Blackman Township officials moving ahead with plans to bring businesses to DDA District Blackman Township officials moving ahead with plans to bring businesses to Downtown Development Authority District
By Keith Roberts
Jackson...
Jackson-area government entities to set limits on tax captures
By Brad Flory
Jackson Citizen Patriot
May 16, 2010
The...
Armory Arts Village preparing to reopen gallery, begin warm-weather scheduling
By Bill Chapin | Jackson Citizen Patriot
Friday, April 23, 2010
Armory Arts Village, 100 Armory Court, will celebrate the arrival...
Tenneco expansion to add jobsBy Chris Gautz | Jackson Citizen Patriot
Wednesday, April 21, 2010
Tenneco plans to invest $3.5 million into its Grass Lake engineering...
ADCO Products will expand operations in Jackson County; move will create more than 200 jobsBy Chris Gautz/J. Scott Park
Jackson Citizen Patriot
March 17, 2010
In the next five years, more than 200 jobs will come to Michigan...
By Holly Klaft
Jackson Citizen Patriot
March 17, 2010
Jackson Public Schools will be the first to take advantage of low-interest...
ADCO Products in Jackson County awarded tax credit which may lead to 212 new jobsBy Chris Gautz
Jackson Citizen Patriot
March 16, 2010
A Michigan Center company that made its mark in the automotive industry...
Performance Automotive’s $1.2 million investment in Jackson expected to create 30 jobsBy Keith Roberts
Jackson Citizen Patriot
Thursday, March 11, 2010
Performance Automotive, a locally owned and operated auto...
Procurement Technical Assistance Center helps manufacturers diversifyBy Ingrid Jacques
Jackson Citizen Patriot
Monday, March 8, 2010
Bill Hirsch, projects manager at Clarklake Machine Inc., wanted...
Jackson leaders bid farewell to Acme Building complex; structure to be demolished next weekBy Keith Roberts | Jackson Citizen Patriot
Friday, February 5, 2010
The Acme Building complex, a symbol of Jacksons prison and manufacturing...
Kaneka building sale finalMaverick Industries closes deal to purchase former Kaneka Texas plant in Blackman Township; 90 jobs expected to be created
By Chris Gautz
By Tarryl Q. Jackson
Jackson residents and visitors will soon be able to view an up-and-coming art district... By Chris Gautz | Jackson Citizen Patriot
Standing in front of the dozen or so employees left at RTD Manufacturing,... By Chris Gautz
A local manufacturer has received a major military contract that is expected to create and retain jobs,... By Bill Chapin
October 25, 2009
One of the biggest complaints among the artists living at Armory Arts... By Jackie Smith
A multimillion-dollar horse park is coming to northern Jackson County.
The Enterprise Group... WEDNESDAY, OCTOBER 14, 2009
CONTACT: Bill Shreck, MDOT Director of Communications, 517-335-3084
The Granholm Administration today... By Holly Klaft
About $28.7 million in federal bonds will be available to... By Holly Klaft | Jackson Citizen Patriot
Hard-to-find financing for major expansion or improvement projects... By Keith Roberts
Jackson is getting more good publicity for Armory... By Caitlin Schneider
Some Ford employees will soon experience a little... By Keith Roberts
Acme Industries occupies a place in Jackson’s... July 13, 2009
Senator Debbie Stabenow recently visited the Jackson Armory Arts Village to honor... By Caitlin Schneider
If the old saying about teaching a man to fish... By Jackson Citizen Patriot
Jackson isn’t getting many new buildings these days, but at least... Monday, July 06, 2009
Government contracts are one way local businesses... Tuesday, June 30, 2009
U.S. Sen. Debbie Stabenow toured the Armory Arts Village on... By Holly Klaft
Harsh economic conditions are hampering a company’s... By Jackson Citizen Patriot
It appears more and more likely that equestrian enthusiasts in Jackson will... Wednesday, June 24, 2009
A new federal stimulus program could make it easier... 3 plans submitted for big horse park
Saturday, June 13, 2009
Officials... Small-business owners in Jackson County may qualify for interest-free loans
Small businesses... By Monetta Harr
In the operating room, Dr. Pramit S. Malhotra is limited by... By Holly Klaft and Brad Flory
Jackson County on Friday landed a $1 million grant... Monday, May 04, 2009
The Enterprise Group is taking a unique approach to business... By Fredricka Paul
Ruth Ojeda clutched old marketing material promoting the... Tuesday, April 21, 2009
The future of Northpointe Town Center may be uncertain,...
