March 2017,
Armada Rubber is proud to announce the completion of a 13,000 sq.
ft. addition to their current facility. With this addition, Armada will gain
efficiencies in their current process flow. It will also allow for the
expansion of new processing equipment which will be arriving in the 3rd
quarter of 2017. This expansion is very exciting as it clears the way for
greater sales growth and potential job opportunities for the community.
The Armada Rubber Plant, which has been in Armada since 1947, was approved for an Industrial Facilities Tax, or IFT, by the Armada Township Board on Sept. 10. The approval comes with a 50 percent tax abatement that is applicable for up to 12 years.
The IFT covers a new molding press, according to Controller Bob Bova. That could cost upwards of $200,000 and will be added to the plant without creating an addition to the building itself.
"They are a family business and they are a pillar of the community," Township Supervisor John Paterek said. "It is an industrial application in a rural agricultural area which is a tough thing to find."
The board approved the application unanimously after a public meeting was held before the regular September meeting.
"If by any means we can help a business like that I am all for it," Paterek said.
According to Paterek, it is a regular action to take for an industrial business in the area.
"It is a normal procedure," he said. "A lot of businesses on Powell Road have IFT's."
Businesses Such as Takata and REI Industries make up the bulk of the industrial corridor along Powell Road.
Paterek said that Armada Rubber came to them "about six weeks ago" with the offer.
Bova said at the meeting that there is a "potential" for new jobs to be created with the addition of the press, but no figures were released.
The plant's primary product is small automotive parts.
To Paterek it is a positive sign that locally the economy may be turning the corner and businesses are getting back to some sort of normalcy.
"A lot of people have gone out of business in the last three years; a shocking amount," he admitted. "So whatever you can do to seize the opportunity to bring work in is incredibly important."
The supervisor is also pleased that the board was able to help the plant without relying on outside forces.
"Whatever you can do to help a business go forward, you don't wait for the state to do it and you don't wait for the federal government to do it, you try and do it at the local level to keep businesses strong," he said.
Paterek is also not worried about the perception that the tax break is money that is being taken away from the township.
"Even if you give them a 50 percent reduction in personal property taxes, the fact of the matter is that it helps the business diversify and potentially could add jobs," he said.
Source: The Voice