Recent Economic Development News of Interest from Johnson County

11/16/06 Atterbury Named Permanent Site for National Troop Training & Mobilization
10/30/06 Franklin business park lands new tenant
10/26/06 Franklin gives tax breaks to two Japanese manufacturing companies
10/09/06 Former ArvinMeritor Building Nearly Full
10/3/06 Japanese hydraulic manufacturer picks Franklin as first US site
9/29/06 KYB tax abatement on $24 million expansion in Franklin
8/10/06 Warehouse, distribution facility to employ 40 in Greenwood by 2013
6/22/06 Central Indiana Awarded State Grant
7/1/06 Abatement For Arbonne Receives Vote; 400 Workers Already Hired
5/15/06 The Indy Partnership (of which Johnson County is a member) is named the nation's14th best economic development group
5/2/06 KYB America L.L.C. has just completed a deal to lease 180,000 SF in Franklin
4/28/2006 Greenwood Lands 600 Jobs With Arbonne Distribution Center
4/11/06 Klaiser To Move Operations To Franklin
11/18/05 Edinburgh Lear Plant Awarded GM Contract
11/18/05 Task Force Investigates Options for Certified Technology Park
10/7/05 County to Get University Campus
9/23/05 Local Woman to Lead Development Corporation

Atterbury Named Permanent Site for National Troop Training & Mobilization
Camp Atterbury in Edinburgh has been named a permanent site for national troop training and mobilization -- one of just six in the nation.

The camp, which dates back to World War II and has been operated by the Indiana National Guard since 1969, was activated as a temporary national site in January 2003 and was to remain so for at least three years.

Camp Atterbury got the go-ahead from the Army for several reasons, said Maj. Gen. R. Martin Umbarger, adjutant general of the Indiana National Guard. It's in the center of the country. It's within an hour of Indianapolis International Airport. It has ample shooting ranges, plenty of airspace and up-to-date facilities spread across 33,000 acres.

Then there's the Urban Training Center, the former mental institution transformed into a homeland security training base last year. The site, in nearby Jennings County, provides the Army with a relatively rare opportunity to train troops in urban environments.

The news is a coup for the town of Edinburgh, population 5,000, just east of the base in Johnson County.

Camp Atterbury's budget shot from $7 million before the war in Iraq began to about $70 million last year, Umbarger said. The camp's budget and job openings would likely increase as the transition to permanency takes place over the next year, he said, though he could not provide specific numbers.

Some business owners said they already had noticed an uptick since Camp Atterbury expanded its operations in 2003. About 400 soldiers, 200 contract employees and 150 state-paid employees now work at the base.

Business started swelling soon after Camp Atterbury's 2003 expansion

In 2005, the most recent year for which the U.S. Department of Labor average annual figures are available, Johnson County had an unemployment rate of 4.2 percent compared to 5.4 percent for the state.

Camp Atterbury officials have already begun reaching out to the community, said Cheryl Morphew, executive director of the Johnson County Development Corp. Edinburgh is in southeastern Johnson County and borders Bartholomew and Shelby counties.

For instance, when one officer realized how sporadically swamped the local pizza place was getting during the occasional training periods, staffers began to notify the pizzeria of upcoming sessions so extra help could be brought in.

"It's changing the mindset of the community that this is a viable employer," Morphew said. "Yes, it may be the federal government, but it's a major revenue producer for the community."

Franklin business park lands new tenant
Construction will begin on a new company in a business park on Franklin's eastside.
Klaisler Manufacturing Corp., an Indianapolis-based construction equipment manufacturer, wil begin work on its 47,000-square-foot building as early as next month.

The Franklin Business Park includes five other companies: the Best Buy distribution center, Casting Technology Co., Owens-Illinois, Meadors & Associates Inc. and Pridgeon & Clay. It has more than 100 acres for development, according to the Johnson County Development Corp.

Construction of Klaisler, along with an expansion to KYB Manufacturing and a new company planning to locate in the city, Nishina Industrial Co., show that Franklin is ready to grow.


Companies have been drawn with incentives offeed, including tax breaks. Klaisler officials received a 10-year, $2.79 million tax break when they decided to build in Franklin. And both KYB and Nishina were granted tax breaks this week.

Johnson County has a multitude of sites available for construction throughout the county, such as two other business parks in Franklin and Greenwood near Interstate 65.

Company officials liked the location of the Granklin Business PARK because of its proximity to U.S. 31 and I-65, the available workforce in Franklin and the room for growth.

In the company's previous location southeast of downtown Indianapolis, they were boxed in and couldn't grow, company president Terry Hubbard said, But now, with 12 acres, the business has room for an expansion in the rear of the proposed building that could as much as double its size, he said.

"This area is going to grow in the near future,"Hubbard prdeicted.

Construction of new companies attracts attention to the area, meaning more businesses can learn about Franklin and Johnson County, said Cheryl Morphew, executive director of the development corporation.

"The more activity you have, the better off you are," she said.

Morphew said other companies have shown interest in the business park and in the Franklin Tech Park, located off I-65.

Klaisler employs about 35 people and plans to hire at least 20 more within the next 10 years, Hubbard said.

Franklin gives tax breaks to two Japanese manufacturing companies
Two Japanese manufacturing companies plan to build or expand Franklin facilities and hire employees within two years.

KYB Manufacturing and Nishina Industrial Co. received tax breaks from the city that will trim the costs of the project.

Nishina, a hydraulics manufacturer, wants to build its first plant outside Japan in Franklin. The company asked for tax breaks for $12 million in equipment and for construction of the $5 million building.

The company makes equipment for vehicles and construction equipment. Toyota is one of its customers. Nishina will hire about 32 employees by 2009.

