Dynamic Variation:

Doug Small

President & CEO
aka Chief Experience Officer

Doug leads the day-to-day operations of Experience Grand Rapids and its full- and part-time team members. Since joining the organization as CEO in 2008, he’s empowered team members to embrace new ideas and systems to keep pace with the phenomenal growth of the region’s economy and visitor infrastructure. He’s also made sure that Experience Grand Rapids is part of the collaborative team of community leaders focused on future development.

Doug came to Grand Rapids from leadership roles at Destination Marketing Organizations in Dayton, Palm Springs, Syracuse and Denver. His travels have made him appreciate this area even more. “Until you experience other places and actually live there, you don’t know how great we have it in Grand Rapids.”

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The best part of this job is waking up each day with the opportunity to represent and promote the city I love and chose to live in.
Doug Small, President & CEO

Doug Small, President & CEO

Photo by Experience Grand Rapids

Bio Bits:

  • Set records and qualified for two National Championships as a high jumper in college
  • Loves restaurants that take chances to “test my taste buds” (he finds plenty of them in the GR food landscape)
  • Touts our downtown as the best in the Midwest outside Chicago and Minneapolis
  • Names the rapids being restored in downtown’s Grand River as his “favorite future local attraction” (he’s a visionary!)