When Spain-based SAPA Transmission was looking to expand into Michigan, the Macomb County Planning and Economic Development (MCPED) team jumped into action.
SAPA, which makes transmissions for military vehicles, was looking for a suitable space for a small staff to see if it would be feasible to do business here.
MCPED offered SAPA six months of free space at the Velocity Collaborative Center, including business services. With the help of MCPED, the state of Michigan and Shelby Township, SAPA found a permanent home in the Cherry Creek Industrial Park in the township.
SAPA was able to obtain a $2.676 million Michigan Business Development Program grant, a $1.586 million tax abatement from Shelby Township and is approved to use up to $212,000 in training and services from Macomb/St. Clair Michigan Works!. They worked with Macomb Community College to utilize up to $760,000 in Michigan New Jobs program funds to assist in any manufacturing-based training. SAPA’s total incentives were more than $5.2 million.
As a result, SAPA made a total investment of more than $40 million in real and personal property in their Shelby Township location and created more than 200 new jobs.
Michigan was chosen over competing sites in North Carolina, Pennsylvania and South Carolina.
If you'd like help finding a new site for your business in Macomb County, contact the Macomb County Department of Planning and Economic Development at 586-469-5285.