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*FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE *      

October 5, 2023     

Contact: [email protected]   

 

*Gov. Whitmer Awards Funding to Make Infrastructure Upgrades in Bay County, Supporting 93 Jobs in the Area* 

 

*LANSING, Mich.* *—* Governor Whitmer has announced two state Transportation Economic Development Fund (TEDF) grants that will support a total of 93 new jobs and $40 million of private investment in Bangor Township, Bay County. 

 

“Today’s investments will support more than 90 good-paying jobs, drive $40 million of investment, and make a real difference for Michiganders in Bay County,” said *Governor Whitmer*. “I am proud that Vantage Plastics chose to expand in Michigan, and I know that their upgrades will support the local economy by bringing new life to a shuttered former manufacturing facility. Also, the Bay County Road Commission’s improvements on Wilder Road will support local freight and traffic flow, building on the region’s growing momentum. Let’s keep working together to make our cities and towns better places to live, work, and invest so anyone can ‘make it’ in Michigan.”   

 

 The state Transportation Economic Development Fund (TEDF) grant helps finance public highway, road, and street projects that are critical to the movement of people and products, and getting workers to their jobs, materials to growers and manufacturers, and finished goods to consumers. The road project submitted by the Bay County Road Commission will support investment and job creation for Vantage Plastics. 

 

Vantage Plastics is a plastic processor based in Standish. The company is involved in recycling, extrusion and thermoforming plastic products, such as returnable shipping materials, agricultural packaging materials, wading pools, hunting blinds, and more. Vantage Plastics is an industrial leader known not only for their quality product but for their quality personnel. They have an opportunity to expand a long-vacant 325,000-square-foot former manufacturing property on Wilder Road in Bangor Township, investing $40 million in property and facility improvements and extrusion equipment, as well as adding 93 jobs to the area.  

 

“This project had heavy competition from competing states, including Nevada and Mississippi. The decision by Vantage to grow their business here in the state, and specifically in Bay County, is a testament to the resources we have here in our community along with the strong partnership and collaboration among the public and private sectors,” said *Trevor M. Keyes, president and CEO, **Bay Future, Inc* [ [link removed] ]. “We are grateful to Vantage Plastics for their investment and for their commitment to our community and to the state of Michigan.”  

 

 The Bay County Road Commission was awarded a Transportation Economic Development Fund Category A grant by the Michigan Department of Transportation (MDOT) to improve approximately one-half mile of Wilder Road between Patterson Road and Marquette Avenue, including paving road shoulders and concrete patching, bringing the road up to the all-season standards needed for Vantage Plastic’s operations at the site. The total construction cost for these road improvements is $480,000. The TEDF Category A share is 70 percent, up to $336,000. The Bay County Road Commission’s share is 30 percent, or $144,000. 

 

“Improvements to Wilder Road are very important to this project as freight into and out of the facility is key to it operational efficiencies. More importantly, widening the road will make it safer for all traffic, especially with the increase in truck traffic to support this project,” said *Don Hale, Mergers and Acquisitions at Vantage Plastics. “*The project will be paired with road improvements on Wilder Road from Marquette Avenue to Tiernan Road, which will benefit many other businesses west of the Vantage Plastics expansion site.”  

 

“A partnership between Bay Future, the Bay County Road Commission and Marquette TIFA (Tax Increment Finance Authority) District will rehabilitate Wilder Road east of Truman Parkway to provide all-season trucking access for Vantage Plastics. The road upgrade is essential to the project’s success. This road project positively impacts a new and multiple existing businesses within the Marquette TIFA District by providing continued, reliable all-season truck access to each,” said *Jim Lillo, P.E., Bay County Road Commission engineer-manager*. “The citizens of Bangor Township, Bay City and Bay County will all benefit from this collaborative project. We thank MDOT for working with all the stakeholders, selecting this project and providing much needed funding.” 

 

*About Transportation Economic Development Fund Grants*  

 

Enacted in 1987 and reauthorized in 1993, TEDF "Category A" or "Targeted Industries Program" grants provide state funding for public roadway improvements that allow road agencies to respond quickly to the transportation needs of expanding companies and eliminate inadequate roadways as an obstacle to private investment and job creation. Eligible road agencies include MDOT, county road commissions, cities, and villages. More information about the program is available online at www.Michigan.gov/TEDF [ [link removed] ].   

 

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