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Johnson County Growth - News of Interest

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Central Indiana Awarded State Grant
The Indiana Department of Workforce Development is awarding central Indiana a grant of more than $778,000 to help create jobs in the region's healthcare, manufacturing, logistics and automotive industries.

The grant will be used to develop a two-year scholarship program for students in allied health fields and to fund 60 scholarships at Ivy Tech Community College – Central Indiana for training for careers in the manufacturing, logistics and automotive industries.

The grant has been awarded to the new regional workforce board on behalf of a consortium of workforce and economic development officials from the state’s economic growth Region 5. The region includes Boone, Hamilton, Hancock, Hendricks, Johnson, Madison, Marion, Morgan, and Shelby counties.

Abatement For Arbonne Receives Vote; 400 Workers Already Hired
The Greenwood City Council has preliminarily approved a 10-year tax abatement for Arbonne International's Greenwood distribution center. Arbonne, which makes skin care products, plans a grand opening for the new facility on July 10. More than 400 people have already been hired. In April, the company said that it expects to employ a total of 600 workers over the next three years

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The Indy Partnership, of which Johnson County is a member, is named the nation's 14th best economic development group
Site Selection magazine in its May 2006 issue ranked The Indy Partnership the14th best economic development group in the nation. The Indy Partnership was one of only five groups not located in the fast-growing South to rank in the top 20.

The magazine noted that the competition was “extremely close, as only a few points separated the top 10 organizations from rest in the top 20.”

The rankings were based predominantly on total jobs and capital investment, and per capita jobs and capital investment, created by the economic development organizations during 2005. Other factors such as the ability to generate breakthrough deals, overall economic vitality and industry diversity were also considered to separate tie, or near-tie, scores between groups.

Site Selection noted several trends evident among the winning organizations including the use of cutting-edge Web sites, on-line building and site databases (Johnson County's website is currently in redesign - sites and buildings in Johnson County are now available for download as PDF files), and the ability to forge partnerships among various groups to better market their areas to attract new businesses.

The Indy Partnership is a privately-funded, not-for-profit organization dedicated to strengthening economic and job growth in the 11-county Indianapolis Region – Boone, Hamilton, Hancock, Hendricks, Johnson, Madison, Marion, Monroe, Morgan, Shelby and Tippecanoe counties.

KYB America L.L.C. has just completed a deal to lease 180,000 SF in Franklin
Indiana based KYB America L.L.C. has just completed a deal to lease 180,000 SF in the Hurricane Industrial Complex in Franklin, IN. KYB manufactures and markets a full line of shocks and struts, and will use the new location to expand their production.

Located just south of Indianapolis in Franklin, Indiana, Hurricane Industrial Center has an ideal location and great accessibility making it very appealing.

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Greenwood Lands 600 Jobs With Arbonne Distribution Center
Arbonne International, an Irvine, California-based company developing and distributing premium Swiss-formulated skin care products, is opening a state-of-the-art distribution center in Greenwood, IN. This center will serve approximately two-thirds of the United States. As a new Central Indiana employer, Arbonne will be filling 300 warehouse and administrative positions this month. A job fair is slated for May 3-4, from 10:00 a.m. – 7:00 p.m. at 800 Commerce Parkway Drive West, Suite B, in Greenwood. Additional jobs will be added throughout the year as the facility reaches full capacity.

Last week at Arbonne’s National Training Conference in St. Louis, attended by more than 17,700 Consultants, Bob Henry, Arbonne Chairman and CEO, announced the centers opening, stating, “In 2005, Arbonne experienced unprecedented growth with a 164% increase in sales.” Henry added, “The state-of-the-art Greenwood center will reduce shipping time by days, playing a vital role in our future growth. We are excited to be here and be a part of this community.”

“Arbonne International considered locations in several different states for its Midwest distribution facility, and Indiana was clearly the company’s best choice. Indiana is already home to more than 1000 Arbonne Independent Consultants, and this new distribution center is another economic win for Hoosiers,” said Indiana Governor Mitch Daniels.

The Greenwood Distribution Center is a 208,000 square foot complex located at 800 Commerce Parkway Drive West, off I-65 at the Greenwood exit 99. The facility is currently being built out to accommodate Arbonne’s highly automated distribution systems, which will achieve a 99.8% accuracy rate for more than 35,000 daily shipments. A grand opening is planned for July.

Klaiser To Move Operations To Franklin
Klaiser Manufacturing Corporation (Construction Equipment) is planning to move to Franklin and expand its operations. Klaiser currently operates out of an 18,000-square-foot building in Indianapolis.

The company intends to build a facility on six acres of property in the Franklin Business Park. The new facility would create about 22 new jobs by 2010, doubling Klaiser’s current workforce.