Posted by Kristin Longley
The developer of a new shopping center slated for Blackman... Plans to place Cooper Street ‘Welcome Mat’ to downtown Jackson moving forward
by Chris Gautz and Steven Hepker
Two groups from Jackson County are among... by Bill Chapin
Residents of Armory Arts Village are developing an association... Thursday, February 05, 2009
A year ago this week, Scott Fleming walked into... By Chris Gautz
A high-tech packaging company plans to open next month in... Jason Caldwell is a graduate of the City’s Incubator, which was managed by The Enterprise Group of Jackson and the Small Business & Technology... Enterprise Group leader says artists getting more involved at Armory Arts Village
By Keith Roberts
The sign for downtown Jackson at the Cooper Street exit on I-94... Our Voice
This year was filled with disappointments.
Front pages... by Chris Gautz
Three months into a two-year capital campaign, The Enterprise... Thursday, November 20, 2008
The city of Jackson has added an extra zero to... Sunday, November 09, 2008
One day might find Armory Arts resident Mary Jean Westerlund,... By Jackson Citizen Patriot
Sunday November 09, 2008
The following is a Jackson Citizen Patriot editorial:
It may have been... Saturday, November 01, 2008
As Jackson’s business incubator prepares to... By Will Keeler
Art of many mediums came alive Friday evening and Saturday at the Armory Arts Village, where dozens... Thursday, October 16, 2008
Fresh off the success of securing a coveted... Wednesday, October 15, 2008
Blackman Township is now one of 15 SmartZone technology... By Fredricka Paul
Armory Arts Village has been named the 2008 Community Excellence... Posted by Chris Gautz | Citizen Patriot October 03, 2008 09:01AM
Sunday, September 14, 2008
Quantum. Windmill. Cookie.
Those names... Saturday, August 30, 2008
Jackson County remains in the running for a 1,000-acre...
In early 2007 the Michigan Equine Partnership (MEP) commissioned Public Sector Consultants to conduct a demand and feasibility study to determine whether... Posted by Jackson Citizen Patriot
If we were Scott Fleming, executive director... Posted by Chris Gautz
The Enterprise Group is taking a... Friday, August 15, 2008
Jackson County might shell out an additional... Posted by Keith Roberts
Great Lakes Industry is planning to create 15 jobs... Sunday, July 27, 2008
After Jackson was denied a SmartZone designation in 2001,...
Sunday, July 27, 2008
Scott Fleming says Jackson has some tough competition... Friday, July 25, 2008
A small, family-owned manufacturing business is looking... Tuesday, July 01, 2008
Regardless of whether the state approves Jackson County’s... Monday, June 30, 2008
Scott Fleming hand-delivered a high-tech pen Friday morning... On behalf of the community and the Blackman Township Local Development Finance Authority (LDFA), The Enterprise Group of Jackson, Inc. submitted the... JACKSON, MICH. Production Engineering Inc., a manufacturer of precision machined components for specialty truck and construction equipment axles,... The Jackson Area Manufacturers Associations (JAMA) Academy for Manufacturing Careers is proud to announce the graduation of our students who have completed... Wednesday, June 11, 2008
Jane Robinson thinks of herself as a proud mother... The Michigan Townships Association announced that Local Tax Capture Authorities Have Until JUNE 15 to Recover Lost Tax Revenue
Legislation... Tuesday, May 20, 2008
At most ribbon-cutting ceremonies for new companies,... Monday, April 21, 2008
By Fredricka Paul
Keeping Production Engineering in the county is now... Tuesday, April 15, 2008
Production Engineering has outgrown its Summit Township... Wednesday, April 09, 2008
The county and city of Jackson have won a combined... Tuesday, April 08, 2008
One year ago this week, Jackson County commissioners... Through the Jackson Area Manufacturers Association (JAMA), The Michigan Manufacturing Technology Center (MMTC), an Michigan Economic Development Corporation... Trans Pharm received the first 200,000 draw from the state a couple weeks ago. All of the lab equipment is being moved back into the lab and yesterday...
