Press Room

Muskegon, MI – Muskegon’s principal economic development agency, formerly known as Muskegon Area First, is pleased to announce it will now operate under the DBA “Greater Muskegon Economic Development” (GMED). The name change comes with a complete rebranding of the organization, including a new logo, new marketing materials, and a new website. “It was time ...

Who We Are Hazekamp’s Premier Foods is a meat and fresh food processing and distribution facility with a unique line of consumer-ready products. A family-owned business started in 1905, it is currently operated by the 4th generation of the Hazekamp family.   How We Started For 85 years we harvested animals at our facility. We ...

Seven Decades of Manufacturing Leadership Howmet Aerospace Inc. has been a manufacturing leader since 1951. That was the year a group of engineers from Detroit-based Michigan Steel Casting Corp. arrived in Whitehall to found Misco Precision Casting Company with just 26 employees. During those early years, Misco perfected its monolithic shell process of investment casting, ...

Muskegon County was recently the recipient of $75,000 in shovel ready-grants from the Michigan Economic Development Corporation (MEDC) as part of the Michigan Build Ready Sites program. The purpose of the MEDC program is to give Michigan a boost in attracting new businesses. Read the full press release at the MEDC website....

Muskegon County FARM (Food, Agriculture, Research, and Manufacturing Center) received $63,500 from the Michigan Department of Agriculture & Rural Development (MDARD) as part of an initiative that will help to boost the the local food and agriculture industry. Read the full press release at MDARD’s website. Learn more about the Muskegon County FARM incubator initiative....

Hilite International, a global supplier of automotive components and systems, is planning to expand it’s operations in Whitehall, Michigan with the help of a $400,000 Jobs Ready Michigan grant. This project brings with it an expected total private investment of $9.6 million and 108 new jobs by 2022.   To learn more about this expansion, ...

Greater Muskegon Economic development partner and Muskegon County food processing and agricultural manufacturing incubator, the West Michigan Food Processing Association (WMFPA), is doing their part to help local companies navigate COVID-19 challenge.   Read the full MiBiz article here....

Muskegon County is in the midst of a transformation with a $19 million convention center, micro hotel, many waterfront development projects and industrial expansions underway in 2020.   See the MiBiz article for more information about all of the exciting new development projects happening along the Muskegon Lakeshore....

Rick Smith Innovating a Platform Technology to disrupt the Beverage Industry. In 2017, Rick cofounded HyVIDA Brands, Inc. after learning about the therapeutic benefits of molecular hydrogen gas (H2) and the emergence of hydrogen infused beverages in Japan. Hydrogen is a powerful antioxidant that efficiently navigates the body to neutralize free radicals and balance cellular ...

A Bright Idea While working to solve quality control problems for Michigan manufacturers, Matt Pinter Co-Founder and Chief Technology Officer of Smart Vision Lights needed specialty LED lights. The lights were used in machine vision, a technology that allows machines to “see” using a camera and special LED lights. Without the right lights he could ...