Sterling Heights

Sterling Heights’ SERAPID hires 3 as it grows rigging mast sales

By Newsroom

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March 15, 2012

SERAPID is discovering more and more ways to use its principal product, a rigid chain linear actuator used to light and transfer big, heavy objects. It's happy coincidence that is allowing the Sterling Heights-based company to grow. SERAPID's telescoping mast units utilize its Rigid Chain lift column, which is powered electro-mechanically. That allows it to avoid issues involved with hydraulics and pneumatics, and allowing for the smooth extension and retraction of the masts even in case of high side forces (wind) or in case of ice build up on the mast surfaces. The masts can also be used in a temporary installation, and can be positioned fairly quickly. "The rigid chain actuator has applications in heavy industry, tool and die manufacturing as well as the nuclear and medical fields," says Carol Herriges, marketing manager for SERAPID. "We're finding a lot of different ways to use this." Those uses include everything from helping tool & die shops move heavy equipment to theater companies moving set pieces to aerospace companies moving heavy products. That diversity of uses is allowing SERAPID to grow, hiring three people in the last three months to its staff of 20 employees and one independent contractor. Most of those new jobs are in the executive or engineering ranks. "We expect to continue our current growth, our largest need at present is for talented engineering and manufacturing professionals," Herriges says. Source: Carol Herriges, marketing manager for SERAPID Writer: Jon Zemke Read more about Metro Detroit's growing entrepreneurial ecosystem at SEMichiganStartup.com.

Michigan Defense Center opens in Sterling Heights

By Newsroom

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Community Development

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February 16, 2012

The Michigan Defense Center (MDC), an agency of the Michigan Economic Development Corporation, opened in Sterling Heights this week and made official Macomb County's position as the state's top destination for defense dollars. The new center will operate at Velocity, a business incubator and central location for economic development efforts in homeland security, defense, advanced manufacturing and other industries. It also provides loans and guidance, work and meeting space and more to start-ups. It is a collaboration between Macomb County, Oakland University and Sterling Heights. The MDC's Sterling Heights office opens as the state releases a study that found that in the last decade, the U.S. Department of Defense awarded nearly $42 million to businesses in Michigan, 63 percent of that going to Macomb County businesses. MDC also has a Lansing office. “Macomb County is the heart of our defense industry so it makes sense that this is the new home of our state’s defense center,” Michael A. Finney, president and CEO, Michigan Economic Development Corp., says in a statement announcing the opening. “This is a sector that is ripe for economic gardening opportunities, and we will continue to work with our partners to grow Michigan businesses and new jobs.” The Michigan Defense Center is an agency of the MEDC, created as a public act to attract new defense and homeland security investment in Michigan and to provide supply chains for defense industry buyers as well as augment research and development resources in universities and federal laboratories, among other objectives. Source: Maria Zardis, manager special projects and outreach, Macomb County Department of Planning and Economic Development Writer: Kim North Shine

Sterling Heights Chrysler plant drives out of bankruptcy into $1B investment

By Newsroom

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Community Development

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November 3, 2011

Just two years after Chrysler Group LLC's Sterling Heights assembly plant was written off in bankruptcy there are construction cranes and workers putting $1 billion worth of updates and changes into the facility. "It's amazing considering, as Chrysler has said itself, it is a rags-to-riches story for this facility," says Mark Vanderpool, Sterling Heights city manager. When the facility made the list of Chrysler properties to be closed and liquidated in 2010, the city council formed a task force to save the facility. After meeting with 50 local, state, and federal officials from government, schools, unions, private industry, the utilities, railroads, and the Italian Consulate, Chrysler bought the facility back and decided to make it a site where the latest technology would meet manufacturing. "After this broad-based effort, Chrysler decided to reverse its decision...and due to the incentive package...Chrysler decided to purchase back the facility out of bankruptcy for $20 million," says Vanderpool, who notes it's one of the largest construction projects in southeast Michigan. "This is the first example of such a scenario in the country. Probably 30-plus auto facilities have been closed across the country and this is the only example in the country of the company buying it back and bringing it back to life." Besides just over $1 billion in investment in the facility, which includes the recent announcement of a $165 million paint and body section, Chrysler is putting 900 people to work. In a statement announcing the additional investment, Scott Garberding, senior vice president and head of manufacturing for Chrysler Group LLC, says, "A plant that was slated to close nearly two years ago will now be a state-of-the-art facility that will play an integral role in the success of this company by building the next generation of all-new vehicles.” Source: Mark Vanderpool, Sterling Heights City Manager Writer: Kim North Shine

Velocity business incubator in Sterling Heights helps start-ups to grow up

By Newsroom

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Community Development

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October 27, 2011

A business incubator support project in Sterling Heights called Velocity is offering space, guidance and other services to startups in the fields of defense, homeland security and advanced manufacturing. Velocity and several other organizations are located in a renovated and technologically updated 35,000-square-foot building that was formerly a Ford Motor Co. child care center. It's located on 18 Mile Road between Van Dyke and Mound Roads. Van Dyke lies in a state SmartZone. Velocity, which launched last week, is a collaboration between the city of Sterling Heights, Macomb County and the Macomb-OU Business INCubator. It offers customized leased space to start-ups that "have their business plan, their product, and they're looking for assistance and guidance to take it to that next step," says Denice Gerstenberg, business development manager for Sterling Heights. "They will grow up, move out of the incubator and into the community to create jobs." Macomb County, which has been dubbed the Arsenal of Democracy for its work in defense, has a long history and background in all three industries targeted by Velocity. "This corridor has a strong defense presence…Macomb County gets approximately six percent of all defense contracts," Gerstenberg points out. It goes to show that the money is there for start-ups with useful ideas. "Homeland security is an emerging industry and obviously with all the [automakers], Chrysler and Ford being here, it's a strong manufacturing corridor as well." Other building occupants include the Macomb-OU INCubator, the Pawley Lean Institute from OU, and OU's Center for Robotics and Unmanned Intelligent Systems. There also are two start-up tenants moving along the business development path that's opened to 20-25 other start-ups. Source: Denice Gerstenberg, business development manager, city of Sterling Heights Writer: Kim North Shine

