As communities everywhere continue to bounce back from the recession, Lapeer County is showing a lot of growth.
There are numbers and jobs to prove it. New companies are moving in and existing companies are expanding, which is bringing unemployment numbers down.
Though the sun is nowhere in sight on this spring day in Lapeer County, the economic climate is better than its been in years.
"It seems like it's picking up a little bit. The businesses downtown and the factories are picking up a little more," Lapeer resident Matt Stone said.
Lapeer County, like so many others, was hit hard by the recession. Businesses closed and jobs disappeared.
It appears the tide has now begun to turn.
"I think so. We hope so. The numbers would indicate that the unemployment rate is going down, and we're seeing that companies are expanding. In terms of 2011, we are projecting that we will have more investment and job creation than we had in 2010," Patricia Lucas from the Lapeer Development Corporation said.
A number of companies, including Champion Bus, Mold Masters and Quest Industries, have expanded and added jobs.
Effective late April 2010, Quest Industries has relocated its entire facility to 3309 John Conley Drive, Lapeer, Michigan (map). We are east of Lake Nepessing Road, north of I-69, in a huge, 41,712 square foot state of the art industrial facility. This represents a 300% increase in manufacturing space from our previous location.
Accompanying the move to our new, larger facliities, we have doubled the number of employees, added and will continue to add additional personnel, computers, CNC milling machines, lathes and other manufacturing, finishing and quality control equipment.
LAPEER — Nine years ago (2001) Dennis Hoover was a oneman company working out of one of the bays at the Lapeer Development Corporation’s (LDC) incubator building on McCormick Drive.
Today he heads a multimillion dollar company in a 41,712-square-foot temperature controlled facility on John Conley Drive with 40 employees providing precision tooling, machining, prototyping and pre-production services to the aerospace, aircraft, automotive, electronics, hydraulics, medical, military, pneumatic, power tools and wind energy industries in 10 states and two foreign companies.
Hoover’s privately held company, Quest Industries, has been a bright spot in Lapeer County’s largely bleak economic landscape. With county unemployment one full percentage above the state average of 13.1 per- cent and just below Nevada’s nation-leading 14.4, Quest has been bucking the trend by adding instead of shedding employees.
“The community has been very good to me, allowed me to grow and expand and that’s why I’m still here in the community,” said Hoover, adding, “I really like it here and I intend to stay here and grow.”
While saying he began the business with a “shoestring budget” Hoover said, “I can honestly say that the best thing I’ve ever done is invest in the employees. That’s it. I wouldn’t be here today without them. They are as integral to this place as I am. I am nothing but the guy steering the ship.”
LAPEER, Michigan (WJRT) - (10/17/07)--New business. New growth.
In Lapeer, yet another company has announced big plans for its future.
This comes while many parts of our state continue to struggle.
Major highways are a short distance away. So for many, it's a great location. But many business leaders also have taken advice our state's top leaders have pushed for quite some time.
At Quest Industries, trained workers shape metal dies, tools and devices for a handful of industries.
"A little bit of everything," said Denny Hoover. "Actually, I think that's why we're successful. Doing a little bit of everything."
Less than seven years ago, Hoover started with a big vision and a little support. And now, after another year of big growth, Hoover has big plans for his company's future.
"I can see myself adding onto this building within the next year or so," he said.
Copyright 2007 ABC12 and ABC - Reprinted with permission from ABC12
Quest Industries Inc.
3309 John Conley Drive
Lapeer, Michigan 48446 U.S.A.
Tel: 810-245-4535
Fax: 810-245-4536 http://www.questindustries.net/
All descriptions on this website are copyrighted 2006-2012, by Quest Industries, Inc, and may not be republished without written permission.
