LAW
MATTHEW WIKANDER
CEO, shareholder, trial lawyer Smith Haughey Rice & Roegge PC, Grand Rapids
MANUFACTURING
Matthew Wikander was elected to a three-year term as CEO last year. Smith Haughey Rice & Roegge, which opened in 1941, now features more than 60 attorneys and has offices in Grand Rapids, Holland, Muskegon and Ann Arbor. He is a trial lawyer representing plaintiffs and defendants and practicing primarily in the areas of personal injury and wrongful death, employment and commercial litigation matters. He has trial and litigation experience in both federal and state courts across the state of Michigan and in numerous other states. Wikander’s experience includes vehicular, aviation, product liability and construction accidents. Additionally, he serves a variety of businesses and individuals in commercial disputes, such as employment discrimination, employment noncompetition agreements, trade secrets, trademark infringement, wrongful advertising and other unfair trade practice claims.
ROBERT WOLFORD
Managing member Miller Johnson, Grand Rapids
EDUCATION: University of Michigan (B), Wayne State University Law School (J.D.) INSPIRATIONAL QUOTE: I have a replica of a paperweight that Lady Bird Johnson kept on her desk. On one side it says, “Can Do,” which was LBJ’s highest form of praise, and the other side contains a Chinese idiom that translates to, “When someone acquires the discipline of learning, then doing the work comes easily.” TRAVEL DESTINATION: I hate to travel.
EDUCATION: University of Michigan (B), Wayne State University Law School (J.D.) BEST ADVICE: Job security = always making your boss look good LESSON LEARNED: While compromise has its place in business, too much compromise can lead to mediocrity and preservation of the status quo. Sometimes, leaders need to lead, and they better be willing to do so. FEW PEOPLE KNOW: I boxed briefly in college.
MICHELLE LAJOYE-YOUNG Sheriff Kent County, Grand Rapids
Michelle LaJoye-Young has worked for the Kent County Sheriff ’s Office since 1989 in various roles within the corrections, patrol, communications and support services divisions. She served as chief deputy, undersheriff and, in 2018, was appointed sheriff. She is the first female sheriff in Kent County and the only current female in Michigan serving in that capacity. Some of her key projects include a jail expansion, jail management and data collection software, criminal history improvement, law enforcement mobile computing initiatives, dispatch consolidation and record management upgrades. In 2018, she was recognized by the governor for her contributions to statewide communications. LaJoye-Young served in the Michigan Army National Guard and Army Reserves from 1985-89, leaving with the rank of captain. In 2016, she was inducted into the Michigan State University School of Justice Wall of Fame. She is a board member with the Children’s Advocacy Center, Grand Rapids Boys and Girls Club, Michigan Criminal Justice Advisory Board (governor appointee) and the FBI Mobile Data Security Taskforce, among others.
Bob Wolford serves as one of the firm’s managing members and has been practicing law since 2001. He is a corporate lawyer who represents automotive suppliers and other manufacturers in transactions, business and supply chain matters, as well as debtors, purchasers of assets and other interested parties in turnaround and insolvency matters. He regularly represents buyers and sellers throughout the country in mergers, acquisitions of stock or assets, MBOs, recapitalizations, reorganizations, private equity investments and other transactions. He has significant experience advising closely held and family-owned businesses, private equity funds and family offices in all sizes of transactions. Wolford currently serves as the secretary and legal counsel to the Economic Club of Grand Rapids and is one of the founders of the West Michigan Chapter of the Turnaround Management Association.
FRANCO BIANCHI
President, CEO Haworth Inc., Holland
EDUCATION: Michigan State University (B), Western Michigan University (M) INSPIRATIONAL QUOTE: “Be good at something nobody else wants to do.” My father
66 THE GRAND RAPIDS 200
Franco Bianchi assumed the role of president and CEO of Haworth in July 2005. He oversees and directs the performance of the global organization. Bianchi served on the corporate executive team in previous roles as COO, vice president of global product lines management and marketing, and vice president of finance for Haworth North America Contract Furniture. Before joining the executive team in Holland, he held several positions in the European sector, including general manager of Haworth Italy and director of finance, information systems and human resources for Castelli. Bianchi’s experience includes auditing, consulting on mergers, acquisitions and re-engineering. He previously was a senior associate for the former Arthur Andersen accounting firm, serving as chief accountant in Montenegro, Italy. He also served in the military for the North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO). Bianchi and his wife Alessandra have been married for over 20 years and enjoy staying active with their two sons. EDUCATION: Bologna University in Bologna, Italy (B), chartered public accountant LANGUAGES: Italian, English, French FIRST JOB: My early summer jobs were ice cream maker, fruit picker and porter at a hotel. BEST ADVICE: Be honest, work hard, dedicate yourself to a goal and good things will happen to you.
