Business expansions win state approval to invest, add jobs in Michigan

Wednesday, January 18, 2017

Three business expansions that will generate nearly $29.8 million in total investment and create 148 jobs in Michigan have received Michigan Strategic Fund approval for support, the Michigan Economic Development Corporation announced today.

LANSING, Mich. – Three business expansions that will generate nearly $29.8 million in total investment and create 148 jobs in Michigan have received Michigan Strategic Fund approval for support, the Michigan Economic Development Corporation announced today.

“Today’s actions offer further evidence of our commitment to help companies grow and generate new job opportunities for Michigan residents,” said MEDC Chief Executive Officer Steve Arwood. “These investments will all lead to greater economic opportunities for Michigan residents, drive future business investment, and create more and better jobs.”

Kerkstra Precast, Inc. specializes in structural and architectural precast for a variety of commercial, industrial and residential building types, as well as all types of infrastructure. The company has acquired a large customer and plans to expand its facility in the city of Trenton, investing more than $16.2 million and creating 50 jobs. As a result, the project has been awarded a $300,000 Michigan Business Development Program performance-based grant. Michigan was chosen over a competing site in Ohio. The city of Trenton is offering support to the project in the form of a property tax freeze. Individuals interested in careers with Kerkstra Precast should visit http://kerkstra.com/about/employment.

Speedrack Products Group, Ltd., a leader in the storage products industry for more than 55 years, is a single source supplier of pallet racking and storage systems. The company needs to add to its manufacturing capacity and plans by the purchase of a facility in the city of Litchfield (Hillsdale County), investing more than $5 million and creating 38 jobs. As a result, the company has been awarded a $228,000 Michigan Business Development Program performance-based grant to assist with infrastructure upgrades and the purchase of new equipment. Michigan was chosen over competing sites in Indiana and Ohio. The City of Litchfield plans to offer property tax abatement in support of the project. Individuals interested in careers with Speedrack should visit https://jobs.mitalent.org/job-search and type in the Keyword “Speedrack” or email [email protected] to request an application.

Yanfeng Automotive Interiors is a large supplier of instrument panels and cockpit systems, door panels, floor consoles, overhead consoles, lighting and decorative trim. The company was formed in 2015 as a joint venture between Yanfeng Automotive Trim Systems Co., Ltd. and Adient. Yanfeng Automotive Interiors plans to establish a state-of-the-art southeast Michigan headquarters and technical center for instrument panel engineering and testing in the city of Novi, investing $8.45 million and creating 60 jobs. As a result, the company has been awarded a $600,000 Michigan Business Development Program performance-based grant. Michigan was chosen over a competing site in another location. The city of Novi has offered support to the project in the form of property tax abatement. Individuals interested in careers with the company should visit http://www.yfai.com/Pages/Job/JobSearchNew.aspx.

Pure Michigan is a brand representing business, talent and tourism initiatives across Michigan. These efforts are driven by the Michigan Economic Development Corporation, which serves as the state’s marketing arm and lead advocate for business growth, jobs and opportunity with a focus on helping grow Michigan’s economy.

For more on the MEDC and its initiatives, visit MichiganBusiness.org. For Michigan travel news, updates and information, visit michigan.org. Michigan residents interested in seeking employment with any of Michigan’s growing companies should check mitalent.org, where more than 89,000 jobs are currently available in a variety of industries.

About Michigan Economic Development Corporation (MEDC)

The Michigan Economic Development Corporation is the state’s marketing arm and lead advocate for business development, job awareness and community development with the focus on growing Michigan’s economy. For more information on the MEDC and our initiatives, visit www.MichiganBusiness.org. For Pure Michigan® tourism information, your trip begins at www.michigan.org. Join the conversation on: Facebook Instagram LinkedIn, and Twitter.