Klaiser has asked the city’s planning commission for a 10-year, $2.79 million tax abatement to build the facility and add new equipment. If approved, Klaiser would start construction as early as July and finish by December.

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Edinburgh Lear plant awarded GM contract
By The Associated Press, December 11, 2005
EDINBURGH, Ind. - Up to 200 people are expected to be hired at the Lear Corp. plant in Edinburgh within the coming week, company officials said.

General Motors awarded the plant a contract to produce interior door panels for full-size sport-utility vehicles. That contract allowed the plant to rehire 90 people that had been laid off and hire up to 200 more.

Managers expect to have all the new hires in place by Friday, said Von Williamson, human resources manager for the plant.

Task Force Investigates Options for Certified Technology Park
A committee wants Franklin to focus on attracting high-tech jobs into the city. The likely place for these high-tech jobs to settle is an industrial park on the city’s eastside that is labeled a “technology park”.

The park is currently home to frozen-food distributor Tippmann Group and auto-part supplier Aisin USA Manufacturing, two of Johnson County’s highest paying employers.

Certified technology parks can obtain state grant money and other incentives that can be used to lure new businesses and jobs into an area. Attracting new business is important to the city and Johnson County.

Investigation is underway on the benefits of partnering with a research university such as Purdue University or Indiana University to open a research facility in the area in order for it to become a state-certified technology park.

Cheryl Morphew, the executive director of Johnson County Development Corp. has had a preliminary discussion with Purdue to find out how she can begin negotiations between the university and the city.

She plans to recommend that she, the mayor, representatives from Purdue and property owners of the city’s eastside industrial park start discussions about whether they want the city’s industrial park to become a state-certified technology park and how to make it happen if they do..

“This isn’t something that can happen overnight,” said Cheryl Morphew, executive director of the development corporation.

Ms. Morphew was hired as executive director of Johnson County Development Corp.in September of 2005 and is developing strategies to bring new industry and jobs to the county.

County to get University Campus
Indiana Wesleyan to build campus in Greenwood
DAILY JOURNAL STAFF REPORT, Oct. 7, 2005

Indiana Wesleyan University is making Greenwood the home of its 13th regional campus.

The new Greenwood building, which will house adult education classes, will be located on five acres of land along I-65 near Exit 99, according to a news release from Indiana Wesleyan.

The two-story, 27,000-square-foot building will be completed in the fall of 2006 at a cost of $4.5 million.

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Local woman to lead development corporation
By ANNIE GOELLER, Daily Journal staff writer, Sept. 23, 2005

A Trafalgar woman will take the lead in recruiting new businesses to Johnson County.

Cheryl Morphew was hired as executive director of Johnson County Development Corp., a public-private group in charge of bringing new jobs to the county.

She will be leaving her position as a project manager for Indiana Economic Development Corp., where she works to attract new companies and keep existing businesses in Central Indiana counties. The position with the county will be similar to what she does for the state, but she will be working for her community, she said.

Experience in that position qualified her for the director job, said Chet Aubin and Jerry Engle, members of the committee that selected Morphew.

Her first task will be to meet with board members and local officials about their goals for economic development. She will work with those groups to plan the future of the corporation, she said.

Before starting her position, Morphew will study the corporation’s resources and the county’s needs and try to determine what, if anything, should be changed.Aubin and Engle said the corporation’s executive board will outline her goals.

She was a good choice because of her experience in economic development and with marketing Johnson County to potential employers, Aubin said. She worked with NSK Precision America in its decision to move the company’s corporate headquarters to Franklin, he added.

A boost to her qualifications was her Johnson County address because she is familiar and active within the community, Engle said.

Morphew formerly worked as director of grants and scholarships for the Johnson County Community Foundation and has volunteered with the United Way, Youth Connections and the Youth Philanthropy Initiative, according to a news release.

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Tinseltown goes small town for film
By JESSICA LEVCO, Daily Journal staff writer, Aug. 20-21, 2005
When a former Franklin resident dreamed of shooting a movie in his hometown, Hollywood told him to keep dreaming.

A Lions Gate movie producer told Chris Cones, a 1988 Franklin high school graduate, that his boyhood home would not support or understand the movie industry. If he was serious about filming a movie, the producer told him, stay in California.

But Cones wanted to film his movie in the heart of America, not in the heart of Screenland.

Last year, Cones decided that if Hollywood didn’t want to film in Indiana, he would create his own movie company. Impact Productions, based in Indianapolis, is focused on bringing films to Johnson County.

Cones filmed his first psychological thriller movie, “Rage,” in July. A crew spent 12 days shooting in Trafalgar, Morgantown and other local areas.

When he needed to film a fire scene, Cones called on a few high school friends who work for the Franklin Fire Department.

Shooting a house fire scene in Los Angeles would’ve cost more than $100,000, but the two houses in Spearsville and Franklin were donated. The fire department spent eight hours on the set, making sure the film crew stayed safe.

