Feature Stories
Rob McCarty, '96
What do you get when you combine the stamina of a security officer
with the savvy of a business degree? An entrepreneur. Although he
studied criminal justice at Grand Valley State University, Rob
McCarty, ’96 found his true passion in promotion and marketing.
McCarty took the best of both degrees and applied it toward starting a
business. His wife, Karen Tracey, ‘88, already an entrepreneur, and
Troy Best, ’95, an established designer, opened the Image Shoppe in
2003 in the (at the time) up-and-coming East Hills neighborhood.
Today, East Hills is thriving with local businesses, restaurants,
and nonprofit organizations. No stranger to nonprofits, McCarty has
worked with close neighbors West Michigan Environmental Action
Council, Wealthy Street Business Alliance, and Green Grand Rapids. He
is also one of the proud founding members of Local First, an
organization dedicated to the support and promotion of local business
ownership in the Midwest.
In 2012, McCarty was awarded as one of Grand Rapids Business
Journal’s Top 40 Under 40 Business Leaders and with the Joan Wolfe
Award from WMEAC for his long-standing commitment to the organization.
In his most recent project with WMEAC, he promoted the BetterBuildings
for Michigan program which works to improve the energy efficiency in
homes throughout the Grand Rapids area.
McCarty’s enthusiasm for local business and community stems from
the same drive that gained him two internships while studying at Grand
Valley. In 1995, he worked with West Grand, a nonprofit organization
that strives to unite local businesses and residents to improve the
vitality of their neighborhood. During his internship with West,
McCarty ran the Auto Theft Prevention Authority program. Then in his
senior year, he joined the Herman Miller security team and saw just
how successful local business could be.
The experiences McCarty had throughout his educational career
strengthened his character and gave him a high expectation of success.
Seeing the investment that residents and businesses have put into the
area gives McCarty confidence in West Michigan. He hopes to keep
growing and improving along with the neighborhood and sees nothing but
positive things in the future.
Updated December 2012
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