Grand Rapids Reporter

A worldwide manufacturer of luxury amenities for customized boats and recreational vehicles will open up operations for its North American headquarters in Cascade Township.

The Michigan Economic Development Corporation (MEDC) is on record that Tecnoform, an Italian company, will develop a $7.3 million facility within the city; a recent press release from Gov. Gretchen Whitmer’s office said. 

“We are pleased to welcome Tecnoform to our community and honored to be the home of its first manufacturing facility in North America,” Ben Swayze, Cascade Township manager, said in the release. “This move affirms Cascade Township is open for business, and it will help fuel our local economy and bring great jobs to the community.”

The development has the backing of a $750,000 Michigan Business Development Program incentive provided by the Michigan Strategic Fund, the release said. The project is expected to create 130 jobs. The company chose Cascade Township over competing sites in Iowa and Indiana.  

“My administration is focused on growing our economy, creating good-paying jobs, and bringing manufacturing home,” Whitmer said in the release. “We have worked across the aisle to strengthen Michigan’s business climate and grow our talented manufacturing workforce. That work has paid off over the last year and continues today with Tecnoform’s $7.3 million investment creating 130 jobs in West Michigan’s longstanding furniture industry. This is great news for workers, their families, and our economy and will build on our economic momentum. Let’s keep moving Michigan forward.”

Tecnoform S.p.A. Italy has created the entity Tecnoform USA for the project and expects its customer base to expand as its camping and yacht amenity departments continue to see rising demand for products.

“Tecnoform is a high-tech manufacturer with innovative furniture products,” Brent Case, The Right Place vice president of Business Attraction and project lead, said in the release. “After working with them through the pandemic, we’re thrilled they ultimately chose West Michigan as their first North American location, and we look forward to watching their growth here in the U.S.”