Machine shop may hire 20

Friday, July 25, 2008
By Chris Gautz
cgautz@citpat.com
768-4926

A small, family-owned manufacturing business is looking to triple its work force by this time next year.

Scott Owen, president of D.W. Machine Inc., said he is planning a $200,000 investment that will nearly double the size of his small machine shop at 2501 Precision St. near Wildwood and Laurence avenues.

The 10 employees at D.W. Machine now do general machining, heat treating and machine building. The 16-year-old company makes components as small as a dime, up to parts that weigh 7,000 pounds, he said.

Within a year, Owen said he plans to hire about 20 people.

The expansion and additional employees are needed because of a new contract Owen secured recently to become the East Coast supplier of Nature’s Comfort wood boilers.

He drove out to visit with representatives from the Wisconsin company, and by the time he got back to his office, there was a purchase order waiting for him in his e-mail.

``He needs them right now,’’ Owen said.

Owen said the initial order is to produce 100 a month.

The outdoor boilers pump heat into a home or business, and Owen said it can create savings on energy bills.

Their popularity is growing, he said. In Michigan, Owen said more wood boilers were purchased last year than in the past 13 years combined.

They are not allowed for use in most cities, but many homes in the country use them, he said.

Owen said he learned of the new business opportunity and began inquiring about the expansion within the past two weeks.

Owen said he has been impressed with how quickly his questions have been answered and how much help he has received from The Enterprise Group, Blackman Township and state Rep. Mike Simpson.

``It’s so quick,’’ he said. ``It’s different from the past.’’

Amy Torres, economic development director for The Enterprise Group, the county’s economic development agency, is set to meet with Owen today about the options available to him, including financing for the project and seeking real and personal property tax abatements from the township.

``He’s excited about this prospect,’’ she said. ``That’s what we want to do is help businesses grow.’’

The company needs a variance from the township’s Zoning Board of Appeals because the addition will increase the percentage of buildings on the property beyond what is allowed by about 10 percent.

If approved, the addition would be completed in November, but Owen said he would hire six to eight new employees before that so they can begin building some of the boilers in the space they have.

His expansion plans include construction of a 2,160-square- foot building between his current 5,500-square-foot machine shop and his pole barn.