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Procurement Technical Assistance Center helps manufacturers diversify
By Ingrid Jacques
Jackson Citizen Patriot
Monday, March 8, 2010
Bill Hirsch, projects manager at Clarklake Machine Inc., wanted to do more for his country. So in late 2007 he wrote a letter to Gov. Jennifer Granholm and told her about the company and how he wanted to help the U.S. Department of Defense.
A short while later, he was contacted by Pennie Southwell, the Enterprise Group’s program director of the Procurement Technical Assistance Center. After a site inspection and gaining the necessary security clearances, Hirsch and the company were on their way to fulfilling his vision. Clarklake Machine, 9451 S. Meridian Road in Clarklake, is a precision parts manufacturer that specializes in parts for heavy trucks and motorcycle transmissions.
Now the company is working on its second defense contract. Both projects have supplied tools that support the mobility of ground vehicles and are put directly into operation, Hirsch said.
“How many times do you get to help your country?” Hirsch said. “It elevates the organization.”
In a tough economy, area manufacturers have had to diversify. PTAC helps companies do that by teaching them how to land contracts with the federal government. It serves approximately 70 companies in Jackson County.
PTAC is a nonprofit organization funded largely by grants from the U.S. Defense Logistics Agency and the Michigan Economic Development Corp., and “supports national security by ensuring a broad base of capable suppliers for the defense industry and other agencies,” according to the Enterprise Group’s Web site.
Southwell said Clarklake Machine is one of many PTAC success stories. As the program director for the past 23 years, Southwell has a lot of experience matching local companies with national projects — and things are looking up for Jackson.
In 2008, the value of contracts in Jackson County was $2.3 million, but that more than tripled to $8.5 million in 2009. Southwell said the majority of these contracts were with the Defense Department.
While the procurement process is not easy, she said the rewards are worth the effort. The federal government has money to spend, plus it pays promptly for completed work — which is not always true of traditional clients.
The Jackson PTAC office was the first in Michigan, and is now one of 13 in the state. Though companies do not have to go through PTAC to secure contracts, Southwell said she can make the process easier for clients since she is familiar with the bidding process and the laws and regulations.
Most federal contracts are bid on and won on the Federal Business Opportunities Web site, FedBizOpps.gov. The government posts all of its bidding opportunities of more than $25,000 on the site, which advertises more than 26,000 active federal opportunities.
Bill Rayl, executive director of the Jackson Area Manufacturers Association, said while it can take significant work to land a contract, area companies have had “a lot of success” through the program when they know how to match their capabilities with an available project.
“You get what you put into it,” he said.
Rayl said JAMA works alongside PTAC to help manufacturers find niches that turn into successful ventures. JAMA has also coordinated subcontracting opportunities for smaller companies that may not take a bid on their own, but are able to provide parts or services for the company with the contract. Consequently, several companies could benefit from one contract.
For more information about the Procurement Technical Assistance Center of South Central Michigan, visit www.enterprisegroup.org/ptac or call Pennie Southwell, the Enterprise Group’s PTAC program director, at 788-4680. He is proud that Clarklake Machine was named the “Jackson County Government Contractor of the Year” in 2008 by PTAC and subsequently recognized in 2009 by Congress through U.S. Rep. Mark Schauer, D-Battle Creek.