Based on information provided by Oakland County Economic Development & Community Affairs,
12 companies either expanded or landed in Oakland County in May – the most economic development projects the county has seen in a single month since it began keeping track in 2004.
The investment, which totals $89.7 million, includes both Emerging Sector® projects associated with such fields as advanced electronics and communications or information technology, and more traditional ones such as automotive. About 900 new jobs are expected to be created from the projects while another 945 jobs will be retained.
“This is truly exciting,” Oakland County Executive L. Brooks Patterson said. “We’re putting the great recession behind us and moving quickly into a knowledge-based economy.”
Dan Hunter, deputy director of the Department of Economic Development & Community Affairs, said he could not recall a month with as many as 12 successes.
“There have been bigger months in terms of total investment but I don’t ever remember having this many projects in a single month and I’ve worked here since 1985,” Hunter said. “It may be the biggest number we’ve ever had.”
Patterson agreed.
“This is unheard of as far as the number of new companies we’ve brought to Oakland County in one month,” Patterson said. “I congratulate my staff on a job well done.”
There have been 26 Emerging Sector successes so far this year. The most successful year of the program in terms of projects attracted was 2010 when there were 46.
Five of the companies have or will locate in Troy; three in Auburn Hills and one each in Oakland Township, Orion Township, Pontiac and Rochester Hills.
The companies include:
- Challenge Mfg. Company LLC, a leading Tier 1 manufacturer of engineered modular assemblies and metal formed projects for the auto industry. The company plans to construct a 400,000 square-foot facility in Pontiac. The project will generate a total capital investment of up to $50 million and create 450 new jobs. The Pontiac location was chosen over a competing site in Ontario.
- Rapid Global Business Solutions, a leading global staffing company with its world headquarters in Madison Heights, is creating its North American Technical Center in Troy. The project will generate investment of $2.2 million, create 110 new jobs while retaining 612 jobs.
- Toyoda Gosei North America Corp., a global automotive parts manufacturer based in Japan, is expanding its North American headquarters in Troy. The company plans to invest $7.9 million, which will create 51 new jobs and retain 200 jobs.
- Mahindra USA, Inc., is opening a new technical center in Troy. The Mahindra North America Technical Center will design, develop and prototype complete vehicle designs to facilitate the India-based conglomerate Mahindra & Mahindra as it expands into automotive markets worldwide. The project investment is $2 million and it will create 112 jobs.
Patterson created the Emerging Sectors program in 2004 to help diversify the economy and replace to replace lost manufacturing jobs. The program targets international companies that wish to expand operations into North America as well as North American companies who see Oakland County as the right business location.
Since its inception, the program has counted 284 successes – companies that either located or expanded in Oakland County. Those companies have generated investment of $2.7 billion, created or retained more than 47,000 jobs and generated nearly $69 million in taxes.
The monthly Emerging Sectors report is available at AdvantageOakland.com.
About Sarah Hovis