Masco Corporation breaks ground on new Livonia building

With only a few months left in his final term, Livonia Mayor Jack Kirksey is still able to land a few jokes on a crowd during a groundbreaking.

Kirksey, along with representatives from Schoolcraft College, helped break ground Tuesday morning on the Schoolcraft College campus for the new Masco Corporation world headquarters, which is moving from Taylor.

Despite his jokes with the crowd gathered in a tent near where the new building will be constructed, Kirksey welcomed the company to Livonia, and said they will make an excellent member of the business community in town.

“The reason I’m here today is to welcome the people from Masco Corporation to our community,” he said. “Livonia is a business-friendly community. We have 4,200 businesses. Your building goes up, it’ll be 4,201.”

The new 75,000-square-foot facility, which will house the employees currently at the company’s Taylor facility, is expected to open by the end of 2016 on the school’s campus near I-275. The move was announced in July, and the Livonia City Council approved the plan for the new structure earlier this summer.

Representatives from Masco Corporation said they look forward to being closer to the college, which provides a place to develop ideas, and perhaps a good place to stop in for lunch once in a while.

“To our partners at Schoolcraft: thank you for the warm welcome and the assistance you have provided for us,” said Keith Allman, president and CEO of Masco Corporation. “Our employees are already looking forward to being a part of this energetic learning community that’s alive with technology, educational innovation and personal enrichment.

“And our employees are certainly looking forward to the food from the culinary students.”

About 200 employees are expected to relocate to the new building once complete.

Livonia-based Schostak Brothers is involved in the building process for the new structure for Masco, a company that makes brand-name faucets and other building products.

Richard Manoogian, chairman emeritus of the company, shared some of the company’s history, which dates back to 1929.

He talked about the work his father did to set the company up for success, and the path it’s taken Masco since.

“My father took the company public in 1926 when he sold $200,000 worth of stock on the Detroit Stock Exchange to raise enough money to build a new factory,” he said. “When I came to the company (in 1958), we were doing millions in sales-$2 million in faucets and $2 million in the original auto parts business.”

Conway Jeffress, president of Schoolcraft College, said the school is excited to have the company on campus in their new building, and the connections that will bring to the school.

“We look forward to the relationship we are developing here today for many years to come,” he said.

With Livonia, Allman said the company already feels at home in the city, even without their building constructed.

“We’re already in love with the small-town feel of the city and it’s big-city conveniences,” he said.

dveselenak@hometownlife.com | 734-678-6728 Twitter: @DavidVeselenak