LEONI TWP., MI - Classic Turning, a machinery company specializing in aerospace parts, has pumped millions of dollars into the Jackson community this past year.
Last November, Phil Curtis, owner of the Leoni Township business, signed off on a $3-million expansion at his 3000 S. South Street location, initially generating 30 new jobs. He and CEO Alan Symonds project 40 to 50 new openings in the next three to five years.
The process toward job growth sometimes involves solving a bureaucratic puzzle, said Amy Guerriero, vice president of economic development for the Enterprise Group of Jackson. Classic Turning sought a tax abatement, or discount, of 50 percent for keeping the work and investment in Leoni Township, she said.
As they submitted the paperwork, the township’s government was in transition. Former clerk Mark Carpenter resigned on March 20, leaving four months of untouched records for his replacement just weeks before tax collection in April.
Uncertainty surrounded Classic Turning’s abatement request, so Curtis and Symonds sought out Guerriero.
“They said, ‘Amy, we dropped off our application there, but we don’t even know if anybody there knows how to process one,'" she said. "It took weeks for us to make contact with (the new deputy clerk).”
Guerriero describes Enterprise Group as a “problem-solver” for Jackson-area businesses. As the former economic development project manager for the city of Jackson, Guerriero said she flexed her government experience to solve this issue.
She said she sat in on Leoni Township meetings, helping the township adopt a Blackman Township policy that rewards companies with tax abatements based on amount of investment. She also worked with the new clerk to progress Classic Turning’s paperwork toward approval.
With the Enterprise Group’s collaboration, Symonds said he hopes new applicants can find a “flexible” work environment.
“We’ve just introduced paid time off,” he said. “For a business of our size, we think that’s a really good inclusion, to give the employees control of the time they have off.”
Curtis added that workers can adjust their 10- to 12-hour shifts to best fit their personal lives.
“One of the employees chose the later starting time,” he said, “because he wanted to be home when his kids got off the bus from school and see his kids before he went to work.”
Machinist Curt Lingo removes burrs from metal nuts with a grinder at Classic Turning Inc.MLive File Photo
Between Classic Turning and Great Lakes Metal Finishing, Curtis’ businesses employ approximately 170 people. However, there are still around 10 unfilled openings from the initial job growth of 30.
Applications for machinist, machine operator and quality technician jobs can be found at classicturning.com/employment.
Enterprise Group President/CEO Tim Rogers said this reflects a countywide problem with the “talent gap,” a divide between available jobs and the appropriate skills to perform the job’s tasks.
He currently estimates 12,000 to 13,000 Jackson metropolitan residents that have stopped looking for work due to a lack of education and training. The Bureau of Labor Statistics states that more than 10,000 Jackson metropolitan residents are employed in the manufacturing sector. This is the highest since 2006, two years before last decade’s major recession.
According to the Bureau of Labor Market Information and Strategic Initiatives, just 25 percent of county residents have a bachelor’s degree or more. Less than half have the appropriate short-term on-the-job training to fill many available jobs.
Curtis states that Classic Turning offers to provide necessary training with assistance from the Jackson Area Career Center. He thinks this is a reason that he’s “noticed that people want to come here to work.”
The excitement of the expansion “permeates” through the whole company now, Curtis said. The initial $3-million investment created new incomes for residents and new tax revenue for the township, but he said he focuses on the newfound enthusiasm of his workplace.
“I don’t think I’ve seen this excitement since I’ve been around this business,” Curtis said.
