News
New jobs outstrip closures
8/3/2010
Author: Bob Braley
Published by: News Sun
If the last 18 months are any indication, there are signs of life in Noble County's employment picture.
In fact, the number of industrial jobs created through new businesses coming to the county and the expansion of existing companies brought in more jobs than plant closures cost the county from January 2009 through July 31, 2010, according to figures the Noble County Commissioners received Monday.
Industrial jobs created during the period totaled 555, while those lost to closures came to 519, according to a report from Noble County Economic Development Corp. executive director Rick Sherck. The report was also later presented to the Noble County Council.
"There's a lot of things going on in Noble County," Sherck said. Some new jobs his office had a hand in, while others stemmed from things that happened on their own, he explained.
New jobs from new firms brought in included 14 at Precision Tank in Ligonier in 2009 and, in 2010, 21 at B & J Medical in Albion, 54 at Arrotin Plastics in Kendallville and 56 at Accel Indiana in Avilla.
But most of the jobs - 410 - came from the expansion of existing facilities, Sherck said. In 2009, they included 69 jobs at Busche in Albion, eight at Advantage Thermal in Kendallville and two at R & D Wire in LaOtto. The addition of 65 jobs at Creative Liquid Coating in Kendallville straddled the 2009-2010 calendar years.
Thus far in 2010, Tenneco in Ligonier has added 98 jobs, Silgan Plastics in Ligonier 24, Guardian Automotive in Ligonier 24, Creative Wood Design in Ligonier five, Courier in Kendallville 80, Johnson Controls in Kendallville 15 and Ultrexx Symmetry in Avilla 20, he said.
The losses due to closures - all in 2009 - came from 79 jobs at Vibracoustics in Ligonier, 290 from Dalton Corp. in Kendallville, 10 at LCA Engineering in Avilla, 84 at DriveSol in Kendallville and 65 at Parts Finishing Group in Kendallville.
Sherck said other expansions that didn't add jobs helped in other ways. Companies such as Quick Tanks, Noble Paint, Kraft Foods and Reliable Tool & Machine, all in Kendallville, invested in improvements to their facilities that will increase the county's tax base, he explained.
Sherck said the Northeast Regional Partnership has been a valuable resource in finding and keeping jobs. The 10-county agency helped work to keep Tenneco in Ligonier, which resulted in new jobs instead of lost jobs, he said.
John Sampson, executive director of the Northeast Regional Partnership, said most new jobs will come from working to keep companies growing locally. About 60-80 percent of new jobs come from existing firms, he said.
That figure is consistent with the numbers Sherck presented Monday.
Sherck said his agency is meeting with industries in the county to find out what their needs are so it can work to keep them here and help them grow here.
Also in the works is a vacancy study to see what industrial properties are vacant in the county and why they're unoccupied, Sherck said. For instance, some buildings have ceilings below the 20-24 feet of height most industries want today.
The EDC's website is also being updated so it will show up better on a cell phone or iPod, Sherck said.
"We want to create what I want to call a good entrepreneurial soil in Noble County," Sherck said.Back to Top