Trade Winds Blowing at the Port of Monroe

The Port of Monroe (Port) along with port tenant Ventower Industries (Ventower) and terminal operator DRM are working to develop and expand new renewable energy supply chain opportunities during the 2022 shipping season. The Port and DRM are working to load wind tower sections manufactured in Monroe by Ventower for outbound shipment…

Port Welcomes Largest Project in History

Wind energy components are breezing through ports across the Great Lakes this shipping season. The trend is benefiting the Port of Monroe, which is in the midst of handling one of its largest cargo endeavors. A partnership between the port, Monroe-based Ventower Industries — a company that specializes in fabricating wind turbine towers…

Commentary: In Michigan, Energy Manufacturing Industry Plays Critical Role

The COVID-19 pandemic has brought attention to the value of domestic manufacturing like no other crisis in recent history. U.S. manufacturers have stepped up to repurpose facilities to produce PPE and other critical goods, and, as global supply chains undergo strain, having a local manufacturing base becomes even more essential…

MCCC an Economic Booster, College President Says

That was the question MCCC President Kojo Quartey posed Monday night before an audience of colleagues, community leaders, students and local business owners. From student education to workforce development to community partnerships, MCCC is consistently putting either money or talent back into Monroe County’s local economy…

International Vessel Partners with Port of Monroe

For the first time in several years, a European vessel carrying an international shipment was able to call on the Port of Monroe. For the first time in several years, a European vessel carrying an international shipment was able to call on the Port of Monroe. The M/V Happy Ranger recently delivered a stator that will be used in a generator at DTE Energy’s Fermi 2…

US Wind Cleared to Install Maryland Offshore Wind Met Mast

US Wind has received its final air emissions permit from the Maryland Department of the Environment to install a meteorological tower in the Maryland Wind Energy Area, with the company set to begin the installation process immediately. On 10 May, US Wind also hosted several fabrication companies in Baltimore to discuss plans…

Clean Water, Jobs in State Big Focus for Sen. Peters

Questions about the health of the Great Lakes, tax reform and self-driving aircrafts and vehicles came up during an informal question-and-answer session with Sen. Gary Peters at a chamber luncheon Monday. Preserving federal funding of the Great Lakes Restoration Initiative and bringing the new F-35 aircraft to Michigan would greatly…

Sen. Gary Peters Discusses Business Plans with Ventower Industries

Michigan Senator Gary Peters visited Monroe County on Monday. He toured Ventower Industries and met with employees at the Monroe Power Plant. Ventower makes wind turbines but has recently started working on propane tanks. The company’s turbines are all over the United States and workers are even building some models for countries in Asia…

Michigan EIBC to Recognizes Senator Dale Zorn for Work on Energy Issues

The Michigan Energy Innovation Business Council (EIBC) has recognized State Senator Dale Zorn (R-Ida) as Public Official of the Year for his work on energy issues and legislation.  The award was presented jointly to Senator Zorn and his colleague, Senator Jim Ananich (D-Flint), at the Energy Innovators Gala in East Lansing November 10. In presenting…

1+ Million Lose Power in Storm; Would Cutting Smart Meters Make it Worse?

1+ Million Lose Power in Storm; Would Cutting Smart Meters Make it Worse? High winds last week caused more than 1.1 million customers of DTE Energy and Consumers Energy to lose power, with some customers waiting through the weekend for electricity to be restored. Utility officials have said that this is the largest power outage in the state’s history…

Offshore Wind Brings Opportunity to Maryland

The largest offshore wind project in the United States promises both renewable power and renewed opportunity for a faded factory town. When Troy Pritt was growing up in Dundalk, a red brick community on a flat spit of land between Baltimore and the Chesapeake Bay, he would listen as the adults around him talked about working at “the Point.” Years later…

Michigan Home to 87,000 Clean Jobs

More than 87,000 work in Michigan’s clean energy industry, according to a comprehensive analysis unveiled today by Michigan Energy Innovation Business Council and Clean Energy Trust. The report ranks Michigan alongside 11 other states. Michigan leads the Midwest region in clean energy vehicle jobs and is second…

Report Finds Low-Carbon Sector Fueling Job Growth

A report from Michigan clean-energy supporters finds the state is in the lead when it comes to jobs in a low-carbon economy. Liesl Clark, president of the Michigan Energy Innovation Business Council, said that, with more than 87,000 people working in the state’s clean-energy industries, Michigan is positioned well for future…

Michigan Boasts 87,000 Clean Energy Jobs

Michigan’s clean energy sector accounts for 87,000 jobs, according to a report issued Tuesday by Michigan Energy Innovation Business Council and Clean Energy Trust. The report – which also ranks Michigan along with 11 other Midwest states – concludes that Michigan is No. 1 in clean energy vehicle jobs and second in renewable…

The Mono Bucket Challenge

Doubtless you’ve driven across swaths of America—maybe Iowa, Texas or North Dakota—and tried to count miles and miles of wind turbines dotting the landscape. All told, about 49,000 of them spread across 39 states crank out 68,000 MW, according to the American Wind Energy Association. That makes the United States the largest…

