Randy Thelen
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Randy Thelen
President, Lakeshore Advantage
Holland
With more than $1 billion in investment announced in the Holland/Zeeland area in 2010, Thelen was the envy of the economic developers nationwide. He and his team are helping ensure the advanced battery industry continues to take shape in West Michigan.
“(2012 will be) up — way up. Based upon our business surveys, it is clear that 2012 will bring continued, strong growth. Once again, we are a growth engine for the Midwest. Hiring, at all levels, has ramped up considerably across almost every industry. This past year, Lakeshore Advantage conducted a formal interview with nearly 150 Holland-Zeeland companies. A full 86 percent of these firms reported increased sales in 2011. Further, 88 percent of these companies are forecasting an expansion within three years — adding to their building, equipment and/or employment. This is up nearly 20 percent from only a year ago. Momentum is working in our favor. We see this reflected in the unemployment rates, which today stand at roughly half of where we were only two years ago. This rapid shift is causing some acute labor shortages: We need engineers, software developers, IT managers, welders, CNC machinists. And we need them now.”