PHOTO COURTESY OF GREAT LAKES BOAT BUILDING SCHOOL
In a ceremonial groundbreaking held on October 1, 2022, the Great Lakes Boat Building School (GLBBS) broke ground on its new $3.8 million Marine Technology Center at its campus in Cedarville, Michigan. The much-anticipated day was presided over by GLBBS President Nikki Storey, with Gary McDowell, director of the Michigan Department of Agriculture and Rural Development; State Representative John Damoose; Jay Gage, U.P. regional manager for U.S. Senator Debbie Stabenow; and Steve Van Dam, the founder of Van Dam Custom Boats in Boyne City and the chairman of the GLBBS Program Advisory Board.
“Today, we celebrate what many thought was an insurmountable challenge we faced several years ago — expand facilities to enroll more students and enhance programming,” Storey said. “Not only did we secure a $2.7 million EDA grant, a Mass Timber Grant with Michigan State University, we also had to raise our $1.1 million match through a privately funded capital campaign. Thank you to those who have participated. We are almost to the finish line.”
The new 10,000-square-foot building will support training in marine service and electronics technologies for the Marine Electronic Technology program, the first of its kind in the nation.
Construction, expected to start in the second quarter of 2023, will also include new docking and waterfront improvements, as well as interior student life improvements, in efforts to help meet the growing demand at GLBBS and address the workforce needs of the marine industry.
To learn more, visit glbbs.edu.
