LANSING — Two business expansions that will generate $7.2 million in total investment and create 172 jobs in Michigan have received Michigan Strategic Fund approval for support, the Michigan Economic Development Corp. announced.
In one deal, Urbana, Ill.-based Flex-N-Gate received a $500,000 Michigan Business Development Program grant to help finance a $2.2 million research and development center, Flex-N-Gate Advanced Product Development LLC, in Sterling Heights, creating 50 engineering-related jobs.
State officials said Michigan was chosen over a competing site in Illinois, and that the city of Sterling Heights has offered to host a talent event in support of the project. Individuals interested in career opportunities with Flex-N-Gate should visit http://jobs.flex-n-gate.com/jobs.
Flex-N-Gate, founded in 1956, manufactures plastics, metals and mechanical assemblies for the auto indsutry. It employs more than 23,000 people at 62 manufacturing and nine product development and engineering sites throughout the United States.
Also, J-Star Motion Corp., a subsidiary of Jiecang Linear Motion Technology Co. Ltd., China’s largest manufacturer of linear motion products for office furniture, received a $738,000 Michigan Business Development Program grant to help finance a $5 million expansion in Kent and Cedar Springs, resulting in the creation of 122 jobs.
State officials said Michigan was chosen over a competing site in California. The Right Place Inc., the Grand Rapids area’s economic development agency, has offered staff time and resources in support of the project. J-Star will begin staffing the production facility in early 2018.
For more information on the MEDC and its initiatives, visit www.MichiganBusiness.org. Visit Pure Michigan Talent Connect at www.mitalent.org for more information on Michigan’s online marketplace for connecting job seekers and employers.