Extending Economic Opportunity through Gateway for Growth 

By Jennifer Owens, President Lakeshore Advantage

What is important to you when choosing where you want to live?

Our community is in competition with countless others to attract and retain world-class companies and top-level talent. West Michigan is home to business giants and a diverse manufacturing base. To continue to make ours a community of choice, we need to make sure we vision for our community’s future. Now more than ever, we need to look at the foundation of what makes West Michigan a special, thriving place and build on that. 
 
One of the core reasons why our community remains a top choice for business is our talented workforce. Yet, if you are not from the region and look at our demographics, you see we are not as ethnically diverse as other regions. We can use our region’s collective culture of continuous improvement to help welcome residents and visitors from all over the world. Given our nation’s decline in birth rates, welcoming and embracing new Americans or immigrants will be key to our continued economic success. 
 
There are more than 15,000 immigrants in Ottawa County alone. These immigrants represent $335 million in spending power and contribute more than $100 million in taxes. Communities across the world are racing to attract human capital to thrive economically. Continuing to become a more welcoming place for immigrants gives us a leg up in that competition, helping us to retain and attract talented people of all backgrounds, viewpoints, and ideas. 
 
Thankfully, our largest employers realize the importance of welcoming and encouraging diversity.  There are many national best practices well underway at our major employers. For example, Gentex now has a fully Spanish-speaking production line. This is one way to build an inclusive community and create opportunity for more citizens.  Word from the Gentex team is that the retention rate and referrals for this line have exceeded their expectations.
 
We are proud to be a partner in Ottawa County’s Gateway for Growth plan, which is a comprehensive toolkit that includes how and why we partner, connect, advocate, and support all Ottawa county residents. This welcoming plan seeks to show everyone who lives here that they belong, and we are glad they chose our community to live, work, play, and grow. 
 
There is so much more work to do to increase diversity and open the doors of our community. Recognizing that is the first step. It will take public, private, and non-profit sectors’ efforts, and all of us individually, to make our community a place of choice to live no matter the color of one’s skin or nation of origin. 
 
The Gateway for Growth plan gives us tools to make inclusivity a reality. Join me in making ours a place where all feel welcome. Our economic future depends on it. 
 
NOTE:
If your business or organization is putting initiatives in place to embrace diversity, equity, and inclusion, we would love to learn from your efforts. 
 
Let us know what you are doing to welcome all into our community. Share your strides forward at: info@lakeshoreadvantage.com.