CED Anderson - Corporation for Economic Development

• 2006 Banner Year for Business Attraction

All around Madison County, momentum continues to build toward a record year for new investment and job creation. As the third most populous county in the growing Indianapolis region, Madison County is seeing a marked increase in new business attraction. According to the Corporation for Economic Development, 2006 activity tops the previous decades’ economic successes by hundreds of millions of dollars. Nestle, Ultimate Ethanol, Mancor, Red Gold, Atlas Cold Storage, and NorthStar Aerospace will invest over $500 million dollars in Madison County in 2006 and create more than 500 new jobs. “Nestle tops the charts for new investment at $369 million and 300 new jobs” notes CED Executive Director, Mary Starkey, “coupled with Mancor’s 80 new jobs, and the rest of these companies, the area has attracted new job opportunities for hundreds of area workers.” Starkey notes that the projects this year are spread throughout the County including Red Gold expansions in Elwood ($16 million/60 jobs), Atlas Cold Storage in Pendleton ($15 million with 38 new jobs) and Ultimate Ethanol in the Alexandria area at $115 million, with 40 new jobs. “These are the quality companies which invest in their workforce by creating jobs with wages and health insurance benefits required to support a family.” In addition to the job creation, the tax base generated from over $500 million in new private investment will fund public infrastructure improvements throughout Madison County. “The ability to fund improvements to our roads, sewer, water and electrical service capacity is critical to continued success in attracting economic development projects,” states Starkey. Another project that will have a positive ripple effect on the local economy in the future is the new Anderson University/Purdue University facility adjacent to the Flagship Enterprise Center. This extension campus will draw new companies and students to the Anderson/Madison County region and offer educational opportunities to residents that were not previously available along the Interstate 69 corridor. The kind of educated workforce that will be the result of the AU/Purdue project will couple with the existing engineering talent available locally to form a benefit for advanced manufacturing companies seeking a location for their businesses. The quality and availability of Anderson’s workforce was a cited factor in the attraction of both Nestle and NorthStar Aerospace to the community. Elwood has seen a variety of new investments in 2006, including the Palmer Institute of Advanced Biomechanics’ purchase and renovation of the old Elwood City Building, a recently approved 60,000 square foot expansion of Dunn-Rite, the addition of a new production line at ELSA Corporation and investment in the new Dollar General shopping plaza. In the residential sector, Elwood has welcomed the Cattails Development of executive homes built around an 18-hole golf course. Ultimate Ethanol’s investment of $115 million in an ethanol production facility north of Alexandria will fund infrastructure improvements in the community, including an increase in water capacity and road improvements. A sewer extension south from Alexandria to serve the new Kleenco headquarters ($5.2 million/50 jobs) will open new land for development between Alexandria and Anderson. Pendleton continues to boom with residential and commercial investment. Madison Community Bank is building in the historic downtown, several commercial developments are taking shape along State Road 67, the new Atlas Cold Storage facility is thriving at exit 19, and a new Town Hall and new schools are on the horizon. Starkey commented, “Pendleton continues to set a high standard for managing growth and protecting the community’s historic character.” Starkey attributes the years’ economic development successes to a unified team approach throughout the County. “We now network much more between elected officials and the business community”, notes Starkey. “When the community speaks with a unified voice, business has confidence that their project is a safe investment in that community. It gives credibility to our economic development teams’ ability to implement the project and make good on our marketing claims.” #####

• Nestle in Anderson, Expansion Solutions article

Two years ago, Nestlé, the world’s largest food company, hired Deloitte Consulting to locate its newest and most innovative facility. After a diligent search of hundreds of communities, Anderson, Indiana was selected as the location for the 880,000 square foot combination production, bottling, and distribution facility which will produce Nestlé’s liquid beverage line, including popular Nesquik and the rapidly growing line of Coffeemate non-dairy creamer. In August, Nestle hosted the “Taste of Nestlé”, a groundbreaking celebration for all of Anderson, and more than 30,000 residents flowed into the beautifully refurbished downtown and Town Centre Park to enjoy product samples, interactive games, entertainment and a visit by the Nesquik bunny. The Indianapolis region quickly rose to the top of potential locations because of its logistical advantage: more major highways converge in Indianapolis than in any other US city, providing one day, reliable access to three quarters of the US and Canadian population. The Indy Partnership, a marketing organization that promotes the economic development advantages of the Indianapolis region, fielded early inquiries from Nestlé and funneled them to local economic development organizations within the region, including the Anderson Corporation for Economic Development (CED). CED staff immediately began preparing information on a site in Anderson which had all of the qualifications Nestlé requested and then some: ample, low cost, municipally provided utilities, rail service, immediate access to and visibility from Interstate 69, and a sizable, high quality workforce. Mary Starkey, CED’s Executive Director, said, “Anderson’s assets were a good fit based upon Nestlé’s needs. We are a large enough city to have the infrastructure they needed, but a small enough town that we have relationships with local experts in real estate, engineering, education, transportation, and government to show the company exactly how well we fit. We made it our mission to exceed the client’s expectations, not just meet their needs.” During an early site visit, the Anderson team was informed that the project size had grown considerably, and would no longer fit on the parcel originally proposed. Within a matter of days, CED optioned additional acreage, began the annexation process, and created a revised development timeline to assure the company that the newly expanded site could still be shovel ready on the company’s schedule. Encapsulating CED’s philosophy, Mary Starkey said, “Communities all over the country have adequate sites; at CED, we know our competitive advantage is our commitment to serving our client. Economic development, at its core, is a service business. We believe CED shouldn’t ‘sell’ the client, it should ‘serve’ the client”. Construction on the Nestlé facility is expected to be complete in early 2008. Nestlé will hire 300 employees at an average wage of $19.50/hour and offer a 30% benefit package. The initial investment in the facility is a projected $369 million, and is one of the year’s largest manufacturing projects. Infrastructure improvements to the site, from water and electrical to roads and rail, will not only provide for the Nestlé project and any future company expansion, but additional industries which may express interest in the business park on the booming Northeast side of Indianapolis. Gordon Hendry, President and CEO of the Indy Partnership, believes the Nestlé announcement confirms that “Central Indiana’s economy is thriving, and this deal will help us show the rest of the country that we’ve got something truly exceptional going on in the Indianapolis region”.

