Michigan Governor Gretchen Whitmer last week announced that Wilbur Products, doing business as Motiv Bowling, plans to acquire a new, 96,000-square-foot facility in Roosevelt Park to meet surging demand.
Headquartered in Michigan, Motiv's 43 employees are split across facilities in Spring Lake and Roosevelt Park. The company has experienced 20% sales growth over the past several years and the increased demand has led to a call for increased production as well as improved manufacturing efficiency across the production process.
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The $8.975 million expansion is expected to create 90 new jobs with starting wages of $24 per hour plus benefits, which greater than the regional median wage of $22.61.
The new facility will be renovated and used for bowling ball manufacturing and as an exporting logistics hub. The expansion will also require a significant amount of new equipment, including locally sourced robotics, CNC mills and lathes, locally built custom grinders and custom polishing equipment, industrial racking, forklifts, loading dock expansions, computer software and hardware, and a new ERP system installation and training by a Lansing-based company.
Motiv’s current facility, that is only two miles from the new production site, will be retained for R&D purposes.
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Motiv received support from the Michigan Strategic Fund (MSF) in the form of a Michigan Business Development Program (MBDP) performance-based grant of $540,000.
Motiv was the only manufacturer to make it to every Professional Bowlers Association (PBA) show in the 2025 season. Additionally, competitors using Motiv equipment won more than half of all PBA titles available over that time.
The global bowling market size was valued at $2.69 billion in 2024, according to Fortune Business Insights. The market is expected to grow to $3.47 billion by 2032, with North America accounting for 38.28% market share.
North America remains the global hub, according to Market Reports World, accounting for up to 43% of all bowling ball sales. In 2021, the U.S. has some 67 million bowlers across more than 5,000 bowling alleys. The U.S. also has more than 5,000 high school bowling teams and about 50,000 student bowlers. New bowlers, like student athletes, buys 2-3 balls annually.
