My name is Dan. My family and I moved back to West Michigan in October 2020 and it’s one of the best choices we’ve ever made.

My journey back to West Michigan actually begins when my family and I first left. It was 2009 and I was working in my hometown of Fenton when I was shocked to be laid off. The financial crisis was already taking a toll on the country and now it was hitting my family. At the time, my wife and I had two young kids – ages 1 and 3 – plus a couple of pets. We needed to find a new solution for our family and fast. 

That’s why, when I was offered a position at a company in East Tennessee in 2010, I took the gig. Things in Tennessee were ok for us, but it never quite felt like a complete fit. We enjoyed the mountains of East Tennessee, but those mountains were certainly no substitute for the Great Lakes. And I liked my company, but I never really saw any growth opportunities. Plus, it was hard to watch my kids grow up so far from their extended family. We’d go back to Michigan once a year, but it was always a whirlwind tour – not to mention a bittersweet reminder of what we’d had to leave behind.

Over time, my wife and I began to consider returning to West Michigan. I’d already commenced my job hunt when I saw an ad on LinkedIn from Hello West Michigan. What started as a quick interest form submission quickly turned into Resume Pack Program participation and – eventually – gainful employment at Autocam Medical, my current company, shortly followed by relocation of my entire family.

At first, the transition was challenging for my kids – currently 11 and 14 – but now we all love it here. We spend a ton of time outdoors – at the lakes and on the trails during the summers; snowboarding, snowmobiling, and sledding during the winters. My kids have finally gotten to know their family much better, and have grown especially close with their grandparents who they often go camping with on weekends.

I could go on and on about how much I love our new life as a family, but you have to really experience West Michigan to understand what makes it so special: the access to entertainment and the outdoors, the relaxed atmosphere, the inviting community. With so much at our fingertips, every weekend has the potential to be a vacation.