One Northern Michigan town is celebrating after a major announcement about their employment future.
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The company Sovereign Deed has decided to move forward with plans to build an emergency response center on land owned by the Pellston Airport. The company had been considering several states to build in. In May Governor Granholm signed legislation that gave the company $5 million in state tax incentives if they chose to build in Michigan. In turn she said the company will generate $6 million dollars in new taxes and potentally create hundreds of jobs.
Sovereign Deed provides relief in times of man-made or natural disasters. They have been looking for a location for a national relief center and are planning to lease 700 acres from the Pellston Regional Airport to set up shop.
Residents say having the company choose Pellston as its location means extra jobs in their community. They say jobs in this town are hard to come by and Sovereign Deed is preparing to help create new ones. "When they're up and running, initially somewhere in the neighborhood of forty," says Pellston Airport manager Kelley Atkins. "It's going to be a phase project and we're hoping when we get to the three, four or five years and little bit beyond we're talking somewhere between three to five hundred jobs is what we hope."
Atkins says people are already calling to find out how they can secure a job with Sovereign Deed once they make their way to Northern Michigan. The Pellston Airport says they have a few infastructure issues to work out and they are continuing to work with the FAA. The company is hoping to break ground and begin construction by next spring.
