Therese Thill Vice President Business Development ABOUT THERESE THILL As the Vice President of Business Development at The Right Place, Therese supervises the business development team, manages the business retention and expansion program as well as the business attraction program, and develops and implements site selection strategy. Through these roles, she markets West Michigan and connects companies to the resources they need to grow. PAST EXPERIENCE Previous positions that Therese has held include Director of Business Attraction at the Michigan Economic Development Corporation, Vice President of International Economic Development at Greater Phoenix Economic Council, and Senior Businesses Development Manager at Oakland County Economic Development.
Rick Chapla Vice President Strategic Initiatives ABOUT RICK CHAPLA Rick Chapla is theVice President of Strategic Initiatives forThe Right Place. In his current roleasVice Presidentof Strategic Initiatives, his responsibilities include assisting local unitsof governmentandprivatedevelopment interests with economic development policies and programs throughout the 13-county West Michigan region. PAST EXPERIENCE Rick has been involved in community and economic development planning for 35 years. Rick joined The Right Place in 1996, and his previous work experience includes 16 years with the City of Muskegon. He also worked for EARTH TECH, a multi-disciplinary consulting company, where he specialized in land-use planning, grant writing, environmental studies and lay planner training. COMMUNITY INVOLVEMENT • AccessKent Advisory Board of Directors • West Michigan Prosperity Alliance Board of Directors and Executive Committee • GVSU Seidman School of Business Economics Department Advisory Committee and Mentor • Land Conservancy of West Michigan FAVORITE PART ABOUT LIVING IN FAVORITE PART ABOUT LIVING IN WEST MICHIGAN Rick’s favorite part about living in West Michigan is the ability to pick a variety of fruits and vegetables, either right in his own backyard, or from one of the many blueberry, cherry, or apple farms nearby.
NOTABLE PROJECTS • Citic Dicastal (300 New Jobs, $140M Capital Investment) • MOVE Systems (27 New Jobs, $14.8M Capital Investment)
FAVORITE PART ABOUT LIVING IN WEST MICHIGAN Therese’s favorite part about living in West Michigan is her proximity to Lake Michigan where she enjoys sailing.
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BUSINESS DEVELOPMENT TEAM
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