Wood products manufacturer expands in Newaygo

A wood door frame manufacturer with facilities in Michigan and Georgia plans to invest $8.67 million to build a 25,000-square-foot expansion of its facility in Newaygo, a small rural community in western Michigan.

The company, G-M Wood Products, manufactures patented door frame components and wood door frames in various sizes.  The company was founded in Newaygo and has a plant in Toccoa, Georgia.

“We are bringing a new technology on site that we previously sourced from out of state and overseas. We firmly believe that the value of automated USA manufacturing will continue to increase over the coming years,” says Kevin Karrip, who is vice president of G-M Wood Products. “Considering the partnership with the state of Michigan, combined with the incredibly hardworking employees of our West Michigan community, we are left with no doubt that Newaygo is the right choice for G-M Wood Products to continue to grow.”
 
What’s happening: G-M Wood Products is experiencing significant growth and outgrowing its current facilities. To help the company expand, the Michigan Economic Development Corporation awarded G-M Wood Products a $137,500 Michigan Business Development Program performance-based grant.

The expansion will create additional space allowing the company to bring in-house some manufacturing processes currently being done out of state and overseas. That allows for better product control, decreased production times, and reduced production costs. The expansion will create 25 jobs. The company’s workforce currently numbers 139. The company plans to work with Michigan Works! to secure local talent. 

G-M Wood Products chose Michigan for the project over Georgia because it was founded and is headquartered in the Great Lakes State, and because of the strength of the region’s talent base, officials said. The company will receive a 50 percent property tax abatement from the city of Newaygo.

The back story:  Founded in 1987 as a manufacturer of structural components for steel entry doors, G-M Wood Products now manufactures a full line of door frame components and exterior millwork in a multitude of substrates and finishes. The company manufactures door frames in a range of sizes, mull posts, mull covers, stops and glazing as well as transom sills, continuous headers and other door-related parts, both standard and custom-made. 

G-M Wood Products offers training opportunities to its employees and provides opportunities for growth from within. "We are thrilled to work with the team at G-M Wood Products, providing the resources they need to expand their operations in Michigan,” says Julie Burrell, senior economic development director of Newaygo County Economic Development Partnership and project lead. “They continue to be a great community partner and are a key driver of the continued growth in Newaygo County."

High impact growth: G-M Wood Products is one of the top three manufacturing employers in Newaygo, and the only one that is headquartered locally.  This project will bring immediate advanced manufacturing jobs to the area and position the company for future growth and investment in Michigan.

“Their continued investment in the Newaygo community shines through in how they care for their employees and the greater community,” Burrell says. 

Contributing to the company’s decision to expand in Newaygo, the Newaygo County Economic Development Partnership worked closely with the MEDC to ensure it continued its growth in the region rather than at its operations in Georgia. 

The Newaygo County group coordinated state and local resources, including helping obtain a 50-percent property tax abatement from the city of Newaygo in support of the project.

Michigan Works! West Central supported this expansion with a workforce development package worth up to $95,731 and the state of Michigan supported the project with a Business Development Program Grant worth up to $137,500.

What’s next: The construction timeline will likely begin in 2025.

"G-M Wood Products has been a great asset to the community,” said Newaygo City Manager Jon Schneider. “We are excited to support them in their continued efforts to expand their business.”  

Rosemary Parker has worked as a writer and editor for more than 40 years. She is a regular contributor to Rural Innovation Exchange, UPword and other Issue Media Group publications.