![\"\"](\"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/ai\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/05\/The-Right-Place-Investor-Exchange-x-Tommy-Allen-4-1024x683.jpg\")
TaRita Johnson, right, moderates the Investor Exchange with Mike Marsiglia (Atomic Object),\u00a0 Bill Pink\u00a0(Ferris State University),\u00a0Jan Herrington-Davis (Corewell Health), and Seth Bushouse (Gentex Corporation).<\/p>\nTaRita Johnson, right, moderates the Investor Exchange with Mike Marsiglia (Atomic Object),\u00a0 Bill Pink\u00a0(Ferris State University),\u00a0Jan Herrington-Davis (Corewell Health), and Seth Bushouse (Gentex Corporation).<\/p>\n
Artificial intelligence may be reshaping the workforce, but many organizations are still struggling to use it effectively, a gap regional leaders say could define the next phase of economic growth in West Michigan.<\/p>\n
\u201cOnly 6% feel like we\u2019re really achieving what we need with AI,\u201d says Mike Marsiglia, co-CEO of Atomic Object<\/a>, a Grand Rapids-based software design and development firm. \u201cAnd I think this is going to be the challenge for all of us over the next three to five years.\u201d<\/p>\n That challenge and broader workforce questions took center stage during The Right Place Investor Exchange, where TaRita Johnson, senior vice president of talent and diversity at The Right Place<\/a>, presented an early look at the organization\u2019s 2026 Talent Report.<\/p>\n Hosted by The Right Place at the Embassy Suites by Hilton Grand Rapids Downtown, the event brought together business leaders, educators, and employers to examine how talent trends, including AI adoption and demographic changes, are influencing the future of the seven-county Greater Grand Rapids region.<\/p>\n \u201cWe all must play together,\u201d Johnson says. \u201cWhen we think about talent, there\u2019s both a short-term and long-term strategy.\u201d<\/p>\n \u2018Candidate-rich environment\u2019<\/p>\n After years of pandemic-driven hiring surges, the labor market in West Michigan has stabilized. Employers are hiring more selectively and, in some cases, delaying replacement hires.<\/p>\n \u201cThis is a candidate-rich environment,\u201d Johnson says. \u201cBut that means we have to be more\u00a0 intentional about how we identify and develop talent.\u201d<\/p>\n That shift has led to increased workloads in some workplaces and rising concerns about burnout. \u201cPeople are doing more with less,\u201d she says.<\/p>\n Even as wages increase, workplace experience continues to influence whether employees stay.<\/p>\n \u201cThe No. 1 reason people leave jobs is their manager,\u201d Johnson says. \u201cJust because you\u2019re good at your job doesn\u2019t mean you know how to lead people.\u201d<\/p>\n Organizations are responding by investing more in leadership training and employee development, reflecting a shift toward longer-term workforce planning.<\/p>\n The report highlights demographic changes across the region. Population growth has slowed due to declining birth rates, while diversity continues to increase.<\/p>\n \u201cDiversity has been our growth engine in this region,\u201d Johnson says.<\/p>\n At the same time, employers are managing a workforce that spans multiple generations while competing to retain younger workers, particularly those ages 25 to 34.<\/p>\n Greater Grand Rapids holds an advantage in that age group compared with similar regions, but keeping that talent remains a challenge.<\/p>\n Community connection plays a role in whether people stay in the region. \u201cIf we don\u2019t connect people in community, they\u2019re more likely to leave,\u201d Johnson says.<\/p>\n Keeping college grads here<\/p>\n That concern is echoed by Bill Pink, president of Ferris State University<\/a>, who says many students leave the state after graduation.<\/p>\n \u201cJust because they grew up here doesn\u2019t mean they plan to stay here,\u201d Pink says.<\/p>\n He says stronger collaboration between employers and educators can help students see local opportunities more clearly.<\/p>\n \u201cHow do we attract those students to stay in Michigan?\u201d he says.<\/p>\n Exposure plays a key role in that effort. \u201cIf I don\u2019t know about it, how can I be it?\u201d Pink says.<\/p>\n Internships and hands-on experiences can help students make informed career decisions.<\/p>\n \u201cGet them in. Give them the experience. And pay them,\u201d Pink says. \u201cThat\u2019s a small investment to find great talent.\u201d<\/p>\n He also emphasized that career pathways vary.<\/p>\n \u201cThat doesn\u2019t always mean a four-year degree; sometimes it\u2019s a credential,\u201d Pink says.<\/p>\n Don\u2019t fear AI<\/p>\n Artificial intelligence continues to gain attention across industries, though adoption varies widely.<\/p>\n \u201cWe shouldn\u2019t be afraid of it,\u201d Johnson says. \u201cWe need the combination of human plus AI.\u201d<\/p>\n Marsiglia says the main barrier is not access to tools, but how organizations use them. The tools alone are not enough. We need to rethink processes to really unlock AI,\u201d he says.<\/p>\n Many companies remain in an exploratory phase, testing tools without making broader operational changes.<\/p>\n \u201cPeople aren\u2019t making the investment yet,\u201d Marsiglia says. \u201cThis is a multi-year journey.\u201d<\/p>\n Panelists described how their organizations are addressing workforce challenges. At Corewell Health, Jan Harrington-Davis, senior vice president of talent attraction at Corewell Health<\/a>, says workforce shortages remain a concern.<\/p>\n \u201cIn healthcare, we have shortages in every single clinical area,\u201d she says.