From concerns about production at local auto plants to worry over the price of hockey equipment, the newly enacted tariffs are raising issues in Macomb County.

But they also could bring opportunity.

Vicky Rowinski, director of the county Department of Planning and Economic Development, said Friday the biggest immediate impact in the county from the tariffs announced Thursday by President Donald Trump will be at automakers, particularly at Stellantis, which has informed workers of temporary layoffs at plants in Warren and Sterling Heights and announced it is idling to plants in Canada and Mexico.

“I would say it’s kind of a collective pause with our (automotive) manufacturers,” she said, noting the domestic three automakers all have a presence here. “Stellantis is our major just-in-time assembly facility, so will probably have the greatest impact” from tariffs. “It raises concerns for us because we know there is a whole supply chain that provides products and services to these major assembly OEMs (original equipment manufacturer).”

Stellantis operates assembly plants in Warren and Sterling Heights and a stamping plant in Sterling Heights.

Rowinski noted the auto industry has been going through transformation before the tariffs were announced.

“The hot topic of the day is tariffs, but there’s been a lot of uncertainty that led into this with our automotive manufacturers looking at the EV (elective vehicle) vs. traditional OEM,” she said.

Rowinski said the county’s unemployment rate has increased from 3.2% to 4.2% in the past year, “with the majority of job losses in the manufacturing sector.”

In the county’s second largest “targeted” industry, aerospace and defense, the tariffs could benefit the county because defense companies may be forced to look at domestic sources from which to purchase products.

On top of that, some foreign companies that perform work for the defense industry are looking to expand or relocate in the United States, closer to the defense contractors.

“What we’re seeing is an uptick in international companies … wanting to have a footprint here in Michigan because of the Detroit Arsenal and the work they would be doing for the DOD (Department of Defense),” Rowinski said. “We absolutely welcome those conversations, to bring those international companies in and expand their supply chain locally. I don’t think that’s a direct result of the tariffs, but I think what we’re finding is they need to be here, where their customer is at.”

Rowinski said the county can accommodate them.

“There’s definitely industrial space here. We’ve got the workforce here,” she said.

She said there have been discussions related to Canadian companies coming here.

“Maybe perhaps they saw the writing on the wall that they need to be in the United States,” she said. “It might make better business sense for them to be on this side of the border.”

Meanwhile, much of the hockey equipment that is purchased in Macomb County comes from Canada.

At Perani’s Hockey World in Sterling Heights, store manager Chris Byberg said company officials have had “some discussions concerning tariffs in our meetings.”

“We have distributors there who sell it for the manufacturers overseas,” he said. “It’s an arrangement that’s been going on for close to 50 years.”

Byberg said they also have longstanding relationships with other companies in the U.S. The largest seller of equipment, CCM, is headquartered in Montreal, Canada. The second largest, Bauer, was founded in Kitchner, Ont., Canada, but is now based in New Hampshire.

“CCM researches, develops and prototypes its products at its headquarters. Then the company has the products manufactured in Asia, and from there they are distributed to retailers in North America and Europe,” according to a report by Manufacturingtoday.com.

The price of hockey equipment is already pretty high.

Eight years ago, when Phillip Sandoval’s son, Elijah Gilbertson, started playing hockey, he was able to purchase everything he needed for $200. Now it’s Elijah who is buying his equipment on a lifeguard’s salary.

Elijah was looking at a pair of ice skates Friday that cost over $1,000. He said the skates are top of the line but at the level he’s playing at now most of the equipment is pricey.

Price increases due to the tariffs and may force Elijah to get second job.

“I’m a little worried about it, but I’m more of a long-term type of person,” Sandoval said.

Sandoval is a truck driver in Colorado and is more concerned about what the tariffs might do to the trucking industry.

“I can see us slowing down,” Sandoval said, due to a fewer number of items shipped to and from Canada.

As far as the tariffs’ impact on the price of groceries, Rowinski said officials are encouraging grocers to increase its sourcing of fresh product from the 430 farms that operate in Macomb County, occupying 20% of the county’s land.

Vince and Joe’s Gourmet Market purchases a lot of its products from Michigan farmers but it’s also known to be the one-stop-shop for all things Italian, whether it’s olive oil, pasta or tomato sauce.

“We are currently hearing from our wholesalers who are heavily buying from Europe and especially Italy that we are going to see some increases but we don’t know the extent of it yet,” said Vince Vitale, co-owner of the gourmet markets in Shelby and Clinton Township. “Our wholesalers here in the states are willing to work with us to buy more volume or current inventory in order to hold prices as long as possible.”

As with other retailers, Vitale said they will evaluate everything on a day-to-day basis.

“Being a Michigan company, we buy heavily in the state and are hoping to grow those partnerships,” he said.

Toy retailers who suffered the fallout of the COVID-19 pandemic’s impact on the supply chain are preparing for another slowdown due to tariffs.

“My sister Wendy (the store’s buyer) said she has definitely seen a change in some prices from the toy companies,” said Julie Everitt, co-owner of the Whistle Stop Hobby and Toy in St. Clair Shores. “We are hopeful that this is temporary and that the tariffs will build up our economy in the long run.”

Another group of retailers that is likely to be impacted are those selling fireworks.

“All of the fireworks are from China,” said Michelle Kauflin, manager of Phantom Fireworks in Sterling Heights.

She imagines the prices will go up but when or how much is still unclear. “I won’t have any information until our manager’s meeting next month,” she said.

One person who is concerned for businesses on both sides of the tariff borders is Mike Thomas.

“I’m an American and Canadian,” said Thomas, who lives in Nashville and was in the Detroit area Friday for a hockey tournament. “I think it’s really sad that our two countries are having this debate.”

“Prices are going to go up for both countries,” added Thomas, who was born in New Brunswick, Canada, and worked as a manager for a General Motors plant in the United States before retiring to enjoy his grandchildren, one of whom was born Friday.

“Her name is Charlotte,” Thomas added, before trying on the Bauer hockey skates that Elijah recommended.

Despite the concerns over the impact of tariffs, Rowinski is looking at them as a potential opportunity, possibly increasing manufacturing jobs in Macomb County.

“We know we’ve got capacity in Macomb County to bring those jobs and the workforce into those facilities,” she said.

Notably, the former Ford plant in Romeo.

“I think we’re feeling the pain, that short-term pain, right now,” she said. “But I’m going to put on my hat of optimism. For a very long time we’ve off-shored manufacturing. That (manufacturing) has always been our bread and butter here in Macomb County when we look at the talent, workforce and capacity. It gives an opportunity to pitch a story of why they want to make Macomb their home,” a reference to the county’s long-time mantra.

But she said things will not happen quickly; it will take a matter of years, not months.

“When you talk a business-attraction perspective, where we’re trying to garner the interest of these major facilities, it takes years, once they put the shovel in the ground, to get up and running,” she said.

She said auto executives at General Motors, Ford and Stellantis may be looking at using existing facilities to expand.