Aster Brands Moving Headquarters to Harbor Springs

At Aster Brands, we’re on a mission to “Change The World In Concrete Ways.” Day in and day out, we make forming equipment for the concrete industry. And what we get really excited about is the impact our work has on family-owned businesses and vital infrastructure around the world. We couldn't be more excited to be joining the Harbor Springs community!

At Aster Brands, We...

Provide business opportunities for concrete manufacturers to build and diversify their businesses.

Invent retaining wall systems that support roadways that help people travel safely.

Design backyard patio products that help people connect with their loved ones.

Create solid, well-compensated jobs in our Northern Michigan community to help locals thrive.

Aster Brands is a growing team of 50+ Michiganders, plus 25 team members worldwide. From welders and fabricators to engineers and sales pros, marketers and finance folks - we’re a dynamic group that makes this business hum! We’re owned and operated by the Manthei family, which has been doing business in Northern Michigan since 1915.

image of Jake Kloss in steel manufacturing facility

Meet Jake Kloss: Leading Growth at Aster Brands

A northern Michigan native and leader in the engineering space, Jake’s been part of an exciting growth trajectory during his eight years at Aster Brands. Learn why he’s looking forward to the family-owned company’s upcoming Harbor Springs expansion.

Read More

What does Aster Brands do?

Aster Brands produces steel and polyurethane forming equipment for more than 150 precast concrete manufacturers around the world. Even though we’re making forms and molds for the concrete industry, we don’t manufacture concrete or finished precast concrete products at Aster Brands.

Will you be producing concrete blocks here?

No, this is not a concrete plant. We make steel forms and polyurethane molds for the concrete industry but won’t manufacture concrete products here.

Our manufacturing work is an incredibly clean process that requires skilled labor, including welders, fabricators, and manufacturing technicians.

Because we sell forms and molds for the concrete industry around the world, one cool thing about Aster Brands is that we’re a business that brings money INTO the community rather than just moving money around within our community. Our biggest customers last year were in France, Kentucky, and Georgia.

So who actually owns Aster Brands?

Aster Brands is part of the Manthei Group, which is owned by the Manthei family, which has been living and doing business in Northern Michigan since 1915. Other Manthei Group businesses include Manthei Wood Products in Petoskey and Manthei Construction and High Format in Charlevoix. Only Aster Brands is moving to this Harbor Springs location.

You can learn more about the Manthei family's purpose in this Forbes article, and learn more about the family's local work in the recovery community here.

Our local ties run deep. Our President, Jake Manthei, was born and raised in Petoskey and has called the community home his whole life. Jake can trace one side of his family history back to Harbor Springs as far back as 1875, and the other side to Petoskey since 1904. Northern Michigan has been home to our family and businesses for a LONG time, and we are deeply invested in this community.

From a business perspective, the Manthei family has been part of the Harbor Springs community for quite some time already, as part-owners of the Perry Home Village memory care facility and as owners of the Fairview Square and Harbor Plaza shopping centers.

Why did you pick this site?

Simply put, we’re a growing company, and we’ve been out of space for a while.

As our business has expanded, we no longer had room to house our entire staff at our Design, Manufacturing, and Engineering facility in Charlevoix. So we leased an additional 30,000 sq. ft. of space in Charlevoix as well as 6,000 sq. ft. of office space in Petoskey. For the past 8-10 years, we’ve searched for a long-term space to bring our entire Michigan team and operations back together in one building.

This location in Harbor Springs made sense for our growth trajectory, giving us space to continue to grow and achieve our goals as a company. In addition, it keeps high-quality jobs in Northern Michigan and brings new opportunities for residents of Emmet County. This community needs high-skill, year-round jobs, and we need high-skill, year-round employees.

We'd like to offer special thanks to the Northern Lakes Economic Alliance for supporting us in this move, and for the Michigan Economic Development Corporation for a generous grant to help us make this move possible. In addition, the City of Harbor Springs and the Harbor Springs Chamber have been extremely helpful throughout this process. Thank you!

What kind of jobs will be available?

Aster Brands provides year-round, full-time jobs, 80% of which require medium or high-skill employees. Our manufacturing processes are highly technical; we use fiber lasers, CNC rollers, robotic and manual welding, CNC milling, and more. We also employ business professionals - from marketing to finance to engineering. In Michigan, we currently have over 50 employees and plan to add 15 more between 2025 and 2030.

All full-time positions include health insurance and retirement packages with employer matching, as well as innovative benefits like meaningful profit sharing, an on-staff professional counselor/life coach, and an award-winning adoption assistance program. As a family, the Mantheis are also committed to helping solve the housing shortage for workers in Northern Michigan. The Pine Pond development in Petoskey is owned by the Manthei family, with houses starting under $200,000. We believe that providing high-quality jobs AND great housing options will continue to help our community thrive.

We also offer a robust internship program for college students, with summer interns every year in engineering, marketing, sales, and finance.

What changes are we going to see at the property?

We have a phased-out 3 year plan for renovating and moving into this space. You can expect to see us fixing up the exterior of the building and improving the landscaping. You might not know that the Manthei family also owns Harbor Plaza, next door to this property. When we purchased that property, we conducted a major exterior upgrade including new facades, signage, and paving. You can expect a similar upgrade at this site.

We’re beginning our move-in process in early 2025, with the goal of having operations and manufacturing fully relocated by fall. The office renovation and transition of our office staff will likely happen in 2026.

As with any thriving manufacturing business, you will see truck and car traffic coming and going. However, given the proximity to the traffic light on Pleasantview Road and the turn lane on M-119, we don't expect a major impact on traffic. You’ll also see our staff frequenting local businesses and restaurants, bringing new customers to these other local businesses. Our goal is to be a great neighbor and a positive contributor to this community.