Waltonen Engineering invests $9M, to add up to 276 positions

Waltonen Engineering has been diversifying its client base away from automotive-only work to jobs in the aerospace and government sectors. That means there are more opportunities and temptations to continue its growth outside of its Warren headquarters. That is, until the Michigan Economic Development Corp made its case.

Today, the 53-year-old firm is consolidating and growing at its Warren offices, taking on another building to accommodate spectacular growth. The MEDC recently gave it a $538,770 tax credit over four years so the firm would make its $9 million investment at its home (instead of in Washington, D.C., or Wisconsin), a move that should create 276 jobs.

Today the company employs about 200 people globally. Of those, 150 are based in Warren, along with a handful of interns. It recently acquired a building next door from its home base to house all of its new hires.

"We have more than doubled our staff in the last year," says Thomas Laboda, director of business development for Waltonen Engineering. "We are hiring right now. We're hiring engineers, designers, and technical writers. We have a need for more people."

Waltonen Engineering expects to make 29 of those hires over the next year. Laboda doesn't expect that to be a difficult task considering the depth and breadth of Metro Detroit's talent pool, which was a key consideration in the company's decision.

"It's a great pool of talent and we're drawing from that pool of talent," Laboda says.

Source: Thomas Laboda, director of business development for Waltonen Engineering
Writer: Jon Zemke