Our People
This person has been at RPI longer than any other current employee.
Who is Tim Mroz?
References to this technology in job descriptions have increased in Greater Grand Rapids by 338% since 2022.
What is AI?
This university keeps the most graduates in the Grand Rapids area.
What is GVSU?
These three industries are the highest priority in RPI's workforce development.
What is healthcare, manufacturing, and tech?
This phenomenon will lead a decrease in the future population.
What is declining birth rates?
This many people were hired onto the RPI team in 2025. Bonus 200 points if you can name everyone!
What is nine? (Karen, A'Mya, Kristine, Doug, Katrina, Lauren, Elise, Peter, and Dayna)
This K-12 program, discussed by Aaron Johnson at the December Lunch & Learn, integrates STEM education and career development while preparing students for high-demand aerospace careers.
What is Drone Soccer?
In 2023-2024, this Grand Rapids school sustained 116k jobs in the region.
What is GVSU?
This company is the biggest employer in the Greater Grand Rapids region.
What is Corewell Health?
According to LinkedIn, this place is the #1 city in the nation to grow your career.
What is Grand Rapids?
This number of people at RPI graduated from GVSU. Bonus 300 points if you can name all of them!
What is 12? (Lauren, Jill, Peter, Allyssa, Emily, Jodi, Elise, Angela, Jennifer, Andria, John, Tim)
This is the number of new tech jobs that were added to the Greater Grand Rapids Region in 2025.
What is 1,300?
These four schools are the Region 4 community colleges.
Montcalm Community College, GRCC, Westshore Community College, Muskegon Community College.
This number of jobs has been brought to the region since 2019.
What is 16,000?
According to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, this generation had the highest workforce participation rate in 2024.
What is Millennials?
These are two of the five people at RPI who graduated from CMU.
Who is Brad, Curtis, Brent, Kristi, and Dayna?
According to the 2025 State of the Region Report, these three skills are the most requested tech skills in job postings, from October 2024 to September 2025. (Hint: think software/applications)
SAP Applications, AutoCAD, and Salesforce
According to the 2025 State of the Region, this percentage of Greater Grand Rapids residents have earned a bachelor's degree or higher.
What is 37%?
This number represents the jobs that RPI has brought to the region over the last 40 years.
What is 50,000?
As of November 2025, this percentage reflects the national unemployment rate.
This is the city where Randy began his economic development career.
What is Evert and Monroe, Michigan?
This GRCC program connects students to cutting-edge training and clear career pathways in IT and advanced manufacturing.
What is Future Tech Careers?
These are two of three programs offered by Kent ISD to high schoolers to assist with early college, online schooling, and career exploration.
What is KCTC (Kent Career Tech Center), Launch U, and MySchool@Kent?
This percentage reflects the Greater Grand Rapids population growth over the last decade.
What is 6.2%?
Outside of unclassified industries, these are two of the four industries (using NAICS) that have seen the most growth nationally from 2024-2025.
What is 1: Arts, Entertainment, and Recreation; 2: Transportation and Warehousing; 3: Professional, Scientific, and Technical Services; 4: Healthcare and Social Assistance?