• Red Gold leads shift in Madison County Economy

Local, home-grown Red Gold is playing a major role in an economic climate change in Madison County. “Thirty years ago when automotive manufacturing was Madison County’s economic driver, nobody would have dreamed that one of our smaller local businesses would grow to become Madison County’s largest manufacturing employer. They helped to inspire the desperately needed diversification of the local economy,” said Tammy Bowman, research analyst for the Corporation for Economic Development, adding, “Red Gold is the nations’ largest privately held tomato processor and Madison County’s largest manufacturer.” Tim Ingle, director of human resources at Red Gold, said, “Red Gold employs 1,250 full-time employees.” In March of 2002, Red Gold announced a major expansion to hire an additional 346 employees over the next four years. The company easily surpassed that goal. Red Gold is focusing on refining and improving the company’s internal processes, technology, and investment into their most valuable resource, their workers. Red Gold has capitalized on Madison County’s educational programs through Purdue University, Ivy Tech, and Anderson University, investing heavily in employee training in advanced manufacturing and technology. “Over the past two years we have invested over $2 million into workforce development and technology training,” Ingle said. “Over the last 15 years Red Gold has invested more than $200 million in facilities and advanced manufacturing equipment.” Red Gold has a diverse range of careers in advanced manufacturing that includes operations, logistics, warehousing, information systems, engineering, marketing and administration. In addition, Red Gold is one of Indiana’s premier leaders in value added agriculture production and processing. “We are proud and very fortunate to have Red Gold in our community,” said Bill Savage, Madison County councilman and economic development director for the City of Elwood. “Red Gold is the type of company you can count on for steady growth in employment numbers and job security in our area, year after year.” “Food processing careers are stable,” said Keith Pitcher of the Chamber of Commerce for Anderson & Madison County. “They add long-term commitment to the local workforce and provide a natural balance that is needed in a well- rounded economy”. Pitcher continued, “Madison County’s reputation as a great location for food processing companies is growing, thanks in large part to the great success of Red Gold, the announcement of the Nestle project, and expansion of Prairie Farms in Anderson, as well as the location of Atlas Cold Storage in Pendleton.”

• Stellar Contributes to Economic Impact with Gifts

Stellar, the design/build firm responsible for the construction of Nestlé’s 880,000 square foot production, bottling, and distribution facility announced today education gifts totaling $10,000 to two local school corporations in the area of the new factory. “While Stellar is an international firm focused on design, engineering, and construction projects around the world, we also have a strong commitment to the many American communities we serve,” said Ali Korman, director of community relations for Stellar. “A critical component of Stellar’s mission is our support of quality education. We are honored to extend that commitment to education to this community today.” Anderson Community School Corporation Interim Superintendent Mikella Lowe accepted $5,000 which will provide more books for classroom take-home libraries. She said, “I am pleased to accept Stellar’s very generous offer to Anderson Community Schools on behalf of the Board of School Trustees and our students. Since reading is such an important skill for all children, this donation will be used to put more books in the hands of our youngest readers. We greatly appreciate Stellar’s commitment to education in Madison County.” Dr. Tom Warmke, Superintendent of South Madison Community School Corporation, said the Corporation will use Stellar’s $5,000 contribution to fund after school programs. “These funds will help provide after school academic and homework assistance at the middle school and high school level. We are very excited about Stellar’s contribution and look forward to nurturing its positive impact on our students”. Mary Starkey, Executive Director of the Corporation for Economic Development, praised Stellar’s contributions to the community, saying, “Stellar is making a long term impact on Madison County by investing in the education of our young people. We are very grateful for Stellar’s commitment to our community’s future.” Stellar ranks among the top design/build firms in the world today, including a top place ranking for construction of food processing facilities. Stellar gives back to the communities where it operates through the formally established Stellar Foundation, a non-profit charitable organization dedicated to supporting civic and community service programs that encourage volunteerism and enhance the effectiveness of the non-profit sector, addressing community needs, promoting leadership, and supporting diversity in the workforce and society. Stellar’s construction of the Nestlé facility is scheduled to be complete in 2008. Infrastructure improvements to the site, from water and electrical to roads and rail, will not only provide for the Nestlé project and any future company expansion, but additional industries which may express interest in the business park on the booming Northeast side of Indianapolis.

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