[Congressional Record Volume 167, Number 35 (Wednesday, February 24, 2021)]
[Senate]
[Pages S853-S854]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                        TRIBUTE TO BIRGIT KLOHS

 Mr. PETERS. Mr. President, I rise today to honor a lifelong 
leader of West Michigan's economic development community, Birgit Klohs, 
president and CEO of The Right Place in Grand Rapids, MI. Ms. Klohs has 
made an immense impact on western Michigan over the past 33 years and 
has helped reshape the region and State's future.
  Born in West Germany, Ms. Klohs left her home country to attend 
Western Michigan University in Kalamazoo, where she graduated with a 
bachelors of business administration in finance. While going to school 
full time, she began her economic development career in service to the 
Berrien County Economic Development Corporation as an industrial 
consultant and then eventually moved to the Michigan Department of 
Commerce where she served as an account executive focusing on western 
Michigan.
  Later, as assistant director of the Office for Economic Expansion at 
Grand Valley State University, Ms. Klohs was asked to join the region's 
first-ever European foreign investment mission in conjunction with The 
Right Place. The Right Place, an organization started in 1985 by Grand 
Rapids area business executives, was concerned that the region was 
missing out on economic opportunities. That trip involved discussions 
with a German company that 2 years later broke ground on a new 
manufacturing plant just north of Grand Rapids, a highlight in Klohs' 
career dedicated to keeping and growing jobs in the region.
  Mrs. Klohs applied for the directorship of The Right Place and began 
leading the organization as president and CEO in 1987. At that time, 
The Right Place had a small staff serving one county; after Ms. Klohs' 
dynamic leadership and expertise, it grew into a

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team of more than 30 professionals serving a six-county region. 
Throughout her three decades of leadership, The Right Place has 
assisted thousands of west Michigan companies to invest more than $5 
billion and create 48,500 new jobs throughout the region.
  Ms. Klohs also helped the region, known for its manufacturing 
heritage, to grow its skill and sophistication in making things, from 
medical devices to office furniture. In the process, she helped the 
region grow and increase the job opportunities across many sectors. 
Those efforts attracted attention worldwide, with ``The Economist'' 
last year citing Grand Rapids as ``the most successful intensive 
manufacturing city in America'' and Forbes ranking Grand Rapids No. 2 
on its list of the top 15 industrial cities in America.
  Over her career, Ms. Klohs worked closely with five Michigan 
Governors to pursue economic development opportunities around the 
globe. The region is now home to 136 foreign companies, including more 
than 50 from her homeland of Germany. She is credited with fostering 
countless public-private ventures that advance the economic prosperity 
of the region, including the Medical Mile which is the 10th largest 
life science cluster in the United States, the Michigan Manufacturing 
Technology Center West, and partnerships with Hello West Michigan, the 
first employer-driven relocation and job information center in the 
Nation.
  Most recently, The Right Place recognized that economic prosperity 
was not being shared by all citizens. That led to the creation of a New 
Community Transformation Fund to uplift communities of color through 
capital investment. As the pandemic reared its ugly head throughout 
2020, The Right Place quickly pivoted to assist in delivering $10 
million in emergency financial aid to 1200 struggling businesses in the 
Grand Rapids community and harnessed the region's manufacturing 
ingenuity and supply chains to create and distribute lifesaving 
personal protective equipment.
  Ms. Klohs' commitment to the region and State was not limited to The 
Right Place. Among the boards she chaired or served on are the Michigan 
Economic Development Corporation, the Gerald R. Ford Airport Authority, 
the International Crossing Authority, and the Western Michigan 
University Board of Trustees, her alma mater.
  Ms. Birgit Klohs was fond of saying that economic development was ``a 
team sport.'' After 33 years as captain of one of the Nation's most 
successful teams, I ask all of my colleagues to join me in 
congratulating her for her well-earned retirement from The Right Place 
and to wish Birgit and her family health and happiness in the years 
ahead.

                          ____________________