#001. Birgit Klohs: Regional development in West Michigan and the Grand Rapids Medical Mile

10/05/22 • 67 min

We kick off Season 1 of Policy Works with a conversation with a veteran in the field of regional economic development. Birgit Klohs has been a economic development agent for over 45 years. For nearly 30 of them, she was President and CEO of The Right Place, a regional development organisation in Greater Grand Rapids, West Michigan. Centrally located between Chicago and Detroit, Grand Rapids is Michigan’s second-largest city and a hub for research, innovation and a thriving regional economy.

In this wide ranging and detailed conversation, we speak to Birgit on what it takes to create a regional economic hub, including:

the origins and evolution of The Right Place

the Grand Rapids Medical Mile, which has become a hub for medical education, medical devices and other health services

the goals and challenges facing an economic development agency

how she thinks about eliminating systemic inequities in her role as an economic development agent

the connection between workforce development and economic development, and more

Learn more about the Reimagining the Economy project: http://reimagining-the-economy.hks.harvard.edu

10/05/22 • 67 min

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