By Theresa Ekdom
WATERS – The buzz around town is all about the new business coming into Waters and the sweet jobs it will be bringing.
Jesse Miles of Detroit, founder and owner of Miles Apiaries Inc., is expanding his business into Waters, Michigan. A former Marine, he is also a grand-master bee keeper. He has been working with bees for 27 years, and opened his business in Detroit in 2001. The business is expected to employ up to 250 people.
Miles Apiaries Inc.’ mission is to develop and provide high quality commercial beehives, bees, and beehive colonies to Growers and Farmers in the United States and globally.
The first phase of construction at the new plant in Waters is to build and produce the bee hives themselves. Later phases include classroom instruction of bee keeping. They also plan to sell hives, bees, honey and bee’ wax in a retail outlet, as well as museum.
The company has started contacting local and regional farmers in regard to pollination services it plans to offer, including growers in the Leelanau area.
‘We will service multiple farmers during the pollination seasons,’ Bess said. ‘We don’t cater just to big businesses, we will sell just one bee hive. We are trying to make it more affordable to the farmers,’ she said.
The company will specialize in ‘Smart’ bee hives, which electronically tell the farmer how many bees (including the queen) are in the hive, and the temperature in the hive.
A drone system will allow collection of the data without disturbing the bees, and the temperature of the hives can be adjusted automatically through a smart phone. The less the bees are disturbed, the more honey they produce.
Frederic Township Supervisor Bill Johnson said job growth is critical in Northern Michigan.
‘That would be fantastic if they are bringing in jobs,’ Johnson said. ‘It’ bound to help some people in Frederic get work. That’ a big plus!’
The company looked at multiple locations in Michigan, including Saginaw and Flint, before locating in Waters, Bess said. ‘It didn’t hurt that Trisha Snider, Co-Chair of the company’s board of directors, lives just north of Waters.’ The close proximity to I-75 and easy access was a positive attribute.
Otsego Lake Township Supervisor Tom Wagar said he’s excited to get the building filled with a ‘sweet spot’ after two years of vacancy.
‘This is a perfect time to get in that business. Everyone wants to see bees thrive and survive GǪ I hope they do well,’ he added.
The company considers itself community and environmentally friendly. Bess said they use recycled goods including pallets, dressers, cupboards and other materials, to make their beehives. Any waste the company produces is sent to other recycling facilities.
‘The company GǪ uses recycled material 98 percent of the time. Eventually, we will have a recycling center where people can drop off recyclables for free. We will offer once a month pick-up to seniors (as well). It’ a win-win for the company and the community.’
Bess said the company also recycled the building.
Rather than buying vacant property and building a new facility, the Miles Apiary found a vacant building which used to house a company that built overhead garage doors. The six-acre parcel is located at 10281 Old 27 South in Waters
Because the building had been vacant for a number of years, there are some modifications needed to bring it up to code. A ribbon cutting is scheduled for Sept. 1.
They are currently looking to hire a number of assemblers, painters and outside sales; at least 50% of those hired will be Veterans.
For employment opportunities contact Michigan Works at 4595 Sailing Road in Grayling. You can also stop by the plant itself on Thursdays from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. for open interviews.
For more information visit at www.milesapiaries.com.
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