In This Issue

• President's Letter
• Attraction: Wind Energy in Michigan
• Expansion: Global Forex Trading
• Manufacturing: Diversification is Key
• Innovation: A Year of Success

Future Perfect in West Michigan

A message from The Right Place Board Chair
Jim Dunlap, Regional Group President, Huntington Bank

We are in the midst of a significant year for West Michigan. Specifically, we have a choice to make: We can do nothing and hope the global market remembers us when the tide turns, or we can actively secure our future by investing in The Right Place and its regional action plan for growth.

As the Board Chairman and longtime investor of The Right Place, I know your investment has a direct impact on our ability to secure jobs and generate wealth for West Michigan. The Right Place has proven no organization is as vital to West Michigan’s economic health.   From our last five-year campaign, The Right Place leveraged your $5.5 million investment to attract nearly $500 million in new capital investment, $228 million in new payroll, and 8,366 jobs.

More than anyone, you know the work of growing this economy is far from over. That’s why our goals are ambitious, our strategies specific, and our partnerships critical. With you, we will raise $10 million this year and use it over the next five years to grow $7,500 companies and generate $500 million in new capital investment and 5,000 jobs by 2014.

It all begins with your investment. I know what I am asking, but this is not empty philanthropy: what other investment returns $500 million on a $10 million investment? What other investment continues to benefit your company decades after the direct return has been realized? What would our economy look like today without Right Place expansion clients like Behr? Ranir? or Lacks? How many jobs or suppliers would simply not exist? The question is not how can we afford to invest in The Right Place, but how can we not?

West Michigan’s history, creativity, and economic vigor set it apart from its peers across the U.S. Headline after headline show our self-motivation and tenacity will not allow us to simply stand aside and wait for an economic rescue. I am not waiting. Join me and take a stake in your future. Call 616.771.0325, or visit online at: www.rightplace.org/invest and we will ensure West Michigan not only survives, but emerges as a thriving center of business innovation and growth.