At the house on Jefferson Street in Franklin, the fire was contained in one room. Firefighters were stationed throughout the house, and the cameraman wore fire gear. Plenty of water was on hand in case the fire got out of control.

Cones’ stunt crew from Hawaii was impressed with Hoosier hospitality.

“They noticed how approachable people were,” Cones said. “I told them that in Indiana people trust you and treat you like a friend.”

Franklin Mayor Brenda Jones-Mathews made an appearance on the Franklin set. Impressed by the quality of the production, she said she’d be happy to welcome the movie industry to Franklin.

Cones would love for Hollywood to take the mayor up on her offer. He said once film executives realize how much cheaper making a movie in Indiana is compared to locations like Los Angeles, they’ll want to film here.

Within the next two years, Impact Productions will bring six more films to Johnson County, including “Rage 2” in October.

“I love this town and the people,” Cones said of Franklin. “And to be accepted for my work makes me so proud.”

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NSK office moves
By MICHAEL W. HOSKINS, Daily Journal staff writer, July 27, 2005
A manufacturing company is moving its corporate headquarters from the Chicago suburbs to Franklin.

NSK Precision America is finishing a new office and training center and is shifting 20 jobs to existing facilities on the city’s north side as the company prepares for future expansion.

Indiana and Johnson County officials won over NSK Precision America with economic incentives and tax breaks to move its headquarters from the Chicago area to Franklin as the company prepares for expansion.

The company also took an interest in the existing workforce that it can draw from, said Gus Kontonickas, NSK Precision America president.

“There is an exceptional pool of workers here,” he said about Indiana. “This should be called the Can Do State because of the ‘can-do’ attitude Hoosier workers have.”

Business is expected to triple in the next five years, and 60 percent of the products sold in the United States will come from the Franklin plant instead of being imported from Japan, Kontonickas said.

The company is a business division of NSK Corp. based in Ann Arbor Mich., which is a subsidiary of Japanese company NSK Limited, a leading manufacturer of automotive and non-automotive bearings.

Currently, NSK operates three buildings in Franklin employing about 350 people. The first NSK facility in Franklin started production in 1993.

About 100 of those work for NSK Precision America, making control products for robotics, medical, machine tool and food processing industries.

NSK Corp. has also added two production lines and about a dozen employees at its plants.

A $1 million project will add an 11,000-square-foot office, conference and training center to the current three-building complex at 3400 Bearing Drive on the city’s north side.

The 20 jobs created by the corporate headquarters move will be shifted from Addison, Ill., and the sister company’s headquarters Michigan.

Jobs will include technical workers, customer service representatives and engineers and pay $60,000 or more, he said.

Sales are expected to climb between 60 and 100 percent, meaning more jobs will likely be created, Kontonickas said.

“Rest assured, you will see a return on your investment,” Kontonickas said.

Franklin beat out communities in other Midwest states, including Michigan and Ohio, because of the economic incentives offered, Kontonickas said.

NSK selected Indiana because of the skilled workforce, lower cost of labor and living, the choices of colleges and universities and economic incentives offered by the state and local officials, Kontonickas said.

The Indiana Economic Development Corp. and Johnson County offered the company economic incentives to come to the state, which include:

• $300,000 in training grants to train Indiana employees;
• Up to $50,000 in training grants for technology professionals;
• Up to $100,000 in off-site infrastructure improvements needed to serve the site.

The Franklin City Council also approved $2 million worth of tax breaks in April to help the relocation.

Johnson County Development Corp. has been working with state economic development officials to court NSK Precision since February, director Johnson County Development Corp. said.

“This is where a company plants its roots and gives the most back to communities where they reside,” said Gov. Mitch Daniels, who attended a ribbon-cutting at the building Tuesday. “We’re in-sourcing here today.”

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Firm purchases Arvin Factory

By Michael W. Hoskins, Daily Journal staff writer, June 18-19, 2005
An Indianapolis investor has bought the former ArvinMeritor plant in Franklin and is recruiting multiple manufacturing and warehousing companies to fill the space.

KDL Investments finalized the purchase this week and has already started searching for businesses to move into Hurricane Industrial Complex, at 1001 N. Hurricane St., said Kevin Lawrence, who was involved with the sale.

The real estate firm managing the sale, CB Richard Ellis in Indianapolis, confirmed that KDL Investments has bought the property.

The sale was finalized this week, he said.

Plans are to divide the 539,308-square-foot building into sections and lease space to as many as eight tenants, Lawrence said.

Lawrence has been discussing leases with manufacturing and warehouse companies, but Horgan would not name any potential tenants.

One potential tenant has expressed interest in leasing 100,000 square feet of space, Horgan said.

He expects the building to be full of tenants in about a year. The number of employees depends on the businesses leasing space, Horgan said.

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