Seven counties in northeast Indiana could gain a special classification that economic developers hope will bring more jobs to the area.

Allen County and its bordering counties want to become foreign trade zones - areas where foreign goods can be shipped, assembled and exported and not face U.S. tariffs. 

 

For instance, without a foreign trade zone, a computer keyboard manufacturer with an assembly plant in the U.S. may have to pay fees for importing and exporting its product.  If the assembly  plant was within a foreign trade zone, those fees could be eliminated. 

 

"With foreign trade zones, it's like they never bring their product to the U.S.," said Ola DeGabriele, Fort Wayne's international trade manager. "Costs for these companies are much less." 

 

She said new legislation has made it easier for groups of counties to become foreign trade zones if the entire county is within 60 miles or a 90-minute drive from a foreign trade "point of entry" - in this case, the Fort Wayne International Airport. 

 

The eligible counties include: DeKalb, Noble, Allen, Whitley, Huntington, Wells and Adams counties.

 

"Something this large hasn't been done much, yet," DeGabriele said. "We'll start to see it more because of the new legislation." 

 

To become individual foreign trade zones, counties have to go through an application process that includes multiple fees of more than $1,000 and a one-year wait for approval from the national Foreign Trade Zones Board. She said applications should be turned in by the end of August. Then the applications go to the Fort Wayne City Council, which is the central grantee for the area. 

 

DeGabriele said Allen and Whitley counties already have applied.  Ken McCrory, director of the DeKalb County Economic Partnership, said the proposal for DeKalb County to become a foreign trade zone has received approval from the economic partnership's advisory board. 

 

DeKalb County has more than 16 industries that could benefit, he said. "(The advisory board) told me to go ahead with it if I thought it would be beneficial to county industries - and I think it will be," McCrory said. 

 

Noble County still is gathering information about becoming a zone, said Rick Sherck, director of the Noble County Economic Development Corp.  

 

Sherck said more than 20 industries in Noble County could take advantage of the classification.  "None of those are operating in a foreign trade zone," Sherck said. "If we could help some of those, we would more than get back our investment." 

 

Stueben and LaGrange counties aren't eligible, because the entire counties aren't within a 60-mile radius from the airport. But their economic leaders still expressed excitement for the possibilities it brings the region. 

 

"Anything that's good for the region is good for us," said Keith Gillenwater, executive director of LaGrange County Economic Development Corp. "If this brings in a big company, then they will bring jobs to the area. Hopefully they'll live in LaGrange County and spend their money in Shipshewana." 

 

Gary Nielander, director of economic development for Steuben County Economic Development Corp., says: "This can help us market new industries to the area.

 

Any new tool we can use to help us market is beneficial."  Sherck said Allen County officials contacted the eligible counties in May about the possibilities of becoming foreign trade zones.  Since then, he's realized the zones "have a lot of upsides."  "This is going to help all of us," Sherck said .