This year, ReThink West Michigan was awarded Best In Show by the International Economic Development Council (IEDC) at the Council’s 2019 conference. The IEDC received over 400 submissions from 12 countries for the 2019 awards, and ReThink West Michigan was selected as the top entry overall, making it a globally recognized best practice in economic development. ReThink also received a Gold Excellence in Economic Development Award in the TalentDevelopmentand Retentioncategory. The ReThink West Michigan model has been adopted by other regions around the state. AnnArbor, Lansing, Detroit, Traverse City and Houghton all host similar events to attract potential candidates back to their hometowns.
On November 27, 2019, The Right Place and HelloWest Michigan hosted their 8th annual ReThink West Michigan event. ReThink has become a Thanksgiving Eve tradition in West Michigan, attracting more than 1,166 attendees and resulting in over 77 hires in the last 8 years. ReThink is a professional, casual networking event targeted towards formerMichiganders who still have ties to the community and are traveling back home for the Thanksgiving holiday. It’s an opportunity for them to explore the idea of relocating back to West Michigan and discover current career opportunities. Conversely, the event gives employers the chance to engage with job seekers they don’t typically have access to. The 2019 event was hosted in six counties throughout the region including Barry, Kent, Mason, Muskegon, Newaygo and Oceana. Across the six event locations there were 43 participating companies and more than 155 attendees. Of those attendees, 32% traveled to an event from outside of West Michigan.
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RETHINK WEST MICHIGAN
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