Greater Muskegon Economic Development Receives Prestigious Economic Impact Award
Muskegon, MI – Greater Muskegon Economic Development (GMED) has been named the recipient of the “Large Economic Impact Deal of the Year” award by the Mid-America Economic Development Council (MAEDC). Consumers Energy nominated GMED for the award for their work in connection with global life sciences leader, Cytiva’s decision to locate future operations in Muskegon Township.
Cytiva recently announced it will make a significant investment to transform the former BASF production site located at 1720 Whitehall Road into a 168,000 sq. ft. biomanufacturing campus that will produce material for purifying and analyzing biomolecules for the manufacture of vaccines and therapeutics. This will be Cytiva’s first chromatography resin manufacturing facility outside of Sweden. The new facility will bring the company closer to customers in North America, where demand continues to accelerate.
Construction is planned to begin in early 2023, and manufacturing is expected to begin in 2026. Approximately 200 jobs will be created as a result of Cytiva’s expansion in Muskegon. The project also received two job training grants totaling $3 million and a personal property tax exemption for up to five years valued at $2.7 million from the Michigan Economic Development Corporation (MEDC).
“Muskegon Township’s talented workforce and existing local infrastructure makes it a great place for Cytiva to expand its manufacturing operations,” said Sofie Stille, General Manager, Resins & Technologies, Cytiva. “We are excited to bring this site back to life as we work to help our customers solve the world’s biotechnology challenges.”
“We are extremely honored to receive this award on behalf of the Muskegon community,” said GMED President/CEO Marla Schneider. “This is the largest manufacturing expansion in Muskegon County in several decades, and Consumers Energy was an important player in our efforts to bring Cytiva to West Michigan. We are incredibly grateful for their partnership through all phases of the project.”
The Large Economic Impact Deal of the Year award recognizes a project that had a significant and measurable impact on a regional community. GMED Director of Business Development Morgan Carroll presented highlights of the project and accepted the award this week at MAEDC’s 2022 Mid-America Competitiveness Conference in Chicago. “We faced a lot of competition to attract Cytiva to Muskegon and having such a large site available was a big advantage for us,” she added. “Being able to repurpose the former BASF facility makes this an even bigger win for our community.”
“Consumers Energy was proud to be a partner with Greater Muskegon Economic Development in bringing Cytiva to this incredible West Michigan community,” said Lauren Snyder, Consumers Energy’s Vice President of Customer Experience. “This partnership will help create jobs, economic growth, and prosperity for West Michigan, and we’re proud of GMED for receiving this award that recognizes this effort. Congratulations to the GMED team and thank you for all the work you do to help strengthen Muskegon and make it an even better place to call home.”
About Greater Muskegon Economic Development
Greater Muskegon Economic Development (GMED) was founded in 1999 as the primary contact for economic growth in Muskegon County. GMED’s focus is to leverage public and private investment to accelerate business growth, improve our community’s quality of place, advance job growth, and attract and retain talent in Muskegon County. Through utilization of our in-house and partner resources, GMED is uniquely positioned to help local businesses meet their economic objectives. To learn more, visit developmuskegon.org.
About Consumers Energy
Consumers Energy, Michigan’s largest energy provider, is the principal subsidiary of CMS Energy (NYSE: CMS), providing natural gas and/or electricity to 6.8 million of the state’s 10 million residents in all 68 Lower Peninsula counties. Learn more at https://www.consumersenergy.com/.
About Cytiva
At Cytiva, we believe the key to transforming human health is accessing life-changing therapies. That’s why our nearly 10 000 associates in more than 40 countries are keenly focused on helping researchers, biopharma companies, and drug manufacturers to advance and accelerate therapeutics for people that need them. We’re driven by their desire to achieve better flexibility, capacity, and efficiency in all facets of their work – all the way from discovery to delivery. Visit https://www.cytivalifesciences.com/en/us to learn more.