The Congressional Record is a unique source of public documentation. It started in 1873, documenting nearly all the major and minor policies being discussed and debated.
“TRIBUTE TO BIRGIT KLOHS” mentioning Gary C. Peters was published in the Senate section on pages S853-S854 on Feb. 24.
Of the 100 senators in 117th Congress, 24 percent were women, and 76 percent were men, according to the Biographical Directory of the United States Congress.
Senators' salaries are historically higher than the median US income.
The publication is reproduced in full below:
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 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.
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