AMI Entertainment Network has chosen a portion of a facility at 4147 Eastern Ave. SE in Wyoming to house administration and some data support for its emerging line of Internet-connected jukeboxes.
Throughout its history as the former Rowe International in Grand Rapids, AMI was known for its traditional jukeboxes. Today, the company specializes in jukeboxes that access music directly from the Internet, requiring a sophisticated data center and backup data center to ensure that music is available for users of as many as 15,000 different machines.
About 60 employees will work at space in the Priceline Building, which will serve as the backup data center to its primary center in Chicago. While AMI Entertainment is not adding any new jobs concurrent to the move into the new facility, it may to do so if business improves.
“We do expect that once the economy picks up – and we have a few other irons in the fire – we expect some growth,” says Ed Gundrum, chief operating officer of AMI Entertainment. “The jukebox business is our core business. We’re never going to turn our back on that, and we’re exploring new ways to use the data center and other technology we have.”
AMI Entertainment will use only about 20,000 square feet of the 90,000 square feet available in the building. The company is not doing any manufacturing work in the Priceline building, having recently moved its manufacturing operations to facilities in Mexico and its warehouse distribution facilities to Texas.
Source: Ed Gundrum, AMI Entertainment Network
Deborah Johnson Wood is development news editor for Rapid Growth. She can be contacted at [email protected].
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