Little Baghdad in Sterling Heights

By NICOLE RUPERSBURG

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General

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October 6, 2011

Much has been made of Dearborn's Arab American melting pot. But it's only one part of Metro Detroit's ever growing immigrant story. Our region now boasts the highest concentration of Middle Eastern Americans in the nation, and percentage-wise Sterling Heights tops the list of cities with a population of 100,000 or more.

Macomb-OU INCubator joins forces with Sterling Heights economic dev dept.

By Newsroom

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Community Development

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September 29, 2011

The Macomb-OU INCubator is combining forces with the economic development-oriented agencies of the city of Sterling Heights and Macomb County for a new initiative called Velocity. The Macomb-OU INCubator, the business accelerator for Oakland University, will share its office space in Sterling Heights with the city's economic development department and its workers. The idea is to create synergies between the local agencies. "It's a collaborative center with all of the economic development agencies coming together to serve as a hub for business incubation and economic development," says Denise Gerstenberg, business development manager for Sterling Heights. "It really promotes a collaborative work environment. It promotes a sharing of infrastructure and resource and avoids duplication of services." Velocity will hold a launch party at the Macomb-OU INCubator, 6633 18 Mile Road in Sterling Heights. The event will be held on Oct. 17. For information, call (586) 884-9320 or send an email to tjarzab@sterling-heights.net. Source: Denise Gerstenberg, business development manager for Sterling Heights Writer: Jon Zemke Read more about Metro Detroit's growing entrepreneurial ecosystem at SEMichiganStartup.com.

British armor company starts operations in Sterling Heights

By Newsroom

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Economic Development

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June 16, 2011

A British company that produces defense armor for vehicles and troops has moved into new offices in a part of Sterling Heights dubbed the Defense Corridor. On June 1, NP Aerospace Inc. joined personnel from TACOM and Automation Alley at the Defense Corridor Center for Collaboration and Synergy, or DC3S. NP Aerospace announced in October that it was establishing a U.S. operation in Sterling Heights. It also has offices in Kingston, Ontario. The Sterling Heights facility features a media center with amphitheater style seating for 46, a large display area and multipurpose rooms and close access to counterparts in the defense industry. NP Aerospace was founded in 1926 and is based in Coventry, England. It is seen as a leader and innovator in defense systems, especially lightweight armor delivered in a speedy fashion to military sites around the world. "The reason we established NP Aerospace Inc. in the states in October was to allow us to share technologies to build advanced composite armor systems in the U.S.," Donald Bray, business director for NP Aerospace Inc., says in a statement. "Our materials are stronger and lighter than other armor systems and have been battle tested in Iraq and Afghanistan with the British Army. We have brought this state-of-the-art technology to the U.S. to help create and build the next generation of lightweight advanced armor systems for tactical vehicles and personnel. This new location in Sterling Heights will enhance our activities in Michigan's Defense Corridor." Source: Automation Alley and Don Bray, business director NP Aerospace Writer: Kim North Shine

New Sterling Heights office welcomes Chaldean immigrants

By Newsroom

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Arts & Culture

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May 5, 2011

Metro Detroit, already said to be home to the largest Chaldean community outside the Middle East, will be the destination for thousands of Chaldean refugees in coming months. Between 10,000 and 12,000 Chaldeans from Iraq, many of them Catholics fleeing persecution of their Christian faith, are expected to resettle in the Detroit area in 2011 and 2012, and one of their first stops could be a new immigrant assistance office in Sterling Heights. The office is operated by the Chaldean American Chamber of Commerce and the Chaldean Community Foundation. The Sterling Heights location become the second such office. The other is in Southfield. Martin Manna, executive director of the organizations that run the offices, says the goal is to offer help, be it transportation, housing, English language lessons, and job help so that the new residents can become self-sufficient after their eight months of federal assistance ends. Manna says one aspect of assistance will be helping Chaldeans, who are the indigenous people of their part of the world, where they traditionally excel. "They are historically merchants and entrepreneurs," he says. And a survey of local Chaldeans by Walsh College and the United Way found that 2/3 of Chaldean households own one business and and 39 percent own two or more. He says the residents, many of whom will stay in Macomb County, will add to metro Detroit's growing number of Chaldean Catholic churches and organizations. The new office has filled a vacant storefront at 15 and Ryan and resulted in the hiring of three employees, and more will soon be added to keep up with the arrival. There are also plans to expand the office, Manna says. "Part of the goal of the grant is to grow a campus," Manna says. Source: Martin Manna, executive director, Chaldean American Chamber of Commerce and Chaldean Community Foundation. Writer: Kim North Shine

The Armory For Democracy Goes Suburban

By Constance Crump

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Arts & Culture

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January 14, 2010

War is hell. It's also very profitable for some Metro Detroit suburbs. Billions of dollars in defense contracts are pouring into communities like Troy, Sterling Heights, Warren and Ann Arbor, and the companies there are finding new jobs for auto engineers who are willing to adapt.