Entries by 2FishCo

New Seven-Story Mixed-Use Building to Bring More Jobs & Housing to Downtown Kalamazoo

April 16, 2018 in /by

Published on April 16, 2018
Kalamazoo, Mich., April 12, 2018 – Catalyst Development Co., LLC (Catalyst) plans to break ground in July 2018 on a $70 million, 290,000-square-foot mixed-use building in the heart of downtown Kalamazoo. The building is slated for a June 2020 completion date.This development will be located at the southwest corner of North Edwards and Water Streets, overlooking Arcadia Creek Festival Place.

Catalyst is transforming part of the city-owned Parking Lot 9 into a seven-story building with two floors of residential housing (41,000 square feet), four floors of Class-A office space (55,000 square feet), and a multi-level 300-plus space parking deck.

In addition to residential units, employment opportunities, and parking, features and highlights of the development will include: The Kalamazoo Promise, The Kalamazoo Promise Institute, Communities in Schools, Warner Norcross and Judd, LLP, and Southwest Michigan First.

View the Press Release

Catalyst Education Awards honor Southwest Michigan educators

January 26, 2018 in /by

Published on January 26, 2018
Kalamazoo, MI – Educators from Southwest Michigan were recognized yesterday with Catalyst Education Awards during Catalyst University, a daylong leadership event hosted by the regional economic development organization Southwest Michigan First at Wings Event Center in Kalamazoo.

The Catalyst Education Awards received applications from teachers, principals and entire schools from across Southwest Michigan, competing in each of the three categories—school, principal and teacher— to be recognized for innovations and achievements in K-12 education. The 2018 winning educators recognized were:

SCHOOL—Kalamazoo Regional Educational Service Agency, Kalamazoo, MI
PRINCIPAL—Mike Barwegen, Principal, Tobey Elementary School, Vicksburg, MI
TEACHER—Amy Cummings, Dowagiac Middle School, Dowagiac, MI

Midwest Opener wins Catalyst University’s annual Makers’ Mart competition

January 26, 2018 in /by

Published on January 26, 2018
Kalamazoo, MI – Midwest Opener earned the coveted Makers’ Mart title yesterday at Catalyst University, a daylong leadership event annually hosted by the regional economic development organization Southwest Michigan First at Wings Event Center in Kalamazoo. Midwest Opener was selected by the 2,800 event attendees from a pool of five finalists—all regional product makers based in Southwest Michigan.

Midwest Opener (midwestopener.co) located in Kalamazoo features custom-manufactured, stainless-steel bottle openers that let customers show off their unique pride.

SELECT Products Limited locks down site in Oshtemo Township

January 17, 2018 in /by

Published on January 17, 2018
SELECT Products Limited received final approval for its Brownfield plan which will enable the consolidation of its current operations in a newly constructed facility on property located at the end of Stadium Park Way in Oshtemo Township. The manufacturer of commercial continuous geared aluminum door hinges for the architectural hardware industry plans to invest $3 million in a new 42,000 to 50,000-square-foot facility. The rapidly growing company plans to relocate 30 employees from its current leased facility in Portage and add four more to its workforce. The new facility will accommodate light machining and assembly work, with the potential for future expansion including an aluminum anodizing facility.

Monroe-Brown Internship Program announces summer internships in Southwest Michigan!

January 2, 2018 in /by

Kalamazoo, MI – The Monroe-Brown Internship Program, a partnership between Southwest Michigan First and the Monroe-Brown Foundation, announces its 2018 summer college internships. This year’s 23 internships will be hosted by 18 Southwest Michigan companies and include opportunities in engineering, financial planning, human resources, marketing, architecture, construction and product management—to name a few.

Newell Brands Designs a Larger Presence in Kalamazoo

September 26, 2017 in /by

Published on September 26, 2017
Kalamazoo, MI – Newell Brands Inc. is expanding its 40,000-square-foot state -of-the-art design center in Western Michigan University’s Business Technology and Research Park in the city of Kalamazoo. The company has recently acquired the consumer products company Jarden and needs to expand its design capabilities in order to accommodate the additional product lines. The company plans to expand its existing product design and testing facility in the city of Kalamazoo, investing $7.3 million and creating 87 highly-paid design jobs.

Xcel Painting expanding in Southwest Michigan

August 18, 2017 in /by

Published on August 18, 2017
LANSING, Mich. – Xcel Painting is investing in St. Joseph County with support from the Michigan Strategic Fund, the Michigan Economic Development Corporation announced today. Xcel plans to establish a new facility in the village of White Pigeon, investing $1.75 million and creating 50 jobs. The company selected Michigan over a competing site in Indiana.

“Xcel’s investment in White Pigeon means good jobs for Michigan residents that could well have gone to another state,” said Jeff Mason, CEO of the Michigan Economic Development Corporation, the state’s chief marketing and business attraction arm that administers programs and performs due diligence on behalf of the MSF.

CRAIN’S DETROIT BUSINESS: Southwest Michigan First makes impact nationally

August 6, 2017 in /by

Published on August 6, 2017
Kalamazoo-based Southwest Michigan First, an economic development nonprofit, has created a national footprint, despite its regional name.

When SWMF was founded 19 years ago, its mission was to provide economic development services to cities and towns in 17 counties in the southwest corner of the state. Since then, the organization has nurtured a national clientele through economic development and leadership conferences, private consulting and webinars. It also works to connect economic development agencies around the country with site-selection professionals looking for the right place to locate a business.

Green Bay Packaging expands in Southwest Michigan

June 14, 2017 in /by

Published on June 14, 2017
Pavilion Township, MI – Custom corrugated packaging specialist Green Bay Packaging has broken ground on a 107,000-square-foot expansion, adding 3 new jobs in Pavilion Township.

Founded in 1933, Green Bay Packaging manufactures high-quality products for a variety of retail packaging and labeling applications, with 31 locations across the U.S. and Mexico. Its expansion in Kalamazoo County will be completed through an investment of $10,800,000, supported by a 12 year tax abatement approved by Pavilion Township.