President & CEO
616-771-0324 klohsb@rightplace.orgBirgit Klohs is President & CEO of The Right Place, Inc., a position she has held since 1987. The Right Place, Inc. is the regional economic development organization in Grand Rapids, Michigan.
Chief Operating Officer/Assistant Treasurer
616-771-0312 howardt@rightplace.orgTwayne directs all activities related to accounting, finance, human resources, information technology, infrastructure, operations, contracts, and third party consultants. He also leads events and operations staff as well as the Leadership Team and professional staff.
Vice President, Talent Initiatives
616.818.9080 brownc@rightplace.orgCindy provides strategic direction and overall leadership to the talent initiatives and collaborations at The Right Place.
Vice President, Technical Services, The Right Place, Regional Director, The Center-West
616-771-0304 burdettej@rightplace.orgJustine leads the economic development strategy to retain and expand smart manufacturing companies for the West Michigan region. She aligns regional activities that promote solutions for common manufacturing problems and leads the Manufacturers and Supply Chain Management Councils.
Vice President, Investor Relations
616-771-0560 commentb@rightplace.orgBrad develops the fundraising strategy to sustain The Right Place and provide assets for future investment. He oversees all fundraising activities with our grantors, investors, customers, and the West Michigan business community.
Vice President, Conferences and Events
616-771-0327 kovicakn@rightplace.orgNatalia creates event structure and promotion plans to meet objectives for awareness and revenue generation. In addition, she determines event needs in the region and offers events to enhance interest and networking capabilities for West Michigan companies.
Vice President, Strategic Initiatives
616-301-6791 mrozt@rightplace.orgTim is responsible for leading long-term, regional economic growth initiatives in the 13-county area. His areas of focus include: infrastructure, regional collaboration, real estate/development, agribusiness, and special projects.
Vice President, Marketing and Communications
616-771-0563 romkemaa@rightplace.orgAndria leads the strategic marketing, communications, and advertising initiatives for The Right Place to promote West Michigan’s business capabilities across the country and the globe.
Vice President, Business Development
616-771-0571 thillt@rightplace.orgTherese provides retention and expansion assistance to Right Place clients. She also works with site selection consultants. Therese provides site location assistance to national and international firms across all industries.
Business Development Director
231-233-4349 aldent@rightplace.orgAs Business Development Director, Travis assists The Right Place with its rural economic development efforts by overseeing its business development team members in Montcalm, Newaygo, Oceana and Lake counties. Travis also coordinates business development activities in Ionia County
Business Development Coordinator - Newaygo
231-335-1985 burrellj@rightplace.orgJulie provides business support services to companies in Newaygo County.
Vice President, Business Attraction
616-301-6246 caseb@rightplace.orgBrent works to recruit new business investment and jobs to the region. He also assists West Michigan companies during the decision-making portion of the expansion process to outline the benefits of growing locally as opposed to out-of-state.
Senior Business Development Manager
616-771-0556 icarde@rightplace.orgEric provides retention and expansion assistance to Right Place clients. He provides site location assistance to national and international life sciences firms. He also serves as the facilitator for the West Michigan Medical Device Consortium.
Business Development Coordinator - Kent County
616-446-9901 lanctoto@rightplace.orgOlivia Lanctot is a Business Development Coordinator at The Right Place. She provides retention and expansion services to companies in Kent County.
Business Research Analyst
616-771-0325 martinezr@rightplace.orgRafael works as a Business Research Analyst for The Right Place. In this role, he provides business intelligence and economic research for the organization, and to investors and other stakeholders.
Business Development Executive Assistant
616-771-0576 montaninoe@rightplace.orgEllie provides administrative support to The Right Place's Vice President of Business Development, as well as the Business Development team.
Business Development Coordinator - Lake and Oceana
231-742-3328 nicholsj@rightplace.orgJodi serves as Business Development Coordinator for Lake and Oceana Counties. In this role, she provides business support services to prospective and existing companies.
