Announcements

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After almost two decades of standing vacant in Vicksburg, an abandoned paper mill is getting a second lease on life. Paper City Development, LLC plans to convert the site into a vibrant, mixed-use community hub. When completed, the Mill at Vicksburg will be home to hotel and residential space, microbrewery incubator space, a beer garden, public greenspace, and more.

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Graphic Packaging International’s commitment to sustainable packaging, exceptional quality and an unmatched cost position for producing coated recycled board resulted in a decision to invest $600 million in Kalamazoo. The company’s capability to produce 500,000 tons of coated recycled board is expected to be capacity neutral by eliminating higher cost production at other facilities and will be enhanced by its relationship with Western Michigan University’s Department of Paper Engineering.

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In Sturgis, Boland’s Best-One Tire will construct a new $3.71-million, 100,000-square-foot warehouse and distribution center, bringing 10 new jobs to the community.

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Five new jobs and a $100,000 investment are coming to Kalamazoo from EXOIO, a company is focused on developing and scaling new consumer tech and tech-based medical device ideas for both its own products and unrelated third parties.

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Michiana Millworks, a company that customizes specialty commercial vehicles and trailers, is on track to add three more jobs in the Sturgis through its $65,545 investment in a building expansion project.

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Stryker Medical is adding a 15,294-square-foot addition to its existing building and 20,972 square feet of office space, in addition to new parking and a pedestrian bridge. This project will mean the investment of $6.3 million in Portage, strengthening Stryker’s continuing growth and footprint in the region. The new facilities would also retain 1,011 existing high-paying, high-skills jobs.

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Raybend continues to introduce new and innovative solutions aimed at keeping basements dry. These innovations have led to the company’s expansion in Kalamazoo.

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Miniature Custom Manufacturing expands in Vicksburg with the announcement of 24,000 square feet of new manufacturing space. The move supports the local injection molder’s growing customer base and product line as it anticipates the launch of several new products.

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Western Michigan University’s new state-of-the-art 67,000-square-foot Aviation Education Center in Battle Creek will provide additional instructional space for the College of Aviation’s soaring enrollment, fueled by demand for pilots and aviation mechanics.

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Forman Glass, LLC, a residential and commercial glass glazing company, has laid plans to relocate its current operations to Comstock Township. There, it will construct a new 25,200-square-foot facility for warehousing, fabrication and front office space.

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Precision Metals Plus has acquired a facility in Comstock Township to allow the custom steel fabrication and engineering firm to increase capacity.

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Continental Linen Service, a provider of linen and uniform services, has invested in new equipment to automate and streamline its services in Kalamazoo.

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The Air National Guard Base in Battle Creek grew its presence with 34 new positions.

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The world’s preeminent manufacturer of sport biplanes, WACO Classic Aircraft, expanded its capabilities in Battle Creek to support 30 new jobs.

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Critical Care Diagnostics (C2Dx) Inc., a medical device company focused on providing solutions for the unplanned, life‐threatening medical needs of patients and healthcare providers, has located in Schoolcraft. The company will create 25 new jobs over the next three years and has leased 15,000 square feet of space.

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West Michigan International, a Holland, Michigan-based heavy truck dealer with three locations in Grand Rapids, Muskegon and Kalamazoo, expanded its operations to a new facility along I-94 in Texas Township. In addition to the final sales of new and pre-owned trucks, 17 new employees will work alongside existing staff to complete the manufacturing of trucks at the new site prior to sale.

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Custom hotrod restorer and manufacturer Dutchboy’s renovated and expanded its existing space in Vicksburg to bring 12 new jobs to the community.

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Torishima Pump Manufacturing selected Battle Creek to grow its North American operations. The manufacturing of pump and pumping equipment created 11 new jobs.

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Vail Rubber Works, a full-service roll center specializing in the manufacture of covers for rubber rollers and polyurethane rollers, invested $8.3 million in St. Joseph and created 10 new jobs.

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Alliance Injection Molding acquired an existing building on the north side of Three Rivers. The company will make a $350,000 investment in the space and add two new jobs while retaining three more.

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Aequitas Mobility Services, an on-demand public transportation service for everything from trips to the doctor’s office to corporate travel, invested in its operations in Battle Creek.

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Formerly known as the State of Michigan’s Skilled Trades Training Fund (STTF), the Going PRO Talent Fund provides funds to companies for short term, in-demand training. Training is not limited to “skilled trade” occupations; training has included welding, CNC operator, CNC programmer, robotics, IT training, electronic health records, and on-the-job training for individuals to be hired. Here are just a few Southwest Michigan companies earning awards at the end of 2018 for a total of 107 new jobs and 558 retained workers trained:

• A & O Mold and Engineering
• Abbott
• American Axle & Manufacturing
• Eimo Technologies, Inc.
• Erbsloeh Aluminum Solutions
• Kalamazoo X-Ray Sales
• KSS Enterprises
• Le Vannes, Inc.
• MANN+HUMMEL USA Inc.
• National Flavors, Inc.
• OptiMed Specialty Pharmacy
• Parker Fluid Connectors, Brass
• Senior Care Partners
• Sigma Machine Inc.
• Singh Automation
• TEKNA
• Weber Specialties Company
• White Pigeon Paper Company
• XL Machine Company, Inc.
• Zoetis Inc.

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Schupan & Sons is expanding at not one—but two—locations in Kalamazoo! The company’s manufacturing division expects to add 40,000 square feet and an additional 50 employees over the next three years. The electronics recycling division anticipates growing its footprint by an additional 30 employees over the next three years. Both projects will increase existing manufacturing capacities and add needed office space.

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Whirlpool Corporation, a multinational manufacturer and marketer of home appliances, is investing almost $8 million to create a new daycare facility in Benton Harbor for its employees. The number of new jobs created will be 39.

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Gast Manufacturing, a supplier of pneumatic products, is bringing 30 new jobs to Benton Harbor with its $6,051,000 investment.

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Albemarle, a global specialty chemicals company, announced 14 new jobs in South Haven. The site is FDA-registered and implements cGMP in the production of over 40 different products from APIs and advanced intermediates to FDA-regulated additives.

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LogiQuip Healthcare Storage Solutions, a leading provider of high-quality and future-focused storage systems designed exclusively for healthcare use, invested $100,000 in leasehold and equipment improvements at its Galesburg location.

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Environ Manufacturing is bringing 7 new jobs to Hartford.

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Kalamazoo Mechanical, Inc., a local mechanical contractor, expanded its duct fabrication capabilities with a 10,000-square-foot physical plant expansion in Kalamazoo.

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St. Julian Winery is growing in Paw Paw with a $2 million investment.

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Kalamazoo Industries, Inc., a local manufacturer of industrial saws, grinders and dust extraction equipment, is growing in Comstock Charter Township. It will add three new job as part of its $150,000 investment to increase finished goods warehousing and the number of loading docks to improve process flow and manufacturing capacity.

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Pushard Welding, a family owned metal fabricator invested $100,000 in its Paw Paw facility.

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Sturgis Molded Products, a plastic injection molding specialist in Sturgis, is investing $3 million in its facility and equipment to accommodate growth from a new product line.