HURON COUNTY - State Representative Terry Brown (D-Pigeon) joined state and local officials today to announce the approval of $2.1 million in state and federal grants that clear the way for the construction of a major manufacturing plant that will create at least 150 new full-time jobs. Brown also praised local leaders for working together to forge a public-private partnership that will create economic benefits now and for years to come.
"Today is a day we celebrate one of the most significant economic developments in our area in years - a day of tremendous hope and progress for our working families," Brown said. "In an age when so many companies are taking their business overseas, I want to thank and applaud Huron Casting President Leroy Wurst for continuing to create good-paying jobs here, to show confidence in our workers and our community. By investing $20 million to build the Blue Diamond Steel Casting facility here, you are sending a message that every employer in our state needs to hear: We must invest in our own people."
Huron Casting, a longtime Pigeon manufacturer of steel castings that has 397 full-time employees, is investing $20 million to add a 208,000-square-foot foundry owned and operated by its subsidiary Blue Diamond Steel Casting LLC. The operation will create at least 150 new full-time jobs and use a new "no-bake" molding process that allows the company to produce much larger castings and expand its customer base. Leaders from the village of Pigeon, Huron Economic Development Corporation and other agencies worked hard over the past few months, with help from Brown and his staff, to make the project happen in time for the company to fulfill a major new long-term contract.
In addition to creating at least 150 full-time jobs at the plant, the project will create jobs now for construction workers and others to prepare roads and utilities for the foundry. Besides Wurst's private investment, the project funding consists of the following public money:
$1.1 million to upgrade water and sewer services to meet the needs of the new facility and to repave Hartley Avenue after the utility lines have been replaced. This is a federal Community Development Block Grant awarded through the Michigan Economic Development Corporation. The Village of Pigeon will provide $152,850 and Huron County will provide $60,000.
$996,367 to reconstruct parts of Sturm, Weale and Caseville roads to accommodate additional traffic. That money is being awarded through the Michigan Department of Transportation. The total cost of these road improvements is $1.2 million, including $249,093 from Winsor Township and the Huron County Road Commission.
"This investment by Leroy Wurst is going to have a huge economic impact for the whole area, creating jobs and attracting new residents and more businesses," Village President Michael LePage said. "It took a huge community effort to make this happen. Terry Brown and his office were right there with us, fighting hard to keep things moving on the state level and keeping in touch every step of the way. It shows that when people come together, good things happen."
Carl Osentoski, director of Huron County Economic Development Corporation, said the Blue Diamond operation is a huge development because the new jobs are base manufacturing jobs, the bedrock of the economy.
"Blue Diamond is an innovative plant that puts our whole area on a path of significant economic growth," Osentoski said. "This type of investment is a huge shot in the arm. It couldn't have happened without getting the grant money in place in a timely manner, and that's where Representative Brown's assistance was invaluable."
Brown said that he and State Senator Jim Barcia (D-Bay City) are incredibly proud of all the local individuals and groups who recognized how urgent it was to keep the Blue Diamond jobs in the area and worked quickly and aggressively to make it possible for Huron Casting to do that.
"By working together and fighting for each and every job, we are moving the Thumb forward and getting our working families back on their feet," Brown said. "There is no better place to live than in the Thumb and no better workforce to hire than ours, and I believe this is just the beginning of more and more families and businesses discovering that."