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Index |
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VAN BUREN COUNTY |
Van Buren
Van
Buren County is located in the southwestern part of the lower peninsula,
bordered on the northwest by Lake Michigan and traversed by I-94 and I-196. The
county
contains 611 square
miles and is the 45th largest in the state. The county seat is in Paw Paw,
where one of the area’s fine wineries is located. About half of the
county’s land is in farms and is included in the state’s fruit and
truck belt. Most of the agricultural receipts are from crops, including apples,
blueberries, tart cherries, grapes, asparagus, green beans, and soybeans. Food
processing is the primary manufacturing activity. Additionally, proximity to
the auto industry has stimulated plastic injection and metal fabrication
businesses. An abundance of outdoor activities are available, as are wine
tasting tours. South Haven, a city of 5,700 located on Lake Michigan, is noted
for its festivals and tourist attractions.
Contact Information
Edward
VanderVries
Economic Development Director
219 Paw Paw St. Suite 302
Paw Paw, MI 49079
Phone: 269-657-8234
FAX: 269-657-0579
Email: vandervriese@vbco.org
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VAN BUREN COUNTY |
Certified
Industrial Park
|
Community |
Park Name |
Total Acres |
Available |
|
Bangor* |
Bangor Industrial Park |
105 |
42 |
|
Lawrence* |
Lawrence-Crandall |
78 |
60 |
|
Paw Paw |
Fruit Belt Commercial Park |
53 |
48 |
|
Paw Paw |
Paw Paw Township Industrial Park |
35 |
27 |
|
South Haven* |
I-196 Business Park |
156 |
122 |
Bangor:
Larry Nielsen, City Manager, Bangor, MI 269-427-5831—
bangormi@btc-bci.com
Lawrence: Lawrence-Crandall Business
Centre, Bill Dusek, 269-674-8731
cdusek@cybersol.com
Paw
Paw: Fruit Belt Commercial Park, Edward VanderVries, 269-657-8234
vandervriese@vbco.org
Paw Paw:
Paw Paw
Township Industrial Park, Kasper Smidt, 269-657-6060
kasper@diecastpress.com.
South
Haven:
Kevin
Anderson, City Manager, South Haven, MI 269-637-0718
kanderson@south-haven.com
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VAN BUREN COUNTY |
Local industry
support services provide manufacturers access to business-related services,
outsourcing opportunities and growth catalyst resources. Financial assistance
and available labor provides opportunity for lateral growth and expansion of
services and products.
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PRINCIPLE
EMPLOYERS MANUFACTURING EMPLOYERS |
||||
|
SIC |
FIRM |
LOCATION |
EMPLOYEES |
PRODUCT |
|
3089 |
Engineered Plastic Components |
Mattawan |
700 |
Plastic electrical engine equipment |
|
2033 |
Minute Maid Co. |
Paw Paw |
500 |
Bottled juices, boxes & pouches |
|
2033 |
Welch’s |
Lawton |
325 |
Juices, drink; jellies & jams |
|
3089 |
Clarion |
South Haven |
240 |
Custom plastic injection molding |
|
3444 |
Pullman Industries Inc. |
South Haven |
440 |
Metal rolling, forming & stamp |
|
2033 |
Honee Bear Canning Co. |
Lawton |
200 |
Vegetable & fruit canning |
|
2099 |
Knouse Foods Co-op Inc. |
Paw Paw |
200 |
Applesauce, juice; pie filling |
|
2869 |
DSM Chemical Co. Inc. |
South Haven |
140 |
Organic chemical & pharmaceutical. |
|
3599 |
Mol-Son Inc. |
Mattawan |
125 |
Tooling design & manufacturing |
|
2951 |
Klett Construction Co. |
Hartford |
100 |
Asphalt paving material |
|
2084 |
St. Julian Wine Co. |
Paw Paw |
100 |
Wines, champagnes & juices |
|
2099 |
Triple S Produce & Orchards |
Bangor |
100 |
Apple packing |
|
3061 |
Trelleborg Y S H Inc. |
South Haven |
100 |
Custom molded rubber products |
|
2033 |
DeGrandchamp’s Blueberries |
South Haven |
100 |
Grow & package blueberries |
|
3442 |
Special Lite Inc. |
Decatur |
125 |
Doors & frames |
|
Source: Harris Publishing Company, 1998 Industrial Directory |
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VAN BUREN COUNTY |
Van Buren
County, Michigan offers a diverse and supported labor force with one of the
state’s highest ratios of skilled laborers. Educational resources and
employment assistance is offered to the new and relocating business owner
through Van Buren County Economic Development Corporation, state and regional
agencies.