KYB Manufacturing will build a $16 million, 264,000-square-foot expansion at its U.S. 31 location. The company will also purchase $8 million in equipment.

KYB employs 660 people to make shocks and struts for auto companies such as Toyota and Honda. The expansion will add 51 jobs and more than double the size of its facility. Most of the jobs will be manufacturing positions, with some support and professional positions.

Nishina will save an estimated $500,000 over the 10-year period, said Chris Felts, the company's legal counselor. Felts works for law firm Barnes & Thornburg of Indianapolis.

The tax abatement will save KYB about $1.25 million over 10 years, according to company documents.

Nishina is considering a 25-acre site on Musicland Drive, said Cheryl Morphew, Johnson County Development Corp. director.

Former ArvinMeritor Building Nearly Full
ArvinMeritor left in the fall of 2004, leaving the nearly 540,000-square-foot building empty and ending more than 800 jobs.
Today, five businesses employing 67 people currently operate in the facility, now known as the Hurricane Industrial Complex.

Three of these companies have operations in Franklin and are using the facility for off-site storage. Those businesses are KYB Manufacturing, Mitsubishi Heavy Industries Climate Control and Franklin Power Products.

Officials for the city of Franklin also say the high occupancy will mean a boost in taxes paid on the property.

Japanese hydraulic manufacturer picks Franklin as first US site
Nishina Industrial Co. has picked Franklin as the site of its first facility in the United States. Nishina Industrial Co. wants to build a $5 million plant near the Best Buy distribution center on Musicland Drive. By 2009, the company would hire 34 workers with an average wage of about $26 per hour.

The decision by the company is the second announcement of new jobs for the city in a week, both involving Japanese companies. KYB Manufacturing, the first Japanese company to locate in Franklin, recently proposed doubling the size of its building and adding 50 workers.

Nishina officials estimate wages to average about $34 per hour, including benefits, according to plans filed with the city. Johnson County Development Corp. estimated wages without the benefits at an average of about $26 per hour.

The company liked the area because of the available workforce, the price of land, proximity to Interstate 65, Interstate 465 and Indianapolis International Airport, and incentives the city offered, said Cheryl Morphew, director of the development corporation.

Company officials have asked for two 10-year tax breaks for $12 million in equipment and for construction of the $5 million building.
City officials said the company was also attracted to the area because of good relationships with other Japanese companies, such as KYB.

"When you're working with Japanese companies, it's all about relationships and building that trust and confidence," Morphew said.

Another Japanese company that was looking in Franklin for a possible plant recommended the area to Nishina officials, Mayor Brenda Jones-Matthews said. In a letter to the city, a Nishina official said the company was seeking land in the Midwest and was impressed with Franklin.

"This is part of the ripple effect we're seeing as a result of continuing to build relationships with our Japanese partners," Morphew said.

The company is considering a 25-acre site on Musicland Drive, east of Graham Road and north of Arvin Drive. No plans for the building or site have been submitted.

Based on the estimated cost of the building and the size of the potential land, Franklin planning director Joe Csikos estimated the plant could be 100,000 square feet or larger. By comparison, KYB has about 223,000 square feet.

Company officials estimate workers in the new plant would be paid anywhere from $24 to $77 per hour, which includes benefits. The company would hire the majority of workers as production employees, with a wage of about $25 per hour, including benefits, according to plans on file with the city.

About Nishina Industrial Co.
Formed in 1939
Manufactures and sells hydraulic equipment for industrial and construction equipment
Major customers include Toyota, Caterpillar, Volvo and Hyundai
Employs 287 people in Japan
Wants to build $5 million plant in Franklin and hire 34 employees with an average wage of $26 per hour by 2009

KYB tax abatement on $24 million expansion in Franklin
One of Johnson County’s largest manufacturing companies wants to double the size of its plant and hire another 50 workers. KYB Manufacturing intends to add another 260,000 square feet to its 220,000-square-feet building.

The expansion and added equipment would help the company retain 660 jobs and hire an additional 50 workers. Officials would hire new workers over three years. The majority of the jobs are for operators, fabricators or laborers.

If the abatements are approved, the company could begin construction this fall. The company has requested two 10-year tax abatements for $8 million in equipment and the $16 million expansion of the building.

KYB currently employs about 660 workers with an average hourly rate of about $15.75 per hour. KYB was the first Japanese company to come to Franklin.

The expansion is planned for the east side of the building and will add another 252 parking spaces and six loading docks, according to plans on file with the city.

Warehouse, distribution facility to employ 40 in Greenwood by 2013
An Indianapolis company is opening a warehouse and distribution center in Greenwood and expects to add 40 jobs in the city by 2013.
Tube Processing Corp., which makes sheet metal parts and repairs tubes, ducts and manifolds for aerospace and industrial companies, is already moving into the warehouse on Endress Place.

The company intends to use the building as a warehouse and distribution center and has plans to expand manufacturing operations to the location eventually. Tube Processing has asked the city for a 10-year, $21,862 property tax break for the $400,000 in machinery and equipment it will store and use there. The company plans to pay their new employees an average wage of $40,000 a year, according to documents filed with the city.

Tube Processing is using 60,000 square feet of the 100,000-square-feet building. The warehouse is about 30 years old, and Tube Processing's space had been leased by KYB manufacturing, which has moved its warehouse to the former ArvinMeritor building on Hurricane Road in Franklin.

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.

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 (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.

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.

Edinburgh Lear plant awarded GM contract
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
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.

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.

Contact JCDC today for any assistance.
2927 N. Morton, Suite E
Franklin IN 46131
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