- Details
- By Tribal Business News Staff
- Economic Development
Safari Circuits, a tribally owned electronics manufacturer, has acquired a financially distressed manufacturing plant in Grand Rapids, Mich., preventing the closure of the facility and the layoff of 116 workers. Terms were not disclosed.
The company, a subsidiary of Waséyabek — an investment arm of the Nottawaseppi Huron Band of the Potawatomi — completed the purchase of the former LaCroix Grand Rapids plant in September, according to a statement. The acquisition marks the second by a Waséyabek portfolio company this year.
Safari specializes in printed circuit board assemblies for the automotive, industrial, aerospace, defense and healthcare sectors. The company was founded in Otsego, Mich., in 1985 and acquired by Waséyabek in 2022.
The Grand Rapids facility at 1655 Michigan St. NE designs and manufactures electronic equipment and industrial solutions for similar industries and customers as Safari's Otsego operation.
“We're thrilled to acquire this production facility and provide a new and brighter future for the 116 people at the plant who were slated to lose their jobs,” Craig R. Nelson, president of Safari Circuits, said in a statement.
Since closing the deal, Safari has secured significant new customer orders at the Grand Rapids plant, now called Safari Grand Rapids, the company said in a statement. The company plans to invest $750,000 in new equipment and hire more than 20 additional employees.
In February, two other Waséyabek subsidiaries — Zip Xpress and Green Transportation — acquired Great Lakes Warehousing in Holland, Mich., including more than 150 acres of vacant land for potential future development.
“Long-term economic growth is a core strategic objective at Waséyabek,” Deidra Mitchell, president and CEO of Waséyabek, said in a statement. “This acquisition and oversight by Safari Circuits will further strengthen the NHBP Tribe's economic development efforts and will have a positive economic impact on the entire region.”
