Mueller Industries to expand in Portage

PORTAGE, Mich. (WOOD) - A Tennessee-based company has selected Portage, Mich. for a $26.5 million investment.

The City of Portage has approved an industrial property tax abatement worth $862,627 over five years for Mueller Industries, Inc. Seventy-eight jobs will be created over two years locally as a result of this facility and equipment investment.

The Portage site is located at 6700 Sprinkle Road.

Mueller Industries is a global leader in the manufacturing and distribution of flow control and
industrial products, and has operations located throughout the United States, Canada, Mexico, China and Great Britain. Its products include tube and fittings; brass and copper alloy rod, bar and shapes; aluminum and brass forgings; aluminum and copper impact extrusions; plastic fittings, pipe and valves; refrigeration valves and fittings; and fabricated tubular products.

After a fire destroyed its plastics injection molding presses in September 2011 at an Arkansas site, the company considered alternate sites in southern states for expansion, as those sites were closer to its vendors, customers and headquarters.

The company credits Portage's availability of skilled workers and ease of working with the local
community as key factors in its decision to expand in Michigan, according to a news release.

"Mueller Industries is excited to return to Portage and to make substantial investments in equipment, upgrades and jobs for our plastics business," said Jack Treas, vice president and general manager plastic systems at Mueller Industries. "We would like to thank the outstanding teams from Southwest Michigan First, the City of Portage and from the State of Michigan who helped us become familiar with opportunities to our benefit from calling Portage, Michigan home, as well as for helping us to identify and apply for additional incentives to make Portage even more attractive to Mueller.

"We are excited that along with our aggressive growth plans for plastics come quite a few high-paying jobs. We look forward to putting many of the outstanding people in Southwest Michigan to work for the first time, or back to work during a tough time with high unemployment associated with this strained economy," continued Treas.

"The City of Portage welcomes the return of Mueller to the community and looks forward to the
company's investment in land, building and equipment, but even more importantly, to the creation of new jobs in the community. It is our hope that Mueller will continue to expand its operations and facility within the city and this vital industrial community corridor," said Maurice Evans, Portage city manager.

The final project announcement is dependent on state incentives from the Michigan Economic
Development Corporation (MEDC). Those incentives are expected to be approved in the next month.

"We would like to thank our partners throughout the community who responded with speed and
flexibility to help Mueller sort through incentive packages and transportation infrastructure issues, in this case a new rail spur to be added, and make this winning decision for Southwest Michigan," said Ron Kitchens, chief executive officer of Southwest Michigan First.

Mueller Industries began in 1917 in Port Huron, Mich. as Mueller Metals Company, and later Mueller Brass Company.