LANSING — Two business expansions and a community revitalization project that will generate a total of $69.5 million in private investment and create 66 jobs have received support from the Michigan Strategic Fund, the Michigan Economic Development Corp. announced.
* Chicago-based Kalamazoo Outdoor Gourmet LLC received a $200,000 Michigan Business Development Program performance-based grant to support a $3.1 million expansion of its operations in Kalamazoo County’s Comstock Charter Township that will create 31 jobs. Kalamazoo Outdoor Gourmet manufactures grills, pizza ovens, cabinets and other outdoor cooking equipment for residential outdoor kitchens. (The products are pictured above.) Michigan was chosen for the expansion over competing sites in Illinois, Indiana, Ohio and Nevada. The township has offered a 50-percent property tax abatement in support of the project. Individuals interested in careers with the company should apply at careers@kalamazoogourmet.com.
* Kostal Kontakt Systeme Inc., the Rochester-based subsidiary of Germany’s Kostal Group, a manufacturer of electrical components for automakers and auto suppliers, received a $320,000 Michigan Business Development Program performance-based grant to support a $57.8 million new plant in Rochester Hills that will create 32 jobs. Michigan was chosen over a competing site in Alabama. The city of Rochester Hills has offered a 50-percent property tax abatement in support of the project. Individuals interested in KOSTAL as an employer or business partner should visit http://www.kostal-kontakt-systeme.com/en/karriere.php.
* Main Street Uptown Development LLC received a $575,000 Michigan Community Revitalization Program performance-based grant to support a new three-story, mixed-use building at 101 E. Main Street in downtown Bay City. The completed project will include commercial space on the first floor and 30 market-rate residential units on the second and third floors. The project is expected to generate a total capital investment of $8.6 million and create three full-time equivalent jobs. Bay City has supported the project through infrastructure and aesthetic improvements on the site and in the surrounding area.
The MEDC 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 its initiatives, visit www.MichiganBusiness.org.