GRAYLING— Governor Gretchen Whitmer and others joined Saab Thursday afternoon for the groundbreaking ceremony of their munitions facility.
The company states the facility will be used for final assembly and integration of shoulder-fired munitions and precision fire systems.
Members of the community and the state say they have high hopes for what the facility can bring to Michigan.
The Governor says “Michigan’s got a powerful story to tell. We’ve got such deep roots in manufacturing. So we think about national defense. Manufacturing opportunities like this just makes sense here. They’re good paying jobs. We are, we know this is in our blood right. And to build a place like this that’s going to do this cutting edge work and have 70 good paying jobs in Grayling is it’s great for the community too.“
Saab, Inc. President CEO Erik Smith adds “We made a promise to this community from the beginning that we would create local, good paying jobs that help stimulate the economy and that we would hire locally so residents could secure meaningful employment that enables them to remain in their hometowns, close to family and friends.“
Grayling Township Supervisor Lacey Stephan, says that this will do great things for the community, adding “Not only having a company that’s going to come here and provide and diversify our economy, they’re also going to participate in helping us keep this natural paradise that we always know and love.”
This facility plans to invest $75 million into the community and create 70 jobs in the local community and supporting national defense manufacturing.
Construction began immediately after the ceremony, and is set to be complete for the first quarter of 2026.