Whitmer announces Carhartt expanding in Dearborn to create 125 jobs

On Monday, Michigan Governor Gretchen Whitmer joined the Michigan Economic Development Corporation (MEDC) to announce that Carhartt, a manufacturer of premium workwear, outdoor apparel, and footwear, is expanding in Dearborn with support from the Michigan Strategic Fund.  

The project is expected to generate a total capital investment of $4.65 million and create 125 well-paying jobs, supported by a $937,500 Michigan Business Development Program performance-based grant. Michigan was chosen for the project over competing sites in other locations.

“My administration has been laser focused on growing our economy. We’re working hard in a bipartisan fashion to ensure Michigan’s business climate and talented manufacturing workforce can thrive and create more jobs. That work paid off over the last year, as evidenced by the investment and growth by longstanding companies like Carhartt continuing to invest in Michigan,”?said Whitmer. “This investment by Carhartt, which will create 125 high-wage jobs in Southeast Michigan, is great news for workers, their families, and our economy as we continue putting Michiganders first.”

 “Congratulations to the entire Carhartt team on your continued growth and success. We’re pleased to celebrate your expansion in Michigan, and we appreciate your vote of confidence in our state and in our workforce,” said?Quentin Messer Jr.,?CEO of the MEDC and president and chair of the Michigan Strategic Fund. “We are grateful to the lovernor, legislators and local officials for their continued support of the Michigan Business Development Program. We’re proud to join our local partners as we celebrate this longstanding Michigan company’s expansion and look forward to working together to grow fashionably, add jobs, and provide greater opportunity for our friends and neighbors in Southeast Michigan.”

Carhartt Inc., founded in Detroit in 1889, is a manufacturer, distributor, and retailer of workwear. The company generates its sales primarily from wholesale distribution to retailers throughout North America and Europe, but also sells directly to consumers through company-owned stores, e-commerce sites, and the industrial industry. Headquartered in Dearborn, Carhartt employs more than 5,500 associates worldwide with 644 employees in Michigan.

Carhartt plans to expand in areas such as product design, digital marketing, customer care, and operations in response to increased demand. Carhartt will hire high-wage professionals, with wages averaging $43.22 per hour plus benefits. Positions may include web developers, marketing specialists, sales representatives, and customer service personnel. The company has recently invested $32 million in its three facilities at its Dearborn campus.

“We’re excited to bring more high-paying jobs to Michigan,” said Carhartt Chief Financial Officer Susan Telang. “Our business continues to grow year over year and partnering with the MEDC allows us to expand our employee base by adding top talent and, at the same time, continue to invest in our home state where Carhartt was established in 1889.”

The city of Dearborn has offered to assist the company with expedited and streamlined permitting for the expansion efforts. For information on careers with Carhartt, visit https://www.carhartt.com/careers.

“Wayne County is proud to work with our public and private sector partners to expand business activities and create good-paying jobs,” said Wayne County Executive Warren C. Evans. “This project will allow Carhartt, a staple business of our region, to expand their operations to further prepare for the economy of the future.”

“We couldn’t be more excited for Carhartt’s new and improved Dearborn campus, and the more than 120 jobs that will come with it,” said Dearborn Mayor Abdullah H. Hammoud. “Dearborn is proud to serve as the home of multigenerational innovators like Carhartt, and we welcome their continued belief in Dearborn as a catalyst for future impact.”

Carhartt is a strong supporter of Michigan’s outdoor recreation industry, which contributed $10.8 billion in value-add for Michigan in 2021, according to the U.S. Department of Commerce’s Bureau of Economic Analysis. Carhartt advocated for the creation of the Michigan Outdoor Recreation Industry Office, created by Gov. Whitmer in 2019 and transferred to the Michigan Economic Development Corporation this fall to continue to strengthen the state’s outdoor recreation businesses and products. Carhartt is also a partner of the National Parks Foundation in support of the Service Corps, which helps build a pipeline of hardworking people to protect our national parks, lift up communities, and gain in-demand job skills training.

“Along with their well-earned reputation in the workwear segment, Carhartt is also one of the oldest and most respected brands in the outdoor recreation sector, and I’m grateful for their continued collaboration with my office and their commitment to grow and invest in their home state of Michigan,” said Brad Garmon, executive director of the Michigan Outdoor Recreation Industry Office at MEDC. “This announcement builds on Carhartt’s leadership in rebuilding Detroit’s legacy of textile manufacturing and demonstrates that today’s outdoor recreation jobs can be creative, well-paying, talent-driven opportunities that support people, communities and an adventurous life in the great outdoors.”

Carhartt has also participated in the Michigan Fashion Council led by MEDC, which was established to bring together leaders in the apparel industries within Michigan. The company has also partnered with ISAIC, a nonprofit national institute for the sewn trades, to grow the industrial sewing trades in Michigan as well as innovate for advanced manufacturing in the sewn goods industry. ISAIC recently announced it was expanding at its facility in Detroit, a project that is expected to generate a total capital investment of $550,000 and create 74 jobs.

In addition, Carhartt announced in 2019 that it was dedicating the third floor of its Cass Avenue retail location to ISAIC. The organization transformed this retail space into a national center of excellence for sewn trades, offering training in both traditional skills and emerging apparel technologies. Carhartt is also supporting the organization’s launch plans via an in-kind donation of apparel manufacturing equipment.