The 317,000-square-foot facility is expected to require the hiring of 200 more employees over three years, and will increase production of Nutrilite tablets and softgel capsules, products sold globally only by Amway independent distributors. Fifty new jobs will be added during 2014, with production planned to start in 2015.

The Grand Rapids Chair Company will grow its workforce by 50 employees as the chair maker consolidates operations under one roof in Bryon Township. The company's planned $2.5 million new location will benefit from both state and local tax breaks under a deal announced by the Michigan Economic Development Corporation and The Right Place.

Unemployment in the four-county Grand Rapids area, at 6.6% in February, has been below the state and national averages for 18 months in a row. “It’s pretty robust right now. A lot of people are in hiring mode,” Klohs said. Along with a steady stream of good news on the jobs front, metro Grand Rapids is also touting its population growth.