Boat Manufacturer Sunsation Products Investing $7.7 Million in St. Clair County, Michigan Expansion

December 7, 2023

The Economic Development Alliance (EDA) of St. Clair County is pleased to announce that Sunsation Products, a longstanding family-owned boat manufacturer in the county, is expanding its operations.   Sunsation is a manufacturer of high-performance center console boats and the only boat builder in the region.  Due to rising customer demand, Sunsation has outgrown its current building.  The company will be investing $7.7 million in a new state-of-the-art manufacturing facility and growing its workforce by creating 20 additional good-paying jobs.

“Sunsation is true business success story.  The business was originally founded in 1982 in a small garage just down the road from the region’s original Chris Craft factory.  Over the years, the company has taken their passion for high performance boat building to form an incredible company with a loyal and growing customer market, said Dan Casey, CEO of the Economic Development Alliance.  “We often boast that we launch boats and business in St. Clair County, and our tagline Our Shoreline-Your Horizon, couldn’t be truer in this case.  St. Clair County is a perfect fit for this growing boat manufacturer.”

While the company had other locations out-of-state to consider for its expansion, including a competing site in Florida, Sunsation has chosen to remain and expand in Michigan.  St. Clair County offers easy access to Lake Huron and Michigan is the third-largest marine market in the country, ranking No. 3 in boat registrations. Boating has a $11.7 billion economic impact on Michigan’s economy each year.  (source: Michigan Boating Industries Association).

The state is supporting the expansion with a $350,000 Michigan Business Development Program performance-based grant.  Cottrellville Township has also offered the company a 50-percent property tax abatement in support of the project.   In receiving these business incentives, Sunsation Products will be expected to adhere to the investments and job growth that will have a positive impact on the community. 

“Cottrellville Township is excited to welcome Sunsation Powerboat to our community,” said Cottrellville Township Supervisor Mary Agnes Simons. ”This growing company is bringing well-paying jobs to our township and will be making a positive contribution to our tax base. We look forward to having their home here along the Marine City Highway Corridor (26 Mile Road) in Cottrellville Township in our light industrial area. God Bless this project for all of us!”

Sunsation Products currently has 47 employees building every boat from start to finish, including designing, developing, assembling and completing.  In addition to expanding its workforce, the company also looks forward to expanding its current network of dealers across the United States, enhancing its operations and offering a new line of boats. 

“Sunsation Powerboats, a family-owned company, has been producing high-quality, high­ performance powerboats in the Algonac, Michigan area for over 40 years,” said Sunsation President Joe Schaldenbrand. “We are very proud to have the strongest group of professional skilled boat builders in the boat manufacturing industry. Our team is what has made Sunsation Powerboats so successful. Special thanks to Bruce Seymore of the Economic Development Alliance of St. Clair County, and Joe McCulloch of the MEDC and their teams who put together an excellent economic incentive package for us which certainly helped us make our decision to stay here in Michigan. We look forward to building the greatest boats here in the great state of Michigan for many years to come.”

“Providing support and assistance to existing St. Clair County businesses is a large portion of work we do at the Economic Development Alliance. Sunsation Powerboat’s expansion is a great example of this. This expansion enables the company to grow their sales across the country,  increase production of their high-performance powerboats, expand their product line and create new well-paying jobs.  The Economic Development Alliance is proud to have worked with our partners at Cottrellville Township and the Michigan Economic Development Corporation to secure this project and investment in our local economy.

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About EDA of St. Clair County
The Economic Development Alliance (EDA) of St. Clair County is a private non-profit organization that creates economic prosperity by growing companies and cultivating vibrant communities.  The EDA is a full-service economic development agency working in the areas of business attraction, retention and expansion, community development, small business development, talent attraction and regional marketing.  The EDA’s mission to enhance the prosperity and growth of our region’s economy is made possible by the generous support of EDA private & public sector investor members passionate about supporting community and

economic development.  To learn more about the Economic Development Alliance of St. Clair County visit:  https://edascc.com/

About Sunsation Boats
A St. Clair County, Michigan boat manufacturer with 40+ years of experience powering your offshore adventures, we aligned our passion for performance and commitment to craftsmanship into the ultimate lineup of high-performance center console boats.  Family owned and operated since 1982, our CCX lineup provides the perfect combinations of luxury & performance options to make your next experience on the water unforgettable.  Learn more at sunsationboats.com