If you build it, they will come. In the 1980's, Newaygo built it. A new wastewater system. Improved roads. A revamped infrastructure. A new industrial park.

Now they're coming. They are businesses -commercial and industrial. Service and retail. Perhaps the most prominent new business in town is the Donnelly Corporation's 166,000-square-foot manufacturing facility, located in Timber Trails Industrial Park. Donnelly is the world's largest manufacturer of automotive mirror systems. The Newaygo plant makes complete outside mirrors and exterior and interior door handles for Ford Motor Company and Honda. Construction started in 1994, and production started in the summer of 1995. The plant is expected to employ more than 300 -- mostly from the local workforce.


"I know what the area has to offer," said Teff Smith, operations manager of the Donnelly plant. "There's a lot of talent here that can support our team.

"It's a great opportunity for Newaygo and a great opportunity for Donnelly," added Smith, who is originally from Newaygo. Grand Rapids-based Monarch Hydraulics is on its way to Newaygo, too. The manufacturer of industrial hydraulics is set to build a 50,000-square-foot plant, and eventually employ about 50 area workers.

Other large employers include:

On the commercial side of things, there's River Valley Center, a new retail center in a prime location at the busy intersection of M-37 and M-82. River Valley Center features a new 30,000square-foot Plumb's grocery store, Grand Video entertainment center, Pet Hospital veterinary office, Hallmark Store, Klub Sporting Goods, Mancino's Restaurant, Radio Shack and plans for more retail stores. With additional space available in the building and in adjoining out-lots, River Valley Center promises to be a popular area shopping center.


Downtown Newaygo also boasts a variety of merchants selling a spectrum of goods -- from clothes to sporting goods to eyewear; family-owned restaurants and even a cozy, aromatic coffee house.

Four national restaurant chains also set up shop in the Newavgo area in just the last couple of years -McDonald's, KFC, Burger King and Subway. And you'll always remember the down-home service and delicious menus at the area's family-owned restaurants and inns.

WE PLANNED IT THAT WAY


Attracting all of these new businesses to town, and providing existing businesses the opportunity to expand, took more than just luck. It took planning. It took foresight. It took work.

James Hurt, Newaygo City Manager since june 1995 and previously the assistant city manager, said former City Manager Randy Young deserves a little credit for today's boom

"Newaygo now has so much going for her that makes this such an attractive place for business," Hurt said. "We've got a well-educated and available labor force, a strong infrastructure, a pro-business environment, and perhaps most important is our quality of life."

Newaygo has spent more than $1 million on infrastructure improvements to Timber Trails Industrial Park and put in an additional $600,000 to upgrade other industrial property in the city.

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