EDC shares success stories

A representative from the St. Joseph County Economic Development Corporation shared with members of the county commission a number of success stories from 2015.
Ken Jones, chairman of the EDC board, addressed commissioners Tuesday and labeled 2015 “a very good year” as he prefaced his annual report before the panel.
He started by noting the agency conducted 230 consultations with St. Joseph County companies during the year.
Jones said Southwest Michigan First focused its attraction efforts in 2015 on key markets with high concentrations of site selectors. It made 235 site-consultant impact visits at 15 events from February through November.
Regarding attraction and expansion, Jones said 483 direct new jobs have been announced to date. The bulk of those jobs, 396 in all, will be created at the Forest River plant still under construction in White Pigeon.
He said four projects have received grant assistance from the St. Joseph County Brownfield Redevelopment Authority. Its highlight, Jones said, is the $6.7 million investment in the Sturgis Moso Village II mixed-use project.