MCEDC has been pleased to have the Commerce Building, a new shell building in Plymouth, to market to companies considering our area. Started in 2014 and completed in 2015, the Commerce Building has been responsible for bringing many companies to Marshall County that wouldn’t have otherwise considered us. At least one new business start-up, investing millions and providing hundreds of jobs, located in Marshall County this year because of coming to see the Commerce Building. The power of having a shell building to show has proven its value to us.
Below is a press release on the relocation of Pretzels Inc. to Plymouth. A good company and a good fit for Plymouth. Now we need to figure out how to keep this momentum going forward.
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Snack Producer Plans to Add Second Indiana Facility, Create 65 New Jobs
Plymouth – Pretzels Inc., a pretzel and snack producer, announced plans today to expand its operations here, creating up to 65 new jobs by 2020.
“Here in Indiana, we have worked diligently to establish Indiana as the best place to do business by reducing regulations, cutting taxes and investing in our workforce,” said Governor Mike Pence. “Today’s news is evidence that Indiana is a state that works for companies like Pretzels Inc. as they continue to choose Indiana to grow their operations. As we enter into our third century, we will continue our economic momentum by equipping our job creators with the tools they need to succeed and creating a pro-growth business environment.”
The company, which is a pretzel and snack food private label provider, will invest approximately $15 million to purchase and equip a 45,000-square-foot facility at 2910 Commerce St. in Plymouth. The new plant, which will be the second Indiana location in addition to its Bluffton-based headquarters, will be responsible for the production of peanut butter and bulk pretzel products and will replace the company’s Pennsylvania-based manufacturing facility. Operations are expected to start at the beginning of 2017.
Pretzels Inc., which currently has 330 full-time employees at its headquarters in Bluffton, Indiana, plans to hire plant management and supervision, packagers, bakers, machine operators, quality control technicians and sanitation, maintenance and warehouse workers for its new center. Hiring will begin later this year.
“We are excited about the opportunity to build our new plant in Indiana and particularly the Plymouth area,” said Chip Mann and Steve Huggins, co-owners of Pretzels Inc., whose fathers started the business over 40 years ago. “We are lifelong Indiana residents and are pleased to continue the growth of our business in our home state.”
Founded in 1978, Pretzels Inc. is a family-owned business headquartered in Bluffton, Indiana. The company offers pretzels in over 50 shapes, 20 sizes and 900 varieties for both store brands, private labels and its own Harvest Road products. Its fastest growing product line is peanut butter filled pretzel nuggets, which will be produced at the new Plymouth-based facility.
The Indiana Economic Development Corporation offered Pretzels Inc. up to $350,000 in conditional tax credits based on the company’s job creation plans. These tax credits are performance-based, meaning until Hoosiers are hired, the company is not eligible to claim incentives. The city of Plymouth will consider additional incentives at the request of the Marshall County Economic Development Corporation.
“The City of Plymouth is proud to welcome Pretzels Inc. into our community,” said Plymouth Mayor Mark Senter. “Plymouth will see the benefits of job creation and a strengthened economy very soon thanks to a team of both state and local leaders who have come together to make this project a reality.”
The Hoosier state ranks first in the Midwest and fifth nationally for the cost of doing business and companies like Pretzels Inc. continue to choose Indiana to grow their operations. Today, one in five Hoosiers work in the manufacturing industry and more than 8,500 industry establishments are located across the state.
An article in The Pilot News (See right) a few months back was cause for reflection on one of Easterday Construction Co., Inc.’s long time clients. ITAMCO (known to us here as Indiana Tool) celebrated their 60th anniversary in August of last year. Founded by brothers Donald and Noble Neidig, the company has been a big part of the Plymouth community.
I found the article interesting since, even when I work with a company such as ITAMCO often, I get surprised sometimes by the things I don’t know about them. I was aware of their work with the schools through my board position with the Marshall County Economic Development Corporation (MCEDC), but I was unaware how their business had evolved into areas of software development.
As with many relationships, Easterday Construction’s connection to ITAMCO began with some minor projects. The Neidigs were members of the Grace Baptist Church and through some repair projects there, a relationship was formed between my father and the Neidig family – and Don Neidig in particular. From that beginning, dozens of other projects were completed, mostly on just a hand-shake. That was the kind of relationship that was formed. We completed several plant additions to the Plymouth facility including the office renovation and addition, which for a long time was featured on the front of our company brochure. We were also the go-to for many of the family’s home projects as well.
As I previously related here on Don’s passing, Don trusted Dad implicitly. When Dad retired, Don called me. He told me, “I always called your Dad and all I had to say was ‘Berger, get it done’. I hope I can trust you the same way.” What could I say? I said, “Yes, Sir!” And Don called me for all the things he needed and I was happy to help him. One of the last things I did for him was some remodeling work at his home. I enjoyed seeing him during those times. I will miss those conversations.
When Noble Neidig passed last year, it was a generational change for their company. We had also worked on Nobe and Barb Neidig’s home and new them well. We still have a relationship with the family and still do work for ITAMCO. While economic changes have resulted in fewer projects of the scope we completed in the past (plus their purchase of the Argos facility giving them ample room for current expansion needs) we still work with ITAMCO and the Neidigs on various small projects and remain friends. We look forward to a continued friendship and working relationship in the future.
