Farmers Insurance Investing $84 Million to Expand Michigan Facility

Farmers Insurance will invest $84.4 million to expand its campus in Caledonia, Michigan, according to the Michigan governor's office. The company plans to create 1,600 new direct jobs and approximately 1,100 construction jobs with the project, which will include the construction of two new buildings that the Associated Press says will total 275,000 square feet. One building will house offices, a training facility, and a call center, while the other will be used for printing and distribution operations. Construction on the new space is scheduled to begin in the fall, with the buildings opening in the spring of 2011. "We're excited about the future and what it can mean for us in this location," says Robert Woudstra, Farmers' CEO, a native of nearby Grand Rapids. Farmers is a subsidiary of Zurich Financial Services of Switzerland. The governor's office says the state has offered Farmers a tax credit valued at $62.5 million and an employee training grant of up to $335,000; local governments are also considering tax abatement.