President's Commentary

October 25, 2010
By: Bay Area Chamber of Commerce

This past Tuesday, more than 400 business and community leaders were on hand at the Doubletree Hotel - Bay City Riverfront to participate in "Bay Area...On the Go!", the Bay Area's Number One business and community development promotional event.
During this exciting program, five Bay County businesses were recognized as 2010 "Bay Area...On the Go!" business development award winners.
Ideal Party Store, owned and operated by Jerry Crete and family, is a family owned, Bay City business who invested more than $1 million this year to build a new 5,000 sq. ft. retail store at 401 Salzburg, creating 12 new jobs here. The Crete family opened their first business in 1934, during the Great Depression, on Johnson Street.
SSP Associates, led by Dr. Sam Shaheen, has just completed a $1,247,000 construction project on Washington Avenue, just across the Street from the new Dow Bay Area Family Y. The new medical services building will employ more than 20 professionals. This is another example of a dedicated family owned business helping to rebuild this community.
Tubular Metal Systems invested more than $3.5 million, creating 18 new jobs and retaining 33 additional employees die to this development. New equipment purchases allows the company to produce frames for postal trucks, which is a completely new manufacturing line for this home grown company that was founded in Pinconning 65 years ago. Terry Bovee is the plant manager.
Wildfire Credit Union opened its newest branch office Monday on Wilder Road in Bay County's Monitor Township. The total construction cost for this new Bay City branch is $3.2 million. The company, which is led by President Tim Benecke, has added about 20 new jobs here.
During the past year General Motors Powertrain has announced new investments totaling more than $90 million in the Bay City facility, creating or retaining 113 jobs. General Motors Powertrain - Bay City will produce components for the new electric Volt engines and for the fuel efficient Echotech engine. Joe Mazzeo is the newly appointed general manager at G.M. Powertrain - Bay City.
We would like to thank each of our award winners for their commitment to and support for Bay City and Bay County.