Intern Connect Podcast | Kimberly Van Driel

We sat down with Kimberly Van Driel of Downtown Grand Rapids Inc. (DGRI) to pull back the curtain on one of the city's most active organizations — and to help you actually make the most of your time here. Kim shares her career journey, including the pivots and lessons that shaped her path, and how she landed in West Michigan and chose to stay. We dig into what DGRI does and why it matters, the lesser-known programs and resources downtown that most interns never discover, and what makes Grand Rapids genuinely stand out among mid-sized cities. Kim also gets practical — breaking down her go-to networking advice for people who know they should be networking but aren't sure where to start. Plus, she rounds it out with her personal West Michigan favorites: the restaurant worth the wait, the coffee shop you need to try, and the hidden gem the locals don't always share. Whether you're brand new to GR or trying to go deeper, Kim is exactly the kind of connector you want in your corner. REGISTER FOR INTERN CONNECT, HAPPENING JUNE 10: https://web.cvent.com/event/0d82f112-...