News
The Hub Welcomes Business Incubator Manager, Valerie Byrnes
January 26, 2016
We are pleased to introduce our new Business Incubator Manager, Valerie Byrnes, who joined The Hub in October 2015! Valerie comes to us with over 20 years of economic development experience in West Michigan and we are thrilled to have her on our team.
In her role, Valerie works to recruit and expand the development of new and growing entrepreneurial businesses at The Hub. She plans, organizes, and manages the day-to-day operations of the Hub Business Incubator, including leases, facility management, and business development. She helps Hub incubator clients assess their business needs, provides business planning oversight, and connects them to the appropriate resources to grow or launch their products and services.
When asked what she enjoys most about her new role Byrnes noted that “as an entrepreneur myself, I very much understand an entrepreneurial mindset and the difficulties of trying to provide form and focus to an idea. My practical experience in economic and business development allows me to meet our clients at the place where obstacles hinder progress and help them to navigate toward solutions.”
Prior to The Hub, Valerie spent nine years as the President of the Barry County Chamber of Commerce and Economic Development Alliance where she helped create a revolving loan fund for business development. She holds a bachelor’s degree in business management from Davenport University. Outside of The Hub, you can find Valerie flexing her entrepreneurial muscles at her home décor store in Holland, Michigan.
Learn more about Valerie and other MAREC team members on our Team page!