Workforce
— Van Buren County, Michigan - Labor Information
|
Van Buren County |
|
|
Total Labor Force (2004) |
37,025 |
|
Employed |
34,250 |
|
Unemployed |
2,750 |
|
Unemployment Rate |
7.4 |
LMA=Labor
Market Area Source: Michigan Employment Service Agency
Characteristics
of Labor Force
|
Workers 16 and older (2000) |
35,625 |
|
Percentage who work out of county |
50 |
|
Self-Employed |
6.2 |
|
Mean Travel Time to Work |
23.6 min. |
Educational
Attainments
|
Persons 25 years of age or older |
48,920 |
|
Percentage with high school diploma |
78.9 |
|
Percentage with bachelor’s degree |
14.3 |
Source: U.S. Bureau of the Census, Census of Population and
Housing, 2000
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VAN BUREN COUNTY |
|
Employment & Earnings by Industry |
|
||
|
Totals |
1993 |
1996 |
2000 |
|
Total Employment |
26,836 |
29,245 |
30,730 |
|
Total Income ($000) |
1,164,103 |
1,358,766 |
1,564,684 |
|
Earning Levels/Labor Rates Average Hourly Rates - (See the WISE Report) |
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VAN BUREN COUNTY |
Municipal Services
Utilities
Electric/Gas/
Consumers
Energy
Fruit Belt Electric
AEP
Telecommunications
Long
Distance Companies:
Local Phone Companies
AT&T
Ameritech
MCI
GTE
Sprint
Bloomingdale Telephone
Others
Internet
Providers
Bloomingdale Communications—800-377-3130 —
btc.bci.com
Cyber Solutions—269-621-2791 — csi-net.net
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Government |
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|
Community |
Phone Number |
Community |
Phone Number |
|
Almena Twp. |
269-657-5913 |
Antwerp Twp. |
269-668-2615 |
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Arlington Twp. |
269-674-8420 |
Bangor (City of) |
269-427-8506 |
|
Bangor Twp. |
269-427-8965 |
Bloomingdale (Village of) |
269-521-3222 |
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Bloomingdale Twp. |
269-521-3800 |
Breedsville |
269-427-7281 |
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Columbia Twp. |
269-434-6227 |
Covert Twp. |
269-764-8986 |
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Decatur Twp. |
269-423-8438 |
Decatur (Village of) |
269-423-6114 |
|
Geneva Twp. |
269-427-7607 |
Gobles (City of) |
269-628-2246 |
|
Hamilton Twp. |
269-423-8756 |
Hartford (City of) |
269-621-2477 |
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Hartford Twp. |
269-621-4658 |
Keeler Twp. |
269-621-6481 |
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Lawrence (Village of) |
269-674-8161 |
Lawrence Twp. |
269-674-4255 |
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Lawton (Village of) |
269-624-6407 |
Mattawan (Village of) |
269-668-2128 |
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Paw Paw (Village of) |
269-657-3148 |
Paw Paw Twp. |
269-657-4340 |
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Pine Grove Twp. |
269-628-4380 |
Porter Twp. |
269-624-4022 |
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South Haven (City of) |
269-637-0700 |
South Haven Charter Twp. |
269-637-3305 |
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Waverly Twp. |
269-657-6847 |
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VAN BUREN COUNTY |
Educational
Facilities
|
Public School District Information |
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|
School District |
Students |
Instructors |
High Schools |
|
Bangor Township School |
19 |
1 |
0 |
|
Bangor Public Schools |
1,700 |
90 |
1 |
|
Bloomingdale Public Schools |
1,300 |
72 |
1 |
|
Covert Public Schools |
803 |
54 |
1 |
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Decatur Public Schools |
1,214 |
67 |
1 |
|
Gobles Public Schools |
930 |
54 |
1 |
|
Hartford Public Schools |
1,400 |
90 |
1 |
|
Lawrence Public Schools |
802 |
45 |
1 |
|
Lawton Community Schools |
1,200 |
68 |
1 |
|
Mattawan Community Schools |
2,900 |
143 |
1 |
|
Paw Paw Public Schools |
2,213 |
116 |
1 |
|
South Haven Public Schools |
2,901 |
170 |
1 |
|
Source: MI Department of Education, 1997 |
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Two Year Colleges & Technical Schools |
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|
Name |
Location |
Enrollment |
|
|
Kalamazoo Valley Community College |
Kalamazoo Co. |
11,070 |
|
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Southwestern Michigan College |
Cass Co. |
2,758 |
|
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Lake Michigan College |
Berrien Co. |
3,634 |
|
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Four Year Colleges & Universities |
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|
Name |
Location |
Enrollment |
|
|
Western Michigan University |
Kalamazoo Co. |
26,555 |
|
|
Andrews University |
Berrien Co. |
2,869 |
|
|
K-College |
Kalamazoo |
2,000 |
|
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Source: MI Department of Education, 1996 |
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VAN BUREN COUNTY |
Recreation Highlights
Lake Michigan
(beaches, marinas, parks, camping, and public access facilities); Van Buren
State Park, (Lake Michigan access, beaches, camping, hiking, and cross country
skiing).
34 mile
Kal-Haven Trial,
Timber Ridge Ski Resort,
golf, fishing, dunes, and inland lakes.
Wineries—
St. Julian Winery, Paw Paw, 269-657-5568
Warner Vineyards, Paw Paw, 269-657-3165
Arts—
Village Gallery of Arts & Crafts in Lawton
South
Haven Center for the Arts
Museums:
Liberty Hyde Bailey, South Haven, 269-637-3251
Michigan Maritime, South Haven, 269-637-8078
Van Buren County Museum, Hartford, 269-621-2188
Festivals—
Paw Paw Wine & Harvest Festival
Bangor Apples Festival
Hartford Strawberry Festival
South Haven Blueberry Festival
Black Arts Fair
South Haven Harbor Festival
Lodging—hotels,
motels, and bed and breakfast inns.
Paw Paw — www.pawpaw.net
South Haven — www.southhavenmi.com
Van Buren
County Website: www.co.van-buren.mi.us