PORTAGE (WKZO-AM) — There have been a lot of ribbon-cuttings, groundbreakings and topping off ceremonies lately in the Kalamazoo area which is a good sign for the community and the economy.
Wednesday the biggest one of them all was staged. Pfizer officially brokeground at their new $144 million warehousing and manufacturing expansion in Portage.
While they say they have spent hundreds of millions upgrading their manufacturing facility over the last decade, this is the first construction that will change the footprint of the sprawling facility on Portage Road in the last quarter-century.
While it will generate about 15 new jobs and retain 26 others, Pfizer’s Robert Betzig says more importantly it will keep the manufacturing facility globally competitive, assuring that it will remain in the community for a few decades to come.
Tax breaks for the facility were approved in August.