The state of Michigan on Oct. 14 announced a Transportation Economic Development Fund (TEDF) grant that will be used to upgrade the Baldwin Road corridor that will allow Fessler & Bowman, Inc., a national concrete and earthwork contractor, to continue with its planned $10-million expansion in Grand Blanc Township. Once completed, the company’s project will retain 112 jobs and create 52 new, full-time positions.
A location on Baldwin Road, with its proximity to I-75, was identified as a potential location for Fessler & Bowman’s new 80,000-square-foot headquarters. However, Baldwin Road is not currently an all-season road, which the company requires for its operations. In addition, the road’s pavement is nearing the end of its useful life and requires replacement.
The Genesee County Road Commission will rebuild Baldwin Road from Dort Highway to New Tech Drive. Additional work includes widening the road from two lanes to three with the addition of a center turn lane, new right-turn lanes at intersections, paved shoulders, geometric upgrades and drainage improvements. The total project cost is $5.12 million, including $1.71 million in TEDF and $3.4 million from the road commission and Grand Blanc Township.
“As a national corporation and a leader in the construction industry, we conducted a nationwide search to determine the location of our future corporate headquarters,” said Fessler & Bowman President and CEO Jim Malenich. “Improvements to Baldwin Road and the supporting infrastructure are critical to our transportation needs and was instrumental in our decision to relocate our corporate headquarters to Grand Blanc. The investment from the state of Michigan, Genesee County and Grand Blanc Township will allow Fessler & Bowman, Inc. to remain in the same county we have proudly been a part of since 1963. We are grateful to MDOT and their commitment to Genesee County. Their collaborative efforts will benefit the existing business community and bring economic growth to Grand Blanc Township.”
Fessler & Bowman, based in Flushing with regional offices in North Carolina, Tennessee and Louisiana, has outgrown its Flushing campus and is exploring new locations for its national headquarters. The company is ranked 18th among the “Top 20 Concrete Firms” and 163rd among the “Top 600 Specialty Contractors” in this year’s Engineering-News Record (ENR) Report, a top industry publication.
“The Charter Township of Grand Blanc has invested a great deal of energy into creating an environment within the DDA District that will attract and retain cutting edge technology-driven businesses, and the improvement to the Baldwin Road corridor is vital to achieving the vision,” said Dennis Liimatta, township superintendent of Grand Blanc Township. “Without the upgrade to the infrastructure, we could not sustain the job-creating economic growth projected for this development zone. We truly appreciate the cooperation and assistance from the Genesee County Road Commission and MDOT to improve the safety, and provide for efficient traffic flow, in this growing commercial district.”