Bay Future puts out their annual report

It looks like 2010 was a pretty successful year for the Great Lakes Bay Region, according to the latest annual report from Bay Future, Inc., the economic development group for the area.

Expansions, new business, more jobs, all were part of the report. And those developments were pretty widely spread, from traditional auto manufacturing and big agriculture operations to small farm businesses and new business locations.

"In 2010, we were proud to help local businesses create or retain over 435 jobs and invest over $89 million in Bay County," says Tom Begin, Bay Future chairman, in the report. "From Eovations to Ittner Bean & Grain, these successes benefit not only our community but our region as well."

Eovations, LLC started up in 2010, investing $16 million in a location in Bay City to explore commercialization of the company's wood replication product, called Eotek.

Ittner Bean and Grain, in Auburn, invested about $750,000 in a new grain dryer and storage space, which also had the effect of keeping or adding 11 jobs.

There were many more additions to the Bay area business scene in 2010, like Affordable Green Energy, a wind turbine company in Essexville. It invested more than $750,000 in building and equipment in 2010. Porstmouth Township's Renosol Corporation, a foam and polyurethane design company, put $3.1 million into their manufacturing facility to support a new product, and will create 125 jobs as a result.

A local General Motors retention committee was also successful in keeping the auto manufacturer doing business in Bay City, as GM announced $62.5 million in new investment in 2010. That meant 113 jobs created or retained in the Bay City plant.

Other investments or developments in the region include the Michigan Brand meat packing plant, which doubled its facility size, adding 27 jobs, and Tubular Metal Systems, which added $1.2 million in auto part production equipment in Pinconning.

Writer: Sam Eggleston
Source: Tom Begin, Bay Future, Inc.