July 23, 2014 at 2:10 p.m.
Area manufacturing doing well (3/9/05)
JCDC board members receive update at monthly meeting
By By Mike Snyder-
Despite the rumors of its imminent demise, a local economic development official says that manufacturing — long the base of the local economy — is quite healthy.
While there are no huge new projects imminent, Robert Quadrozzi, executive director of Jay County Development Corporation, told members of his board Tuesday that many existing industries are either holding steady or plan to increase payrolls in the near future.
“My opinion of manufacturing activities in Jay County is very strong,” Quadrozzi told the JCDC board Tuesday afternoon. “They’re at least holding their own or in a steady growth pattern ... We’ve got a lot of balls up in the air, and we’re waiting for them to come down.”
Auto parts suppliers FCC (Indiana) Inc. and Alphabet Inc. — Portland Division are each approaching 500 employees, while several other industries, including Saint-Gobain Containers in Dunkirk, are also thriving, Quadrozzi said.
During reports from individual board members, Portland Mayor Bruce Hosier echoed Quadrozzi’s assessment of local activity, and said “We don’t think 2005 is going to be any slower than 2004 was.”
Among the projects keeping Hosier’s attention, he said, will be the Wal-Mart Supercenter, the widening of Industrial Park Drive and the continuation of the X-Plex Extreme Competition Park project.
Also Tuesday, Jay County community developer Wayne Bailey told board members that he is continuing work on an application for a grant to assist with the rehabilitation of the Weiler Building, owned by the John Jay Center for Learning. The center hopes to make the Weiler Building its permanent home.
The application, which will be submitted to the office of Indiana Lt. Gov. Becky Skillman, is due April 1, Bailey said.
The maximum amount of the grant is $500,000.
Bailey also gave an update on the Quincy Place project in Dunkirk, which was built with the help of a state grant to the city.
The terms of the nearly $500,000 grant called for 44 homes to be built for low-to-moderate income residents over a four-year period.
Nearly seven years later, a total of 14 homes have been built by the Decatur-based developer, with 10 occupied.
Because the project criteria have not been met, the state could ask for a pro-rated repayment of the grant. Because each community is limited in the amount of open grant projects, the Quincy Place grant could hamper Dunkirk’s eligibility for future grants until it is closed.
The grant was used to develop the streets and sidewalks for the project, which is located just east of West Jay Middle School.
Bailey has worked with state officials to obtain a modification of the original grant stipulations to allow elderly residents to purchase the homes and to require occupation by 50 residents, instead of all 44 homes.
“They can call this (grant) in at any time,” Bailey said Tuesday. “But with the (modifications), I feel confident they’re at least going to give us a few months.”
In other business Tuesday, JCDC board members:
•Heard fellow members John Knipp and Jim Zimmerman discuss ongoing agriculture week activities. Knipp said that 832 breakfasts were served Tuesday morning at the 4-H Building at the Jay County Fairgrounds. Zimmerman said that the Ag Week Committee appreciated the opportunity to visit area elementary schools during the week to give presentations on agriculture.
•Learned from Quadrozzi that Omnicity, a start-up high speed wireless Internet provider, is serving customers in the Redkey and Dunkirk areas. The company’s operations were backed with a loan from county economic development income tax funds. “They’re very pleased with the signals they’re getting,” Quadrozzi said.
The company, which is also beginning to bring Portland-area customers online, plans a secondary marketing push following the initial test period.[[In-content Ad]]The president of Ball State University and a former executive director will play major roles in helping mark the 20th anniversary of Jay County Development Corporation.
The organization, founded in 1985 in response to a dramatic downturn in the local economy, plans to combine its annual Industrial Appreciation Dinner in May with an anniversary celebration.
Jo Ann M. Gora, who began work as president of Ball State University in August, will be the special speaker at the May event, while Richard Heupel, a former JCDC executive director, will serve as the master of ceremonies for the event. It will be held on Tuesday, May 10 at Portland Golf Club, beginning at 5 p.m.
Heupel, who served as executive director for JCDC from its inception until 1991, currently is an economic development consultant in the School of Extended Education and Community and Economic Development at Ball State.
Heupel and current JCDC executive director Robert Quadrozzi are the only two people to serve in that capacity in the organization’s 20-year history.
Gora, who has been in higher education administration for 24 years, came to Ball State from the University of Massachusetts — Boston, where she had served as chancellor since 2001.
