PROSPERITY | 20
LOCAL BUSINESS INSIGHTS Each year The Right Place meets with more than 600 companies across the region through retention visits. These conversations provide The Right Place with unique insights into the state of the Greater Grand Rapids economy and business community. Overall, companies in Greater Grand Rapids are becoming less concerned with talent-related issues and more concerned about sales, a trend that began in 2024 and has accelerated since. The share of companies reporting increasing and declining sales both rose , and many are tempering hiring and training investments.
GREATER GRAND RAPIDS SALES TRENDS
8%
Sales Increasing
28%
Sales Stable
65%
Sales Decreasing
Talent Recruitment Recruitment challenges continue to ease: 24% of companies reported issues attracting new talent, down from 31% in 2024 and 43% in 2023. Sales Trends Sales increased for 65% of companies in 2025, up from 61% in 2024. However, the share reporting declining sales also rose from 5% to 8%. Hiring Trends Hiring momentum slowed again in 2025. Forty-three percent of companies plan to increase hiring, compared to 45% in 2024 and 49% in 2023. Companies maintaining hiring levels remain consistent with 2024, but those planning decreases rose from 3% to 6%. Expansions Expansion plans dipped in 2025 : 46% of companies expect to expand , compared to 52% in 2024 and 57% in 2023.
Ownership Changes Seven percent of companies reported ownership changes in 2025, up slightly from 6% in 2024. Investing in Training Training investments remain mostly stable. Forty-four percent reported unchanged budgets; companies increasing training spend declined from 38% in 2024 to 34% in 2025. Pinch Points Sales remained the top barrier to growth, cited by 24% of companies (22% in 2024). Facility issues (13%) and talent attraction (11%) also indicated pressure points. Talent-related barriers overall continue to decline compared to 2023.
TOP CHALLENGES TO GROWTH
Sales
Facility Issues
Talent Attraction
Customer Issues
Talent Development
Financing
Global Trade Issues / Tariffs
Technology Needs
Product Development
Lean / Efficiency Issues
2025
2024
Incentives
Talent Retention
Municipality Issues
Management / Leadership
Infrastructure
Supplier Issues
Logistics / Movement of Goods
0%
5% 10%
15%
20% 25% 30%
The Right Place, Inc. | State of the Region 2025
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