GRAND RAPIDS, Mich. — The Right Place, Inc. has released its annual progress report on its 10-year tech strategy to grow the greater Grand Rapids region into a major tech hub of the Midwest. Those numbers highlight the growing sector as the third annual Tech Week GR kicks off.
The hope is to grow the industry to 10% of regional employment, which would mean creating 10,000 tech jobs in the area from 2021 through 2031.
The progress so far is promising, with 449 tech jobs added in the last year.
According to The Right Place’s 2024 Tech Report, that brings the total number of tech jobs in the greater Grand Rapids area to 39,123.
The median salary for these jobs is an impressive $83,300, with 6,770 tech job postings currently available.
As the third annual Tech Week gets underway in Grand Rapids, organizers are looking to bring even more focus on West Michigan’s role in technology development and manufacturing.
Mark Johnson, partner at Michigan Software Labs, notes that while technology can seem intimidating from the outside, Tech Week GR was created to be an inviting atmosphere.
“Our goal is to really make this week accessible for people, helping them to understand what's in it for them, either their industry or their organization, or even them as individuals,” Johnson told FOX 17 Tuesday. “Having something like this in Grand Rapids, which is really just trying to bring people together around technology, is really exciting.”
This year’s schedule includes more than 70 events, most of them completely free to attend.
Roughly 15,000 people are expected to attend this year.
The event has grown significantly since its inception three years ago, when it attracted around 3,000 visitors.
Andria Romkema, SVP of Marketing and Communications at The Right Place and lead organizer at Tech Week GR, emphasizes that the event is not just for “techies.”
“This isn't just a conference for software engineers. We have content for HR professionals, healthcare professionals, people in advanced manufacturing,” Romkema said. “We also have a lot of content for students.”
Check HERE for everything Tech Week GR 2024.
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