The Holland Economic Development Corporation (HEDCOR) is the leading catalyst for economic viability and provides assistance for businesses expanding in or locating to the Holland area.

HEDCOR'S History:

In the late 1950’s the city of Holland aggressively began exploring ways in which to retain and attract industry. The first step was to form an economic development committee, which came up with the idea for HEDCOR. The city also hired the Fantus Co., a consulting firm, to conduct an industrial survey of Holland.

The Fantus Co. issued its report in early 1962, about the same time HEDCOR was being organized. To improve Holland’s competitive situation, according to the report, the city needed a more diverse manufacturing base to avoid becoming dependent on a single industry. The report also recommended that the new industrial development corporation acquire and develop industrial sites as a way of permitting the immediate sale of the property to manufacturers.

HEDCOR, which is not affiliated with a governmental agency, has followed those recommendations to the letter in developing its two industrial parks. After organizing, the group’s initial task was to raise $100,000 among local manufacturers to buy 100 acres of farmland in the southern part of the city for the first industrial park.

The first large tenant in the new park was LifeSavers, which has been rolling out the candy with the hole in the middle ever since it opened in 1967.

Originally, LifeSavers had not considered Holland as the site for a new plant in West Michigan. LifeSavers-at the time affiliated with the BeechNut company-initially planned to produce baby food, along with candy, at the new facility. For that reason, the company was considering the fruit-growing region of Benton Harbor.

But when the time came to pick a plant site, LifeSavers could not find a parcel large enough in that area. Because of the declining birthrate nationwide, the company had also decided to forgo the baby food operation and no longer needed to be situated in a fruit belt. As LifeSavers began looking elsewhere for a plant site to make candy, the state Commerce Department suggested the company take a look at what HEDCOR and the Holland area had to offer.

Company officials were impressed by what they saw. HEDCOR had available land that was competitively priced, and served by roads and utilities. HEDCOR also steered LifeSavers to funding help from the city of Holland.

By the early 1980s, HEDCOR’s development efforts in the south-side park had been so successful that land in the surrounding area was becoming scarce.

The shortage prompted the organization to look beyond the city of Holland for the first time and develop the north-side park along U.S. 31 in cooperation with Holland Township.

HEDCOR has since purchased additional property to expand the original park and the second industrial site in Holland Township. The purchases have been made with proceeds from the sale of parcels to businesses, and grants and low-interest loans from federal and state agencies.

The 615-acre south-side park has grown steadily since the production lines at LifeSavers started up in the mid-1960s. The park is occupied by 52 industries, employing more than 12,000 workers.

The 535-acre north-side park, opened in 1987, is occupied by 20 manufacturers employing more than 4,500 workers.

From office furniture to automotive to food processing, the diversity of manufacturing in the two parks has been the key to the region’s economic strength. The local economy historically has been able to weather economic downturns because it is not dependent on a single industry. The diversity, combined with the conservative nature of local manufacturers, provides a buffer against extreme economic shifts.