Peak Manufacturing in Pleasant Lake undergoing $3.3 million expansion, plans to add more jobs

Posted on March 11, 2013

PLEASANT LAKE, MI – Eye-wear that can record and stream live high-definition video from the user’s point-of-view is in the works for a Pleasant Lake start-up company.

The innovative eye-wear is being created by Pairasight Inc., an off-shoot from Peak Manufacturing in Pleasant Lake. The company has been able to broaden its offerings and is undergoing a $3.3 million expansion.

“The last year has shown us what can be done,” said Amanda Hutchings, plant manager at Peak Manufacturing, 11855 Bunkerhill Road. “It’s exciting and it allows us to grow.”

The company, founded in 2007 by CEO Chris Salow, was awarded a 12-year, $3.3 million industrial facilities tax exemption from the state in December. Amy Torres ofThe Enterprise Group of Jackson, the county’s economic-development agency, assisted the company in applying for the exemption.

Peak Manufacturing supplies bearing spacers for the heavy truck industry. The company shears, presses and machines a line of spacers that go into the hub assemblies of most heavy trucks that are on the road.

Peak Manufacturing is also a secondary machining source for the automotive and coal mining industries.

“It’s all specialized equipment that we build in house,” Hutchings said. “It’s all custom equipment.”

Peak Manufacturing is constructing an 18,000-square-foot addition to its facility and plans to hire about 10 more employees within the next few years. The company currently has about 25 employees, up from about eight during the economic downturn a few years back.

The company also facilitates the Shop Rat Foundation, a nonprofit that offers hands-on manufacturing and engineering classes and workshops to Jackson County-area youth each year. It reaches more than 1,000 youths a year.

Torres noted that Peak Manufacturing’s expansion was one of the projects that helped get Jackson County recognized for its economic growth by the national Site Selection magazine.

The Jackson metropolitan area tied for second with Battle Creek for the number of business-development projects in the under 200,000-population category issued by the magazine.

The county brought in 13 projects last year and was one of 11 metro areas ranked in that category.

“Not only has Peak Manufacturing taken leaps and bounds in their R&D (research and development) and investment in jobs and business growth, they exemplify a community-spirited business with their leadership in youth education and inspiration efforts through their commitment to the Shop Rat Foundation,” Torres said.

Tarryl Jackson, MLive.