Jun 7, 2022 | Uncategorized
Guardian Bikes will begin operations in Freeman Field Industrial Park in Seymour moving from Austin, Texas. Seymour Redevelopment Commission approved a four-year $100,000 ECLIPSE loan to support the company’s project that will begin with logistics and expand into manufacturing and assembly. Seymour City Council also approved a $275,000 tax abatement for Guardian’s initial investment for equipment and machinery.
JCIDC developed the ECLIPSE program to provide a cash loan to help offset startup costs based on job creation. Loan proceeds come from tax increment finance or economic development income tax funds, and the amount of the loan is tied directly to the number of permanent, full-time jobs and wages. The program is designed to forgive the loan. Each year, Guardian will submit a compliance form to the redevelopment commission and city council to show jobs created, wages and residency of employees. Based on compliance, the boards would approve loan forgiveness or require the company to make that year’s loan payment.
Guardian currently assembles children’s bikes that are equipped with Sure-Stop, a braking system that allows bikes to stop faster and safer. Their technology is patented across the world and they are currently designing adult bicycles to grow their business. Guardian is expected to total nearly $7 million in investment and 100 employees by 2026.
May 2, 2022 | Uncategorized
Seymour High School hosted the Career College Transition Fair on April 26 with all five of the county’s high schools in attendance. Colleges, manufacturers, health care, skilled trades, military, retail, tourism, education, social services, banking and more were represented. “I think it’s introducing students to, first of all, the careers that are available but also just some of the business that they don’t know what they do,” says Jackie Hill, workforce partnership director for JCIDC.
Several of the vendors came up with interactive ways to connect with students, including spinning a wheel or playing Plinko for prizes, conducting drawings for various items and having equipment or products on their tables. The Seymour Police Department brought a Cool Fire Trainer for students to shoot at a target and the U. S. Marines brought a pull-up bar to test students’ upper body strength. Seymour Animal Hospital brought a 1-1/2 year old, 155 pound Newfoundland to draw the students’ attention. Passports were created by SHS JAG (Jobs for America’s Graduates) students to help the attendees reach out and converse with the vendors. For every question a student asked a vendor they received a stamp. After 10 stamps the students could enter a drawing to win a television, Chromebook, earbuds, water bottles, and gift cards for food and gas. Hill said they interactive activities were a good addition hoping that students walked away from the event having learned something they didn’t know before. If it helped them figure out a college or career path, even better.
Apr 27, 2020 | Uncategorized
Seymour businesses receive tax abatements
Two Seymour companies are growing and making changes to increase production and meet the needs of their customers.
Fostech Inc., a local firearms manufacturer, and SpaceGuard Products Inc., which produces wire partitions and area guarding products, received tax abatements from the Seymour City Council on their planned investments.
Fostech will spend $575,000 on new equipment including a five-axel vertical machining center, and another $500,000 to enclose an area of its facility for storage, build out a retail area and renovate 4,000 square feet of existing space. Fostech estimates they will add five new employees making around $40,000 a year.
Owned by brothers David, Paul and Mark Foster and their cousin, Judd Foster who serves are company president, Fostech makes Origin-12 shotguns, ultralight AR-15 rifles and a line of firearm accessories. The company designs, builds and produces its products making it a unique operation.
In 2018, Fostech moved from the Reddington area to its current location and sells mainly through wholesalers and its website. The expansion is expected to begin in May and be completed in a year.
SpaceGuard Products is investing $425,000 in new manufacturing equipment, including a production saw, CNC plasma table and tube cutting machine, press brakes, welders and fixtures, a monorail crane and batch processing powder coat booth and application equipment.
Company president Eddie Murphy said this is the second phase of a three-phase expansion after completing a building addition last year.
“This will bring in some new equipment that will improve accuracy and modernize a lot of the equipment we already have on the factory floor,” he said.
Installation will begin in May and should be completed by the end of the year.
SpaceGuard was formed in 1990 through the consolidation of Logan Wire Co. and Force Fence Co. Products produced include storage lockers, rack safety panels, aisle guarding and mezzanine rail guarding.
The wire mesh partitions are used for a variety of applications, including machine and robotic guarding, computer security cages and networking facilities, tool cribs and warehouse or retail security.
The company has made products that are used at Cummins Seymour Engine Plant, Valeo Lighting Systems, the University of Wisconsin’s Kohl Center and Camp Atterbury in Edinburgh and on television show and movie sets.
Aug 16, 2017 | Uncategorized
A Midwest business plans to open a warehouse and service office in Seymour’s Eastside Industrial Park. BTS5 Inc. of Chicago expects to be up and running within the next 90 days.
The company supplies counter-weights and other products for forklifts and agricultural and construction uses. Customers include Toyota, Hyster-Yale Group, Caterpiller, UniCarriers and Terex.
Brian Holbrook, North American sales manager, said the company chose Seymour over other cities because of its centralized location between Illinois and Kentucky. “It’s the best of all worlds for us,” he told city council members during Monday night’s meeting at Seymour City Hall.
The company is finalizing the purchase of the former Mid-America Veneer building at 1635 E. 4th St. Rd. At 50,700 square feet, the building offers plenty of opportunity for growth and expansion.
The company’s products are manufactured at three foundries in China with warehousing and logistics services in the U.S. and Europe.
We pride ourselves on tailoring solutions to meet our customer needs with the highest quality and cost-effectiveness while mitigating risk,” Holbrook said. “Our differentiation is that our foundries and our qualified partners are ISO certified to ensure meeting our customers’ quality standards.
“We have a local engineering team in China to provide daily management support, and our global team speaks five languages – English, Chinese, Japanese, Korean and Spanish – to better serve our customers.” he added.
Source: The Tribune, Jackson County, Ind. 8.16.17
Jun 12, 2017 | Uncategorized
IST plans $600,000 update investment
E&H Tubing, dba Indiana Steel & Tube (IST) will make improvements in equipment and technology with a $600,000 investment for installation of new manufacturing equipment. In June, Brownstown Town Council approved 10-year abatement on that investment. In April, the Council had approved a 3-year abatement for $200,000 for the installation of new logistical distribution equipment.
IST produces pre-galvanized tubing to a larger market that uses it for commercial fencing and ornamental, greenhouse, agriculture and mechanical applications.
May 9, 2017 | Uncategorized
Aisin USA Manufacturing in Seymour, Indiana, has plans to invest more than $31 million at both its Seymour plants over the next two years.
Company representatives attended the May 8th Seymour City Council meeting to request tax abatement on the investment which will include both real estate improvements and new manufacturing equipment to produce automotive components for new and existing vehicle models.
Jim Plump, executive director of Jackson County Industrial Development Corporation, said Aisin is projecting an increase in its workforce of 76 employees at Plant 1, and 9 new jobs at Plant 2.
The investment will allow Aisin to accommodate for changes in customer designs and new models including Toyota’s Sienna, Camry, Highlander, Corolla and Avalon lines, the Honda Odyssey and Chevrolet and Lexus models.
