HOLT – A local orthopedic parts manufacturer will receive a $300,000 state grant to train employees on new equipment as part of its recent expansion.
The Michigan Economic Development Corp. awarded the grant Monday to Orchid Orthopedic Solutions LLC, headquartered at 1489 Cedar St. in Holt.
The money will help pay for the cost of training 35 new employees that are expected to be hired as a result of a $4.8 million expansion that includes new manufacturing equipment. The jobs will pay an average of $18.70 per hour, the MEDC said.
A tax abatement for the equipment the company projects will save $849,265 over 12 years was approved by the Delhi Township board in June.
Orchid Orthopedic Solutions makes medical devices, including orthopedic implants and surgical tools. The company has said increasing demand has stretched its operations to the point it needs the equipment upgrades. It is now operating three shifts and continuing work on many weekends.
Orchid officials could not be reached for comment on the latest grant, a federal Community Development Block Grant that is administered by the state.
Orchid has 243 workers in Holt and more than 1,700 nationwide. It recently expanded with a manufacturing facility in Jackson, Tennessee.
Separately, the MEDC also awarded Lansing-based Neogen Corp. a $100,000 grant that will be used to renovate a building and create 25 new jobs as part of a $1 million project.
Neogen, a food and animal safety company, plans to revamp the former Superior Office Equipment building at 728 E. Shiawassee St. in Lansing adjacent to Neogen’s headquarters. It will be used for office, lab and manufacturing and Neogen plans to spend more than $1 million on the building.
The company employs more than 800 at its facilities worldwide. It makes diagnostic tests for pathogens, as well as studies animal genomics.
Neogen CEO Jim Herbert could not be reached for comment.
