Ground is being broken today (Oct. 4) and construction is to get under way on Hark Orchids' 6.5 Million, 35,000-square-foot laboratory and climactic chambers near Kalamazoo.
The company that specializes in the hybridization, cultivation and propagation of orchids will construct its operation on five acres purchased from Midlink Business Park.
Hark Orchideen, as it is known in its home country, grew from a small family gardening business founded in 1904 to a specialized orchid laboratory devoted to the cultivation of the plants. This is the company's first operation in the United States and it expects to create up to 80 jobs in the next three to five years.
The
Michigan Economic Development Corporation, regional development organization,
Southwest Michigan First, and Kalamazoo County supported the project with grant incentives.
At the official groundbreaking there was to be a lineup of local, regional and state officials, and festivities also were to include a nod to Hark's German heritage with Oktoberfest-themed celebration. They planned to tap a keg and enjoyed live music and food.
Midlink officials say the work they have done prepare the business park makes the it attractive to businesses like Hark Orchids. "We've done the hard work," says Midlink President David Smith. "We put the infrastructure in place, years ago. We built the roads. We installed the public and private utilities."
Smith welcomes the German company.
"Their innovative technologies are bound to spark growth in our region's greenhouse community and bring additional high-skilled jobs to Kalamazoo," says Smith.
Midlink Business Park is a 340-acre development that offers a 110-acre Renaissance Zone, two state-of-the-art multi-tenant industrial buildings totaling more than 1.6 million square feet. Another 88-acres of industrial land, a 16-acre retail center and 38-acre office campus are under development.
Writer: Kathy Jennings, Second Wave Media
Source: David Smith, Midlink Business Park
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