Grand Rapids

Grand Rapids exists because Michigan was 95% untouched forest, and craftsmen needed wood. In 1826, Louis Campau established a trading post where Ottawa trails converged at rapids on the Grand River. By 1836, William Haldene opened one of the first furniture shops, and by 1876, Grand Rapids furniture exhibited at the Philadelphia Centennial Exposition had established the city as America's 'Furniture Capital.'

The success formula was ecological: abundant pine, walnut, and oak, combined with immigrant craftsmen from Poland, Germany, and the Netherlands who brought woodworking traditions from their homelands. Companies like Berkey & Gay and Phoenix Furniture pioneered mechanized production while maintaining design quality. But success created path dependence—when residential furniture demand shifted, the city had to adapt or die.

The adaptation demonstrated phenotypic plasticity. When World War I redirected manufacturing toward metal, Grand Rapids pivoted from bedroom sets to office furniture. In 1886, Grand Rapids School Furniture Company began what would become American Seating Company. In 1912, Steelcase employed 34 workers; today it's the world's largest office furniture company with 19,000+ employees. Herman Miller, Haworth, and others remain headquartered in the region.

Now another succession is underway. The Medical Mile—anchored by Van Andel Research Institute, Michigan State's medical school, and nearly $1 billion in healthcare facilities—is transforming a furniture city into a life sciences hub. Acrisure insurance established its global headquarters here. Perrigo leads in self-care products. LinkedIn named Grand Rapids the #1 'City on the Rise' for 2025.

The giant brick factories that once hummed with saws now house apartments and startups. But the deeper pattern persists: craftsmanship as transferable skill. Grand Rapids understood that what made good furniture—attention to materials, ergonomic design, manufacturing precision—also makes good medical devices and office systems.