MUSKEGON TOWNSHIP, Mich. — After sitting vacant for about a year, a West Michigan factory is close to sealing the deal with new owners. Their plans could bring more than 200 new, high-paying jobs to Muskegon Township.
From the time it opened in the mid-1970s, the former Bayer Crop Science facility manufactured agricultural chemicals, including herbicide.
“We were worried about it sitting vacant for too long,” Township Supervisor Jennifer Hodges related. “Luckily, less than a year later, we have a big announcement.”
Now, the shuttered industrial site on Whitehall may have a hand in important medical developments, given a new life by Global Life Sciences USA and an estimated $430 million investment.
“Our entire board and community is excited to welcome them here,” Hodges said.
Hodges was among those celebrating the news.
“It's more promising that it could last longer and have more longevity, because it's something that changes with time and as science evolves.”
The closure of the factory in 2021, then operated by conglomerate BASF, impacted around 70 workers and caught the Township off guard.
“It came out of nowhere,” Hodges said. “One day, there was just a media release that they were closing the Michigan plant… when you have such a large, large facility… you really do get concerned for your community.”
A for sale sign was still staked near the entrance of the sprawling 387-acre campus Wednesday.
When the deal is finalized, Global Life Sciences USA intends to invest in upgrading the property, bringing in new equipment and machinery.
The company will manufacture resins for use in medicine, the Governor’s office announced in a media release this week.
The state said the company is “a leading provider of technologies and services that advance the development of therapeutics.”
The acquisition will mark Global Life Science USA’s first in Michigan.
The Governor also indicated the project would represent a significant stride toward cementing West Michigan’s reputation as a life sciences hub.
The Michigan Strategic Fund approved several incentives, according to Tuesday’s release:
- $1.5 million Michigan Business Development Program performance-based grant
- $1.5 million Jobs Ready Michigan grant
- A five-year, $2.7 million State Essential Services Assessment exemption
If the deal moves forward, construction is expected to begin in 2022 and production in 2025.
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