Eva has a serious case of wanderlust, and it has taken her a multitude of places: Ohio, Kentucky, both Carolinas, and Texas just to name a few. Between her desire to explore different places and a variety of work assignments with her employer, she has had the opportunity to see different parts of the country and experience all they have to offer. After many years on the road, when she was ready to move back to her home state of Michigan, Grand Rapids stood out as being the best fit for her.

Eva’s first location after graduating from Michigan State was rural Western Kentucky. She enjoyed her time there, but the small town provided limited resources and lacked a strong network of young professionals.  After a series of job assignments that took her all over the Southeast, being closer to family again became more important. Being an engineer by training, making a spreadsheet to break how each location and role rated in comparison to their importance was a natural next step.

While she swore she would never come back to Michigan, Grand Rapids came out on top of her list no matter how many different ways she ran the numbers. She reached out to a prior mentor about relocating to the area, and soon after was interviewing for a position within the company. After accepting her current role as a buyer for an aerospace business, she took advantage of the great relocation service her company offered her and hitched a ride to Grand Rapids.

Making the move to Grand Rapids was better than she ever could have expected. Eva said, “My new role has allowed a much better work-life balance, and there is such a variety of things to take advantage of here.” An avid runner, she has actively supported our member company, Grand Rapids Running Tours, (receiving the unofficial title of “Tourista” for completing 20+ tours) and has made all sorts of friends and connections. She takes part in Girls Pint Out, where women who appreciate craft beer get together and take advantage of the variety offered here in GR. She also brought up how many great networking events there are both professionally and socially here. “I realized if I wanted to build a network in GR, I had to force myself to not be a hermit. I couldn’t be happier with the results and really value the connections I’ve made in our community,” said Eva when asked about how she has felt about the transition overall.

Eva has an interesting boomerang story that shows how Michigan truly is the Comeback State. Her variety of experiences have been great for her, but she is obviously enjoying Grand Rapids and all it has to offer now. According to Eva, “This is the only place I’ve been where I haven’t started to wonder about wanting to move again.” We are happy Eva is here to stay!