October 14, 2025
TalentFirst Industry Deep Dives: Where West Michigan’s Talent Strategy Gets Real
West Michigan’s talent market is shifting in ways that will set the trajectory for growth over the next...
3/4
Illuminate. Evaluate. Advocate.
TalentFirst is a catalyst working to ensure an ongoing supply of world-class talent for West Michigan. Composed of over 100 CEOs from the region, TalentFirst illuminates gaps, evaluates leading practices, and advocates for the implementation of those leading practices to make West Michigan a top 20% employment region.
Unmatched Collaboration for Regional Impact
TalentFirst serves 13 counties in West Michigan, engaging the industries, businesses, and nonprofit and educational institutions of each county. We chose this region — Allegan, Barry, Ionia, Kent, Lake, Mason, Mecosta, Montcalm, Muskegon, Newaygo, Oceana, Osceola and Ottawa counties — because it provides the talent pool from which local employers employ 83.6 percent of their workforce. We convene stakeholders from across sectors and facilitate efficient and effective collaboration.
Our Members
TalentFirst’s membership represents an array of the region’s business, educational, and civic leaders — a group as diverse as the region we serve. Together, they are a powerful force for meeting the talent demand of today and tomorrow.
Our Insights
- October 14, 2025
West Michigan’s talent market is shifting in ways that will set the trajectory for growth over the next decade. Retirement risk is accelerating. Hiring is...
- October 2, 2025
West Michigan—and the nation—are at an inflection point. Retirements will outpace new entrants for the next two decades, creating a high demand for fresh talent...
- September 23, 2025
AI is no longer a distant concept — it’s here, reshaping industries and redefining how people work. From advanced manufacturing and healthcare to financial services...