By: Deborah Johnson Wood
Carnevale added two new executives to its payroll and moved to a new office suite triple the size of its former location—all in one month.
The company designs and builds software applications and interfaces for the Internet, for devices, for displays embedded in product, and for business applications. Previously located on the city’s west side, the move to the Heartside location above Bistro Bella Vita brings four full-time employees and six contractors closer to the urban core and gives the firm 4,000-square-feet of space to grow.
“In early 2009 we’ll bring on three, possibly four, staff in Grand Rapids,” says Eric Hass, 39, principal of business and strategy, and one of the new hires. “The challenge is managing the growth, which is a good problem to have.”
Hass hopes to add senior level designers and developers who can collaborate and see issues from the users’ point of view.
“We’re looking for designers that understand code and developers that appreciate what something looks like, and that’s making it hard to find people with the right skills and right perspective,” Hass says. “A lot more people have that experience if they have worked in the Bay (California) area or in New York.”
While Carnevale is not yet recruiting right out of college, company leaders have started discussions on how to bring internships and younger professionals into the firm.
“We want to help the recent college grads establish careers to keep some of those workers here in Grand Rapids,” says Hass, a Grand Rapids native. “Many of them aren’t aware of the opportunities here.”
Source: Eric Hass, Carnevale; Mary Ann Sabo, Sabo Public Relations
Deborah Johnson Wood is development news editor for Rapid Growth Media. She can be contacted at [email protected].
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