Holland firm targets aerospace, defense contracts for manufacturers, company's growth spurs six jobs

A number of West Michigan manufacturers say they're attempting to add new revenue streams by diversifying into industries such as aerospace, defense and government contract work.
But while their production lines might stand ready to generate new products, some business owners have yet to make the crucial connections with clients who will generate the work.

For the past four years, Holland-based Balanced Enterprise Solutions (BES) has made those connections for dozens of manufacturers, and, in the process, has grown from a two-man operation to nine full-time employees.

Company co-founder Don Mulder brought on three new partners in January, followed by a business development director, a mechanical engineer and an electrical engineer.

"My background is in defense, aerospace and government contract work," Mulder says. "But the business has morphed into enterprise assessment, enterprise improvement and enterprise growth."

BES solves problems for manufacturers, says Mulder. They can help a company learn and apply lean principles or act as a customer interface point to capture new business in a variety of markets, including medical devices and consumer goods.

"VIO from Marquette had a portable helmet- and car-mounted digital video recorder ready to launch and wanted a Midwestern manufacturer," Mulder says. "We started with 15 suppliers and narrowed it to four, then did site assessments and they chose a manufacturer."

BES created the documentation needed for Precision Aerospace to land a $2.5 million Michigan Economic Growth Authority tax credit in August 2008, and helped JB Laboratories implement lean manufacturing principles.

"We're working with large aerospace companies in Des Moines and Boston, helping them capture additional Department of Defense business," Mulder says. "We have two people onsite in Oklahoma City, which is a large Air Force base depot where they repair all the jet engines."

Source: Don Mulder, Balanced Enterprise Solutions

Deborah Johnson Wood is development news editor for Rapid Growth Media. She can be contacted at [email protected].