Director of Business Intelligence & Research
616-771-0343 rileyd@rightplace.orgDave provides custom research services and community economic statistics to Right Place clients. He also works closely with The Right Place’s marketing team to develop authoritative, compelling, and informative data for all of their marketing materials and online data center.
Business Development Coordinator - Montcalm
616-498-0374 vanderlaank@rightplace.orgKathy Jo works to keep and grow Montcalm manufacturers by bringing them local, state, and federal resources.
Senior Business Development Manager
616-901-9343 wanglerj@rightplace.orgJennifer provides retention and expansion assistance to Right Place clients in Kent County and site location assistance to national and international IT and tech companies. She also serves as the director for the Technology Council of West Michigan.
Marketing Coordinator
616-771-0570 heyse@rightplace.orgEric provides graphic and layout support for all printed communication needs of The Right Place, and he works with local printers to see production through to the final printed materials.
Digital Marketing Coordinator
616-771-0328 lintemuthl@rightplace.orgLina supports the organization’s digital marketing efforts by managing social media channels, websites, and email marketing.
The Center-West Executive Assistant
616-301-6247 bookerr@rightplace.orgRené provides administrative support for The Center-West events, marketing, and internal continuous improvement efforts.
The Center-West Senior Business Development Manager
269-832-2564 cruzj@rightplace.orgJess informs, assesses, advises, and develops relationships with key decision makers within West Michigan to support their efforts to retain sales, gain new sales, and achieve cost savings for their respective businesses. He is responsible for working with manufacturers in Kent and Barry Counties.
The Center-West Business Development Specialist
616-610-1007 hossinkt@rightplace.orgTerry is responsible for working with small to medium size manufacturers in West Michigan, focusing on Allegan and Ottawa Counties, to help them assess their opportunities for continuous improvement and growth.
The Center-West Client Coordinator
616-771-0561 winklera@rightplace.orgAmy coordinates customer consulting and training projects, user groups and workshops, and monitors these activities’ compliance with contractual reporting requirements.
The Center-West Business Development Specialist
616-771-0557 woodb@rightplace.orgBen is responsible for working with small to medium sized manufacturers in West Michigan, focusing on Mason, Lake, Osceola, Oceana, Newaygo, Mecosta, Muskegon, Montcalm, Ionia, and Northern Kent Counties. He helps them assess their opportunities for continuous improvement and growth.
Executive Director, Hello West Michigan
616-771-0354 bartelsr@hellowestmichigan.comAs the Executive Director for Hello West Michigan, Rachel leads the organization’s strategy, operations, and membership. She helps educate employers and prospective candidates about the region.
Program Manager, Hello West Michigan
616-301-8210 kusterj@hellowestmichigan.comJessica serves as the Program Manager for Hello West Michigan, where she oversees the internship and candidate connection programs, marketing and communication needs, and facilitates member orientation and training programs.
Staff Accountant
616-301-8700 beeringj@rightplace.orgJackie provides accounting support as well as oversight of all project tracking, collections, and records management. She is responsible for processing accounts payable and accounts receivable transactions.
Events and Investor Relations Coordinator
616-301-7063 elliottj@rightplace.orgJillian assists with planning and management of The Right Place, The Center-West, and Hello West Michigan events. She is also responsible for coordinating communications with The Right Place's investors.
Office Administrator/ Executive Assistant
616-771-0325 farrank@rightplace.orgKelly provides general office management and support services to the entire organization such as customer service, organization, inventory, deposits, and invoices.
Assistant to the Chief Operating Officer (COO)
616-771-0325 koldermanr@rightplace.orgRosemary provides administrative support to the Chief Operating Officer (COO), while also assisting with various internal processes, including accounts receivable and payable, benefit enrollment and employee orientations.
Executive Assistant to the President
616-301-9393 pontm@rightplace.orgMaulin provides administrative support to the office of the president, and supports all communication to Right Place board members and investors.
Jane provides accurate and timely financial information to The Right Place’s leadership team while ensuring effective internal controls and financial safeguards.