The Genesis Casket Distribution Center is now located in St. Joseph and brings with it six jobs.
The company is leasing 10,000 square feet of a 75,000-square-foot space at 211 Kerth Street.
The Indianapolis-based
Genesis describes itself as a company that is changing the way metal caskets are manufactured and distributed to funeral homes throughout the United States.
Genesis Casket is business partners with Gestamp North America, a supplier of components to the international automotive industry. Metal caskets by Genesis are created through many of the same technologies and processes used to manufacture parts for BMWs and Mercedes-Benz.
One of the unique features of Genesis Caskets is the use of a robotic painting system refined in the automotive industry that the company says assures a smooth finish. It is seeking patents for: a self-supporting cap hinge that is quieter and easier to operate than a traditional cap brace; a slotted, high-density polyethylene bed is secured to a hardened steel beam supported with a durable bracket at either end; and its unique welds -- unlike other metal caskets that are welded in each corner, Genesis caskets have only two welds on the ends.
St. Joseph is attractive to a warehousing and distribution center like the one Genesis has opened because of its proximity to major markets and accessibility to interstate highways, says Cornerstone Alliance President Wendy Dant Chesser. The company agrees.
"Our location in St. Joseph, Michigan allows us to provide the high level quality customer service we are known for in a timely manner," says Wm. Anthony Colson, president and chief executive officer of Genesis Casket.
Writer: Kathy Jennings, Second Wave
Source: Jamie Nilson-Balkin, Cornerstone Alliance
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