Ardagh plan approved

The final piece of the puzzle has come together for Ardagh Group’s acquisition of Verallia North America, including the glass container plant in Dunkirk.
The Federal Trade Commission this week approved Ardagh’s plan to sell six of its glass container plants that had been part of an earlier acquisition of Anchor Glass. The former Anchor plant in Winchester continues to be a part of Ardagh Group, which is now the largest glass container company in the U.S.
Ardagh announced its plans to acquire Verallia in early 2013, but the FTC balked, citing antitrust concerns. The sale of the six plants was intended to satisfy the FTC, and this week’s approval makes the deal final.
On Friday, Ardagh Packaging Finance and Ardagh Holdings USA announced they plan to issue 1.155 billion Euros in first priority senior secured notes. The notes will be due in 2022, The Irish Times reported.
“They will also issue $430 million of secured floating rate notes due in 2019 and $440 million of senor notes due in 2021. The proceeds of the debt issuance, along with the proceeds from the sale of the six glass plants, will be used to repay senior notes due in 2017,” The Irish Times reported Friday.
With the sale of the six plants, Ardagh now has 94 production facilities in 23 countries.
Ardagh is expected to go forward with an initial public offering of stock later this year.

Wayne County joins
The board of directors of the Economic Development Corporation of Wayne County recently voted to become a part of the Energize-ECI, Inc., regional economic development private/public partnership, which includes Jay County.
In 2013, the economic development foundation established by Energize-ECI, Inc., helped bring more than 2,000 new jobs and more than $500 million of new capital investment to the area. Its mission is to create new jobs, bring new capital investments to the region and to improve the quality of place for all East Central Indiana residents and workers.
Portland manufacturer FCC is the fourth largest manufacturer in the group and Tyson Foods is the 10th.

To renovate
Red Gold, the Midwest based manufacturer of premium quality tomato products, which has a plant in Geneva, announced Friday its plans to purchase a vacant building in Elwood that will be renovated for a new corporate headquarters for RG Transport.
RG Transport is the sister company of Red Gold, Inc., and a private fleet of more than 150 trucks and 30 trailers.

Ivy Tech offering
Ivy Tech Community College will begin offering a new technical certificate and certificate of entrepreneurship that will be available at all 31 campuses in August.
The 31-credit-hour technical certificate and 18-credit-hour certificate in entrepreneurship are intended to prepare graduates to apply a comprehensive set of principles toward establishing, owning and operating an independent business.
The certificate in entrepreneurship is designed for students with knowledge in other fields of study acquired either through postsecondary education or through industry or life experience. The technical certificate includes the entrepreneurship courses and adds an accounting, marketing, computer, communication and college success course.[[In-content Ad]]