Michigan Consumers Could Save Millions with Wind
“A wind vision for new growth in Michigan,” finds Michigan energy consumers could save millions of dollars while Michigan farmers could reap millions in land lease payments by building new wind farms. The new report was released today by the American Wind Energy Association (AWEA) and the Wind Energy Foundation (WEF) who held…

Report: More Michigan Wind Energy Could Save Locals Billions Of Dollars
Michigan households and business owners can keep more money in their pockets – and rural Michigan landowners will receive millions of dollars more a year in land lease payments – by building new wind farms that tap into more of the state’s wind energy resources. That’s according to the latest report from a series of state-specific studies…

New report: Over $3.59 billion in savings possible on Michigan electric bills by growing wind energy
Michigan households and business owners can keep more money in their pockets, and rural Michigan landowners will receive millions of dollars more a year in land lease payments, by building new wind farms that tap into more of the state’s low-cost wind energy resources. That’s according to a new report, “A wind vision for new growth…

Clean Energy Expected to Power Up More Jobs in Michigan

The wind and solar energy industries in Michigan are expected to continue steady growth and add hundreds of jobs over the next decade — regardless of what state legislators and Gov. Rick Snyder come up with in a final energy bill package this year. That’s one belief shared by executives of utilities, renewable energy companies, and of…

Legislators Take Tour of Ventower Industries
As the overhead crane slowly carries a tube of steel larger than some garages, visitors in hardhats gazed at what many believe is a piece of the future of energy in Michigan and beyond. At Ventower Industries, a group of legislators and environmental-ists toured the sprawling, 115,000 square- foot facility at the Port of Monroe where workers…

Ventower Industries to Host Facility Tour and Discuss Wind Energy
Today, Ventower Industries held a luncheon and tour of its 115,000 square-foot facility for several state legislators. The event included a presentation from the wind industry to showcase the benefits wind energy development brings to Michigan, the well-paying jobs that support the industry, and the importance of good energy policy in securing…

Monroe County Inc August 2015
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Ventower Industries Sees High Demand for Products in 2013-2014
Ventower Industries has been generating a lot of positive press lately. The wind turbine tower supplier and fabricator (and part of the GLWN wind energy supply chain network) has seen its business skyrocket in 2013, due in part to the renewal of the Production Tax Credit at the beginning of this year. The company has responded to…

Wind Energy in Michigan
With the auto industry on the verge of collapse in 2008, former Michigan Gov. Jennifer Granholm and other state officials were eager to diversify the economy and create thousands of jobs by making a big push into alternative energy. To capitalize on the state’s strengths, they focused in particular on the manufacturing of parts for…

Wind Equipment: Creating Jobs Along the Lake Erie Shore
Located about 40 miles south of Detroit on the banks of Lake Erie, the city of Monroe, Michigan, has a strong history in American manufacturing. In 1834, the first paper mill rose up along the River Raisin. From there, Monroe became a manufacturing center for paper products, from cardboard boxes to newsprint to cereal cartons…

2012 Brownfield Renewal Winner
First , the Ventower project is a major contributor to the development of alternative (wind) energy sources across the upper United States. With transportation access to the entire Great Lakes water transportation system and the Atlantic Ocean, as well as regional and national rail and highway infrastructure, Ventower can supply wind…

Wind Power By Water Power (Video)
A first barge-borne shipment of wind tower sections through the Port of Monroe is about to get under way. Four sections of a wind tower from Ventower Industries are ready for delivery across the lakes, destined for the Port of Oswego Authority in upstate New York, where wind farms have been popping up like mushrooms in recent years…

Ventower Industries Signs Deal With Aeronautica Windpower
Ventower Industries, a manufacturer and supplier of utility-scale wind turbine towers, says it has completed a contract to manufacture 65 meter towers for Aeronautica Windpower. The completed wind turbine towers will be supplied to separate schools in Ohio and will be delivered in March 2012. Immediate commencement of production…

Ventower Marks Opening Of Manufacturing Facility
Ventower Industries held a ribbon-cutting ceremony Tuesday to mark the opening of its 115,000 square-foot wind turbine tower manufacturing facility located at the Port of Monroe in Michigan. Ventower is a full-service fabricator and supplier of utility-scale wind turbine towers. Focused on original equipment manufacturers, the company…

Ventower Industries Opens Monroe, Mich Plant
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Ventower Industries Begins Tower Production in Michigan
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Backers: Answer to Economic Development is Blowin’ in the Wind
The opening of a wind power company’s headquarters in Monroe is expected to pave the way toward more jobs in that city, and other planned wind-power projects in Michigan are expected to do the same for their locales. Ventower Industries LLC opened the doors of its headquarters Tuesday, ahead of starting limited production on…

Wind tower factory to open at Port of Monroe
Ventower Industries LLC will begin hiring by year’s end for a Port of Monroe factory that will make towers for industrial-sized wind generators and have about 150 employees by early 2012, company officials said Wednesday. The privately owned start-up company will begin with about 50 employees early next year after opening its…