Because of my position on the Marshall County Community Foundation (MCCF) Grants Committee, I was fortunate enough to see the beginnings of the Robotics Club at Plymouth High School. I knew Principal Jim Condon as a fellow Marshall County Economic Development Corporation (MCEDC) Board Member. He introduced me to Josh Kuhn and Kennedy Schneider, two Plymouth High School students who, without the knowledge of the school, entered and won the State Vex Robotics Competition. (I found this article discussing the original team in the South Bend Tribune. I’ve embedded a link to them winning the State Championship below.) The School then helped them move on to the World competition in California. The school then applied for a grant from MCCF to start a formal robotics club the following year. I vetted the school’s grant application for a robotics program and was pleased to champion it with the MCCF Grants Committee. MCCF awarded them a significant grant to begin the program.
Coming full circle, Principal Condon told me last Friday that three years after that start-up, Plymouth High School’s Robotics Club would be hosting a northern Indiana competition on Saturday and would be fielding six teams. The event ran from 9 until 4. Due to other commitments I could only go for the afternoon. Becky and I got there about 1:30 and as it turned out, that was about right as we were in time for the to see the team selection process and the beginning of the elimination rounds.
Principal Condon was kind enough to take a few minutes to sit with us and update me on the status of the program as well as tell us a little about what we were seeing. The teams were ranked and then through a school yard pick, divided up into teams of three. The teams then competed head to head for two out of three wins in competition matches to advance to the finals.
I don’t think I could do justice to a description of the competition here. Suffice it to say it was a combination of driving skill, defense, ball collection and ball shooting skill as they collected balls around the arena and attempted to get them into the goal net. The robots shot the balls using impellers, catapults and paddles. The students were given specifications and a parts list they could use last summer and then they spent months developing CAD models of their robots. They are required to provide a detailed manual describing the design process and the construction process which is part of the judging process. At competitions they are judged on not only their competence in the arena, but on style and presentation.
I’m probably unjustified in being proud of the very small part I played in helping with this. But seeing the enthusiasm of the kids and the obvious pride they have in their efforts was heartwarming. I’ll have no problem going back to MCCF and telling them that the grant money invested in the program was well spent.
For those of you that missed the Vision Meetings in Argos and Culver, there is another opportunity to attend and voice your opinion. A third Town Hall Meeting is being held in Plymouth this Saturday. See the flyer to the right. I have also included the text of a press release MCEDC is sending out to the local media below.
This is an important topic as we make decisions on how to move Marshall County forward. I hope to see you there!
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Press Release
Plymouth, IN (February 3, 2016) – The Marshall County Economic Development Corporation (MCEDC) will be holding a Town Hall meeting at the Plymouth Council Chambers this Saturday, February 6th at 10am. The meeting will address the Marshall County Vision, an effort supported by community leaders and a citizen’s group of 120 members and growing whose goal is to improve the quality of life of all Marshall County residents.
The Marshall County Vision is an initiative aimed at raising awareness of the needs that our community faces and building consensus on the ways in which we can securing funding and implement long-term development plans to meet these needs. Specifically, the long-term plans proposed by the initiative will require $27 MM in funding for community development and $52 MM for county-wide roadwork. These funds will be used to extend the Metronet, improve infrastructure, create more affordable housing, increase workforce development efforts, and repair and maintain 911 miles of road in Marshall County.
Since the Vision initiative began last summer, MCEDC has presented it to elected officials and at 7 service organizations across the county, as well as Town Hall meetings in Bourbon, Argos, and Culver. These meetings have resulted in greater support for the Vision initiative, and we hope the upcoming Plymouth Town Hall meeting will do the same. More importantly however, these meetings have given community members a chance to voice their opinions and build consensus on the development plans which will impact our county’s future.
According to MCEDC President/CEO, Jerry Chavez, Marshall County already has the tools necessary to secure funding to improve our community, we just need to implement them. He states, “No one else is going to help Marshall County, we have to help ourselves. That’s what the Marshall County Vision is all about.”
All Plymouth residents are encouraged to come to the meeting and learn how they can make Marshall County a better place to live and work for years to come. For more information, please contact Jerry Chavez, President/CEO, at (574) 935-8499.
About Marshall County Economic Development Corporation:
The Marshall County Economic Development Corporation (MCEDC) is the lead countywide economic development organization servicing Marshall County, the City of Plymouth, and the Towns of Bremen, Bourbon, Argos, Culver, and LaPaz. MCEDC’s mission is to expand and diversify the economy of the county and its communities by fostering investment in new and existing businesses and creating entrepreneurial capacity. Visit MCEDC on the web at www.marshallcountyedc.org, like us on Facebook, and follow us on Twitter.
MCEDC‘s President, Jerry Chavez, was on Economic Outlook last month discussion the Regional Cities Initiative and Marshall County’s role in it. As previously discussed here, Marshall County, St. Joseph County and Elkhart County form one of three regions in Indiana that were awarded $42 Million in State grant money. Check out the video link here.