As part of National Economic Development Week, we are taking time to highlight the business development team members at Macomb County Planning and Economic Development (MCPED).
Yesterday we introduced Dan Rochon and today we are featuring Curt Chowanic. As a Senior Economic Developer, Curt works on behalf of all industries, with special focus on the automotive, advanced manufacturing and defense sectors, within Macomb County to support business attraction, retention, growth and development. Prior to joining Macomb County in 2019, he was responsible for securing incentives on behalf of his clients at Paradigm Tax Group. He has also worked for DTE Energy, Arthur Andersen LLC, PricewaterhouseCoopers LLC and Oakland County. Chowanic has a bachelor’s degree in public affairs from Wayne State University and Master of Business Administration with a concentration in finance from Wayne State University. He is also a member of the Michigan Economic Developers Association.
As an advocate for businesses, he works on their behalf to help support job creation and investment within the county. He has been part of many successful projects during his time at MCPED, including his work with client Arlington Automotive, as described below.
Arlington Automotive
Arlington Automotive is a U.K.-based tier 1 automotive parts supplier. The company’s products are used in the chassis, powertrain, fuel management and thermal management systems. Arlington Automotive Holdings, established in 2013, has operations in Germany, France, and Brazil among other countries and has 13 manufacturing facilities across the world, employing more than 2,100 people. The company’s customers include Mercedes-Benz, Jaguar, Land Rover, BMW and various other automakers.
In December 2019, MCPED and one of its key partners, the Michigan Economic Development Corporation, were instrumental in Arlington choosing Michigan, and more specifically Macomb County, for its very first North American location. This expansion into the U.S. will increase its manufacturing of thermal management systems, hood releases and other parts for supplier contracts with General Motors, Fiat Chrysler Automotive and Ford Motor Company. The new facility will also involve the creation of 70 new jobs and a total capital investment of nearly $4.6 million in Romeo, Michigan. This investment and job creation resulted in a $450,000 Michigan Business Development Program performance-based grant. In addition to support from the State of Michigan, Macomb County’s business development team worked closely with the Village of Romeo to help secure a 12-year tax abatement on the real property investment. This abatement will save Arlington approximately $154,000 in property taxes over the term. As the project moves forward, Curt will continue to lead efforts to support Arlington throughout the move to the U.S. and provide assistance with both hiring and training of employees.
As outlined above, Curt’s special mix of knowledge and skills continue to help enhance business attraction and retention efforts in Macomb County. If you want to connect with him, feel free to send an email to curt.chowanic@macombgov.org.
To learn more about the entire business development team and the variety of resources available to businesses in Macomb County, visit www.macombbusiness.com.