A new appointee at The Right Place is tasked with accelerating Grand Rapids’ tech sector.
The Right Place, Inc. recently named Rob Llanes its new senior VP of business development.
Llanes was hired to focus on business retention, expansion and attracting new businesses to the Grand Rapids region. Llanes will lead the business development and Michigan Manufacturing Technology Center-West teams and create the organization’s 2023-25 strategic plan.
The overarching goal of Llanes’ appointment to the position is to establish the Grand Rapids area as the next great tech hub of the Midwest.
“With my depth of experience working in various corporations, startups and consulting, I thought this position with The Right Place was the perfect fit,” Llanes said.
Llanes is a U.S. Army Veteran who served as a cavalry soldier and reached the rank of corporal before leaving the service to further his education. Llanes was director of sales and business development at Ottobock, a German company that develops and manufactures exoskeletons. He was the company’s first North American employee and built the foundation of Ottobock’s North American business.
Randy Thelen, president and CEO of The Right Place said he’s thrilled to have Llane on board.
“Rob’s entrepreneurial spirit and wide range of expertise, especially in his tech-related roles, is just what we need for this position,” he said.
Llanes held several high-ranking positions at multiple companies in the technology domain, including CEO of Wafer, Inc. His education includes a bachelor’s degree in information and decision science from the University of Illinois and a master’s degree in engineering management from Northwestern University.
More information about The Right Place is here.