Ventower Ceremony To Mark Official Opening Of Wind Tower Manufacturing Facility
Ventower Industries plans to host a ribbon-cutting ceremony on Aug. 9 to officially open its wind tower manufacturing facility and corporate headquarters in Monroe, Mich. The event will mark the culmination of years of cooperative work between the full-service fabricator and supplier of industrial-scale wind turbine towers, and local, state…

Wind-Tower Production Expected in Late August
Ventower Industries LLC, an upstart maker of towers for industrial-sized wind generators, is putting finishing touches on its new Monroe headquarters and plans to start limited production this month. Vice President Scott Viciana said Ventower’s new $25 million, 115,000-square-foot headquarters, at the Port of Monroe, is…

New Wind Turbine Tower Manufacturer in Monroe to Start Production Thursday
U.S. Environmental Protection Agency Administrator Lisa Jackson and U.S. Rep. John Dingell were among the political dignitaries at the ribbon cutting ceremony for a new wind turbine tower manufacturer in Monroe this morning. Ventower is expected to bring 150 to 300 new jobs to the area after it begins production Thursday at its plant on a…

Wind Turbine Tower Facility Opens in Monroe
Ventower Industries is holding the ribbon-cutting Tuesday for the company’s new wind tower manufacturing facility. The site is located in Monroe and will also house the company’s headquarters. Several state and local leaders will be on hand for the ceremony. According to their website, Ventower is a full-service fabricator and supplier…

New Wind Tower Manufacturing Facility Celebrates Grand Opening
A new wind tower manufacturing facility is blowing into operation in Monroe County. State and local leaders will be on hand as Ventower Industries hosts a ribbon-cutting ceremony Tuesday at its corporate headquarters in Monroe. U.S. SenatorsCarl Levin (D-MI) and Debbie Stabenow (D-MI), U.S. Rep. John Dingell, U.S. E.P.A…

Ventower’s Ribbon Cutting Marks the Beginning of Wind Tower Production
Ventower Industries (Ventower™) has taken another step forward by opening the doors of its 115,000 sq. ft, state of the art, wind turbine tower manufacturing facility. The ribbon cutting ceremony, held at its manufacturing plant at the Port of Monroe on August 9th, marks the culmination of nearly four years of work between Ventower…

New Wind Turbine Plant Opens in Monroe
It’s another step in renewable energy in Michigan as a new wind turbine plant opens in Monroe. James Viciana, Chairman of the Board of Ventower Industries, introduced the brand new 150,000-square foot plant built in Monroe where they will build these wind turbine towers. “We are proud to be here in the port of Monroe, in the City of…

Turbine Tower Firm Dedicates Monroe Site
The $25 million Ventower Industries LLC factory here starts prodsucing giant wind turbine towers Thursday, a watershed event for officials trying to rebuild the Great Lakes region’s distressed economy through green jobs, help America become a little more energy independent, and put land spoiled by past industrial practices back into use…

Wind Turbine Plant to Open in Monroe
Monroe is getting at least 150 new jobs, thanks to the new wind turbine tower manufacturer that celebrated its new home with a ribbon-cutting ceremony Tuesday morning. Ventower Industries begins production Thursday at its new 115,000-square-foot plant on a former brownfield, its Chairman James Viciana said. The company, which makes…

Wind Turbine Tower Manufacturer Brings New Jobs to Monroe
A brand new company that will build wind turbine towers has set up shop in Monroe. Ventower Industries has created 21 jobs so far and expects that number to reach more than 150 as additional people are hired and trained. Its 115,000 sq. ft. plant is capable of producing 250 wind turbine towers per year. Ventower Board of Directors…

New Wind Tower Manufacturing Facility Celebrates Grand Opening
A new wind tower manufacturing facility is blowing into operation in Monroe County. State and local leaders will be on hand as Ventower Industries hosts a ribbon-cutting ceremony Tuesday at its corporate headquarters in Monroe. U.S. SenatorsCarl Levin (D-MI) and Debbie Stabenow (D-MI), U.S. Rep. John Dingell, U.S. E.P.A. administrator…

Auto Show Hitches a Ride: Industry Rebound Gives Numbers a Lift
The glitz of the North American International Auto Show is returning in 2011, but the theme is still on efficiency. The Detroit auto show struggled over the past two years with a decline in attendance from 2008 and automakers and suppliers pulling out of the 2009 and 2010 shows due to the economic collapse in 2008 that crippled the industry…

Ventower Industries Announces East Coast Expansion
Monroe, Mich.-based Ventower Industries, a full-service fabricator and supplier of utility scale wind turbine towers, plans to locate its second manufacturing facility, which will produce towers for onshore and offshore wind turbines, on the East Coast of the U.S. “The East Coast of the United States is an ideal location for Ventower II to…

Ventower Seeks US Tower Plant for Offshore Wind
Ventower Industries is looking for a plant site along the US East Coast to supply foundations and towers for proposed Atlantic Ocean wind farms in federal waters on the Outer Continental Shelf, chief executive Gregory Adanin tells Recharge…