County renews Right Place contract; economic development group outlines workforce, place and prosperity initiatives

A county staff member told commissioners the county renewed the Right Place contract “per the renewal terms of the agreement” and said the county plans to invite Mr. Maraz and Mr. Thalen back to present in the spring.

Tim, a representative of The Right Place, told the commissioners the nonprofit organizes its work around three pillars—people, place and prosperity—and reported annual activity and metrics across those areas. He said The Right Place met with 364 businesses from October 2024 to October 2025, logged 117 business assists and supported 11 projects during the past year.

The Right Place’s people programs focus on workforce development and employer engagement, Tim said, including private retention visits in which staff meet confidentially with business decision-makers to discuss staffing, financing and expansion plans. He highlighted an in‑region hub of the Michigan Manufacturing Technology Center, which provides consulting and training such as plant layout and lean practices, and a talent assessment product called My Talent 360 that examines employer branding, sourcing and retention.

Trudy, a Right Place staff member, described partnerships on childcare and a planned healthcare ambassador program. She said the group worked with the Kent County Childcare Task Force and partners including Vibrant Futures to address childcare barriers to workforce participation, and that roughly 500 health‑science jobs are coming to the region; employers told The Right Place that new hires and their families need stronger community connections.

On place and real estate, Tim said developer day drew about 200 developers and construction firms from around the state, with some attendees from Indianapolis, Milwaukee and Chicago. He said the annual Place Matters Summit is scheduled for Nov. 6 and is intended to help communities plan for and manage growth. In an annual development report referenced during the presentation, Tim said industrial vacancy in the region is about 3.5 percent and that industrial site availability remains a pinch point for attracting large expansions.

On prosperity and industry programming, Tim summarized Tech Week GR, which he said included more than 120 events, a sold‑out kickoff event with Apple co‑founder Steve Wozniak and a technology showcase that drew about 2,000 middle school students. He listed recent local business projects The Right Place had helped or tracked, including HexArmor, Bentley Automotive, OVD Insurance, Weiss Technique, Ludus, FALK Panel, Wolverine Worldwide, Tezzatape and Woodchuck AI.

Commissioner Sack asked what the region’s biggest weakness is when competing for new business. Tim said it depends on the industry but repeated that industrial real estate availability and the region’s conservative development financing environment can limit the ability to meet immediate, large‑footprint site requests. He said The Right Place is promoting urban infill and encouraging developers to consider speculative and infill opportunities to access talent and transit.

During the meeting staff and The Right Place described several grant awards and regional programs by name but did not provide full budget amounts for each award during the presentation. The presentation closed with an invitation for follow‑up questions and the earlier statement that Mr. Maraz and Mr. Thalen will be invited back in the spring for a more detailed review with newer commissioners.