Jul 31, 2012 | Jackson County News & Info
Aisin USA Manufacturing and Valeo Sylvania announced expansions during the 2nd quarter that total more than $50 million in new investment and will add 300 jobs, while O&k American said they plan a $9.6 million investment.
“It was quite an April with these announcements combined with the news from Cummins,” said JCIDC Board President Gary Meyer.
Aisin is adding 114 jobs as part of its $21.9 million investment at the East Side Industrial Park, and Valeo plans to invest more than $28 million and create 187 new jobs at its location at Seymour’s Freeman Field.
“Seymour and Indiana are very well positioned in the Midwest, which allows us great access to our customers,” commented Jerry Dittrich, president and general manager of Valeo Sylvania, which currently has 800 employees. “Adding to the location is the fact we have received strong support from state and local government, creating a pro-business environment in which we can prosper and grow.”
The company, which was founded in 1978 as GTE Sylvania, designs and manufactures lighting systems for Chrysler, Ford, GM, Nissan and Toyota vehicles. Valeo was granted tax abatement by Council on its investment of $28,074,000 in real and personal property.
Added Seymour Mayor Craig Luedeman, “Valeo Sylvania has long been a valuable member of our corporate community and we are very pleased to see this new investment and additional good jobs being created for our area,” said Seymour Mayor Craig Luedeman. “Seymour continues to see expansion and job growth from our industrial companies and we pledge our continued support.”
Aisin plans growth at its locations in Seymour due to increased production and demand from automobile makers and Cummins.
The company received three tax abatements from Seymour City Council on investments totaling $21,966,780.
Over the next two years, Aisin plans to add new production machinery and equipment to support Toyota’s newest Corolla, Sienna and Highlander models as well as provide parts for Cummins and Chrysler, stated Betsy Cornett of Aisin’s Strategic Planning Division during the abatement request.
Most of the investment will take place at Plant I, located at 1700 E. Fourth Street at the East Side Park, including $19.5 million in new equipment. To also accommodate production for Toyota, Aisin will add roughly $1.8 million in machinery and equipment at Plant II on Burkart Boulevard. That project will create 12 new positions and retain 300 employees.
“We’re very excited and appreciate the investment,” Councilman Andy Hagedorn said, while Council President Jim Rebber, who also is chair of the industrial development committee, thanked Aisin for its continued belief in Seymour as a good place to do business.
“We appreciate the continued support of the city,” Cornett added.
O&k American, meanwhile, continues its growth at the East Side Park with its April announcement of new investment totaling $9.6 million, which will add 3 new jobs.
Jul 31, 2012 | Jackson County News & Info
With an eye on improvement of the educational system in Seymour and Jackson County, Cummins Inc. continued its recent growth trend by announcing a $219 million expansion that it will add 290 jobs at its Seymour high-speed diesel engine plant by 2015.
“A key aspect for choosing Seymour is the support from IEDC to provide for educational initiatives, which will help ensure the availability of a skilled workforce for many years to come,” said Rich Freeland, president of Cummins’ engine business, following the April 24th announcement.
Cummins plans to construct a new office building to house up to 500 employees, as well as build a manufacturing facility for components of high-horsepower engines, plus add new warehouses and facilities for additional engineering, production and cylinder block production line.
“We are proud to be able to partner with Cummins and the State to make this exciting project a reality,” said Seymour Mayor Craig Luedeman. “Cummins has been an outstanding partner as we work to grow our community.”
At the May 14th Seymour City Council meeting, company officials reported new investment during 2012 is expected to be $71.1 million (of the $219 million total project), with 110 new employees expected to be hired this year. The company currently has about 525 employees at its Seymour Engine Plant.
Council granted 10-year tax abatement on the investment, and the Indiana Economic Development Corp. will provide Cummins with up to $250,000 in training grants based on the company’s job-creation plans.
Additionally, the IEDC is awarding the City of Seymour a “Certified Tech Park,” which means up to $5 million of payroll and sales tax can be captured and will be used to fund educational programs through the Jackson County Education Coalition (see related story in this newsletter).
Cummins is the largest independent maker of diesel engines in the world, and had record earnings in 2011. They plan to produce 16-cylinder, 4,000-horsepower diesel engines in Seymour that will be used in passenger and freight locomotives, boats, mining trucks and offshore oil and gas platform.
“Cummins continues an impressive expansion in the Hoosier State and much of that stems from the strong international demand for products designed and built right here in Indiana,” Indiana Governor Mitch Daniels said during the press conference. “Once again, words cannot describe how thankful we are for Cummins and the investment it is making in the Seymour community.”
Jul 31, 2012 | Jackson County News & Info
JLM Pharmatech plans to nearly double its workforce and invest nearly $7 million in equipment and building addition at its Eastside Industrial Park location.
Rich Chibnall, company CFO, attended the February 13th meeting of the Seymour City Council to request tax abatement on the investment, which was granted. The company currently employs 22, and plans to add 18 new jobs next year, according to Chibnall.
