Glass fabricator invests $1.5M in expansion

Glass fabricator invests $1.5M in expansion

GLASSource in Grand Haven is a glass fabricator that makes standard and specialty glass and mirrors. Photo by Rachel Weick

A lakeshore glass company plans to invest more than $1.5 million in an expansion project, which will include the reconstruction of a road with support from local and state incentives.

The Grand Haven City Council approved this month a roughly $209,000 Community Development Block Grant, or CDBG, application to help support reconstruction of nearly 650 feet on North Beechtree Street from the intersection of Fulton, as GLASSource plans to invest roughly $1.59 million in an expansion.

The CDBG grant would be enhanced with about $139,000 in local bond funds from the city of Grand Haven to support the reconstruction costs.

Road construction is anticipated to begin late in the fall or early next spring.

The expansion

GLASSource, a fabricator of glass products located at 295 N. Beechtree St., plans to expand its space and add new equipment.

The project is anticipated to create at least 21 jobs during a two-year period, according to the Michigan Economic Development Corp., or MEDC, which administers the state's federally funded CDBG program. 

Patrick McGinnis, city manager of Grand Haven, said the company moved into the former Challenge Machine site on the north side of Grand Haven after redeveloping the facility in 2014, and as the company continues to grow, there are some improvements needed to the street.

“They are looking at additional lines of work and getting new equipment,” McGinnis said. “GLASSource is a glass company. They can’t drive glass products over a potholed road. The city worked with the state to come up with a way to rebuild.”

Resurgent area

McGinnis said the company is located in the northeastern part of Grand Haven in a traditionally industrial area, which is experiencing significant manufacturing development.

“It has been neglected and ignored for a couple generations, and now we have seen a lot of resurgence," McGinnis said. "We are seeing a neighborhood that is really coming back: housing value is up, the turnover in real estate happens really quickly. GLASSource is manufacturing — these are important manufacturing jobs for our community. This is the last leg of the reinvestment in infrastructure.”