CHEBOYGAN, MI -- A Northern Michigan business is doing its part to help the economy.
Moran Iron Works is expanding from Onaway to Cheboygan, and with it, comes jobs.
Within the next couple of months, eight to ten employees will be hired at the new Moran Iron Works' plant.
"It's a project that we're going to make work," says Tom Moran.
There's no sense of doubt with Tom Moran, the man who founded Moran Iron Works 30 years ago and has built up his company from working solo to now employing more than 70 people in Onaway.
"It's always been moving forward or sideways, never backwards," he says.
The company produces steel components for businesses that make turbines and the mining industry, among others. Now Moran has bought a foreclosed building in the Cheboygan Industrial Park that formerly was a welding business.
The hope is smaller component pieces can be made in the new building to free space at the large building for final assembly.
"We were outsourcing work, a lot of work, and it wasn't coming back as high quality as we'd like, it was more expensive, and we knew we could do it ourselves," says Moran. "Realistically, we can put eight to ten people at that shop with the backlog we have, and that's a couple of years we can also use to research other projects, other avenues, other opportunities."
Earlier this year, Moran expanded at his Onaway plant, with a huge, 30,000 square foot addition to help meet the work-load demand. the Cheboygan shop should be open in the next couple of months.
"We welcome them with open arms," says Dale Stuart, the Cheboygan City Manager.
And for Cheboygan city leaders, this expansion could be the shot in the arm the city needed.
"Anytime you get any growth like that, and people showing interest, there's other epople that start giving it a second look," says Stuart.
Tom Moran says he hopes this is just the start of putting more of Northern Michigan back to work.
If you're interested in applying for one of the new positions, CLICK HERE.
