Yacht maker sees which way wind blows

HOLLAND, Mich. (WOOD) - A luxury yacht-maker turned the tides on the economy, going green and planning to hire 1,500 people.

The jobs are coming from a new company that is barely up and running yet. Energetx Composites is owned by the same family that created Tiara Yachts.

Energetx will design, engineer and manufacture blades and housing for wind turbines. Wind turbines require the same kind of composite fabrication as boat-making, so they hope the new work will be fast and plentiful.

The company will set up shot in the Tiara Yacht complex and is in the process of working on tooling for wind mill blade molds.

David Slikkers of Energetx told 24 Hour News 8 the company is getting $27 million in tax credits from the state in exchange for creating 1068 jobs in the next five years. Hiring could begin this summer.

But predicting demand for wind turbines could be just as challenging as predicting demand for yachts.