in 2023

Our VP of Talent Attraction, Brent Case, was named one of Top 50 Economic Developers in the U.S. in 2023. Consultant Connect, a consulting agency designed to bridge the gap between economic developers and site consultants, announced its 2023 list of North America’s Top 50 Economic Developers. The economic development professionals selected for this list were nominated by their colleagues in both the economic development and site location consulting industries for excellent practices, innovation, and success in building the communities they serve. This year, they received over 200 nominations from peers and colleagues in economic development. Brent was selected by a panel to receive this year’s Top 50 honor.

TaRita Johnson honored by Crain’s Grand Rapids and West Michigan Public Relations Society for DEI work

Our SVP of Talent and Diversity, TaRita Johnson, was recently selected as one of Crain’s Grand Rapids Business’ Notable Leaders in DEI, as well as named JEDI Communicator of the Year by the West Michigan Public Relations Society of America (WMPRSA). The award from Crain’s honors distinguished leaders in the Grand Rapids region who have demonstrated a commitment to workplace diversity, and WMPRSA’s JEDI Communicator of the Year honors a community leader for outstanding social justice, equity, diversity, and inclusion contributions to West Michigan and who exemplifies the practice of sound public relations.

TaRita’s expertise in human resources, coupled with her strong leadership background, has allowed her to make significant contributions to The Right Place, where she collaborates between the private sector, government, and education to tackle our region's most intractable talent & DEI issues and bring systemic change to our communities.

Tim Mroz wins Building Bridges Award

Our Senior Vice President of Community Development, Tim Mroz, received the “Building Bridges” award at the West Michigan Hispanic Chamber of Commerce’s Annual Awards Gala. This award is given to a non-Hispanic person who is making a positive impact in the Hispanic community. Tim was recognized for his work over the years in minority business development. He launched the West Michigan regional minority business directory containing nearly 1,400 businesses. He also led the oversight and distribution of a $9M federal COVID small business relief grant and partnered with area organizations like the West Michigan Hispanic Chamber of Commerce to ensure Hispanic businesses throughout the area were aware of the funding relief opportunity. Ultimately, 70% of funds were allocated to minority, women, and veteran-owned businesses.

Most importantly, he advocates in partnership with the West Michigan Hispanic Chamber of Commerce, ensuring that the voice of Hispanic business leaders are heard when planning for the future economic growth of Greater Grand Rapids.

Allyssa Murphy wins Outstanding Emerging PR Pro

Allyssa Murphy, Marketing & Communications Coordinator for The Right Place, was awarded Outstanding Emerging Pro by the West Michigan Public Relations Society of America (WMPRSA). This award recognizes an outstanding newcomer to the public relations profession. Allyssa was recognized for her work at The Right Place, where she promotes Grand Rapids and works to create positive systemic economic change in our community. She has a passion for storytelling and content creation and is able to work across the organization to develop engaging stories. In addition to her work at The Right Place, she was recently appointed to the board of WMPRSA.

Andria Romkema wins PR Professional of the Year

Our Senior Vice President of Marketing & Communications, Andria Romkema, was awarded Public Relations Professional of the Year by the West Michigan Public Relations Society of America. This award honors the best in public relations and recognizes their contribution to the profession as a wonderful example of the relationship between an organization and the public it represents. Andria has demonstrated exceptional leadership and strategic communication skills in her role, specifically, her recent accomplishments in promoting the region's economic growth and technology industry through large-scale projects and events such as Tech Week have been remarkable. In addition to her work at The Right Place, Andria served as the 2022 Board President of WMPRSA and is currently on the Board of Directors for the John Ball Zoo.