Electrical contractor expanding presence

Electrical contractor expanding presence

Courtesy The Right Place

An electrical contractor is expanding into a second location in the area and creating 100 jobs.

Walker-based Feyen Zylstra is investing $5.3 million to purchase and renovate a 20,000-square-foot building in Walker, at 3085 Walker Ave. NW, according to The Right Place today.

The additional location, which includes office and industrial lab space, will be used to house Feyen Zylstra’s industrial tech employees, including automation engineers and software developers.

The firm plans to begin working in the space by this fall.

The expansion will enable the firm to provide specialized technical solutions for its “rapidly expanding customer group,” according to Nate Koetje, CEO, Feyen Zylstra.

“IoT and automation are the future, and these trends are already impacting many industries in West Michigan,” said Jen Wangler, senior business development manager and project lead, The Right Place.

The firm considered expanding pre-existing locations in Tennessee and South Carolina, before deciding to expand in Walker, according to documents from the Michigan Economic Development Corporation, or MEDC. The out-of-state locations were more favorable for access to talent and proximity to large-scale facilities and customers.

The Right Place, a Grand Rapids-based economic development nonprofit, worked to ensure the firm expanded in West Michigan. It connected Feyen Zylstra to workforce development resources at West Michigan Works! to assist with worker training.

MEDC approved a $570,000 Michigan Business Development Program performance-based grant for the project.

The firm’s development partner is Spring Lake-based Coach Road Capital.

Feyen Zylstra

Founded locally in 1980, Feyen Zylstra focuses on solving complex problems associated with the design, installation and maintenance of electrical, low-voltage and automation systems.  

Through its industrial technology service, the firm offers automation, networking and software development, as well as industrial IoT services, for middle-market manufacturers.

Feyen Zylstra has four Michigan locations: its headquarters in Walker and offices in Kalamazoo, Traverse City and Auburn Hills. The firm also has an office in Nashville and Charleston, South Carolina.

It has nearly 700 employees in the U.S.