Letter From The Editor

Balance is key to the business community

There are lists, and then there are lists.

Over just the past 24 hours, my email has been infiltrated by lists touting the top 10 celebrity homes (Wiz Khalifa?), the top three reasons to work from home (privacy!) and the most gym-obsessed states (Michigan is not in the top 10). Other lists included bed and breakfast establishments, vape-obsessed states and the “most Instagrammable” houseplants (aloe vera, not kidding).

I even seem to remember seeing a ranking of the “most-searched lists” within the past few weeks.

While I’m sure celebrity homes and houseplants are of interest to some, I’m not sure I see the “news value” of such rankings.

That’s not the case with the Grand Rapids 200.

While this publication isn’t necessarily a list — and it’s certainly not a ranking — the information contained herein can be used to improve your business, your social life and even your general knowledge base of the place you call home.

The 200 people profiled on these pages are leaders in West Michigan. They make decisions on nearly a daily basis that have an impact on the community as a whole. Represented here are the leaders of manufacturing, health care, technology, retail and real estate. Bankers, philanthropists, artists, restaurant owners and builders are highlighted, too.

The purpose of this publication is not to tout the virtues of these individuals or to place them on some sort of pedestal. Instead, this is an effort to let you get to know them as human beings.

Some are transplants who came here for a job and stayed after entrenching themselves in a community they came to know and love. Many others, like Tasha Blackmon and Preston Sain, grew up in Grand Rapids and have purposely stayed to help forge a better path to prosperity for their friends and family who are following in their footsteps.

Others whose family roots run deep here but could live anywhere in the world — the Van Andels, DeVoses, Meijers, etc. — still choose to live in Grand Rapids and the surrounding West Michigan communities.

Do you ever stop to wonder why that is?

At a recent Business Journal Breakfast Series on commercial real estate, panelists were asked if they feared a major recession could affect West Michigan in the near future. Collectively, the answer was no. They cited West Michigan’s business diversity as an “insulator” and lauded the strength of several different industries, from health care and biosciences to manufacturing and technology, as a shield that should ward off a downturn that could impact some sectors, but likely not all of them. They cited “balance” as one of the best features of the local business community.

I suspect that’s also the reason these 200 people choose to call West Michigan home, not just for their businesses but for themselves. When times get tough, you can consider these people your security blankets.

Tim Gortsema

Editor, Grand Rapids Business Journal tgortsema@geminipub.com

PUBLISHER: JASON HOSKO

EDITORIAL

EDITOR: TIM GORTSEMA DIGITAL EDITOR: EHREN WYNDER STAFF REPORTERS: KAYLEIGH FONGERS, ABBY POIRIER, PAT EVANS

DESIGN

CREATIVE DIRECTOR: LINDSAY RICHARDS ART DIRECTOR: MARK DRYER SENIOR PRODUCTION ARTIST: STEPHANIE DANIEL

SALES

GENERAL INQUIRIES: ADVERTISINGSALES@GRBJ.COM ADVERTISING DIRECTOR: JILLYN MAY ACCOUNT EXECUTIVES: TODD ANDERSON, JESSICA LAIDLAW RECEPTIONIST/OFFICE ASSISTANTS: ELISSA STONG, KERRY GERWATOWSKI TO ORDER REPRINTS: RECEPTIONIST, (616) 459-4545

PRODUCTION

PRODUCTION DIRECTOR: JENINE KNOX SENIOR PRODUCTION COORDINATOR: JILL BERRY ADVERTISING COORDINATOR: HAYLEE MOZUG PRODUCTION DESIGNER: JONATHAN BOEDECKER GRAPHIC DESIGNERS: JIM BIBART, COLIN MCKINNEY

WEB

DIGITAL DIRECTOR: NICK BRITSKY DIGITAL DEVELOPMENT MANAGER: MATTHEW CAPPO DIGITAL DEVELOPMENT SPECIALISTS: JIM BOWSER, MARISSA JACKLYN, LUANNE LIM, KEVIN PELL DIGITAL STRATEGY MANAGER: TRAVIS FLETCHER DIGITAL MEDIA ASSISTANT: ROBYN BANKS

IT

IT DIRECTOR: JEREMY LELAND

CIRCULATION

CIRCULATION MANAGER: RILEY MEYERS CIRCULATION CUSTOMER SERVICE: (866) 660-6247

MARKETING

MARKETING & EVENTS MANAGER: JODIE SVAGR MARKETING & EVENTS COORDINATOR: MATTHEW CHAFFEE

ADMINISTRATION

DIRECTOR OF BUSINESS OPERATIONS: KATHIE GORECKI PUBLISHING AND SALES COORDINATOR: KRISTIN MINGO ASSISTANT OFFICE MANAGER: NATASHA BAJJU SENIOR ACCOUNTING ASSOCIATE: ANDREW KOTZIAN ACCOUNTING ASSOCIATE: SAMANTHA DICK

PUBLISHED BY GEMINI MEDIA, LLC

CEO: STEFAN WANCZYK | PRESIDENT: JOHN BALARDO