PADNOS - WKTV Journal

By Joanne Bailey-Boorsma
joanne@wktv.org

The start of 2022 has the City of Wyoming seeing growth in both the manufacturing and residential fronts.

Padnos plans to expand into recycling of ocean-bound plastics. (pxhere.com)

Earlier this month, industrial recycling and scrap management company Padnos announced it would expand its operations in the City of Wyoming, creating up to 50 jobs. The company operates a plant at 500 44th St. SW, in Wyoming.

The project is expected to generate a total capital investment of $6.6 million. It i supported by a $250,000 Michigan Business Development Program performance-based grant, according to a press release from the Michigan Economic Development Corporation, the state’s marketing arm and lead advocate for business development, job awareness and community development with focus on Michigan’s economy. Also supporting the project is The Right Place, which has offered staff time and resources for the project.

“Padnos is proud to further our investment in the community while increasing our process capabilities to meet market demands. We are seeing an increase in demand for recycled material and we are committed to working with our partners to get these materials back into new products and keeping them out of our landfills and oceans,” said Jonathan Padnos President and CEO Jonathan Padnos in a written release.

Padnos, founded in 1905 in the City of Holland, has been transforming scrap into reusable resources for more than 100 years. The company recycles metals, paper, plastics, and electronics and currently has more than 725 team members in facilities located in Michigan and Indiana.

The expansion at the Wyoming facility will focus on the company’s effort to increase its capabilities into recycling ocean-bound plastics. Padnos will add new loading docks, a laboratory, and a maintenance garage to the Wyoming facility. It will also invest in electrical and infrastructure upgrades.

The project will bring immediate jobs to residents in the area and cement the 100-year-old company’s presence in Michigan. Padnos is committed to work with underserved communities and provides training to individuals returning from incarceration, providing them with the skills needed to be successful in the workforce.

For information on careers with PADNOS, visit https://padnos.com/theres-a-great-future-in-sustainablity/.

Meeting the housing deficit

Orion Construction plans to complete The Reserve Flats project by the fall of this year. (supplied)

Construction continues in the City of Wyoming with The Granger Group announcing it has welcomed its first tenets to the multifamily development, The Reserve Flats.

Located on Wilson Avenue, half-mile north of M-6, the 138-unit community is being built by Grand Rapids-based contractor Orion Constriction and features 26 condo-style apartments ranging from three- to eight-unit buildings. Spread over 22 acres, the project is being constructed in three phases, the first phase delivering 15 units with two- and three-bedroom floor plans.

“Granger is focused on building strong, vibrant communities and The Reserve is another example of the level of quality we expect to deliver in the communities we invest in together,” said Jason Granger, who oversees strategic investment initiatives for Granger, in a written release.

While referencing Kent County’s 2021 study that projects a nearly 9,000-unit deficit to be filled by 2025, Granger said, “We set out to build a development that provides quality housing options for the City of Wyoming while also serving a greater Grand Rapids area that desperately needs additional housing now more than ever.”

Units at The Flats range from 1,400 to 1,700 square feet. Each unit has a two-car attached garage along with a dedicated driveway and a covered porch at the main entrance.

Orion Construction broke ground on the projects first phase in August 2021. The company has seven buildings and 32 units enclosed as they continue to work through the winter elements. The project is scheduled to be completed by fall of this year.

By Cindy Larson
Lakeshore Art Festival

The Lakeshore Art Festival in partnership with the Muskegon Lakeshore Chamber of Commerce will honor the festival’s 2020 theme “The Art of Recycling” through the PADNOS Public Art Project. Lakeshore Art Festival 2020 was slated to take place July 3 and 4 in downtown Muskegon but
was cancelled due to health concerns over COVID-19.

Lakeshore Art Festival and PADNOS, a regional recycler of metals, plastics, paper and electronics, have partnered to create an exhibition of four public sculptures in downtown Muskegon. A celebration to unveil the sculptures will take place at Olthoff Stage in downtown Muskegon on Wednesday, June 24 at 4:30 p.m. The sculptures will be prominently placed outdoors along Western Avenue until Fall 2020. All of the sculptures created for this unique exhibit have been constructed from at least 90% recycled materials donated by PADNOS.

“PADNOS is thrilled to be a partner on this project and help bring awareness of the power of recycling to the Muskegon community,” said Ben Irwin, President of PADNOS Muskegon Recycling. “This project supports our mission of community outreach and seeing possibility in expendability.”

Four artists were selected through a jurying process. The selected artists are Larry Sybesma, Chip Vander Wier, Sherri Balaskovitz and EA-Craftworks, which is comprised of four artists: Mark Schentzel, Alex Kallio, Tom Hutchins and Jack Cantu. Artists will receive a stipend to produce the public art piece and if chosen to be a permanent art display in downtown Muskegon, additional funds will be paid as the purchase price of the sculpture. Artists will also have the opportunity to sell their work.

Cindy Larsen, President of the Muskegon Lakeshore Chamber of Commerce commented, “We are excited to still have a portion of Lakeshore Art Festival live on this year. This project will bring additional public art to the Muskegon Lakeshore community that both residents and visitors can enjoy this summer.”

The PADNOS Public Art Project is funded in conjunction with PADNOS, Quality Tool & Stamping, Clifford Buck Construction Company and through a grant from the Michigan Council for Arts and Cultural Affairs.

About Lakeshore Art Festival

Lakeshore Art Festival is a project of the Muskegon Lakeshore Chamber of Commerce and features a unique blend of 350+ fine art and craft exhibitors, street performers, specialty food booths, interactive art stations, children’s activities and so much more in beautiful Downtown Muskegon, Michigan. Local businesses interested in supporting this locally and nationally recognized festival through sponsorship can contact Lakeshore Art Festival at artfest@muskegon.org. For more information visit lakeshoreartfestival.org.