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Manufacturer coming to Niles Twp.
Published 3:22pm Thursday, April 26, 2012A manufacturer coming to Niles Township could create 200 to 400 new jobs in the near future and will be open before the end of the year.
Belleair Beach, Fla.-based Pratt Industries, which manufactures specialty trailers and chassis for intermodal transportation, plans to locate a third Michigan facility in the former United Fixtures building at 2070 S. Third St.
“I’m really excited about Pratt,” Niles Township Supervisor Jim Kidwell said today. “We’re really excited we’re getting this job opportunity coming to the township.”
Kidwell said the United Fixtures building is the largest vacant building in the township and possibly the area. It officially closed for good in late 2008 or early 2009, he said.
Kidwell said he and the township assessor have been working about six months on bringing Pratt to town.
According to Shelley Klug, executive director of the Southwestern Michigan Economic Growth Alliance, the 300,000-square-foot building has been available for purchase about four years.
Pratt expanded into southwest Michigan with the initial acquisition of a plant in Bridgman, which is at full capacity with 125 employees. Acquisition of a second facility in Stevensville on John Beers Road is also at full capacity.
Pratt’s third plant in Niles will be opening next year, providing the company with the opportunity to expand the Pratt Tech Solutions division to 200 to 400 additional positions.
“We’ve worked hard to get a manufacturer to move into that building and are glad to welcome Pratt Industries,” Klug said. “They are a great company, and we look forward to seeing their progress and job creation.”
Klug said Niles Township was chosen for a Pratt location because the United Fixtures building fit its size needs and its “proximity to transportation network and existing Pratt plants.”
Klug also credits Todd Kamps, CCIM of Kwekel Companies, Commercial Industrial Real Estate, for his role in completing the project.
While Pratt is in the process of conducting a needs assessment of the facility and projecting product production capacity, the goal is to bring the Niles facility online running its high-tech engineering support to the oil and gas industry. The rapid expansion of Pratt Industries is due in part to a corporate commitment to producing a quality product.
“Pratt has been a leader in the intermodal industry for four decades,” said Pratap Lingam, vice president. “Because of our evolving investment in research and development in the intermodal industry, we are poised to apply our expertise in related transportation aspects including air, sea and rail. Ironically, we started in the rail business in the 1960s so the demand of the industry has come full circle.”
Bill Pratt founded Pratt Industries with his father, Bob Pratt, a pioneer in the transportation industry. For nearly 40 years, the company has continued to refine its mission and become a global leader in prototyping and product development in the intermodal industry. Pratt is known for developing lightweight, high-strength components in the worldwide intermodal equipment market.
As Pratt looks to the future, the new Niles facility will focus on technology solutions for the oil and mining industry in addition to its existing product lines in chemical and agriculture transportation.
“Our mission,” said owner Bill Pratt, “is to support America by becoming self-reliant and stop relying on foreign oil. Our signature is investment in technology, and, in so doing, we gather talent and invest in human capital while bringing high-tech solutions to what was once a low-tech industry. We want to bring the intellectual property market back to the U.S.”
Tags: Niles Township, Pratt Industries, Southwestern Michigan Economic Growth Alliance, united fixtures
Great news! Will there be a tax abatement coming too?
Great news……..bringing jobs to the Niles community is always welcome. I appreciate everyone’s effort in making this happen. Now let’s give credit where credit is due. There are always people lined up to take credit when in fact the very people that should get credit never do. Jim Kidwell and the Township Assessor say they have been working on this for six months and make the reader believe that they are the ones that deserve the credit. That’s what I call true “spin”. The only credit that local government can grant is an Industrial Facility Tax Exemption. That process must come before the entire Board and I have not read in the paper of any exemptions granted lately by the Board. Did Jim Kidwell promise something on his own, without consulting the Township Board? That would be illegal and unethical. And what could the Assessor do? Arbitrarily lower the values? That has never worked for any homeowner as they always have to go before the board of review and are usually denied. Ms. Klug is the economic development coordinator for this area so she is always the middle person between the prospect and the State. Some credit does go to her and rightly so for her efforts to facilitate any tax credits granted by the State. Possibly the credit should go to the company that had the building listed for sale as they could have procured the buyer outright by themselves. If so… kudos to them as they would deserve the credit. But just maybe it’s a case of a very large building being available at the right time close to that company’s other operations in Berrien County when they were looking to expand. So, as everyone lines up to take the credit, let’s remember that we will probably never know for sure who really deserves it but it seems there are plenty in line to take the credit.
I feel the comments should be about the jobs coming to our community and not the negative comments you have to offer. Wow, are you an unhappy person or what?
Kevin – what exactly is your plan to bring jobs to Niles? Phil, it looked to me like a lot of people were given credit, not taking it. The article’s tone was one of welcome to the company, thankfulness for jobs, and a brief history of the company. Where is the bragging? Don’t we all know without saying that any company can go anywhere and aren’t we all glad when they come to Niles? Keep your cold water off the celebration.
Until a building is bought, the township nor the state can guarantee a tax abatement. One the same note, until a property is owned, you cannot ask the municipality for a tax abatement. Should the township grant a tax abatement for this company if one is asked for…yes! Its great news that the building is no longer empty and that it will create jobs for local people and we should support the business as a community any way we can!
George, I am no longer in public service and have no reason to have a plan to bring jobs to Niles. When I was on the board I never voted against a tax abatement request. They were sometimes “planned” for before a property was purchased as part of a purchase contingency. This one may happen after the purchase; I don’t know but can bet one may be offered eventually. Half of the taxes are better than none I felt as long as jobs were created. My comment was not intended to be negative but evidently was perceived as such.