Gentz Industries in Warren receives grant to train 25 new hires

Warren-based Gentz Aerospace Production LLC --commonly referred to as Gentz Industries-- is having a banner year. Most recently, the state announced it was awarding the company $75,000 to be used for worker training: 125 current employees and 25 new hires from a Macomb County Community College pipeline. The Economic Development Job Training grants will be used to upgrade the workers' skills in advanced automotive and manufacturing applications.

Earlier in the year, the state approved a single business tax credit valued at $1.08 million over seven years to support Gentz's planned $3.7 million expansion that will create 125 new jobs. The city of Warren chipped in a local abatement worth $413,000.

In a statement, Raymond R. Holm, president and CEO of Gentz, said, "While the airwaves remain cluttered with stories of high-paying jobs being exported, and forebodings of a vanishing future for U.S. manufacturing, we’ve demonstrated a much brighter outlook. With the right mixture of skilled labor, organizational know-how, strong work ethics and a business-friendly local community, Gentz has repeatedly recaptured jobs previously outsourced to Asia and Europe. We export 75 percent of our product that’s made with good-paying-job-labor and now, with the help of Warren and Michigan, we will grow this labor force by 75 percent in the next few years."

Gentz, which currently employs 169 employees, manufactures and repairs specialty components for the power generation and aviation industries.

Source: MEDC
Writer: Kelli B. Kavanaugh