<\/p>\n Those shortages extend beyond nursing to include several clinical roles. \u201cIf we don\u2019t do something about it, we will have a big crisis,\u201d Harrington-Davis says.<\/p>\n The organization has introduced programs to develop talent internally.<\/p>\n \u201cWe\u2019ve developed \u2018earn to learn\u2019 programs so people can work and go to school at the same time,\u201d she says. \u201cWe\u2019re shifting from being requisition-driven to candidate-driven.\u201d<\/p>\n \u2018Retain and retrain\u2019<\/p>\n At Gentex Corp<\/a>., Seth Bushouse says the region already has a strong base of talent.<\/p>\n \u201cIf you squint your eyes at the data, everybody in this room should be grateful,\u201d Bushouse says. \u201cWe have a gift.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n Maintaining that advantage requires continued investment.<\/p>\n \u201cThe new battlefield is talent development,\u201d he says. \u201cRetain and retrain needs to be a business priority again.\u201d<\/p>\n Gentex has focused on early exposure programs.<\/p>\n \u201cStart as early as you can,\u201d Bushouse says. \u201cWe bring in students on \u2018yellow bus days\u2019 to expose them to our work.\u201d<\/p>\n Panelists pointed to collaboration as a key part of addressing workforce challenges.<\/p>\n \u201cIt\u2019s a partnership between employers and education,\u201d Bushouse says.<\/p>\n Johnson agrees, adding that learning happens across generations.<\/p>\n \u201cThe mentorship goes both ways,\u201d she says.<\/p>\n Randy Thelen, CEO of The Right Place, says the report\u2019s central theme starts with people. The organization\u2019s mission has long centered on the people behind the region\u2019s economy.<\/p>\n \u201cIt wasn\u2019t about the brick and mortar, it\u2019s because of the people within those buildings,\u201d he says.<\/p>\n The latest report, he adds, reflects a turning point in the labor market.<\/p>\n \u201cThe labor market is much more in balance today than it was coming out of COVID,\u201d says Thelen, when employers were raising wages and advertising for talent on billboards and everywhere else.<\/p>\n That shift has changed how companies approach growth.<\/p>\n \u201cBefore, there were concerns they couldn\u2019t find the talent to grow their business,\u201d he says. \u201cNow they can find the people, so the focus moves to growth.\u201d<\/p>\n Photos by Tommy Allen<\/p>\n This series, West Michigan Tech, aims to spotlight tech organizations and employers in the Greater Grand Rapids area that are delivering innovative programs, addressing talent pipeline challenges, and striving to develop, attract, and retain top talent in West Michigan. This series is underwritten by\u00a0The Right Place<\/a>.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"TaRita Johnson, right, moderates the Investor Exchange with Mike Marsiglia (Atomic Object),\u00a0 Bill Pink\u00a0(Ferris State University),\u00a0Jan Herrington-Davis (Corewell…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":33229,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[2],"tags":[24,25,21237],"class_list":["post-33228","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","category-ai","tag-ai","tag-artificial-intelligence","tag-business-development"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/ai\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/33228","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/ai\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/ai\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/ai\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/ai\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=33228"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/ai\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/33228\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/ai\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/33229"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/ai\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=33228"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/ai\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=33228"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/ai\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=33228"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}![\"\"](\"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/ai\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/05\/The-Right-Place-Investor-Exchange-x-Tommy-Allen-3-1024x682.jpg\")
The Right Place\u2019s Investor Exchange was held at the\u00a0Embassy Suites by Hilton Grand Rapids Downtown.<\/p>\n![\"\"](\"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/ai\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/05\/The-Right-Place-Investor-Exchange-x-Tommy-Allen-1-1024x683.jpg\")
Holland\u2019s Joe Dyer of Disher catches up with industry folks at The Right Place\u2019s 2026 Investor Exchange.<\/p>\n![\"\"](\"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/ai\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/05\/The-Right-Place-Investor-Exchange-x-Tommy-Allen-5-1024x683.jpg\")
The Right Place\u2019s Investor Exchange sponsor,\u00a0Ryan Burke of Bluewater Hayes, welcomes attendees.<\/p>\n![\"\"](\"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/ai\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/05\/The-Right-Place-Investor-Exchange-x-Tommy-Allen-2-1024x687.jpg\")
Post-event, The Right Place\u2019s Randy Thelen and TaRita Johnson pose with Investor Exchange panelists Mike Marsiglia
(Atomic Object),\u00a0Bill Pink\u00a0(Ferris State University),\u00a0Jan Herrington-Davis (Corewell Health), and Seth Bushouse (Gentex Corporation).<\/p>\n