Gora earned a bachelor's degree in political science from Vassar College and master's and doctoral degrees in sociology from Rutgers University.
While there are no huge new projects imminent, Robert Quadrozzi, executive director of Jay County Development Corporation, told members of his board Tuesday that many existing industries are either holding steady or plan to increase payrolls in the near future.
“My opinion of manufacturing activities in Jay County is very strong,” Quadrozzi told the JCDC board Tuesday afternoon. “They’re at least holding their own or in a steady growth pattern ... We’ve got a lot of balls up in the air, and we’re waiting for them to come down.”
Auto parts suppliers FCC (Indiana) Inc. and Alphabet Inc. — Portland Division are each approaching 500 employees, while several other industries, including Saint-Gobain Containers in Dunkirk, are also thriving, Quadrozzi said.
During reports from individual board members, Portland Mayor Bruce Hosier echoed Quadrozzi’s assessment of local activity, and said “We don’t think 2005 is going to be any slower than 2004 was.”
Among the projects keeping Hosier’s attention, he said, will be the Wal-Mart Supercenter, the widening of Industrial Park Drive and the continuation of the X-Plex Extreme Competition Park project.
Also Tuesday, Jay County community developer Wayne Bailey told board members that he is continuing work on an application for a grant to assist with the rehabilitation of the Weiler Building, owned by the John Jay Center for Learning. The center hopes to make the Weiler Building its permanent home.
The application, which will be submitted to the office of Indiana Lt. Gov. Becky Skillman, is due April 1, Bailey said.
The maximum amount of the grant is $500,000.
Bailey also gave an update on the Quincy Place project in Dunkirk, which was built with the help of a state grant to the city.
The terms of the nearly $500,000 grant called for 44 homes to be built for low-to-moderate income residents over a four-year period.
Nearly seven years later, a total of 14 homes have been built by the Decatur-based developer, with 10 occupied.
Because the project criteria have not been met, the state could ask for a pro-rated repayment of the grant. Because each community is limited in the amount of open grant projects, the Quincy Place grant could hamper Dunkirk’s eligibility for future grants until it is closed.
The grant was used to develop the streets and sidewalks for the project, which is located just east of West Jay Middle School.
Bailey has worked with state officials to obtain a modification of the original grant stipulations to allow elderly residents to purchase the homes and to require occupation by 50 residents, instead of all 44 homes.
“They can call this (grant) in at any time,” Bailey said Tuesday. “But with the (modifications), I feel confident they’re at least going to give us a few months.”
In other business Tuesday, JCDC board members:
•Heard fellow members John Knipp and Jim Zimmerman discuss ongoing agriculture week activities. Knipp said that 832 breakfasts were served Tuesday morning at the 4-H Building at the Jay County Fairgrounds. Zimmerman said that the Ag Week Committee appreciated the opportunity to visit area elementary schools during the week to give presentations on agriculture.
•Learned from Quadrozzi that Omnicity, a start-up high speed wireless Internet provider, is serving customers in the Redkey and Dunkirk areas. The company’s operations were backed with a loan from county economic development income tax funds. “They’re very pleased with the signals they’re getting,” Quadrozzi said.
The company, which is also beginning to bring Portland-area customers online, plans a secondary marketing push following the initial test period.[[In-content Ad]]The president of Ball State University and a former executive director will play major roles in helping mark the 20th anniversary of Jay County Development Corporation.
The organization, founded in 1985 in response to a dramatic downturn in the local economy, plans to combine its annual Industrial Appreciation Dinner in May with an anniversary celebration.
Jo Ann M. Gora, who began work as president of Ball State University in August, will be the special speaker at the May event, while Richard Heupel, a former JCDC executive director, will serve as the master of ceremonies for the event. It will be held on Tuesday, May 10 at Portland Golf Club, beginning at 5 p.m.
Heupel, who served as executive director for JCDC from its inception until 1991, currently is an economic development consultant in the School of Extended Education and Community and Economic Development at Ball State.
Heupel and current JCDC executive director Robert Quadrozzi are the only two people to serve in that capacity in the organization’s 20-year history.
Gora, who has been in higher education administration for 24 years, came to Ball State from the University of Massachusetts — Boston, where she had served as chancellor since 2001.
Gora earned a bachelor's degree in political science from Vassar College and master's and doctoral degrees in sociology from Rutgers University.
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