Candidate Testimonials

Zach T.

By Olivia Windorf|2021-04-30T15:51:53-04:00November 5th, 2019|Categories: Blog, Blog Posts, Profiles|Tags: Beaches, boomerang, downtown, grand rapids, Intern Connect, lifestyle, restaurants|

Originally from the East side of the state, Zach fell in love with the laid-back lifestyle of Grand Rapids after living downtown during a summer internship with Gordon Food Service (GFS). His summer spent on [...]

Nanda F.

By Olivia Windorf|2021-04-30T15:54:47-04:00November 5th, 2019|Categories: Blog, Blog Posts, Profiles|Tags: boomerang, Kalamazoo, ReThink West Michigan, west michigan|

Born and raised in Wyoming, Michigan, Nanda appreciates the diversity and growth that she’s seen in West Michigan throughout the years. Wyoming is the third largest community in West Michigan so it’s no wonder that [...]

Daniel J.

By Olivia Windorf|2021-04-30T15:57:04-04:00November 5th, 2019|Categories: Blog, Blog Posts, Profiles|Tags: Ada, boomerang, Downtown Grand Rapids, events, Lake Michigan, lakeshore, MiMade Mixer, relocation, west michigan|

Being a father of four who enjoys the city and life in the country, West Michigan is the best of both worlds for Daniel. Daniel attended high school, college, and graduate school in West Michigan. [...]

Chelsea F.

By Vanessa Lansdale|2021-04-30T15:59:12-04:00March 6th, 2019|Categories: Profiles|Tags: beach, Pigeon Creek Park, relocation, restaurants, Tunnel Park|

Though she grew up in Ohio and went to college there, Chelsea was no stranger to West Michigan. The region was a frequent vacation spot for her family, and now, she’s made it her home. [...]

Mason N.

By Jessica Kuster|2021-04-30T15:58:10-04:00February 10th, 2019|Categories: Profiles|Tags: Beaches, boomerang, Grand Valley State University, Lake Michigan|

Mason grew up in a small suburb of Chicago, but decided to venture to West Michigan to attend college at Grand Valley State University. After moving to Indianapolis post-graduation, Mason decided to settle down in [...]

Lindsey B.

By Vanessa Lansdale|2021-04-30T16:02:06-04:00December 5th, 2018|Categories: Profiles|Tags: Family-Friendly, grand rapids, GVSU, relocation|

If someone would have told Lindsey 15 years ago that she would eventually buy a house minutes away from her parents and send her kids to the same school she went to, she would have [...]

Justine B.

By Vanessa Lansdale|2021-04-30T16:04:21-04:00November 19th, 2018|Categories: Profiles|Tags: Chicago, Economic Development, Manufacturing, ReThink West Michigan, The Right Place|

Vacation and family. Those were two reasons Justine came to visit West Michigan while growing up on the east side of the state, but living here wasn’t in her college plan. Though everyone in her [...]

Andy B.

By Vanessa Lansdale|2021-04-30T16:03:21-04:00November 14th, 2018|Categories: Profiles|Tags: Arts, beach, Entertainment, Music, Muskegon, Symphony|

Though he grew up in Wisconsin, Andy was no stranger to West Michigan when he was a child. His family’s historic cottage near Traverse City was a frequent summer spot. Some of his earliest memories [...]

Gary P.

By Emma Chung|2021-04-30T16:05:14-04:00November 7th, 2018|Categories: Profiles|Tags: boomerang, Detroit, engineer, engineering, Hastings, Lake Michigan, ReThink|

Born in Lansing and raised in Hastings, Gary is no stranger to West Michigan. He attended Michigan Technological University in the Upper Peninsula--or “God’s Country” as some like to call it -- and continued his [...]

Kera C.

By Emma Chung|2021-04-30T16:07:31-04:00October 18th, 2018|Categories: Profiles|Tags: boomerang, downtown, Downtown Grand Rapids, grand rapids, Lansing, Meijer, Michigan State, MSU, ReThink, west michigan|

Born and raised in West Michigan, Kera grew up in Kalamazoo and graduated from Michigan State University (there was an automatic and proud “Go Green!” at the mention of her alma mater). She has always [...]

Jamie

By Vanessa Lansdale|2021-04-30T16:09:25-04:00May 24th, 2018|Categories: Profiles|

The ironic part of hiring Jamie to be an intern with Hello West Michigan is when she started with us, she had every intention of leaving West Michigan when she graduated from GVSU. In previous [...]

Lexie and Ian

By Jamie Belt|2021-04-30T16:10:55-04:00April 10th, 2018|Categories: Profiles|Tags: couple, grand rapids, Lansing, Michigan State, relocation, significant other, starting over|

Our MI Made Mixer event in March brought together all kinds of people from all different backgrounds, and we had the pleasure to connect with one couple who was especially unique with their story: Ian and Lexie. They caught [...]

Kelly P.

By Jamie Belt|2021-04-30T16:12:28-04:00March 15th, 2018|Categories: Profiles|

Originally a Michigan native, Kelly was born in Cadillac but grew up in Northern Indiana after her family moved there when she was two. After meeting her now husband, she spent her teen years around [...]

Tim D.

By Jamie Belt|2021-04-30T16:13:40-04:00March 13th, 2018|Categories: Profiles|

Tim grew up in East Grand Rapids and loved all of the outdoor opportunities that surrounded him while also being close to an urban downtown. He loved going camping, visiting Lake Michigan, and being able to get out [...]

Scott B.

By Jamie Belt|2021-04-30T16:19:38-04:00February 20th, 2018|Categories: Profiles|

Scott is a Michigander, born and raised, but has also worked and lived in places like California, Maryland, Massachusetts, and Ohio. The common thread for all of these locales is water. Scott loves living near water and the beach (Ohio [...]

Eva R.

By Jamie Belt|2021-04-30T16:17:35-04:00December 7th, 2017|Categories: Profiles|Tags: boomerang, craft beer, relocation, running, wander lust|

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 [...]

Jennifer R.

By Jamie Belt|2021-04-30T16:20:55-04:00November 21st, 2017|Categories: Profiles|Tags: Candidate, Chicago, Meijer, move|

Jennifer is a Chicago native who has been in the marketing communications field for more than 20 years. Previous roles included time with the Chicago Board of Trade and Office Max, however she was laid [...]

Brandy M.

By Brooke Naumcheff|2021-05-03T11:09:40-04:00May 8th, 2017|Categories: Profiles|

Born and raised in Grand Rapids, Brandy has roots and strong ties here in West Michigan that she could not help but return to. Upon graduation from Western Michigan University in 2008, Brandy decided to [...]

Jeffrey S.

By Brooke Naumcheff|2021-05-03T11:08:37-04:00April 12th, 2017|Categories: Profiles|

Jeffrey’s list of residences reads like a list of iconic American cities. He was born and raised in Livingston, New Jersey before attending college at Carnegie Mellon University in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. After graduating, he lived [...]

Amber G.

By Brooke Naumcheff|2021-05-03T11:10:37-04:00April 12th, 2017|Categories: Profiles|

After only a month of living in West Michigan, Amber, a North Carolina native, already feels at home. Living in North Carolina and later attending college in Florida, one might think West Michigan is an [...]

Candidate Testimonials

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