KALAMAZOO ? On July 6, the Charter Township of Comstock, Midlink Business Park, Southwest Michigan First, Michigan Economic Development Corporation and the Kalamazoo County Road Commission held a road opening dedication ceremony to commemorate the completion of more than two miles of new public and private roads throughout Midlink?s 340-acre development.
The public portion of the project was made possible by funding from the State of Michigan through a $3 million grant from the Federal Community Development Block Grant program, and by a donation of 15.3 acres from Midlink?s developer Hackman Capital Partners. Community Development Block Grant funds are earmarked for projects that result in job creation and business investment.
?This site has excellent potential to become a powerful magnet for new business development and jobs,? Michigan Economic Development Corporation President and CEO Don Jakeway said. ?Our strong partnership with Southwest Michigan First, the Charter Township of Comstock and Midlink Business Park has been able to turn the tables to create a winner out of a very challenging industrial site.?
Tim Hudson, supervisor of The Charter Township of Comstock said the cooperation and support his office had received on the project had been unprecedented in his experience as township surpervisor. ?The effort was led by Hackman Capital Partners? original investment and their vision for redevelopment. It required community leadership and involvement from every level of government, including the Kalamazoo County Road Commission and up to the Governor?s office.?
The public roads, Midlink Drive and Park Circle Drive, open two new access points to South Sprinkle Road and two new access points on Cork Street. The private road, Center Park Plaza, creates a truck friendly loading and staging area between Midlink East and Midlink West and opens access to both Cork Street and Midlink Drive. This new road system offers more flexibility and accessibility to the park and its tenants.
?The new network of roads will further integrate our world-class park into the community and enable easy access to the entire development,? David Smith, President of Midlink Business Park said. ?In addition to our existing 1.6 million square-foot facility, Midlink now offers 240 acres of fully improved land with water, sewer, electric and gas utilities installed and ready for sale, lease and development. Coupling these improvements with the unparalleled location and significant Renaissance Zone tax savings, makes Midlink Business Park one of the most attractive business locations in the region. These new roads are a great example of how community and state agencies can work with private developers to encourage economic development.?
Ronald R. Kitchens, CEO of Southwest Michigan First agreed. ?Today we have a facility that is a major component of our attraction efforts throughout the southwest Michigan region and will bring additional jobs and investment in the years ahead,? he said ?The redevelopment of the facility and of the land around it was a bold move for Hackman Capital Partners. Community and state leaders should be should be proud of their role in its success.?
The 340-acre, mixed use development offers build-to-suit opportunities from 1.5 to 60 acre sites in three different areas; Industrial/Distribution Zone, Commercial Campus and Retail Corridor. The Midlink Community has many benefits, including a virtually tax-free Renaissance Zone, strategic location, easy access, four traffic controlled entrances, existing world-class infrastructure, on-site storm water retention with 28 acres of wetlands and on-site property management team with expertise in sales, leasing and marketing, construction management, facilities management, and asset management.
“The Kalamazoo County Road Commission is proud to have been a part of the Midlink project,” said Dennis J. Berkebile, Road Commission chairperson. “This effort of cooperation between business and governmental units is a testament to how such projects can be successfully accomplished. We look forward to partnering in economic development activities in the future.”
The park also offers two completely renovated buildings divisible starting at 24,000 square feet, up to 42 foot clear heights, heavy-duty bridge cranes, exterior and interior rail spurs and multiple private truck docks. The buildings are well designed for light and heavy manufacturing, high bay logistics, warehousing and distribution operations, steel storage, research & development, call centers and office areas.
Originally built to extremely high standards as a General Motors stamping facility in 1966, the 340 acre site with the existing 2.2 million square foot building was purchased in 1999 by Hackman Capital Partners and over the next four years was redeveloped and re-branded as Midlink Business Park. This world class business community represents state of the art design and vision, and is a model for real estate development.
Earlier this year, Midlink announced its first tenants; International Component Strategies and Kenco Logistics Services, the two companies now occupy more than 1.1 million square feet of Midlink East and Midlink West. International Component Strategies is an automotive asset recovery company that creates international export markets for surplus automotive parts and equipment generated by the Big Three automakers and their suppliers. The company is optimistic that sales for will scale quickly, enabling a similar ramp up of employment to 200-300 people in the next 12 to 24 months.
Kenco, based in Chattanooga, Tennessee, is one of the nation’s leading third party logistics providers (3PL). For over fifty years, Kenco has guided some of the most demanding supply chains in the world. Kenco?s clients include companies such as DuPont, General Mills, GlaxoSmithKline Whirlpool, Electrolux, BristolMyers-Squibb, Cummins, and Maytag to name a few. Kenco operates 18 million square feet of warehouse space in 20 states and Canada.
Midlink Business Park is strategically located in Kalamazoo on I-94 midway between Chicago and Detroit. With a campus environment, Midlink offers 340 acres, 1.6 million square feet of multi-tenant, configurable space and has been designated a State of Michigan Renaissance Zone, thereby offering substantial tax abatements and incentives.
To learn more about Midlink Business Park, visit the company?s web site at www.midlinkbusinesspark.com or call toll free at (866)708-0800.
