10/26/10 Whitley Products, Inc., a leading supplier of fabricated tubular products serving the diesel engine, agricultural, off-highway equipment and HVAC industries, announced today that the company is expanding its business to include an additional warehousing site and new equipment to increase production capacity in Plymouth.
The company currently has 76 employees in Plymouth and plans to hire 30 additional employees locally by 2012. In addition to its Plymouth facility, Whitley operates a second production facility in Franklin, North Carolina. The company is headquartered in Warsaw, Indiana.
Whitley will lease half of a 62,000 sq ft building on Flora Street in the Plymouth Industrial Park from Plymouth Industrial Development Corporation. The additional site will allow Whitley to restructure operations and improve efficiency at its existing location, a 40,000 sq ft facility located nearby on Stanley Drive.
Provisions to lease additional space in the building on an as-needed basis and a favorable option to purchase helped make the project work, combined with state and local incentives coordinated through the Marshall County Economic Development Corporation (MCEDC).
A total investment of $1,080,000 is projected by Whitley to equip the new facility. The Plymouth City Council will be asked to approve a five-year tax abatement to phase-in personal property taxes on new equipment and retooling associated with the project.
Indiana Economic Development Corporation offered performance-based Economic Development for a Growing Economy (“EDGE”) tax credits to encourage Whitley to invest in and bring the new jobs to its Indiana location. “Whitley Products is a longtime contributor to the Indiana economy and we’re glad that they’ve chosen to continue to expand here,” said Mitch Roob, Secretary of Commerce and CEO of the Indiana Economic Development Corporation.
The expansion is the result of a major contract award to Whitley by a premier international manufacturer of agricultural equipment.
“Whitley Products is committed to continuously improving its capability to serve our customers,” said CEO Rick McCurdy. “Our mission is to profitably grow as a recognized leader in the field of specialty tubular products.”
“Marshall County is pleased to support Whitley’s aggressive effort to capture business and bring it to our area,” said Jennifer Laurent, MCEDC Executive Director. “They are a company confidently navigating the global marketplace, and have set their sights on even more growth in the future. We are making it easy for them to implement that plan here in Plymouth.”
“We appreciate Whitley Products’ strong dedication to their customers, employees, and to our community,” said Mayor Mark Senter. “The fact that our local, county and state economic development organizations all worked together to make this project happen is also a great sign of dedication and cooperation. I am proud to see how these partners have supported skilled job creation and set a course for Whitley’s future success here.”
About Whitley Products Servicing its customers for over six decades, Whitley Products, Inc., headquartered in Warsaw, Indiana, is the largest Tier Two supplier of precision tubular products to the diesel engine, agricultural equipment, off-highway, construction equipment and HVAC markets. With its strong and highly capable engineering team, state-of-the-art manufacturing equipment and strategic US locations, Whitley enjoys the reputation of being the premier supplier of low-cost, top quality tubular products to Fortune 500 manufacturers of heavy equipment engines. For more information on the company, visit www.whitleyproducts.com.
About Indiana Economic Development Corporation Created by Governor Mitch Daniels in 2005 to replace the former Department of Commerce, the Indiana Economic Development Corporation is governed by a 12-member board chaired by Governor Daniels. Mitch Roob serves as the chief executive officer of the IEDC. For more information about IEDC, visit www.iedc.in.gov.
About Marshall County EDC The mission of Marshall County Economic Development Corporation (MCEDC) is to expand and diversify the economy of the county by fostering investment in new and existing facilities and creating entrepreneurial capacity. For more information, visit www.marshallcountyedc.org.
About Plymouth Industrial Development Corporation A privately held corporation, Plymouth Industrial Development Corporation (PIDCO) was established in 1957 by a group of visionary community leaders to promote quality industrial development in Plymouth, Indiana. Over the past nearly 50 years, PIDCO has purchased, developed and resold over 500 acres of industrial land located on US 30 and near US 31 in Marshall County, Indiana. For more information, visit www.plymouthindustrial.com.