The company will invest an estimated $4.2 million on equipment and $2.7 million to expand their facility (located at 2223 Killion Avenue). The Indiana Economic Development Corporation has pledged $110,000 in tax credits and $15,500 in training dollars.
“Thank you for your investment and faith in Seymour,” Councilman Lloyd Hudson told the company following approval of the abatement request.
Meanwhile, Jackson County Council approved more than $2 million in abatements during their January meeting for a grain elevator project to be known as Tampico Grain and being developed by Steve Wischmeier and Scott Teipen south of Uniontown on U.S. 31 in Vernon Township.
Jim Plump, executive director of Jackson County Industrial Development Corporation, outlined the project to council members, and said the company plans to spend $1.225 million for logistics and equipment and another $829,424 for real estate. The council granted tax abatement on both real and personal property requests for a 10-year period.
In advance of the Council meeting, Teipen and Wischmeier attended the Jackson County Plan Commission meeting to request a land-use exception. “We want to expand a little closer to the interstate,” Teipen told members of that Commission.
Teipen said he and Wischmeier, who owns Tampico Grain, are looking at converting about 40 acres of the farmland into a commercial grain elevator and trucking operation.
The proposed operation would include parking for semitrailers, six grain bins, a grain dryer powered by natural gas and two scales, one for inbound loads and a second for outbound loads. The company outlined a five-year plan they have in place to move some of the grain operation to the proposed site at County Road 400 South and U.S. 31 north of Crothersville, where as many as six more larger grain bins could eventually be installed.
Jul 31, 2012 | Jackson County News & Info
Pet Supplies Plus USA Inc. announced in January that it plans to add 135 jobs in Seymour by 2016 as part of an effort to relocate its warehousing operations.
The Farmington Hills, Michigan-based company announced it will invest $16.5 million to lease and equip the former Lexmark facility at the entrance to the East Side Industrial Park. PSP plans to begin shipping to customers from the location in August.
“Indiana’s business climate is a magnet for growing companies across the country,” said Governor Mitch Daniels. “We are happy that PSP, like many businesses before, has discovered that our unparalleled infrastructure and first-rate workforce make Indiana the premier place to expand their business.”
Founded in 1988, Pet Supplies Plus is the third-largest pet specialty retailer in the country. It has 258 stores in 22 states, including 10 in Indiana.
“This investment supports our customers who can expect substantial service improvements, a broader range of products and the highest level of availability in the industry,” said Todd Pankey, PSP senior vice president of supply chain. “We appreciate the commitment from Indiana and Seymour who have supported the company with incentives to relocate to the area.”
The City of Seymour granted tax abatement for the investment, plus committed a $100,000 ECLIPSE loan through the Redevelopment Commission. In addition, the Indiana Economic Development Corporation offered Pet Supplies Plus up to $850,000 in tax credits and up to $75,000 in training grants based on the company’s job creation plans.
“With our location along Interstate 65, we are well-positioned to attract major logistics companies and we are thrilled PSP selected Seymour for its new distribution center,” said Seymour Mayor Craig Luedeman. “Our area has seen solid growth over the past year and PSP’s decision gets 2012 off to a great start for us.”
During remarks at the press conference on January 24th at Seymour City Hall, Luedeman also said “thank you to a couple of people who generally are not recognized during economic development announcements, but that without their assistance, this project may not have ended up in Seymour.
“The first is Judge Bruce Markel, who was in his office on Veteran’s Day to sign an order that allowed this project to move forward on an established deadline. His comment to Jim Plump was ‘whatever it takes’ when asked if he would agree to come into the office on his day off.
“Awaiting that signature was Jackson County Sheriff Mike Carothers, who also needs to be thanked for working to make sure those documents were filed … again, working overtime so certain deadlines could be met. Both Bruce and Mike understand the importance of projects like this and the value they bring to JacksonCounty.
“I truly believe PSP saw how we worked together in Seymour, Jackson County and Indiana to make this project a reality … and we are extremely grateful that they made the decision to locate here.”
Jul 31, 2012 | Jackson County News & Info
Due to a server malfunction several of our 2012 posts were deleted, therefore we are updating our blog by reposting these and bringing our blog up to date.
Jan 31, 2012 | Jackson County News & Info
Seymour has a new incentive program to attract5 more jobs to the city.
The program will use tax increment financing revenue to provide forgivable loans to new or existing companies for job growth.
Jim Plump, executive director of Jackson County Industrial Development Corp., said the new ECLIPSE (Economic Loan Incentive Program for Seymour) program is a necessary tool for the city to stay competitive with other communities when it comes to attracting business.
The program will provide a loan to help offset a business’s start-up or expansion costs based on how many new, permanent full-time positions are created. A minimum of 25 new jobs are required to be eligible, and only those positions filled by Jackson County residents will qualify for the forgivable loans.
For information on the new ECLIPSE program, contact the office of JCIDC at 812.522.4951.
