Michigan Brewing Co. Evicted

WEBBERVILLE — Michigan Brewing Co. was evicted Tuesday from its headquarters in Webberville, according to court records and officials familiar with the case.
The company’s restaurant in downtown Lansing remained open Wednesday, though MBC officials did not return calls seeking comment.The 76,000-square-foot property, located at 1093 Highview Drive, fell into foreclosure after MBC failed to make loan payments to Zions First National Bank, documents indicate.An entity called Highview Enterprises then bought the property but failed to reach a rental agreement with MBC and its lending company, Highview Holdings, said attorney Pat Gallagher, who represents Highview Enterprises.Gallagher would not say who owns Highview Enterprises.Highview Enterprises asked for permission to evict MBC in January during a 55th District Court appearance, Gallagher said. That eviction came Tuesday.Bobby Mason, president of MBC and head of Highview Holdings, and other management at the business’s Webberville location did not return repeated calls on the matter.It was not known how many employees lost their jobs.John Gormley, MBC and Highview Holdings’ attorney, declined to comment Wednesday.It also is unclear how the eviction will affect MBC’s other sites, including its downtown Lansing restaurant and brew pub, or its beverage-making business, which includes rocker Kid Rock’s American Badass Beer.MBC also has plans to expand to Fenton. City officials there could not be reached for comment.Ingham County records show Highview Holdings purchased the deed to the property from Michigan Brewing Co. for $2.6 million in 2007.The MBC site at 1093 Highway Drive, near Interstate 96 and M-52, had been listed for sale for $1.65 million.