Business Expansions Win State Aid, To Create 203 Jobs

LANSING — An animal health company is expanding in the Kalamazoo area with support from the Michigan Strategic Fund, the Michigan Economic Development Corp. announced.

That expansion, along with four other business expansion projects that also received MSF approval, will generate a total private investment of more than $71.5 million and create 203 jobs in Michigan.

Michigan Tech helping in search for historic labor artifact

HOUGHTON — It all began with the labor movement’s fight for an 8-hour work day.

In Chicago’s Haymarket Square in 1886, a peaceful demonstration turned deadly when a bomb was thrown. In the chaos that followed, panicked police started shooting indiscriminately, killing seven of their own officers and at least four workers. In the wake of the Haymarket Riot, eight members of the labor movement were arrested. After a questionable trial, seven of the leaders were sentenced to hang. Two sentences were commuted by the governor, and one defendant committed suicide in jail, while four men were hung. While the public outrage at the violence created a “red scare” in the United States that set back the cause of the eight-hour day, the martyring of innocent labor leaders galvanized union organizers around the world. May Day celebrations around the world still commemorate those executed because of Haymarket.

Now, 130 years later, 21st century technology and a group of determined historians and archaeologists are bringing the historic Haymarket Affair back into people’s awareness.  And Michigan Technological University industrial archaeologist Tim Scarlett is playing a small part.

US Signal Sets Business Continuity, Disaster Recovery Summit Series

GRAND RAPIDS — The Grand Rapids-based connectivity and managed services provider US Signal says it will host a series of Midwest Business Continuity and Disaster Recovery Summit meetings this fall in Midwest cities.

The series of single day events will provide information on cloud-based business continuity and disaster recovery, data protection, and related topics, to help businesses optimize the reliability, availability and use of data and IT services within their organizations.

Chicago Capital Firm Buys Michigan Manufacturer

CHICAGO — Chicago-based DNS Capital announced the acquisition of Boyne City-based IMI Holding Corp. from the Chattanooga, Tenn. private equity firm River Associates Investments LLC. Terms of the transaction were not disclosed.

IMI is the parent of three businesses — Industrial Magnetics Inc., an industrial magnet manufacturer in Boyne City; Prater Industries Inc., a Bolingbrook, Ill. manufacturer of airlocks, mills, grinders, compactors and other equipment ofr changing the size of particles; and Sterling Controls Inc., a Sterling, Ill. manufacturer of process control and material handling equipment.

Wind, Solar Firm Gets Toledo Deal, Chicago Office

BRIGHTON — CGE Energy (OTC:MKBY), the Brighton-based solar, wind and advanced lighting firm, Thursday announced a power purchase agreement with the YMCA and JCC of Greater Toledo and a new sales office in Chicago.

The first phase of the Toledo installatino is a 511-kilowatt solar photovoltaic array at YMCA’s Storer Camps in Jackson. CGE Energy collaborated its manufacturing partner, Oregon-based SolarWorld, to provide a clean energy system with a lifespan of 25 years. Also part of the Storer Camp project was the installation of naerly 1,000 Cree LED lamps and fixtures.

Michigan’s URC Talking ‘Blue Economy’ In Chicago

CHICAGO — Members of Michigan’s University Research Corridor — a research alliance of Michigan State University, the University of Michigan and Wayne State University — and Shedd Aquarium met today with higher education, governmental and economic development leaders to discuss the impact of water-related research on the Great Lakes region during the fifth and final stop in the URC’s “Blue Economy” tour in Chicago.

Dow Solar Shingles Available In More States

MIDLAND — The Dow Solar business unit of Dow Chemical Co. (NYSE: DOW) announced that its Dow Powerhouse solar shingles are now available to residential customers in Delaware and Hawaii, as well as the first Powerhouse installation in Illinois.