Zachary Morris, Edfp Email & Phone Number

Paw Paw, Mi, Us

Paw Paw, Michigan, Us

Market One, formerly known as Market Van Buren, is the economic development organization for the two-county region of Cass and Van Buren counties. Market Van Buren is a subsidiary of Kinexus Group, a non-profit based in southwest Michigan who is committed to inspiring positive economic change one person, one business, one community at a time.

Benton Harbor, Michigan, Us

As the Executive Director of Market One, formerly Market Van Buren, a subsidiary of Kinexus Group, a $20 million Southwest Michigan-based non-profit, I have principal responsibilities for economic and community development throughout Cass and Van Buren County. We connect people, investments, and organizations with strategies and services that improve the quality of life and economic conditions in our region, specifically Van Buren County. Our team focuses on developing strategies that will allow our communities to thrive by addressing needs related to workforce, community, and business development. We work collaboratively with regional organizations to maximize economic growth.

Benton Harbor, Michigan, Us

My role as the Economic Development Director in Van Buren County is to ensure the community has the resources and support needed to maintain and grow businesses, create jobs, and expand the tax base. I am the point person for business retention, growth, and attraction projects in the county. Additionally, I provide visionary leadership for how to grow and market the overall community as place where one can live, work, and play.

Kalamazoo, Mi, Us

-In this role I worked with Research & Development managers to help attract and recruit top engineering and quality talent to their organizations. -During my time with Stryker I was very impactful closing out multiple aging reqs, one of which was 2 years old. I went on to make the Recruiter Club 2 months in a row, placing me in the top performers category. -During my tenure with the company, my KPI's stayed Highly Effective. -Upon my resignation, was presented with offer to be promoted to Talent Acquisition Manager.

Jackson, Michigan, Us

During my time with Consumers Energy, I served in a public-facing role that asked me to interface with government agencies and elected officials, community-based non-profits, education institutions, media, and other key stakeholders to advance the companies talent strategy and grow its workforce diversity. Additionally, I championed and led the effort to define and grow its social and digital employer brand. I also served as a District Representative for the company’s Political Action Committee where I led initiatives in my district to advance sound public policy. I also had the pleasure of leading employee volunteer projects in Southwest Michigan. Below are highlights of my work: >Delivered on-air radio interviews, wrote press releases and utilized social and digital media>Organized and led community volunteer activities in Kalamazoo such as Big Brothers Big Sisters (BBBS), Bowling for Kids’ Sake event and the Kalamazoo Youth Opportunities Unlimited (YOU) onsite educational event. -BBBS resulted in over $2,000 being raised and a match provided by the company foundation -YOU event hosted over 200 diverse inner-city youth and educated them on the utility industry>Employees for Better Government (EBG) Steering Committee Representative for District 16. -Hosted Congressman Fred Upton and Justin Amash for company visits and met with multiple state elected officials and candidates for office.>Visionary Leader & Project Manager for Consumers Energy’s Talent Brand. Developed Project Charter and Business Case utilizing metrics to justify senior leadership investment -Worked with VP of Human Resources to allocate special budget to build out Digital & Social Media presence on key talent channels: Glassdoor, Indeed, Facebook, Twitter, and LinkedIn>Improved race and gender diversity by 8% in areas of responsibility company-wide.>Championed and led effort for company to become a Certified Veteran Friendly Company. -Company is now Gold Certified.

Benton Harbor, Michigan, Us

As a Business Services Manager (BSM), I partnered with state and local economic developers, business resource organizations such as the SBTDC, DOL, and education to grow, retain, and attract businesses in Southwest Michigan. I also managed the recruiting life cycle for numerous businesses in Southwest Michigan. I worked with targeted industries such as the: Energy/Utility Industry, Construction, Manufacturing, Service, and Agriculture. In the BSM role, I met with businesses to identify their workforce and business challenges and design solutions with my partners to benefit the business customer. I also oversaw the process of sourcing qualified applicants and screening for job fit. In addition to talent recruitment, I acted as a one-stop-shop for many businesses that needed human resources information, such as: labor market information, understanding labor law, training and development, and many other subjects. On a team of 4, I was responsible for 60% of the utilization of strategic training funds for local businesses. By consistently delivering for my clients, I earned a strong reputation for being honest, reliable and results driven. During my tenure with Kinexus, I helped increase the employer penetration rate by 900% resulting in thousands of business clients successfully utilizing Kinexus as their workforce partner.

Dowagiac, Mi, Us

Grand Rapids, Mi, Us

Economic Development Institute | Certificate

Certified Business Solutions Professional

Economic Development Finance Professional Certification Program

Certificate, Community Leadership Academy

Bachelor Of Business Administration (B.B.A.), Business & Marketing

Associate Of Science (A.S.), Marketing