The State of Economic Development event is dedicated to bringing together key private and public stakeholders to gain insight into economic investments being made now that will foster a prosperous community for us all for years to come. The program will continue to host insightful discussions on current and future economic development trends among business leaders, as well as other engaging guest speakers. We want to unveil and introduce our speakers and panelists as we move closer to January 25, 2024.
Speakers & Panelists
Matt Briden
Vice President, Business Planning, DENSO
Matt Briden is vice president of Business Planning at DENSO in North America. Based at the company’s thermal manufacturing facility in Battle Creek, Michigan, he oversees strategy, planning and execution of thermal business across eight locations in the United States, Canada and Mexico. Matt joined DENSO in 2013 at its Ontario manufacturing facility, where he served as manager of Business Planning, Information Technology, and Purchasing. In 2014, he expatriated to Battle Creek and took on profit planning responsibility for DENSO’s North American Thermal business.
Greg Dobson
Chief Operating Officer, AVB
In November 1999, Greg joined real estate and construction firm AVB in Portage, Michigan. He invested in and became one of four partners in AVB in 2006. Today, Greg serves as Chief Operating Officer. Since 1999, he has directly been involved in the development and construction of over $250,000,000 in student housing projects throughout West Michigan and the eastern half of the U.S.; multi-family projects in Portage and Kalamazoo, including 400 Rose in downtown Kalamazoo, over 300,000 square feet of Class A office space at I-94 and Westnedge; numerous Walgreens in Indiana and Michigan; and numerous planned development projects including the corner@ drake retail development in Kalamazoo anchored by Costco and Trader Joe’s.
Dr. Gabriel Ehrlich
Economic Forecaster, University of Michigan
Director of Research Seminar in Quantitative Economics
Dr. Gabriel M. Ehrlich is an economic forecaster at the University of Michigan, where he is the Director of the University’s Research Seminar in Quantitative Economics (RSQE). He has published widely in academic journals, and his research has been discussed in the Economist, the Financial Times, and the Washington Post. Gabe oversees RSQE’s forecasts of the U.S. and Michigan economies, and he presents regularly to the Michigan Legislature and Governor about Michigan’s economic and fiscal prospects. He also gives frequent interviews on the economic outlook both in print and on the air. He is a coauthor of The U.S. Economic Outlook for 2023–2024 and The Michigan Economic Outlook for 2023–2024.
Jessica Mallow Gulley
Executive Director, Kalamazoo Symphony Orchestra
Jessica Mallow Gulley is the current Executive Director for the Kalamazoo Symphony Orchestra. She has previously held the positions of Director of Business Partnerships and Director of Corporate Relations at Jacksonville Symphony, as well as Executive Assistant at Washington Performing Arts.
Dr. Michael Horrigan
President, W.E. Upjohn Institute for Employment Research
Michael Horrigan, President of Upjohn Institute since 2019, oversees the study of policy-related research to understand and alleviate the problems of unemployment, the changing nature of employment relationships and the quality of jobs, and place-based policies to improve community prosperity. The Institute also runs innovative workforce programs in four area counties to directly assist individuals to overcome the barriers they face in finding and keeping good-paying, in-demand jobs. In his role at the Institute, he gives dozens of speeches each year on national, state, and regional macroeconomic and labor trends.
William D. Johnston
Chairman, Greenleaf Trust
As Chairman, Bill focuses on culture, vision, mission and high-level strategies for Greenleaf Trust. In addition, he is Chairman of Greenleaf Companies (inclusive of Greenleaf Trust; Greenleaf Hospitality, Inc.; and Catalyst Development Company, L.L.C.); Bill serves as trustee of the Genevieve and Donald S. Gilmore Foundation. He also serves on the board of directors of Southwest Michigan First Economic Development Corporation, Bronson Healthcare Group, HUMANeX, Special-Lite Corporation and the Western Michigan University Foundation. He is a former Western Michigan University Trustee. He earned his bachelor’s and master’s degrees from Western Michigan University.
Quentin L. Messer, Jr., CEcD
CEO, Michigan Economic Development Corporation
President and Chair, Michigan Strategic Fund
As CEO and Chief Economic Competitiveness Officer of the Michigan Economic Development Corporation (MEDC) and President and Chair of the Michigan Strategic Fund, Quentin implements and executes MEDC’s core mission of business development and attraction, community development, providing access to capital and enhancing Michigan’s brand with a focus on building a strong, equitable economy for all Michiganders. He manages the administration of all programs, funds, personnel, contracts, and other administrative functions of MEDC.
Dr. Edward Montgomery
President, Western Michigan University
Dr. Edward Montgomery is the ninth president of Western Michigan University. A nationally recognized labor economist, educator and administrator who played major roles in both the Clinton and Obama administrations, President Montgomery today spearheads initiatives at Western that help students ignite their purpose, explore their well-being and prosper in an ever-changing world. In a nationally historic boost to these efforts overseen by Dr. Montgomery, the University received the largest gift ever made for a public university.
Jonas Peterson
CEO, Southwest Michigan First
Jonas currently serves as CEO of Southwest Michigan First. In that role, he leads a talented team focused on strengthening the regional economy and positioning SMF as a national leader in economic and community development. Prior to joining SMF, Peterson served as President and CEO of Las Vegas Global Economic Alliance (LVGEA). During his tenure, LVGEA quickly become one of the largest and most influential nonprofit business associations in Nevada.
Carlos Rangel
VP and Chief Investment Officer, W.K. Kellogg Foundation
Carlos Rangel is vice president and chief investment officer for the W.K. Kellogg Foundation in Battle Creek, Michigan. In this role, he leads the investment office and supports the foundation’s efforts to promote thriving children, working families, and equitable communities. In addition to his investment duties, Rangel has recently been a co-executive sponsor for the Expanding Equity work at the Kellogg Foundation in partnership with the CEO’s office and the vice president for program strategy.
Carla Sones
President, Southwest Michigan First
At Southwest Michigan First, Carla leads the organization’s workforce development strategies by collaborating with key partners and stakeholders at the local, state, and national levels to drive economic prosperity in the seven-county region of Southwest Michigan. With over 15 years championing community development, she has the talent to connect communities and economic developers with the knowledge they need to succeed. From forging relationships across the world to bringing everyone under one roof, if you have a question, she has the answer.
Kelly Trice
President of Nuclear Generation and Decommissioning, Holtec International
Kelly is the president of Nuclear Generation and Decommissioning for Holtec International. In this role, he is responsible for the ambitious repowering of the Palisades Nuclear Power Plant; the design, licensing, and deployment of Holtec’s SMR-300 small modular reactor units domestically and internationally; and the ongoing decommissioning of Oyster Creek Generating Station in New Jersey, Pilgrim Nuclear Power Station in Massachusetts, and Indian Point Energy Center in New York.
Tom Zahrt
Deputy Superintendent and COO, Kalamazoo RESA
Tom is the Deputy Superintendent and COO of Kalamazoo RESA. Most recently, he has been Interim Superintendent of KRESA and prior to that, Assistant Superintendent HR and Operations. He is an HR executive of over 20 years. Over the last decade, Tom has screened, hired, coached, and mentored executives, managers, school administrators, principals, assistant principals, and all levels of staff. He prides himself on bridging the private sector with the educational sector and is known for being forward thinking, and as an operations person, bringing visions to reality.
Aaron Zeigler
President, Zeigler Auto Group
Bio to come…